I just returned to the United States after three weeks in Ireland. I am a dual citizen so I try to make this trip every year. I love the open spaces in this enchanting land. There is a certain smell which is a mixture of grass, animals, peat, and the ocean. Somehow, the air seems fresher. Everywhere you look are open vistas, stone walls, hedgerows, and flowering azaleas and fuchsia bushes. Not only did I paint on this trip, but I also visited my family in Tourmakeady located in County Mayo about 20 minutes from Ballinrobe and Westport. I will share a few of my deeply moving stories from this trip. This is the first one.

Jane and Mary – Two Mediums and Two Readings

While painting in Eyeries a town on the Beara Peninsula I heard about a spirit medium named Mary Maddison. Mary is well-known in the area for readings using stones. She lives in a story book cottage overlooking the mountains and ocean.

She raises peacocks and so her yard is filled with these gorgeous birds. Healers come to see her and use a meditation pyramid she has built on her property. This building holds about eight people and has an amazing energy. I was able to spend 30 minutes alone in this structure. This was a wonderful experience in which I felt a deep connection to the land.

Mary reads for Jane

When I met Mary I knew she was special. She reminded me of my Irish grandmother. She ushered me into a beautiful room with a window overlooking the ocean.This room was filled with crystals and stones in a quantity and size that was remarkable. I felt embraced by a feeling hard to describe – like a baby wrapped in a soft blanket. Mary asked me to place my feet in a large bucket filled with thousands of stones. Then she asked me to select a number of stones from another basket. Then she lined these stones up in rows.

She looked at me and said, "Oh my – you are surrounded by the purple flame. I told her, she was correct and that I was a messenger for St. Germain. Mary also feels his presence and so we bonded instantly. We also share a relationship with St. Brigid.

The reading was amazing and helpful. Mary was able to see my father and list the names of both my Irish and British ancestors. Some I knew, and others were very long past. There was a stone associated with Christ and she will whispered to me that this was important and that he was close to me in spirit.

Mary and was able to forecast the next six months for me and I will follow her guidance. She had some great advice about the book I am writing with St. Germain.

When the reading was finished she instructed me to lift my feet up from the bucket and she explained that I was a powerful healer as the stones stay glued to the bottom of my feet and would not fall off.

Jane reads for Mary

Needless to say, Mary and I planned to see each other for tea the next day. That morning I was painting inside at Anam Cara and it was raining. The wind was blowing hard however I walked about 2 miles in this storm to see Mary again and have tea. I needed to go and see this beautiful soul one more time. We were, in fact, both encouraged and guided into spiritual work by our grandmothers, and this was only one of many things we shared in common.

We had a lovely tea and she asked me if I would do a reading for her. I agreed, and again, we entered this amazing room filled with the crystals and stones. Immediately, St. Germain was present. He encouraged Mary that she could, in addition to feeling his presence, see him and hear his voice. Beyond this information I cannot remember anything else. I wrote furiously as both St. Germain and Jesus spoke to her. Mary bowed her head and in this amazing room I felt embraced by a holiness beyond anything else in my experience.

We parted ways – Mary gifted me with two beautiful crystals and we hugged and said goodbye.

For my friends who use stones and crystals-- Mary has never relied on a book for the meaning of a stone. She has intuitively built a relationship with each one. Just as I might find a shamanic tool and journey to it to learn about its purpose and the method of handling it, Mary does the same with the stones. Over many years she has learned what they have to say to her.

So I share this part of my journey with you today, and I will tell you more in a week or two. I am still on Irish time and trying to get back into my daily schedule. I also visited ancient standing stones with St. Brigid and the fairy tree so loved by my grandmother when she was a child so more stories to come.

Post Script-- Anam Cara is a writers and artist retreat just outside the village of Eyeries. It is owned and operated by woman who immigrated from the United States to Ireland. It is a wonderful place of quiet where all your needs are taken care of during a time of creative work.

Love to you all.