Cabragh Wetlands: celebrating the changing times

While the ambition and mission -statement of elevating Cabragh Wetlands to become a centre of education and conservation with many outstanding habitats - clearly seen - a little less emphasis reaches the perceived liminal and sometimes esoteric celebrations afforded the community under the combined strands of education and recreation.

The Wetlands - knowing the great stillness of creation - cannot escape the magical veins of story and mythology coursing through its very raison d'etre. Such an experience, for any one of us, either on a daytime or night-time visit, can transport us into a different experience of loneliness - viz. the glory of being alone - as guests of the other kingdoms.

Over the last ten years much has been done, in tandem with nature to celebrate the changes inherent in each turn of the year, singling out the lunar and solar seasons, intertwined with aspects of our Celtic mythology. Even during 'lockdown' a core group in the Wetlands, - connected with such events - managed to keep apace with the 'wheel of the year' through Zoom, covering folklore; music; mythology and meditation reflecting each current season.

Every season, as it emerges, finds an archetype to accompany and inspire it -from lmbolc on February 1st - St. Brigid's Day - through to the winter Solstice - heralding our shortest day.

This year our shortest day will fall on Tuesday, December 21st at 15:58. During our winter Solstice gathering reference is made invariably to the great Ancient Temple at Newgrange, in the Boyne valley, built over 5,000 years ago - making it older than Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramid of Gaza in Egypt.

Since so few people are afforded access to the inner chamber at Newgrange to experience at first hand the light entering the narrow passage on December 21st (through the roof box), technology has made it comfortable for us to share the event online at dawn, sunshine permitting.

Newgrange, classified as a Passage Tomb, is one of 300 such in the country. Shrough, in the Glen of Aherlow has been identified as one, the summit at the top of Sliabh na mBan is possibly another, and the famous Laghtseefin mound at Glencarbery on the border of Hollyford/Annacarty is mooted as being a Passage Tomb, though not yet excavated.

The word Solstice derives from the Latin 'So/stitium' meaning 'sun stands still.' In Irish it is called 'Grianstad.'

The Solstice is a moment in time when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. At this point, the North hits peak darkness and it brings the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. This moment of night's triumph is also its defeat, as this is the turning of the year when the days start to extend again. The Solstice energy is said to extend from about December 19th until after 12th Day - January 6th.

On December 24th (as on December 21st) the Light comes down and into the protection of the Cave and rests in the Crib on the earth in the care of Mary and Joseph - the stars and angels representing the Heavens; the ox and ass representing the Animal Kingdoms; the shepherds representing the Work of Humanity; the wise kings representing the Elements, Minerals, Riches and Wisdom of the planet.

The Bethlehem story is one of inclusiveness - it includes the participation of the heavens, the earth, the animals on the stable floor and all aspects of nature. We seem to shy away from that type of inclusivity. Philosopher John Moriarty says - "In the light of our common commercial day we look at a cow and we see kilos of meat, we look at an oak and we see planks of timber, we look at the world and we see land, we look at ourselves and we see workforce and manhours."

It is said that we are educated out of our story. There is a disconnect between us and the other realms of existence - earth, animals, birds, sea creatures. We have fallen out of our cosmic story. 25,000 years ago people knew their story. If we don't know our story how can we access our power? How can we access our destiny?

Christopher Fry, in his work "A sleep of prisoners" presents us with this challenge –
" ... It takes
So many thousand years to wake,
But will you wake for pity's sake?”
Cabragh Wetlands
We stood in the birds' watch, under their sacred flight -
conscious of our guest awe-fullness,
cocooned in the water-silence of a sanctuary -
the pinioned mind.