Dorset's chalk ridge refers to  dramatic chalk escarpments like the  Purbeck Hills  and the  Wessex Ridgeway , formed from ancient seabed limestone, offering panoramic views,  chalk grassland , woodlands, and historic sites like  hillforts . Key sections include the Purbeck Ridge (Flowers Barrow to Ballard Point), notable for its windswept paths and views of Poole Harbour and the coast, and the Wessex Ridgeway, an ancient route with landmarks like  Hambledon Hill  and  Cerne Abbas . These ridges are popular for walking, cycling, and horse riding, showcasing distinctive landscapes and rich geology. Today, the patron saint of Dorset is recognised as Saint Wite  (pronounced Wee-ta)  aka St Candida, her name referring to the white chalk. My theory is that she is an echo of a much older goddess.  Legend has it that she was a 9th-century  Saxon  holy woman from  Dorset  who was killed by marauding Danes.  Loc...

I have had the pleasure of speaking with the author Nimue Brown, who is herself a modern druid. She lives with her husband and son near Stroud in England, where she enjoys long walks in the countryside and visits the many prehistoric earthen mounds or barrows. She is a member of the druid organisation OBOD and meets with them regularly for chats and meditation. Her approach to spirituality is quite solitary however, and she believes it's important to live your spiritual path in your every action. For her, this means adopting an environmentally friendly lifestyle, and taking time to connect with the natural world. She works from home as an author and publicist for Moon Books, across the desk from her illustrator husband Tom Brown. The creative energy in the house seems to be very fertile, as Tom and Nimue collaborate on a web-comic, and Nimue writes an inumerable number of books on a variety of themes. She finds great pleasure in concocting fantasy worlds, but is also a dilligent w...

I remember very clearly a beautiful day in May, when I was 12 years old. I was walking to school and the sun was shining bright and warm and all the trees and bushes were bursting with greenery. I thought about how much pleasure I got from this. I agreed to myself that appreciation for nature was very important to me, and I considered this to be the foundation of my spirituality. I had been reading about this thing called paganism, which my mum told me about. She said that a pagan was someone who worshipped the Earth and the Sun and the Moon. This sounded like a good thing to me. A few of my friends were Christian and one of them had persuaded me to go to church with her. They were singing and clapping their hands and it all seemed very strange to me. I thought I better give it a try, just in case I went to Hell otherwise. After the singing and clapping, some kids were talking about how they were going to do a play about Noah's ark. This sounded like fun at first, but then I r...

I feel like this year I am extra excited about Christmas... Yule.... Winter Solstice.... New Year..... New Moon.... all of the above! I wrap the whole lot up into one festive bundle, because to me it's all about new beginnings and celebrating the growing light of the sun. It is terribly dark in Dorset right now. The sun goes down at 4pm, and the little sunlight there is has to fight its way through layers upon layers of knitwear. It's cold. I know that right now it is only going to get colder and darker. But after the Winter Solstice, the days will actually increase in daylight hours, and by the end of February, the temperature will actually be getting warmer! And there will be little flowers! And buds of fresh leaves on the trees! All we have to do is hold on and wait it out... ok, it's not like we're in a blizzard, it's doubtful we'll get any snow before the new year, and even then it's just a light dust on coastal towns. But when the beach is glitteri...

It was in May 1997 that I decided to myself that I was "pagan". As far as I understood, this meant having an Earth-based spirituality, a connection with Nature, reverence for the Earth. I figured these sounded like lovely things, and it was at that time of year when Nature really comes to life and everything is wonderfully green. I knew that I felt a strong connection with all this Earthly stuff, and that this was what fed my spirit. The word "pagan" derives from Latin "paganus" which means “rural”, “of the countryside” or “outside the city”. It inherently has connotations of the uncivilised, the peasantry, the wild. In reference to religion, we are talking about the diverse temples and holy sites of country folk. When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its official religion, it was out in the wilderness that the ancient folk religions continued. Paganism referred to those practices outside the control of government officials. Before the...

I remember when I was at school we had a text book that covered all the major world religions, and there was one section of the book called "Earth-based Religion" which covered neopagan spirituality. The phrase "Earth-based" amuses me because it suggests that some religions are based on other planets. Many religions speak of worlds that are separate to this planet, heavens and hells which exist in different dimensions. An Earth-based religion would be concerned with the here and now, rather than other worlds. It also suggests to me a religion which is well "grounded" in reasonable ideas, and is "down to earth" in the sense of being practical, straightforward, and sensible. I asked some friends what "Earth-based" and "Nature-based" spirituality and religion meant to them: "To me; It means a spirituality brought about by an awareness, born of the Wonders of Nature and of the Planet, the elements and the c...

What is the difference between religion and spirituality? Paganism and New Age? This is something I wanted to make a video about but I'm finding it difficult to put my words together. When I think of the word religion , I think of how people say that they do something "religiously". Do you go to the gym, religiously? Do you mow the lawn, religiously? It seems to mean dedication to a strict routine. So if you are religious, it seems to mean that you are someone who is faithful to a tradition. If you have a set of rituals that you practice on a routine basis, I would call this a religion. You might also have a certain dress code or dietry restrictions. Religion is not necessarily something imposed upon you by someone higher up. It is not necessarily a set of instructions in a book. It could be something you have decided for yourself, you could create your own religion. You don't need permission from the state to call what you do "a religion". So long as yo...

Hello and happy new year! So I guess this is where I explain to you what this is all about. I used to have a blog called The Sea Priestess , active from August 2002 until February 2010. I've had a few different blogs over the years, and at some points I am more comfortable with sharing my thoughts than at other points in my life. So why have I resurrected The Sea Priestess ? You may or may not be aware that The Sea Priestess is the title of a very influential novel by Dion Fortune. Under the guise of fiction, The Sea Priestess is in fact a teaching novel, with very clear accounts of practical rituals. As Dion Fortune herself admitted, "The 'Mystical Qabalah' gives the theory but the novels give the practice. ... those who study both get the keys of the Temple put into their hands." The mystic power of the sea is evoked in this novel and pervades the whole story. Some regard this as not only Dion Fortune's best novel, but the best occult novel eve...

Well hello there! I know I haven't posted a blog in a while but hopefully you have been kept up to date via my facebook page and youtube channel! Fairy Fest is finally over and I have a little video documenting it, if you haven't seen it yet, check my youtube channel! Now I can relax as I don't have any deadlines ahead of me, other than December, which is when the shop I'm working in right now will close. Yes, close! So I will be out of a job! And this is why I need to figure out how I can make some money. Right now I am thinking about opening up my very own shop. So I am doing lots of research, posting about this on facebook and youtube. I have sold my paintings online through my personal website many times, I intend to carry on doing this but branching out into other items too. For example, I have been making jewellery, which I have sold some of at Fairy Fest, and I intend to carry on selling online. Jewellery made by Annika This is all I have to say right now,...

Well hello there, I think I have finally finished my World Tree painting. People ask me what it's supposed to represent. Well this is a symbol of connection. Alan Watts said the Universe is like a tree. Just as a tree produces apples, the Universe produces people. We are the fruit of the Tree of Life. We may think of ourselves as separate individuals, but we are all connected to the tree, everything that is anything is produced by this one tree, nourished by this tree, part of this tree. This is a symbol of Oneness. Around the tree you can see the full spectrum of visible light, each "separate" colour blending into the next, to show there are no lines to separate them, they are united. Humans are the same, we may categorise ourselves into separate groups, but those lines we draw are in our heads. On either side of the tree are two globes, they are supposed to represent the Moon and Sun, Night and Day, Winter and Summer. They are two sides of the same coin, equal and ...