Heal. Pray. Grow.
My Trip to Ireland
Hello all! My apologies that it has been so long since I have last written. In the days leading up to my trip overseas, I was so busy and trying to get in plenty of rest—so I was unable to write. Then, I was traveling and on a retreat in Ireland, and then was in Amsterdam. I was gone from Sept. 10 through Oct. 3. There wasn’t much time or energy to write while I was away. I fully intended to sit in cafe’s every day and do some writing on here when I was in Amsterdam. However, things didn’t go at all according to plan there. I will share all about that with you in the Part 2 of this post soon. As for this post, it will be all about my time in Ireland!
Day 1 - Sept. 10 2024 - Starting the journey - Journal entry
Friends, the time is here. I’m making my journey to Ireland and Amsterdam.
This trip looks a lot different as a disabled person. I feel REALLY weird calling myself that, but a judge agreed and I am technically disabled now. Please remember if you see someone who looks able-bodied struggling, be kind and patient because you never know.
As an able-bodied person I would have taken a bunch of cheap connecting flights straight overseas and just lumped it all into one day. Save money. Save time.
However, now, I simply am unable to travel that way. This way is a little more luxurious, but more expensive. I’m breaking the trip up and taking my time so I don’t overdo it and end up bedridden before I even get there.
Flew Marion to Chicago today. Checked in to the Hilton connected to O’Hare. An expense that was a tough pill to swallow, but is necessary. Now I will spend the night here resting. Then tomorrow I will fly from Chicago to Dublin. I will check into another hotel at that airport and recover from that flight. Then the following day I will be picked up for my retreat.
Arrived from the one hour flight from Marion to Chicago with a pretty bad headache, short on breath, heart palpitations, dizziness, and a lot of fatigue. But I do feel confident that laying in this bed for the next 20 hours with the AC blasting is going to help soothe all that for the big jump tomorrow.
I’m learning how to pace myself and still be able to do the things I enjoy as best I can. I hope to experiment with the best ways to travel for people with chronic illness, and report back to you on how it can be maneuvered. I’ll keep you posted on the journey.
AND, as usual I’ll post very detailed and explicit travel logs for you every day, so you can live vicariously through my SHENANIGANS.
Day 2 - Sept. 11 2024 - Making the big jump over the pond - Journal entry
Entry 1 - Today is the big flight day. Chicago to Ireland. Preparing myself by having a late check out at my hotel and sleeping in and resting until it’s time to leave for my flight. Drinking hot herbal tea and taking extra vitamin C and allergy meds (this Fall weather change always messes me up and I’m doing everything I can to not get sick and have my allergies take over). And of course I packed my crystals that I use for reiki. Wearing them on my third eye, throat, and heart chakras while I watch some reiki on YouTube so I can feel better before and during my flight!
Entry 2 - Most days, chronic illnesses/disabilities suck. But some days, it means you get a wheelchair ride the whole two mile walk to your gate and priority boarding. That walk and standing in security forever would have completely done me in. So I’m grateful for the push! Now to get rid of my terrible headache from someone’s** awful heavy perfume.
**Me. I’m someone. I didn’t mean to spray so much and now I hate being around myself.
Day 3 - Sept. 12 2024 - Arrival at the Green Isle - Journal entry
Entry 1 - My wheelchair porter at Dublin airport, Aidan, first and only Irish person I’ve met so far, hands down friendliest and nicest person I’ve ever met. Pretty sure I’m gonna love it here!
Entry 2 - Made it to Dublin hotel around 6:30am Dublin time. About 12:30pm CST.
Wore my mask on plane. Nonstop hydrating with water. Been choosing very healthy meals at hotels and airports to keep my inflammation down. Took my migraine medicine and extra Vitamin C when I got to hotel. Drinking peppermint tea. Did my skincare. Gonna dry brush my body and gua sha my face to help with my lymphatic drainage, circulation, and inflammation. I’m VERY puffy right now. Gonna put on my compression stockings for a bit. Then gonna rest and sleep for a bit!
So far I’m feeling like I’m playing all my cards right with taking care of myself. And the wheelchair/luggage porters were GAME CHANGERS!! It’s not that I can’t do it. But if I did then that would have been all my energy used on that for the next couple of days. Letting someone do that for me has given me the space to have energy for the things I’m here for. It’s weird as a “hyper independent oldest female child” type to allow people to help me. But it makes all the difference. Plus, had a wonderful discussion with my Irish porter about woo woo shit!
Now time for SCITHE (Gaelic Irish for “rest”).
Entry 3 - Setting some boundaries and being cheeky for people who get a little too pushy on my travel FB posts -
“KRISTA’S INTERNATIONAL INTERACTIVE TRAVELING PRICING GUIDE!!
Here’s my cheeky little new idea for this trip to save everyone time, energy, and maybe even stress!
Following along and enjoying my trip through my posts and just saying encouraging things: FREE
Giving suggestions if I ask for them: FREE
Suggesting I do activities on my trip that you enjoyed on your trip AND it turns out to be a suggestion of something that I personally like and want to do: Venmo me $10
Suggesting I do activities on my trip that you enjoyed on your trip AND it turns out to be a suggestion of something that I don’t personally like and want to do: Venmo me $20
Insisting I do an activity that you enjoyed even though I don’t: Venmo me the cost of the activity plus $50 (and still no guarantees that I’ll do it)
Giving me grief/teasing me/getting worked up about the fact that there are things I don’t like to do or eat on my trips that you like to do and eat on your trips (ie museums, most historical landmarks, educational excursions, highly touristy things, eating pasta, etc): Venmo me $100.
Then it won’t just be a trip I paid for! Anyone that wants a say in what I do can help me pay for it!
Then I think everyone can be happy!! We all win!
Only suggestions sent via Venmo will be responded to or taken into consideration!
Also, no need to suggest seeing a live sex show in Amsterdam because it’s already on the very top of my list! That’s how I travel, yo”
**This post ended up garnering $200 for me, so that feels like a win! Of course the actual people that bully me on my posts weren’t the ones to send money.
Day 4 - Sept. 13 2024 - Arriving at the Celtic Fairy Retreat in the Wicklow Mountains - Journal entry
My official Day 1 in Ireland (not including my flight recovery day in hotel) has been as magical as I hoped it would be.
As mentioned in a previous post, my first Irish person I met was Aidan. He was my wheelchair porter at the airport. He was so kind, warm, friendly, and outgoing. We chatted about how he lived most of his life near Dublin, but that he spent 7 years in San Francisco. He said one day he had just had enough of his job, so he quit and made a decision to move to SF. He loved it there. He spent most of his career as a carpenter, but now is doing the airport work. He asked about why I was here and I told him I am on a Celtic Fairy Retreat. He asked what that was all about and I told him it was “woo woo stuff”. He hadn’t heard of woo woo before, so I filled him in on what it meant. Turns out he has had reiki done on him by his sister, because she is super into it. We gave each other a big hug when he dropped me off at my shuttle.
Today, I met the retreat attendees at the airport and we had a shuttle take us to our retreat in the Wicklow Mountains at The Wicklow Escape lodge. Everyone attending is so lovely and warm and kind and open-hearted. A couple of mother-daughter duos. Most of us are from America.
I talked my dear bestie Lindsay “Ronald” into coming on this retreat, and she met us at the airport to get our shuttle to the retreat. Her and I rode up front in the shuttle for the hour ride from airport to mountains. Once again we had a very friendly and warm Irishman shuttle driver. His name is Darragh. He chatted with us the whole way. Even though so many people in America are a little bit Irish, he was quite impressed with my significant percentage, and the fact that I also have ancestors from New Castle and that I am a “Geordie” and that I knew what that meant and knew about Geordie Shore. He said, “Wow, mostly Irish and a Geordie, you are the full package!”. And it wasn’t in a sarcastic way but more of an endearing way. LOL!! Lindsay and I both got the vibes that he was crushing on me. So folks, just FYI, I am the “full package”. I asked him for his birth information and he is an Aquarius Sun, Taurus Moon, and Libra Rising. To be honest, didn’t think I would do as well here with the men as I do in Italy and places like that, because in Italy I am exotic compared to their locals since I am so pale and blonde and all that. Here, I am just like the locals. But, so far, that seems to be ok! This is based on one guy, but I have faith it will continue. Ha!
The mountain retreat escape lodging is so beautiful. The gardens and forest and trees and nature and fresh air are just absolutely glorious. We ate lunch when we arrived, prepared by their incredible chef. Grilled cheese sandwiches with some amazing cheese on them that I have never tasted anything like before, and a honey roasted vegetable soup. Dinner was lentil dal, sweet potatoes, spinach, and an Irish wheat pouf thingy.
We had plenty of rest today, a land offering and intention setting circle, a group Gaelic chant and reiki session, and a gentle yoga session for those who weren’t napping. Today was a light day with lots of rest to recover from travel. We all got to know each other and I really connected with people over astrology conversations. It’s so nice to be with a community of people that have the same woo woo interests.
During one of our breaks I walked the land, talked to the plants and trees, admired the horse, chatted with all the crows flying around being noisy, grounded my bare feet in the earth, laid on large stones covered with moss and I rubbed and almost made out with the moss, and hugged a lot of trees. Also, found a ton of fairy homes. Especially this one with the mushroom growing out of the hole in the tree and surrounded by shamrocks. It gave me permission to take pictures with it. Last thing I wanna do is piss off the fairies.
This is how I like to travel. Meet incredible people and get to know them and their stories, do woo woo shit, eat different and fun food, explore local and unique things, and hug trees!
If you read this far, tell me what you know about your astrological chart.
See you tomorrow!
Day 1 at Retreat in Ireland TikTok
Day 5 - Sept. 14 2024 - Second day at retreat - Journal entry
Day 2 at Celtic Fairy Retreat in Ireland!
Today ended up being a day that I geared myself up for when booking this trip. I told myself that there may be days I had to miss stuff and get rest. And that it’s still better to come and miss some things than to not do it at all. Today I had to put that pep talk in action.
My sleep last night was short and very choppy. I slept on and off from 3-6am. Around 6:30 I got up and was actually feeling pretty good. I went outside before everyone was awake and visited the trees again. Hugged them. Grounded my bare feet in soft moss. Also rubbed the moss for a long time. Talked to the crows. Waved at and tried to cajole the horses into coming to talk to me. They stared at me like I was a dumb ass. I journaled. I laid in a hammock surrounded by greenery. Also, I’m pretty sure the large rock formations were in different places today than they were yesterday. Fairies messing with me.
Then I went back to the room to get ready for the day, and I woke Lindsay up for breakfast with my singing of some lovely parody songs. One was to the tune of What’s New Pussycat and instead I sang “Wake up sleepy head”. The other was a parody of Louie Louie and I sang “Lindsay Lindsay, whooooah I said we gotta go, yeah yeah yeah.” She LOVED it. Not sure how I am the early riser and she is in the one sleeping in late? We must have Freaky Fridayed.
After breakfast, we did fairy past life readings with our retreat leader. In one of my past lives I was a woman in Northern Ireland, several centuries ago, and happily married to a Viking man with three kids. I was very open minded to all of the different cultural traditions of both of our backgrounds as well as any other background I learned about, and it was important to me to instill that openness in the children. We were open to working with the fae and having a very broad view of all the inexplicable things this universe can behold. Our marriage was very loving and my guides told us that this kind of love is coming again for me soon. And that I should work on my relationship with masculinity and what it should actually mean to prepare myself for this kind of love. All I got to say is, Alexander Skarsgård, I’m available. Call me beautiful Viking man! (What’s even crazier, is one of the attendees and I connected before the retreat, and so she brought me a little present to give to me when I met her. In that present was a postcard of a strong woman walking in the arms of a huge Viking man. On the postcard she wrote that the woman in the card reminded her of me. She picked this out and wrote it before ever meeting me in person, and way before I received this past life reading!)
During the readings my headache and fatigue started acting up pretty bad and I got in pretty bad shape. So I stayed back from the hiking and candle-making activities that were scheduled, and instead ate lunch and dinner in my room. I slept and rested. I was disappointed to miss these events, because I love doing all the stuff. But I’m making my peace with traveling with a chronic illness. You have to prioritize your rest and pick and choose. Tomorrow’s excursion to Dublin is something I don’t want to miss. So I babied myself today. Lindsay and the hosts took really good care of me. They brought me back some candles they made and other little goodies.
After dinner I was feeling better and went back in with everyone and finished up the night doing the skin care circle with everyone. One of the incredible attendees is an aesthetician and she brought all kinds of goodies for us and led us in the activity.
The attendees were so sweet about being happy to see me back. It’s really good for the soul to spend time with people who are the type of people to come to a retreat like this. Everyone is an old soul who becomes an immediate best friend. We probably crossed paths in past lives. These women are so incredible. I feel “at home”.
Now I’ve babied myself with my whole nighttime self care routine and some extra special sleep stuff I can do for myself, and I’m going to try to get a better night’s sleep for tomorrow because it’s a long day that I really don’t want to miss. Please say a prayer or put out good vibes for me that I manage our big excursion to Dublin tomorrow!
Even though today was a mixed bag, I still feel like I have a special glow and am looking like I am healing here in these beautiful mountains and forest.
If you read this far, tell me what Viking you are most attracted to? lol
Love ya,
K
Day 2 and 3 at retreat in Ireland TikTok
Day 6 - Sept. 15 2024 - Third day at retreat/Dublin excursion - Journal entry (written the next day on 9/16)
Posting Day 3 of Ireland a little late, because I was exhausted yesterday. But, I had the best night of sleep thus far last night, so I’m doing ok so far today!
Yesterday (9/15) we had a Triple Goddess workshop and gave offerings and intentions to Brigid.
Then we headed to Dublin for a Guided Mythological Storytelling Tour. Then we had a few hours of free time to roam about. Lindsay and I got a snack at a cafe, did a little window shopping, and hung out at a pub and made some new friends from Lithuania and Croatia. One of my absolute favorite things about European travel is sitting at a bar/pub/cafe and meeting new people from around the world! I learn so much about the rest of the modern world this way.
After free time we all met up for an incredibly fancy and absolutely delicious dinner at Wilde. We had a three course pre fixe menu and I chose the Wrights of Marino dill cured salmon, pickled cucumber, sour cream & caviar, Guinness bread for my appetizer. The Pan roasted sea bass fillet, salad Niçoise, saffron aioli & black olive tapenade for my entree. And the Classic vanilla crème brûlée & Irish shortbread for dessert. Then we went out to Temple Bar. I managed to have a few sips of a Guinness.
It was a LONG day. A late arrival at the cottage. And I was very worn out. But I’m so happy to report an amazing night of good sleep and feeling fresh and renewed so far today (morning of 9/16).
If you read this far, look at the picture of the dinner menu and tell me which choices you would have chosen for each course!
(TikTok with Dublin video footage is above in the section from day before. I combined days 2 and 3)
Day 7 - Sept. 16 2024 - Fourth day of retreat - Journal entry
Had a good day energy-wise! Last night was my first night here with long and uninterrupted sleep, so I felt good today.
We started the day with breakfast (eggs, toast, yogurt, fruit, and pastries) and then Forest Bathing & Faerie Altars Walk. We built a beautiful altar as an offering.
I sat in meditation and contemplation on the moss-covered rocks under the breathtaking trees in the beautiful sunlight and I was overcome with emotion at how happy I am to be here after everything that these past few years have brought.
In April I laid in a hospital bed and I was at one of my worst moments. I missed my disability hearing because of being in the hospital for several days. I was scrolling instagram and saw this retreat on my feed and decided then and there that I was going to manifest 1- getting better enough to make this trip, 2- winning this third round of the disability appeal, and 3- for all of that to happen in time for me to be able to go on this retreat.
My manifesting worked. And today I sat in the forest thinking about all of this and how grateful I am and I cried. So I took selfies of it!
Because this new phone camera and that freaking sunlight and portrait mode were a winning combination with the color my eyes turn when I cry!! No filters!
Then it was lunch (a garden fresh salad with grilled chicken) and after that was the Faerie Letters & Inner Child Workshop. I pulled The Star tarot card and it was incredibly spot on. This card represents renewed hope, brand new version of myself with a bright future, new beginning, my time to shine, recommitment to faith, spirituality, finding purpose, and wish fulfillment. We did a lot of journaling and inner healing work and it was a really fulfilling workshop led by our host, Faith.
Then some Irish musicians came to our resort and played Traditional Irish Music for us while we laid on blankets and ate appetizers and drank wine. The bees enjoyed it too.
Then I had a spa appointment. Their masseuse came to the cottage and I had a 1hr foot reflexology session. Genuinely genuinely genuinely cannot recommend a legit foot reflexology massage enough. This is the second one I’ve ever had in my life and it is a game changer. They know how to work the foot in a way that hits every organ in your body and completely calms your nervous system. I never fall asleep during massages but I have both times I’ve had this foot one. The complete and utter soothing bliss is indescribable.
After dinner (salmon, potatoes and veggies and lemon raspberry pound cake and ice cream) we did gentle yoga for an hour led by my soul sister Jasmine. Then some of us got real cozy in the wood-burning hot tub under the stars. I really love these women and they are feeding my soul in ways I rarely encounter.
Not sure I could have asked for a better day.
If you read this far, what’s your favorite spa treatment to get? Mine is a facial but foot reflexology and head massages are tied for a close second.
Day 4 and 5 at retreat in Ireland TikTok
Day 8 - Sept. 17 2024 - Fifth day of retreat - Journal entry
My heart continues to be full at the Fairy Retreat. And tonight’s Full Moon in Pisces (in my house of friends and community) just makes my heart even more full!
After breakfast we started our day with Mushroom & Herb Foraging with a renowned mycologist named Bill. And then we attended a Mycology and Elixirs Workshop with Denise who owns The Herb School.
After that, with our free time, Lindsay wanted to buy an Irish wool sweater, and we were told there was a wool shop down the street. We walked there to find out that it was the processing center and not a shop we could go to. But we may have talked the lady into bringing it to us and doing a wool pop up shop at our cottages on Thursday. Stay tuned!
Then I practiced my Celtic Reiki on Lindsay. In the middle of the forest. In Ireland. While she laid on a bed of moss. Probably the coolest place I will ever perform reiki.
Then we had a private session with our host, Faith, who did several past life psychic readings for us. Lindsay and I are soulmates and have spent many lives together as friends and as family members. But I think my favorite relationship with her is when she was a horse and I was her owner. Giddy up, horsey.
Then we hit the hot tub for an hour!
Our chef cooked the edible mushrooms we foraged for dinner in the most amazing sauce! After dinner was our special Harvest Full Moon Celebration. This included many amazing things, some of which were glitter and dancing in the moonlight to “Dancing in the Moonlight”.
If you read this far, tell me if you have any past life intuitions. For years I’ve felt strongly that I died from ODing on drugs in a past life and that turned out to be true. I assumed it was in the 70s. But it turns out it was in the 1930s, in China, on opium!
Ok, EARLY and LONG day tomorrow at some of the most powerful fairy fault lines and spiritual vortexes in the world! Loughcrew Cairns, Newgrange, and Hill of Tara. Lots of walking! Wish me luck!!
(TikTok with Dublin video footage is above in the section from day before. I combined days 4 and 5)
TikTok with video of Celtic Reiki in Irish Forest accompanied by one of my guided meditations.
Day 9 - Sept. 18 2024 - Sixth day of retreat/Spiritual Vortex Day - Journal entry
Here is all I originally posted about it on FB:
“Day 6 in Ireland was yesterday. I didn’t do my daily post, so I’m a day late.
It was a lot to process. I’m still processing. I don’t have any words to share right now. I’m simultaneously struggling and healing. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to share my experiences.
In the meantime, here are the pics.”
But now, I am going to do my best to detail the day here.
It was a very early and very long day. I did not hold up as well as I was hoping, as this was the day that was most important to me. I’ve made my peace with the fact that I know it happened exactly the way it was meant to. However, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t sad.
Originally, the agenda only included Newgrange and Hill of Tara. However, a few weeks before the retreat, they also added on Loughcrew Cairns. All of these are ancient, spiritual grounds. Since we added a new place on to the agenda, that meant leaving even earlier, being gone even longer, and an extra couple of hours in the car.
We went to Loughcrew Cairns first and I was forewarned that there were A LOT of steps to get up to it. I thought about it for a few days, and upon the day we went, I decided I would sit out of that one. I didn’t want the stairs at the first place to wear me out so bad that I couldn’t do anything at the next 2 places. Since this one wasn’t part of the original agenda, and I hadn’t researched it and been looking forward to it, I didn’t feel like I was missing out too much.
Additionally, it had taken us an hour to get there, and the roads were incredibly winding the whole way, and the driver was rushed to get us everywhere on time, since we were going so many places and covering so much ground. As such, he was driving pretty fast on all the windy roads for an hour. He also was one of those drivers that does a lot of stop/starting for no reason and it was really herky jerky. As such, I was already feeling pretty car sick by the time we got there (and I wasn’t the only one.)
I bid all of the other attendees a farewell up the stairs as I stayed behind and walked around the area a little bit. I talked to some cows, cawed at some crows, looked for the bull but couldn’t find him, and got stung by some stinging nettle that was furiously blowing in the wind and whipped out and grabbed my hand.
Once everyone returned, we had to drive even faster for another hour to get to Newgrange in time for our reservation. By the time we got there, I was feeling so car sick and miserable that it was hard for me to function. However, I really was very excited about this location, so I decided to push through.
Upon arriving, I found out that there were actual 2 special spots at this location. In addition to Newgrange, there was also a place called Knowth. I wasn’t aware of this. We got tours of both. Knowth was first, and our tour guide was a woman who was absolutely an actual fairy. Her walk was a dance, her mannerisms were flitty, her energy was effervescent, and she sung to herself as she walked and twirled. Her entire aura gave me just the energy I needed to enjoy this location.
Knowth, for those of you who don’t “knowth” (see what I did there?), is
“a prehistoric monument overlooking the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland. It comprises a large passage tomb surrounded by 17 smaller tombs, built during the Neolithic era around 3200 BC. It contains the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Europe.
After its initial period of use, Knowth gradually became a ruin, although the area continued to be a site of ritual activity in the Bronze Age. During the early Middle Ages, a royal residence was built on top of the great mound, which became the seat of the Kings of Knowth or Northern Brega. Archaeologist George Eogan led an extensive investigation of the site from the 1960s to 1980s, and parts of the monument were reconstructed.
The east-west orientation of the passages at Knowth suggests astronomical alignment with the equinoxes. The alignment at Knowth does not occur today. This is due to a number of factors. First of all, the passages were discovered by later settlers and were, to some extent, destroyed or incorporated into souterrains. In this way the original entrances to the passages were distorted or destroyed, making it difficult to establish if an alignment ever existed. Further, the recent excavations (1962 onwards) under George Eogan resulted in the erection of a concrete slab wall inside the mound's west entrance, restricting any investigation into the possible alignments. It seems likely that the passages were intended to align. Also, the alignments of ancient monuments can change due to Milankovitch cycles. The most extensive research on alignments and astronomy at Knowth was carried out by American-Irish researcher Martin Brennan.
A brief excavation of the site was carried out in 1941 by Macallister. However, the first thorough archaeological investigation and excavations of Knowth began in 1962 and were led by George Eogan of University College Dublin. When his excavations began, very little was known about the full extent of the site. The entrances to the western and eastern passages were discovered in 1967 and 1968 respectively, and, slowly, the layers of activity at the site of Knowth were uncovered.”
We went to the top of the main mound, and everywhere you looked for miles and miles around was the beautiful green that Ireland is known for. In one corner, off in the distance, were about 20 horses grazing, in another corner were about 15 cows lazing about and wiggling their ears, and in yet another corner were a bunch of sheep doing their thing. The sky above was so blue and clear with beautiful white fluffy clouds. The weather was incredibly beautiful and highly unusual for this time of year. The breeze was magical.
I still really can’t put into words what I felt up there, or why. I had the most profound moment of peace that I can ever recall. Time slowed. Time didn’t matter. I grounded my bare feet in the earth. I had an incredibly deep spiritual experience. Deep isn’t a good enough word. But I cannot find a word good enough. I have waited this long to write about it, and I still can’t. Some things can’t be explained and spoken. Some things can only be experienced. This was one of them. I am still just really overcome with emotion when I think about it. I wouldn’t have thought that would be the case from just looking at it. But something aligned when I was there. I will leave it at that.
Then we headed over to Newgrange. For those of you who need a quick lesson on Newgrange:
“is a prehistoric monument in County Meath in Ireland, located on a rise overlooking the River Boyne, eight kilometres (five miles) west of the town of Drogheda. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic Period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids. Newgrange is the main monument in the Brú na Bóinne complex, a World Heritage Site that also includes the passage tombs of Knowth and Dowth, as well as other henges, burial mounds and standing stones.
Newgrange consists of a large circular mound with an inner stone passageway and cruciform chamber. Burnt and unburnt human bones, and possible grave goods or votive offerings, were found in this chamber. The monument has a striking façade made mostly of white quartz cobblestones, and it is ringed by engraved kerbstones. Many of the larger stones of Newgrange are covered in megalithic art. The mound is also ringed by a stone circle. Some of the material that makes up the monument came from as far as the Mournes and Wicklow Mountains. There is no agreement about its purpose, but it is believed it had religious significance. It is aligned so that the rising sun on the winter solstice shines through a "roofbox" above the entrance and floods the inner chamber.
The Newgrange monument primarily consists of a large mound, built of alternating layers of earth and stones, with grass growing on top and a reconstructed facade of flattish white quartz stones studded at intervals with large rounded cobbles covering part of the circumference. It consists of about 200,000 tonnes of material. The mound is 85 metres (279 ft) wide at its widest point and 12 metres (39 ft) high, and covers 4,500 square metres (1.1 acres) of ground. Within the mound is a chambered passage, which may be accessed by an entrance on the southeastern side of the monument. The passage stretches for 19 metres (60 ft), or about a third of the way into the centre of the structure. At the end of the passage are three small chambers off a larger central chamber with a high corbelled vault roof. Each of the smaller chambers has a large flat "basin stone" where the bones of the dead may have been deposited during prehistoric times. Whether it was a burial site remains unclear. The walls of this passage are made up of large stone slabs called orthostats, twenty-two of which are on the western side and twenty-one on the eastern side. They average 1½ metres in height; several are decorated with carvings (as well as graffiti from the period after the rediscovery).
There have been various debates as to its original purpose. Many archaeologists believed that the monument had religious significance of some sort or another, either as a place of worship for a "cult of the dead" or for an astronomically based faith. O'Kelly believed that the monument had to be seen in relation to the nearby Knowth and Dowth, and that the building of Newgrange "cannot be regarded as other than the expression of some kind of powerful force or motivation, brought to the extremes of aggrandizement in these three monuments, the cathedrals of the megalithic religion." O'Kelly believed that Newgrange, alongside the hundreds of other passage tombs built in Ireland during the Neolithic, showed evidence for a religion that venerated the dead as one of its core principles. He believed that this "cult of the dead" was just one particular form of European Neolithic religion, and that other megalithic monuments displayed evidence for different religious beliefs that were solar-oriented, rather than ancestor-oriented.
Studies in other fields of expertise offer alternative interpretations of the possible functions, however, which principally centre on the astronomy, engineering, geometry, and mythology associated with the Boyne monuments. It is speculated that the sun formed an important part of the religious beliefs of the Neolithic people who built it. One idea was that the room was designed for a ritualistic capturing of sun rays on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, as the room gets flooded with sunlight, which might have signaled that the days would start to get longer again. This view is strengthened by the discovery of alignments in Knowth, Dowth, and the Lough Crew Cairns leading to the interpretation of these monuments as calendrical or astronomical devices.
Once a year, at the Winter Solstice, the rising sun shines directly along the long passage, illuminating the inner chamber and revealing the carvings inside, notably the triple spiral on the front wall of the chamber. This illumination lasts for approximately 17 minutes. Michael J. O'Kelly was the first person in modern times to observe this event on 21 December 1967. The sunlight enters the passage through a specially contrived opening, known as a roofbox, directly above the main entrance. Although solar alignments are not uncommon among passage graves, Newgrange is one of few to contain the additional roofbox feature. (Cairn G at Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery is another, and it has been suggested that one can be found at Bryn Celli Ddu.) The alignment is such that although the roofbox is above the passage entrance, the light hits the floor of the inner chamber. Today the first light enters about four minutes after sunrise and strikes the middle of the chamber, but calculations based on the precession of the Earth show that 5,000 years ago, first light would have entered exactly at sunrise and shone on the chamber's back wall. The solar alignment at Newgrange is very precise compared to similar phenomena at other passage graves such as Dowth or Maes Howe in the Orkney Islands, off the coast of Scotland.”
TLDR - essentially it is a really fucking ancient stone dome thing that only about 15ish people can fit in at a time. You walk through a very dark, incredibly narrow and short tunnel of rocks to get to the inner part. It is a religious tomb. There are many ancient carvings in there. It was a burial place for royalty (at least that is what the tour guide said.) And it was built with a small hole on the top that completely and perfectly aligns with the rising sun. It only happens once a year on the winter solstice for 17 minutes. This happens without fail every single year. And it is the only time it happens. There is a lottery to be chosen as one of the 15 or so people that can be in the structure during that time.
“The winter solstice at Newgrange is a celestial event that's a reminder of the ancient connection between humans and the cosmos. The winter solstice at Newgrange is special because:
Architectural alignment
The builders of Newgrange precisely aligned the tomb so that the sun's rays align with the passageway on the winter solstice.
Illumination
The sun's rays pass through a roof-box above the entrance, travel up the passage, and illuminate the chamber. The illumination lasts for about 17 minutes.
Spiritual significance
The winter solstice symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, and the rebirth of sunlight.
A living tradition
Visitors from around the world gather at Newgrange to witness this ancient spectacle.
A reminder of the cosmos
The winter solstice at Newgrange is a reminder of the deep connection between ancient civilizations and the cosmos.”
When I was in this area, the energy was overwhelming. It gave me an immediate and intense headache that was only present when I was here. The energy felt very thick, intense, and masculine. It felt a bit suffocating. This wasn’t just inside the dome, but outside of it also. When I was inside of it, I felt very strongly that the spirits in there are frustrated with all the tourists passing in and out of it every 15 minutes all day, every day. I got the sense that they want it to be enjoyed and toured, but only by people who truly respect what it is. They grow tired and frustrated of anyone and everyone parading through it. That was just my sense. I could be wrong. But, that feeling caused me to feel a heavy weight and burden, and it didn’t feel good.
No pictures are allowed in there, which is why I don’t have any of my own. But here are some pictures of the inside of it that are on Google. I guess maybe they allow professional pics in there? I’m not sure.
I am so glad I went in there and saw this. Just because my experience was heavy, doesn’t mean I am disappointed or have negative thoughts about it. Knowth was unexpected, and it felt very soft and feminine and peaceful to me. Newgrange was heavy, masculine, and complicated.
After that, we took a 45 minute drive to Hill of Tara. This drive really did me in. We had been going since 7am. It was now around 4pm I think. We’d been in the car more than we’d been out of it. We were rushing from place to place to get everywhere on time. The driving was chaotic. I was fatigued, car sick, and a little overwhelmed.
As such, by the time we got to Hill of Tara, I could barely move or function. While I had made my peace with resting instead of candle-making, one of the hikes, and today’s first stop—this one was a much more bitter pill to swallow. I had REALLY been looking forward to Hill of Tara. But, for whatever reason, this was not meant to be for me this time. So, once again, I said good-bye to everyone while they headed to the site, and I went and found a spot on the grass and laid down. I could no longer sit. I needed to lay. I was just so tired and in such bad shape. Right as I lay down, the biggest swarm of hundreds of crows flew out of a tree above, and they all flew and swirled in the sky while cawing right above me.
This carried on for about 20 minutes. Hundreds and hundreds of them just swirling around and making a racket. It was pretty incredible. I guess this was the experience I was meant to have instead.
Additionally, I am convinced I wasn’t meant to go up to the site because on it is the Stone of Destiny (Lia Fail). The lore of this coronation stone is that it was brought here by ancient Celtic gods and that the king of Ireland was chosen by it. It is said that when this stone is touched by the rightful king (or queen) of Tara, it will let out a great roar. This has happened with kings, but never queens…yet. I am convinced that something was holding me back from going up and being the first woman to illicit this response from the stone and claiming my rightful place as the Queen of Ireland. It just wasn’t the right time. But, someday, I will go back and I will be victorious.
This site was rushed for us, as well, because the driver was already past his working time. So, once again, it was a rush to get back in the car and get to our next destination. We had a 1.5hr trip back to our cottages. So, if you are keeping track, that was about 4 hours and 15 minutes in the car that day on very windy roads at a very fast speed. Plus lots of walking and rushing at each place. I was just completely wiped, and also pretty heartbroken about missing so much. Therefore, I was given the front seat for the ride home, and I laid it back and slept most of the way. This helped a bit.
When we got back to our cottage, it was pretty late. I don’t even know what time it was. I got in the hot tub for a bit in order to help my body feel better. Then I headed to bed.
Then I proceeded to have the worst and most disturbing night of sleep I have ever had in my life. By a long shot. For whatever reason, I coasted on the edge of sleep all night. Never falling into a full sleep. Staying in that in-between stage where you feel aware but out of control. I began having the most evil, sinister, and vicious nightmares I’ve ever had. In fact, they didn’t even really seem like nightmares. They were more just images and strong feelings. Almost as if these evil and sinister things were visiting me and showing me themselves and giving me the feeling they evoked. I kept waking up in a massive panic attack. This happened all night long. I lost count of how many times I woke up gasping for breath and in an absolute state of panic. But I never fell asleep. And the evil visited me all night.
The next day I got up and went to breakfast. I was feeling so weak and completely depleted. I was being very quiet and just trying to get some sustenance. Knowing that I had felt so poorly the day before, everyone who was at breakfast was asking me how I was doing. I quietly told them “not very well.” They asked what was wrong and I broke down into heavy sobs and told them what had happened with my sleep. Everyone circled around me and gave me a big group hug and comforted me. Normally, physical touch and hugs is not something that comforts me. However, in this situation it did.
The retreat leader believed the nightmares and panic and all of that heavy negative energy all night was my body releasing a lot of the sickness, toxicity, hurt and trauma that has been building up for a long time. That the spiritual sites we visited caused a purging. The more I reflect on it, the more I believe that to be the case. I kind of feel like it was my own version of taking ayahuasca. It definitely resonates as an energetic purging experience.
So, that was the experience I had on the spiritual vortex day. I’m sure you can see why I didn’t feel up to doing a post about it at any point on my trip. It all happened the way it was supposed to. It taught me that I can never have specific expectations of what experiences like this will look like for me, or how they will play out. I am proud of myself for not pushing myself to do things that would have sent me over the edge. And I am grateful that I had the experience I was meant to have.
Day 6 and 7 of retreat in Ireland TikTok
Animals of Ireland TikTok
Day 10 - Sept. 19 2024 - Day 7 of retreat/last full day - Journal entry
This was the last full day of the retreat. Yesterday, Wednesday, was a really rough day with my symptoms, but a really incredible day in a lot of ways, too. Still don’t have the words and don’t feel ready to discuss. But knowing it was a very taxing day leads into why today, Thursday, was a lot more chill.
Lots of relaxing and taking it easy. After breakfast I laid in a hammock in the garden and journaled and cried. There was lots of crying the whole week, so I guess that’s nothing new.
I spent a lot of time in the forest and with the trees. I stood barefooted on some moss in the forest by myself and just sobbed and purged emotions. The trees and the moss held me and loved me.
Then, Lindsay really wanted some Irish wool and there was a place down the road that manufactured it. It wasn’t a shop, but the owners were not only kind enough to invite us over to check out their inventory, but they also gave us all 40% off, AND let us meet their sheep, AAAAAANNNNNDDDDD let me hug one of them! He didn’t love it. But he allowed it.
After that, I had another spa appointment!! This one was called the Premium 90. It was a facial massage with some product, scalp/head massage, full body, and a little more foot reflexology. It was so needed after the stress on my body from everything.
After that we had a Celtic Jewelry Making Workshop. A gentleman came to us with an incredible set-up and we made necklaces for ourselves. I became insanely excited when I found out the design would be the Celtic Ogham!!!!!!!!!
The Celtic Ogham is a centuries old alphabet believed to be invented by the Druids. Each character represents a different tree. This is the basis of Celtic Reiki, which I’ve been learning!!! I have a set of Ogham oracle cards and Ogham staves (which are wooden sticks from the different trees with the corresponding symbol carved on each one). Each symbol corresponds with a different tree, and the specific tree it represents has its own unique healing properties and energies. The workshop attendees were shown how to carve several symbols into their necklace to spell out a word. However I chose to make mine based on my reiki practice. I chose just one symbol, and it is the Ioho (pronounced ee-oh).
Ioho is symbolic of the Yew tree and the Yew represents distant healing and connection to ancestors. This symbol goes back in time and can help heal illnesses when they started in the past. It can heal old illnesses and traumas of your ancestors. And it can be used to ask your ancestors to help heal you now. It’s the symbol I use on myself the most to heal my Long Covid, and I had an incredibly powerful and transformative session with it a few weeks before my trip. So, I just chose that one symbol. To me, this necklace will represent healing. As usual, my arts and crafts aren’t great, but I love it nonetheless. To me, it kind of looks like how it would have been primitively carved into the stones back in the 4th century.
After that I rested more and then did some Celtic reiki on one of my new friends at the retreat! Then we had a closing ceremony after dinner with a lot of really beautiful sentiments shared, an animal oracle deck reading for everyone, and a beautiful original song by one of the wonderful attendees.
If you read this far, tell me what farm animal you wish you could hug?
Day 11 - Sept. 20 2024 - Leaving the retreat on day 8 - Journal entry
We said our goodbyes at the fairy retreat. This post is all pics I stole from other people.
My time with these women in the mountains at The Wicklow Escape isn’t really something I can put into words. It was profound. It was transformative. It was incredible.
Also, it literally cannot be overstated how INCREDIBLE the staff was at the resort. I was so freaking spoiled by them that I absolutely will be completely insufferable when I get home. The nicest, most accommodating, loving staff you could ever imagine.
This afternoon I checked into my Dublin Airbnb for the portion of my trip that is solo. I spent the whole afternoon and night resting in bed so that I could recoup energy. I’ll go out and explore tomorrow!
If you read this far, tell me what kind of retreat you’d like to go on.
Days 12 and 13 - Sept. 21 and 22 2024 - On my own in Dublin for a couple of days - Journal entry
Started the solo leg of my travel by spending the weekend in Dublin!
Got here Friday afternoon and I just rested, napped, and got take-out.
Saturday, was thankful I rested on Friday because I had the energy to get out and about. Kept seeing a line out the door at this pizza place, and I happened to catch it when it wasn’t too busy and now I see why it’s so in demand. Not kidding when I say it was the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life. That includes pizza in Italy, New York, and Chicago. Look at the menu and see if you can guess which one I got! That, plus an Aperol Spritz was my breakfast. When in … Dublin?
Then roamed and explored the city a bit. Got in some steps at the designer shopping mall…. Stopped by the Dyson booth and asked the girl to give me a blowout with the Airwrap since I can’t bring my US Dyson hairdryer here. Told her I used to work there and she happily obliged. You can see the difference between first selfie and the later selfie how much smoother and better my hair looks! I’m definitely missing my hair tools! Because even though it’s cold here, it’s also simultaneously really humid. The air is thick and wet and my body and hair can’t decide what to do and how to feel.
Lunch was seafood corn chowder and a portobello mushroom. Dinner was seafood risotto and crème brûlée.
Then I went pub hopping! So I’ve got lots of pub videos. I went to 4 pubs. It was fun to see the vibes. I love solo travel, but don’t usually typically go to bars by myself. So this was a newish thing for me. I mean I’ve been to bars by myself on trips but usually it’s a restaurant too. And I usually just go to one. So going to several straight up pubs with large rowdy crowds by myself was a new one for me! It takes confidence, but luckily I’ve got some
Then today, Sunday, I slept in and rested a lot. Did some of my self-care stuff for my symptoms. Then had to go buy a backpack to fit my stuff from shopping yesterday
Then after that I decided to get the tattoo I’ve been wanting! So that’s my only picture from today! It’s a tree of life with the Awen symbol in the roots (a Druid/Welsh symbol from Celtic reiki), and a sun/moon in the branches.
Breakfast today was a protein bar, yogurt, and kombucha/veggie juice from the bodega. Lunch was left over pizza from Saturday. And dinner was more of that risotto from Saturday.
Now I’m just resting again and gearing up for tomorrow when I head over to Amsterdam!
If you read this far, tell me what your favorite pub song is, and/or which pizza you would have ordered off the menu, and/or which of those designer stores is your favorite. And don’t forget to guess which pizza I had!
PS- my little Airbnb room was cute and conveniently located. And I’m proud of myself for only having this much luggage for a trip from 9/10-10/3.
Overall Ireland Trip TikTok
Final Thoughts
You may recall my trip to Italy in 2022 was titled “Eat, Shop, F*ck”. Well, this trip is still playing on Eat, Pray, Love but this was the “Pray” portion of that trinity. My relationship with food and “love”/sex has changed in these two years, and this trip reflects that.
I didn’t download any dating apps while I was there. I wasn’t interested in going on any dates or hooking up. I am working on healing my attachment style and opening myself up to the possibility of real love.
And I am really proud of myself for how well I managed my health when I was there. Drinking my special teas, doing my stretches, getting gentle movement, prioritizing sleep, lymphatic drainage, and not going overboard on foods that cause a lot of inflammation for me. I feel I did a good job prioritizing my health. Next time, I will work on managing my spending more! LOL! One step at a time.
I want to be clear that I in no way think there is anything wrong with hooking up and eating all the foods on vacation, or at any time in life. I just personally have used those things in the past as unhealthy coping mechanisms, and I wanted to make sure I was being mindful about what I actually wanted to do. I wanted to make sure my choices were coming from a place of taking care of my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. And, when I was mindful of those things, the healthiest choices for me at this time in my life were to not try to meet any guys, and to not cause any flare ups in my symptoms with large portions of highly inflammatory food.
So, I did “Eat” and indulgence in Italy. I did “Pray” and healing in Ireland. Now, I guess the next trip in a couple of years needs to be the “Love” portion! Stay tuned!
And while I did flirt with a guy in a bar in Ireland, I ultimately decided to leave it at that. He was from Kansas, and I didn’t go all the way to Ireland to f*ck a guy from Kansas. ;)
Welp! I know that was A LOT! Next post will be Amsterdam.
***It took me SOOOOOO long to put this post together (seriously worked on this pretty steadily from 2pm-9pm—it takes forever for stuff to upload—even though a lot was copied and pasted, it just somehow always takes way more time than just writing something brand new), that I do not feel like going back and re-reading it and making edits. So, if you see something that doesn’t make any sense, feel free to leave a comment and I will go back and fix it later. Thx!***