Letter from Cressida Pryor
September 20, 2020

Hoping this letter finds you all well...

This year more than most sees us at a crucial point of Equinoxial balance...I refer to two arenas of potential imbalance...both important and relevant to all our lives. The first is the planet’s ecological health as affected by human induced climate change and the other is pandemic illness entering a possible devastating second wave. The outcome of both of these are dependent on our individual action and collective behaviours...

Reflecting on these current dilemmas I would like to share a recent experience I had walking along a quiet path near to where I live...it is a public footpath so occasionally others are there too...

On this occasion my attention was drawn to loud chattering from a telegraph wire crossing the field next to the path...up to thirty small birds were gathered, seemingly oblivious to anything else and ‘chatting’ loudly together...I stopped to vicariously enjoy their lack of need to socially distance and be closely together with seeming joy and energy. A woman approached from the opposite direction and we exchanged a few words: ’House Martins’ she said ‘perhaps checking out the best migration routes south!’ we smiled, and with a nod she walked on...

I hesitated and kept watching the birds.

And then a moment of magic... suddenly there was at least a second of total silence as their chatter completely ceased...then at no determinable signal, just a whir of wings and all were gone.

I was bereft at their instant departure but in another way knew it would happen the moment the noise stopped...I too was caught in their collective knowing of what would happen next...

I felt I had witnessed and been part of something both extraordinary and yet probably commonplace in bird’s communal life.

The flock’s collective communication, their shared consciousness you could call it too...had somehow called them to quieten and then to set off in safety together on their long autumn journey to their winter home.

Are we able to quieten enough to hear the deep calling to restore the balance we need to face the winter times? To find the quiet we need to reflect and make the individual choices we can to contain the pandemic and environmental degradation?...And the paradox the birds demonstrated so well is that we also need to be together to safely exchange ideas, to share resources and engender hope...if we are to fly together to a better common good.

To this end the Circle of Brigid has reformed to support developing the Foundation Centre’s festivals and to provide a collective and open channel of communication between myself, the wider family at Huntington and the priesthood. But more of this after we have gathered again soon on the collective wire (Zoom) to find how we can usefully serve the needs of the Fellowship. All thoughts on this gratefully received.

To draw this letter to a close may I invite the Blessed Divine Mother of Us All to:
Allow any inner turmoil to quieten as we draw breathe at this Equinox
My our inward ears listen; our eyes see beyond the everyday
So we find strength and solace for the days ahead
Courage and hope for the tomorrows
Wisdom and roses for the soul
Wings for the spirit
Harvesting
Peace.