The Lightbringers ~ for Celtic Advent.

I want to use my next few Celtic Advent posts to share resources that you might enjoy and which might deepen our journey through the dark months. To begin, I can think of no better resource than 'The Lightbringers', the newest offering from author and maker of wondrous things, Karin Celestine, also known as Celestine and the Hare. 

If I could choose just one book to take with me through the dark then this would be it. It was published on 12th November, the day after Martinmas and during Diwali, the Festival of Light; quite deliberately embracing the bright hope that both these festivals hold. Each page is a meditation on darkness, carrying the light, and the importance and power of small things, all threaded through with folklore and the sweet winter song of the land. It begins; 

“The Earth breathes. 

In the summer, she breathes out and the world fills with warmth and light. She laughs and dances and the flowers spill out from her cloak. 

Folk feast on the fruits of summer and make flower crowns. They dance and light bonfires, jumping them for courage. 

When the Earth has danced and laughed till she is tired, she settles down to sleep…” 

So unfolds the story of the small creatures who “keep safe the last sparks of light deep underground”, guarding it until the seasons turn again. And of the larger, but not necessarily wiser, human creatures who light candles and Yule logs for courage in the dark, despite fearing that the light will never return. 

Of course, the Small Ones, who live closer to the pulse of things, know better than that; they gather the embers of the almost extinguished light and they begin to walk. These are the Lightbringers. 

And so we are led on the most beautiful and fragile-strong of journeys, filled with vulnerability and fierce hope; much like the one we are on as we travel through the winter, and have also been on since our collective response to Covid-19 began in the spring. I have found that ‘The Lightbringers’ has already become the most wonderful friend and I have returned to it again and again. It is the perfect book to curl up with on a wintry Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea by your side, or on a rainy night with the wind howling and rattling at the windows. It is the cosiest of companions. 

And it isn’t just the beautifully woven words within ‘The Lightbringers’ that cast such a spell. The images are also enchanting. In her guise as Celestine and the Hare, Karin creates charming felt creatures ~ faerie hares, cleaning mice, shrews on swings, puck weasels, and arctic foxes in copper coracles, as well as silver and copper charms cast from nature, and the most beautiful ‘natbagger’s boats’. All the figures in ‘The Lightbringers’ were made by Karin, and all the photographs taken by her. She really is a creative whirlwind! 

Karin's website tells us that she; 

“lives in a small house in Monmouth, Wales. In her garden there is a shed and in that shed is another world. The world of Celestine and the Hare. 

It is a place where kindness, mischief and beauty help people find the magic in the ordinary. 

Karin is an artist and author, who creates needle felted animals of charm and character, including the stars of her own delightful stop-motion animations and her series of children’s books published with Graffeg. 

Her joy in the world of nature is also reflected in her sculptural copper pieces which complement her feltwork. 

Karin runs popular needle felting workshops, inspiring others to find their creative spirit.” 

Each page of the book also includes a small hand drawn illustration linking to the season and story by Tamsin Rosewell and a short piece on winter folklore traditions by Pamela Thom-Rowe at the back. Very lovely.

Karin explained at her recent book launch that she wrote the story of 'The Lightbringers', almost spontaneously, some years ago and shared it on social media. Many people asked for their own copy and she first made it into printed cards before it evolved into a book published by small independent publishers, Graffeg

There are gently held plans for three more books to be published in this series, one for each season, and Karin’s aim in writing them is to bring the deep folklore and festivals of the land back to consciousness; a vital work in healing disconnection in both adults and children. So many of us have come so far from these older rhythms and yet they are there, just under the skin of things. It would only take a simple spell to call them back, and here are the lightbringers to do just that. I have no doubt that they will succeed. 

In her blog, which you can read here, Karin says; 

“I love the British celebrations and folklore, though so many are being lost and forgotten. How many of us now bake a Lammas loaf? Or know not to eat blackberries after Michaelmas? These ancient tales mark the turning of the year and have wisdom still relevant. No matter what else happens, the days grow darker and then the sun returns again. Flowers blossom and harvests are gathered in.” 

It feels to me that part of our journey through Advent moves around a conscious attempt to place our bellies and hearts closer to the earth. Here is an invitation to come back into alignment, and, in a world where we expect everything immediately, slow down, reclaim the sacred nature of waiting, learn patience. ‘The Lightbringers’ can help us to do that in the softest, sweetest, and gentlest of ways. There is no demand, no rule to follow, only the quiet breathing of the earth waiting for us to notice. We sit in vigil. We wait. And, sometimes, we sit down with a cup of tea to read and rest in the peace-weaving of words carrying the promise that the light with return. 

I will leave the last words to Karin, who puts it much better than I ever could; 

“The Lightbringers sprang from I don’t know where in my heart. An ancient wisdom from my ancestors perhaps. A feeling for the dark days of winter, that we need darkness. Light needs darkness to shine. We need rest, recuperation. The wisdom of the earth is one we can learn from. We are in a busy busy keep going fast track, don’t stop rush noise of a world. Doing nothing is frowned upon but really we all need rest, time to pause, like the seeds in the earth, darkness and rest before we dance again. Central heating and lighting mean we keep going all year round but our bodies often yearn for the hygge of Autumn, cuddled up by the fire.”

And here are Celtic Advent and ‘The Lightbringers’ to remind us to begin, and to stay on the path. 

Karin is a great champion of independent bookshops. If you would like a copy of ‘The Lightbringers’ then do think about ordering it directly from her at https://www.celestineandthehare.com/books or from Kenilworth Books at https://www.kenilworthbooks.co.uk/the-lightbringers/, or of course from your own local bookshop. 

In tomorrow’s blog I have further resources, both books and online, to support us in our Celtic Advent journey. 

Further reading:

https://www.celestineandthehare.com/ 

https://www.celestineandthehare.com/blog/the-lightbringers