White Owl Island

Katrina Welsh is a naturalist who has worked on White Owl Island for many decades. There is little that she does not know about the mysteries, the rituals of this curious island on the Lemurian Archipelago. Katrina has agreed to have an interview with me. I am sure it will be revealing.

Heather Blakey April 5th 2008

Stable Woman, Tilly Harris, spends a lot of time on White Owl Island. Here local Barn Owls observe as she practices the old art of winnowing.
As she winnows and sorts the seeds from the husks she hums a song

“Fan on power, fan on influence:
Fan on the paddy bin, fan on the paddy barn
Fan on followers, fan on dependents
Fan on good things, fan on appropriate things”

One of Tilly’s motives is to communicate, with people like me, who bring materials to be sorted, the fertility and power of growth possessed by the seeds. Esthonians accomplished the same object by setting a child in the middle of a plot of ground where a sower was sowing hemp. They left the little one there till the sowing was finished believing that the child would shoot up in stature, like the hemp which has just been sown.

While you are on White Owl Island you can get Tilly to sort the corn from the chaff or the seeds from the husks and have her increase your creative fertility. A conversation with Tilly, after she has winnowed for you may prove very illuminating.

Heather Blakey - April 4 2008

Resource for Verse: The Golden Bough by Frazier Part V Spirits of the Corn and the Wild.

It is dusk on White Owl Island and all is quiet, not a mouse can be heard stirring.

Heather Blakey - April 3 2008 

I went to the tiny Abbey of St Francis on Owl Island, to break the cycle. I stood under the fruit trees, picked ripened fruit and savored it as the juice dribbled down my arm. I soaked in the crisp air, slept peacefully in the tiny cloister and knew, that for this moment in time, the circuit had been broken.

Heather Blakey - April 3 2008

As the sea trickles under the pier there is time to sip a coffee and dream.

Photograph by Heather Blakey - April 2 2008

White Owl Island is a sacred, a deeply spiritual island that is guarded by Lemurian Warriors. The Warriors are vigilant and will only let those, who have proven that they have open hearts, explore and engage in this world.

Heather Blakey - April 1 2008

The view from here is an expansive one. I lay on the soft grass with the sun warming my face and body. The air is fresh and I breathe it in so deeply. I relax and breathe out all my worries. When I close my eyes, I see an image behind my lids which looks to be white and fluttering. It calls to me in a language that I shouldn’t, but do understand. I relax even more and smile in gratification.

A ‘view’ of Owl Island
Actually taken near the Antarctic by unknown photographer

We all need time alone. Even those of us who are social butterflies need some time to ourselves. Solitude is necessary for meditation and quiet reflection. We also may choose to isolate ourselves when we are busy and need to meet a deadline. We may cherish time alone when we want to give ourselves over to art or music, lose ourselves in a good book, or delve into a personal project. Having time to ourselves allows us to focus completely on our yoga practice or get into the zone while running or strength training. Sometimes we need to be alone to simply do nothing but enjoy the sound of silence. Our alone time revitalizes and replenishes us, grounding us in our own company.

Yet, too much isolation, especially when our intention is to hide, withdraw, or not deal with the realities of our lives is not physically, mentally, or spiritually healthy. It is during moments like these when being in isolation takes us away from our lives, rather than enhancing it. If anything, too much isolation can create a buffer whereby we don’t have to deal with our problems. Sometimes, pushing ourselves to deal with our issues and be in our lives, rather than isolate, is one of the best gifts we can give to ourselves.

Also, just as it is important for us to have our “alone” time, we need to remember that as human beings, we are by nature social creatures that thrive on human contact. Our lives cannot occur in a vacuum, and we cannot fully live in this world without interacting with others. Consider using isolation as time spent for rest, reinvigoration, and personal growth. Isolation can then not only empower you, but it can allow you to return to your work and your relationships restored and ready for life. from Daily OM

Two of my favourite books are Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton and Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg. I have been enjoying the ’solitude’ of Owl Island where I have been sketching and spending quality solitary time.

This week consider escaping from the madness of society, take some ‘alone time’ and share your thoughts and feelings here, at Riversleigh, lwithin the sanctuary of the Lemurian Hermitage or in the Salon du Soul.