Electrum Whispers

Dear Love

As promised, I am writing you an email letter about this leg of our adventure in Ireland. I am seeing quite a different Ireland than the time I told you about in stories as a child.

We arrived in Shannon. We traveled through the misty mountains and found the little house on hills with trees and moss that we had booked. We found a place that feels like home. The woman renting the room offered us soup when we arrived. She explained, “This is not like the days of Souperism, when Irish had to change from Catholic to Protestant so as not to starve. We won’t be having any of that here.”

The conflicts of North and South Ireland are part of history. Trying to understand the cause of wars, written in history, is upsetting to me. There are so many opinions and most of popular history is written by the victors. Then there are those who have their own experiences of what happened. We will only have time to visit the South. I prefer to set my focus of searching for the treasures of the leprechaun and find that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

It is a long way to Tipperary, then north to Galway. Much has changed. However, the Aran Islands still hold natural beauty that cannot be diminished by tourism. We rent a bike on Inishmore and find the ruins of the seven churches.

They were originally mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and were scattered throughout Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. These churches on Inishmore are huts, originally built in pagan times, during the 10th century. Later, the two churches were where Christians would congregate. The other huts were used for outbuildings and by pilgrims who were given plenary indulgences. These indulgences grant the prayers of pilgrims visiting on holy days, the power to have the sins of the faithfully depart be forgiven. Well, the fine print is the faithfully departed will be totally forgiven of punishment for their sins that have been forgiven.

We go past the Fairy house sealed from passing tourists. We are looking for adventure treasures and find strange shapes.

Waves of mists are everywhere. Seals are also hiding in the waters nearby. We walk on a sandy beach finding limpets, mussels, and mother of pearl and other beautiful shells that were once the homes of soft bellied creatures as the Wild Atlantic Coast crashed to shore.

We drive through rivers of rhododendrons on the way to Connemara. We are in the quiet lands where children learn Irish and speak of their brudders and washers that spring a lake. It is Bogweek. We walk past the sign “beware of Stoats and Badgers”.

I find bear breeches, also called the Architects plant by the Greeks.

The goddess Acantha was loved by the god Apollo, but rebuffed him and scratched his face, so Apollo transformed her into Acanthus spinosus, a plant with spiny leaves. This plant inspired the architect Callimachus to design the leaves that adorn the capitals of Greek Corinthian columns. They look like this—you will see them lots of places.

We see Abbey Kylemore. Even its reflection in the pond is stately. The air smells good, earthy, clean.

We find the Connemara Giant that is said to offer gained wisdom of his ancient tribe to those who touch his hand. I appreciate that Connemara marble is 600 million years old and respect the experiences and stresses that the rock has withstood. I touch it. It feels cold except where the sun has hit, otherwise I felt no palpable wisdom. Still, I am hopeful that wisdom transmissions were delivered, undetected.

I hope you will enjoy the Malachy Bodhrándrum I bought you. It has a powerful sound, and I think you will be able to capture the beat of the song in your heart.

We head out to a pub and hear the song 'Bunratty Boys' I could not upload the video but go look it up. It is lovely. Then we hear the ‘Lonesome Boatman’. It evokes the winds blowing on a lonely, isolated person, walking along the coast, aware of the fragility of life. It evokes a wide range of emotions including feeling reflective, mournful, or even the intense and dramatic feelings associated with the joy of love, laughter, dance, song, strength and virtue, and parting of what could be and could not be.

I hear a strange song in my mind. I know that I am a tourist, but feel I am walking on a road less travelled. I wonder if this is the same as feeling love for the first time, and wondering if others have the same amazing feeling?

We enjoy the joy of the next day's drive. We are off to Cork Coastal Drive, and Cork Harbor to see Bantry House, home of where the failed French failed to help the United Irishmen overturn the British who had invaded. I do not want to feel qualified to discuss this, but they failed.

We saw a double rainbow! It is said to bring treasures from heaven and earth! How exciting!.I am delighted by what I see of nature and people that is associated with what goodness and love that can endure constant change and cannot be snuffed out. Despite the many carnivalesque displays, to attract tourists, the authenticity of a unique niche of the culture that holds merit, remains.

Here is a drawing of the corner of a building with the inscription, Hereditas Dator I Illius pient, ‘The giver of inheritance, I pity him.’ I find myself pondering on these words. Sheesh, I guess some people are never happy with what they have been bequeathed.

We made it to the Blarney Castle. Thanks to my pareidolia Blarney appeared. Nature carved him in the Stone on the castle.

I kissed Blarney’s stone, a limestone conglomerate that probably holds electrum, a meld of silver and gold. Electrum was an ancient stone upon which Jacob rested his head to dream of the stairway to heaven. The bible speaks of the ancient Mediterranean world during the bronze age, on the slopes of Lebanon, in Aphek, where huge clouds and flashing lights on the border of the Amorites had flashed. Here, the arc of the covenant was found on Jacob's electrum stone. This stone of the Hermetics holds mythological and actual respect.

Electrum holds the spontaneous and simultaneous transmission of quanta of light coupled with an electromagnetic field in light cones that are emitted from a source. These forces are used in all sorts of communication devices from telephones to medical tools. Electrum holds a nanoparticle reaction of microorganisms that results in luminescence. Individual particles, waves and their fields are based on light that takes on the hue of golden silver reflection of electrum that filters over and under the horizon. As I close off this letter, I believe that the gift of the Blarney has been transmitted through that kiss.

Oh, about that leprechaun. I did not see him except in tourist shops

Leprechauns are said to be cobblers, who have to fix they shoes because they run around so much. In Julius Caesar, by Shakespeare, the cobbler says ‘A trade, sir, that I hope I may use with a safe conscience, which is, indeed, sir, a mender of bad soles." I think any wear on my soul has been mended by the spirit of this protected species, the Irish leprechaun of Ireland. I did my best to appreciate and honour the spirit, and in return, I am quite certain I have been given a golden treasures.

Sending much love.