I was talking to a dear Priestess Sister friend of mine, Eunice, about Wildwoods, Ogham and our paths. As she lives on Stronsay of the Orkney Islands, they don’t have a big variety of trees, so I said I would send a few staves up to her that she could prepare herself to add to her growing set of Ogham Staves. “In return, would you like some shells from Stronsay?” she said. And so, we set about gathering our gifts to each other. The Staves from Dorset travelling up to Stronsay and the shells from Stronsay traveling down to Dorset, both places at either ends of our land and beyond to the island.

What a surprise when I received this beautiful parcel packed with goodies, each item wrapped carefully in tissue paper. As I unwrapped the shells, they were so beautiful, their energy was so soft, like soft clouds, and the gentle white sand that was gathered in the shells. I can only describe it as pure energy, I don’t think I have experienced that with shells before, what a difference to the energy of our shells down here on the south coast.

There were also two little bundles of fleece from sheep on the North Ronaldsay Island close to Stronsay. One bundle was carded North Ronaldsay Fleece, they are Orkneys native seaweed eating sheep, and some spun yarn too from the same sheep. Like the shells, the energy of the fleece is so soft, I could feel the peace of the islands, the elements, the wildness, the nature of the sheep as I held the fleece close to my face.

Eunice told me about the Native Island Sheep, it is so interesting. A wall was built around the island by farmers several hundred years ago so the sheep were shut out on the shore with only seaweed to eat, they now cannot survive without seaweed and if out on the grass alone without a seaweed supplement, they die.

A native bird feather and some Cotton Grass from Rothiesholm Moor Island of Stronsay, Orkney, was also in the parcel.

And then there was a beautifully hand crafted spring ornament of two Crows sitting on top of a woven sunflower, representing us as two friends, apart by miles but not by friendship. This was crafted by Eunice.

Last but not least, a beautiful card of a puffin. Eunice would not have known the symbolism of this card for me. I was born on the Island of Jersey, Channel Islands and Puffins would nest there, so there was a message for me of my childhood memories as I saw the card.

Eunice lives in a croft on the island with her husband, it is beautiful and she has some large looms in her craft studio where she sits and weaves her spun sheeps wool into beautiful clothing items, wraps, blankets, pretty gifts like this. Such gifts crafted with love.

Eunice has her croft studio on the Island where she lives, that you can visit called The Wyrd Weaver tel: 01857 616230.

Living in a croft on the very northern tip of Scotland, in all of the wildness of the untamed elements is both beautiful and bleak, with all of the wild elements at their full force during the storms and then there is the peace and tranquillity in times of stillness. Living like a Wisewoman from a past era, weaving and tending sheep and animals, growing their own produce is simply a beautiful existence, at one with Mother Earth…I really think the postman delivered a package of Shamanic Stronsay energy, wisdom, love and magic that day.

Thank you so much dear Eunice, from one Wisewoman to another xx