Saturday 24 November 2018

taxus baccata

yew berries oooooze a goo that is sweet 
A treat to eat 
black seeds can poison
regenerative
a cure for cancer
used in modern medicine
this tree is a healer
ancient 
sacred 



open

Come see me here and have a peek at my studio. Get your hands on something unique, handmade and original this xmas. Support your local Artists and Makers.
  

Saturday 3 November 2018

i am the mountain, the mountain is me

A fear of heights and the edge is not a fear of Death. It is a fear of Life, of living beyond your comfort and the safety of what you know.
e.macairt 
When I look down the valley my heart trembles, a mild excited anxiety, it is a lack of breath, forgetting to breathe, the drop is so deep, the bottom so far.
My fear is one of trust...do I trust myself not to throw myself over or to miss my footing and plummet  to my death, falling...falling, body hanging gnarled and broken on the trunk of a tree half way down, my skull battered blood red on rocks.
But do I trust you Mountain? Do I trust you to keep your form and not crumble beneath my feet, to let me stand and look at the view that fills my heart and body with an awesome peace. Do I trust this relationship we are having Mountain? Can we live together? If I open my heart to you Mountain will you honour or crush me?
illustration drawn on the Wanderers Retreat at EcoDharma e.macairt
I camp on the edge of the North Ridge, at first I was too scared to sleep this close. "come closer" I hear you whisper. "the view is magnificent from here"..."put your tent close to the edge right here by these rocks and trees, don't hide down there"
Gently I open up to the possibility that I can trust myself to be this close. I can trust the Mountain to hold my weight, to support me. I no longer need to make myself smaller  or compromise my experience for fear or lack of confidence.
"in that way I mirror you Mountain"



Wednesday 31 October 2018




Weary of all who come with words,
words but no language
I make my way to the snow-covered island.
The untamed has no words.
The unwritten pages spread out on
every side!
I come upon the tracks of deer in the
snow.
Language but no words.

Tomas Tranströmer

Tuesday 2 October 2018

Dartmoor





Crossing over to the Moors..."I've pitched my tent on a small farm at the foot of the moors. I'm lying in a buried stone circle sheltered from the bitter autumnal wind coming from the West. When you cross the threshold from the familiar land of trees and hedgerows to the bleakness of the moors there's a shift in energy. It's strong, spiralling, disobeying and rebellious, air whirling, an energy that feels creative, raw, sacral, rooted yet unbounded and free flowing..."

Sunday 23 September 2018

Dark Night of the Soul

“The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love. It may look paradoxical to you, but it’s not. It is an existential truth: only those people who are capable of being alone are capable of love, of sharing, of going into the deepest core of another person–without possessing the other, without becoming dependent on the other, without reducing the other to a thing, and without becoming addicted to the other.
They allow the other absolute freedom, because they know that if the other leaves, they will be as happy as they are now. Their happiness cannot be taken by the other, because it is not given by the other.” ~ Osho

Wednesday 19 September 2018

Ramblings on Rites Of Passage


I feel lucky to be from the last generation of teenagers that lived without mobile phones. We were on the cusp of two worlds... as children without the internet our adult lives soon became internet based. The introduction of mobile/smart phones brought with it the smooth takeover of internet based communication. I remember being 16 and swearing that I never wanted to own a mobile phone. At 18 I moved to London to study and my Mum gave me one...rarely using it, possibly not even on a daily basis. Was moving out and getting a phone a form of a Rite of Passage?!

As children my generation had the freedom to go out and be untraceable...
Growing up in a village in the 1990's we spent a lot of time away from adults in the wild making our own worlds with no adult control, no satnav, no location devices or possibility of text messaging or 4G. We were told not to come back too late and our parents trusted us and the world. We roamed for miles away from our houses, exploring the landscape of rabbit warrens, woods, hills, rivers and springs. This sense of freedom and space to grow with my peers or alone gave me an important foundation of self reliance and a connection to the natural world that I carried with me to adulthood.
 As teenagers we went to schools where bullying was prevalent but when we went home it stayed at school...there were no online forums or Facebook, snapchat or Instagram, internet gaming...at the end of my school years we had no more than one hour classroom time on a computer per week. And home computers were game consoles where you could play Super Mario Kart or WWF usually as a two player with a friend or sibling physically in the room with you.
I never experienced a Rite of Passage. The closest experience to one was when my period started. I remember wanting it to arrive because to me it meant I was no longer a little child, I was a step closer to being an independent woman! I have an older sister and she told me a lot about what to expect. My mum was also supportive and they gave me sanitary towels, told me about tampons, that my body was getting ready for the potential of having babies and then that was that. There was no significant transition and definitely no ceremony or sacred space. The internet didn't exist to personally research and I'm not sure I'd have even known what it was I wanted to look up. If I had a daughter I would like to create some kind of ceremony to mark what I believe to be an important transitioning time, and it seems that there is a growing popularity in celebrating the menarche today with mothers creating their own ceremonies based on red tent philosophies and women's circles. I'm sure that the statistics of anxiety related to the menarche could be greatly reduced by a positive Rite of Passage. 

How are teenagers dealing with the pressures of social media and the modern world? With no clear  Rite of Passage and a lack of community, teenagers resort to creating their own. There are many studies suggesting that gangs are formed through lack of a structured community supported rite of passage. Gangs and knife crime amongst inner city teenagers are on the rise, whilst community centres are forced to close down due to lack of government funding. Mental Health and self harm abuse issues in girls aged 11-16 are also on the rise.


I am interested in answering the questions:

How could a Rite of Passage help a modern society?
Is there a place for Rites of Passage for girls and boys today?
How do they already exist in this culture?
What could we learn from other cultures?
How can a modern RoP be socially inclusive?
making fire at forest school






LANDofERIN

Tuesday 4 September 2018

hidden life of trees

Foret de Troncais


Ancient Oaks and Scotts Pine in the Foret de Troncais 
'Embrace' etching limited edition of 10 available in my shop.
"a tree can only be as strong as the forest that surrounds it"
The Hidden life of Trees , PeterWohlleben

Sunday 2 September 2018

embrace


I love this moment when the etching is revealed

Last print for a while now as i focus on my new project Menarche & the Moon because today there still isn't enough information offered to young women... The Government is updating it's Sex and Relationship education, please sign the petition to get Menstrual Wellbeing included. change.org

Monday 20 August 2018

menarche

During my research for 'Menarche &  the Moon' I often find myself crying….the struggle and passion of the human spirit to make a positive change is breathtaking and emotionally charged. From inequality, injustice, hardship and tragedy people rise up against the odds. I've discovered projects like the Grandmothers movement in Africa, and the WonderGirls encouraging the empowerment of young girls, supporting and putting a spotlight on the work young women have achieved by speaking their minds to fight for what they believe in through activism in their community and beyond to achieve successes like abolishing child marriage in Malawi. I've come across amazonian jungle childbirth passage to womanhood, the Kinaalda ceremony of the Navajo, Quinceanera of Mexico…. it touches me deeply and with this i know i’m on the right path, my heart is touched and i know this is a project i cannot give up on. 

Recent statistics reveal a 68% rise in self harm of girls aged 13-16 years in the UK. I want to look at why and how we can help.

"...when you lack a rite of passage experience, there are extraordinary consequences related to such problem behaviours as violence, substance use, gangs, bullying and delinquency" Scott D Sheer, Ohio State University

I'm interested in investigating into whether our lack of community and an appropriate positive rite of passage for our youth in the UK is linked with the mental health crisis.


 If you have experience or any knowledge you would like to share with me please get in touch to help me with the research for my guidebook for young women 'Menarche & the Moon'.

 please e-mail if you would like to help me with my research by filling out my short questionnaire. i am looking for information from women who have experience of the menstrual cycle and the menarche (our first menstrual period)  
thank you in advance
Erin
 elezmac@hotmail.com

a room with a view

the traveller sees what he sees 
the tourist sees what he has come to see
e.m.forster

Sunday 29 July 2018

Danza de la Luna


Here are some images that inspired this years MOON PHASE CALENDAR 
I love the old alchemical drawings made using oak gall ink and natural pigments, which is what I used to create the original piece of artwork.
I've recently discovered Danza de la Luna...the largest dance in the world held in Mexico....a prayer to Mother Earth. One of my dreams is to dance this dance...I'm putting that out there to the Universe.

detail from 2019 Moon Phase Calendar . erin macairt

Saturday 28 July 2018

LUNAR ECLIPSE

detail:2019 moon calendar . erin macairt
What does the lunar eclipse mean to you if you didn't look up what the astrologers are saying?! 

 Instinctively I know the moon and I are intrinsically connected. Our calendars and our 7 day week are based on the cycles of the moon. Women's menstrual cycles are roughly the same 28 day cycle as the moon. I created a booklet for women to chart their periods with the moon making it easy to know when you're period is due or when you're ovulating with each phase of the moon. Seeing the full moon never fails to fill me with awe and wonder, giving me a sense of oneness.  
The lunar eclipse is when the shadow of the Earth passes across the face of the moon hiding her from the light of the sun...this rare occurrence of seeing the shadow of the Earth is special. The Moon turns a blood red. 
A time for me to look at my own shadow? What is my shadow, how does it operate? Am I in control of my shadow or does it take charge? Am I friends with my shadow? Do I accept it?  Tonight is a time to draw up those shadow elements and to clean the slate to start again... As the shadow passes it might be a perfect time to reflect on these questions. As the light from the Sun returns perhaps new light will be shed. 
 When we make sacred space in our lives magic happens.
Sacred space doesn't need to include grand gestures or shrines...it is held with the intent you give...personally it is an internal and external exchange, and an awareness of the interconnection of everything on this planet and beyond.

Friday 27 July 2018

the path unfolds

with clear and pure intent the path unfolds as i take each step


detail from 2019 Moon Calendar



for whatever reason one day we can be flowing through life with total ease...then the following day thrown out of balance...which in turn tends to lead us to reinforce those old negative pathways we've been working so hard to break down.  It can be default to fall into our old patterns of thoughts and behaviour...it's like taking the path we know so well  and whether it serves us or not we trust it. But when we have those down days there's always a lesson to learn, and an extra layer to peel away...it's a test to become aware and in control. Making positive changes and creating new neural pathways takes conscious awakening...I don't think it should feel like hard work, but it takes effort, devotion and dedication to want to change. If you're having one of those down days remember that you have the power to react to situations in anyway you want. I'm telling myself this as much as to the ethereal world wide web. It's always good to have a reminder. 

Take a risk by simply letting it all go and trusting that with clear and pure intent in the present moment the path you want to be on unfolds as you keep moving through life. Take the path unknown...

Friday 6 July 2018

2019 Moon Calendar

2019
Moon Calendar 

it's here

painted by hand using natural earth pigments and dyes...
mysterious
wholesome
earthy
for all moon lovers and bathers alike

  
Erin Macairt 2019 Moon Phase Calendars available at LANDofERIN                                                         
                                                      
  for full image please visit the shop

MOONRISE TIMES
EQUINOX
SOLSTICE
SUPERMOONS





reaping what you sow


the willow trees outside my boat drop millions of seeds every year. For about a month we get this stunningly beautiful scene as the wind disperses them through the air
copper amulets
I've been experimenting with the etching process and instead of using it to print not paper I wanted to make some special amulets to be worn as necklaces. I've made the cordage using the skills i learnt at WILDHEART festival and instead of nettles i've made them from linen flax from Normandy, France.

Copper is associated with the Goddess of LOVE 

An amulet is an object that is typically worn on one's person, that some people believe has the magical or miraculous power to protect its holder"

available to buy here: LANDofERIN

Friday 16 February 2018

Myth - E-ZINE Wake Up Screaming

I contributed to this months edition of Wake Up Screaming a monthly e-zine published every New Moon by illustrator Matt Witt. The theme was MYTH.
"The landscape of Myth are not fantasy nor fairyland. Myth resonates deep within our inherited memories."

Please visit: MYTH/7

Monday 12 February 2018

Hello!
My name is Erin Macairt... i was born Erin Hawley but when my Grandma died we changed our name because Hawley wasn't my Dad's real name at all. My Grandma married a man that wasn't my Dads father and he didn't even know or meet the guy named Hawley.  Wiping out the male line my Dad chose my Great Grandmas maiden name Maccart, but wanted to use the non anglicised version! What's in a name!?
 I have been drawing and creating for as long as I can remember....that is one thing about me that is a constant... ...creativity has always been flowing in one way or the other // mediums change and herbs might replace paint or textiles to paper.

I feel grateful to my parents for their encouraging support for total creative freedom when I was a kid.

If you're interested in buying any of my work please visit:
My Shop
Land Of Erin
My Portfolio
www.erinmacairt.com
For commissions and enquiries:
 erinmacairt@gmail.com
THANK YOU
X