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The Religion Beat blog has changed its name to Holly of the Woods!

March 11, 2021

About me

January 29, 2020

holly chetan-welsh portrait start here

New? Start here!

January 29, 2020

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hollyofthewoods_

Advent is here - the season of hopeful expectation

Advent is here - the season of hopeful expectation.

I love advent. Christmas’ quiet, more contemplative cousin. An opportunity to settle down into the dark season and soak in all its riches. To cultivate the capacity for hope - a rare commodity in these times.

Here are some very simple ways to ‘feel into’ the advent season.

Post text:
- Go outside and spot a holly tree, ivy or mistletoe
- Quietly watch a winter sunrise
- Lie in the dark under blankets and visualise yourself resting under earth like a seed
- Bake something festive
- Write a letter by hand to a friend who lives far away with reflections on your year
- Make a playlist of music that means December to you - doesn’t have to include the crimbo classics!

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#advent #adventjournal #happyadvent #adventcalendar #blessedadvent #adventreflections #adventreflection #christmasiscoming #christmasiscoming🎄 #countdowntochristmas #adventsunday #christmas2021 #yule #blessedyule #yulesabbat #yuletide #decembernights #soufulsunday #december #wintervibes #wintersolstice #blessedbe #yulealtar #soulfuldecember #summerofthesoulindecember

For one ready to dive deeper: a blessing If you f

For one ready to dive deeper: a blessing

If you find yourself standing at a shoreline
Sharing out onto the surface of an inner ocean
With your sea-chilled toes gripping pebbles underfoot
And your heart straining like a balloon in the wind

Then this day you may have realised
That you are not destined for the shallows of life
Kind though they have been to you
(For what is kind is not always what is true.)

Instead, you called to dive deeper
You are summoned
By the slow, deep, sweet heartbeat
That reverberates from somewhere below

Do you hear it?
Then, dive.

Dive down courageously into your life
Until true things press in on all sides
Lose the light, forget which way is up
And follow more subtle currents

‘Til without ever surfacing,
You somehow wash up on shores
Which, though strange, are also familiar

Tonight as you stand on the shore
The deep is calling
You are brave enough to
Answer.

🌊🌊🌊
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#heartmedicine #mindbodysoul #spiritualgrowth #healingjourney #healingfromwithin #youhaveapurpose #youhavewhatittakes #blessingsforthedepths #divedeeper #wordsforthought #wordsforthesoul #soulsearcher #spiritualjourney #wednesdaywisdom #wednesdaywisdom✨ #divein #spiritualjourneys #godeeper #spiritualwriter #writersofig #dailyreflection #reflecting #reflectiongram #reflections #writersofinsta #deepandmeaningful #woodlandphotography

I am thrilled to share that @enfleshed’s upcomin

I am thrilled to share that @enfleshed’s upcoming anthology ‘HELD: blessings for the depths’ will include my blessing ‘For a difficult parental relationship’.

This gorgeous anthology is going to be small enough to carry with you, and I’m already certain it will be a truly nourishing and comforting companion for me and so many others as we navigate life’s depths. 🌊

Thank you @enfleshed for including my writing in this special collection, it’s an honour.

You can pre-order HELD now - I’ve put a link in my bio.

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#spirituality #spiritualitymatters #spiritualwriter #interfaith #spiritualityandjustice #mindbodyspirit #publishedwriter #milestonemonday #heartmedicine #healingwords #godeeper #simplespirituality

Friends, I’ve got no words for you today. Just

Friends, I’ve got no words for you today.

Just as well that this still pool at close of day speaks for itself.

Love you.

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#leaffall #novembermood #sunsetoftheday #coldbutbeautiful #coldbutgold #winterbaby #winterperson #winterlover
#winter #wintry #tootingcommon #tootingbeccommon #winterwalk
#sunsetsky #naturephotos #pinkclouds #momentofbliss #momentofcalm #londonparks #londongreenspaces #greencities

Samhain is the final harvest festival of the year,

Samhain is the final harvest festival of the year, and begins the descent into the dark part of the year. As we turn towards the introspection of the winter season, I invite you to consider the inner, often unseen, fruits that you are reaping in this Samhain harvest. There is much you can be proud of ❤️

Going down into the deep earth of ourselves can be frightening, lonely work, but do not fear the dark. Dark is kind. Dark is nourishing. Dark is restful. Dark is rich. In the dark, you see yourself with that inner sight, that deep knowing that is beyond biography, beyond the masks you wear.

Samhain blessings to you, and may you know yourself better when the sun returns on Imbolc (1 Feb- not too far away!)

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samhain #samhainblessings #samhainaltar #samhainiscoming #halloween #allhallowseve #spookyseason #spookyszn #spookyseason👻 #pumpkinspiceseason #veilisthinning #ancestors #ancestoraltar #ancestralmagic #wheeloftheyear #neopagan #pagansofinstagram #pagansofig #naturespirituality #autumnvibes #ancestral #spiritualpath #blessedsamhain #blessedsabbat #somoteitbe

We may think of pumpkin carving and Hallowe’en c

We may think of pumpkin carving and Hallowe’en costume parties as modern inventions, but a remarkable amount of common Hallowe’en festivities have their origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. 🎃

Samhain is the threshold onto the dark period of the year - a time of dreaming, resting & healing. It offers us a chance to honour and connect with loved ones who have passed from this life. It invites us to release some of the busyness of our lives and delve inwards to explore our inner landscapes.
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#samhain #samhainblessings #samhainaltar #samhainiscoming #halloween #allhallowseve #spookyseason #spookyszn #spookyseason👻 #pumpkinspiceseason #veilisthinning #ancestors #ancestoraltar #ancestralmagic #wheeloftheyear #neopagan #pagansofinstagram #pagansofig #naturespirituality #autumnvibes #ancestral #spiritualpath #blessedsamhain #blessedsabbat #somoteitbe

Rest a hand over this heart of yours This is an i

Rest a hand over this heart of yours

This is an invitation to let her rest

Remind her:

She cannot carry everything
She cannot love everyone
She cannot do everything
She cannot heal overnight

Today, all she needs to do
Is what she is most wonderful at –
Persist.

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#sundaythings #sundayvibes #cosyvibes #hygge #hyggelig #sundayafternoon #sundaymood☀️ #sundayreflection #sundayreflections #neverthelessshepersisted #persist #sunday #sundayscaries #sundayrest #nosundayscaries #sundayscariesbegone #sundayeveningreminder #sundayevening #sundaynight #sundayinspiration #sundayblues #sundaythoughts #sundayeveningvibes #restisimportant #takeapause #sundaypause #pressthepausebutton #slowsunday #slowweekend #slowliving

As we soften down into the autumn season May you g

As we soften down into the autumn season
May you gather yourself in lovingly

May you allow attention, imagination and effort to come home to roost
And nestle close to you until springtime is near

May you release the bold, brash industriousness of summer
And offer to your imagination a gentler pace

May you take a moment to reflect on all the hard work, effort and emotion
That you have given in the past few months
And see with clear eyes all that your harvest table now holds

In the months ahead,
May you ponder questions without needing to find an answer

This autumn season
May resting be your work
Noticing your daily practice
And the guidance of dreams your instruction. 🍂

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#autumn #fall #autumnleaves #fallcolor #earthwisdom #seasons #changeofseasons #seasonal #natureswisdom #autumncolors #autumncolours #simplespirituality #interfaith #spiritualityforeveryone #restisbest #restisimportant #heartmedicine #selflovejourney #bekindtoyourself #sacred #soulful #affirmation #gentlewisdom #samhain #spookyseason #spookyseason #naturespirituality

(C) 2021 - Holly Chetan-Welsh. All Rights Reserved.

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