HONOURING A BELOVED TEACHER

I went to an online Memorial for my beloved teacher, Nicola, making an altar of her order of service, a candle, and a pine cone (collected and shared in ritual, by her close women friends).

During the online ceremony, I was squeezing the pinecone without realising, which unbeknowns, to me, released all the seeds. I had never really considered the seeds of a pinecone! somehow, had thought the whole cone was a seed! But there they were, those tiny seeds... the beginning of new life seeded from the old. 

It felt so precious and so poignant, not least because Nicola had seeded a new more loving world in so many of us.

I had been feeling guilt for not holding a ritual with the pinecone before then... but I saw that then I may have missed the seeds altogether!

I laughed and cried at the synchronicity and the magic of ceremony, knowing Nicola would have shared wise words about ceremony unfolding perfectly with Divine order and timing. 

I gave thanks for Nicola's life and teachings, blessed the pinecone and gave it to the fire, feeling gratitude for all Nicola seeded in my life before she was gone. 

And watched the candle stay lit in the strong winds until it finally burnt out (another metaphor). 

I committed to living Nicola's legacy by taking her vow 'To live from love in life.' alongside my own. 

And just in case you're wondering, the pine seeds are currently in my fridge for cold stratification before I plant them. 

I hope they'll become Nicola's pine trees to live alongside auntie Barbara's oaks. 

It's such a joy to live life in ceremony. I can't wait to share my book Living Ceremony with you very soon. 

You'll be able to pre-order through Womancraft Publishing before Christmas 2026 for your copy to arrive at the Spring Equinox 2027.