Month: March 2019

Above: My song and music video “The Waking of Spring”. Click PLAY to listen while you keep on reading.

“The Waking of the Spring” is a Celtic uplifting seasonal song I wrote some years ago so you can feel like blooming the entire year. It talks about the life renewing during the Spring awakening. In this season I often sing it barefoot in the forest and I take my first baths in the creeks. I must say though, that today I woke to a wintry day and all was covered in snow but frail pale white and pink blossoms are facing the cold weather and buds are unfolding. Aren´t we longing to bloom? I am!

Today, 20th of March is the celebration of Ostara a Pagan celebration of the the Spring Equinnox in the Northern Hemisphere. Ostara is named after a Germanic Goddess of Spring and fertility The name means “to shine”. In the Equinox the length of the Day and Night is the same, the forces of Light and Darkness in balance, and now on days will be longer and brighter until next Solstice. A promise of life… as birds unfold their wings

Though the dormant Goddess of Spring is supposed to start to stir at Imbolc it is today when the season is considered to begin. It is also the date of the Druidry Festival Alban Eilir (The Light of the Earth). A time for growth and balance… the return to life until it reaches its full boom and peak on forthcoming Beltane (May Day Festival) where everything will be in full bloom. Splatters of colours, tender grass and animals coming out from their lairs. Soon the canopy of the forest will be lush and will rustle with its “new leaves” voice.
Crown the tree with a lush and glorious green at the Waking of Spring

Despite having had a cold Winter this year the forest floor starts to fill with Daffodils and Crocuses… Here is a picture from last Sunday, taken while I was hiking. As you may know already I love Nature and I like to “forest bath” as much as possible. It is a source of inspiration and healing to me, and it has become my way of living.

They grow and thrive against all odds, Spring has awakened.

The symbolic plant of the Equinox is the trefoil and that’s why the celebration of Saint Patrick a few days ago is also related to the welcoming of the new season. Read my previous post about Saint Patrick and my obsession for “green”

Poetry and Lyrics: The Waking of the Spring

Melting icicles tearing sheer droplets giving birth to glittering sprites that rejoice and splash at the fountain dazzling under the light Graceful they sing in the newborn stream gurgle and dance at the waking of the spring A blooming warmth is filling the air with tantalizing scents and flourish now in the curve of your smile of delicious lips so red A promise of life as birds unfold their wings runs in our blood at the waking of the spring Maidens wearing floral garlands with a blush so healthy glowing on their cheeks and barefoot as they gather like nymphs playing by the creeks Cover field with flawless beauty Crown the tree with a lush and glorious green The sounds that winter muted now burst alive and sing for the waking of the spring la, la, la… la, la, io… And craving for sun our life and love renew la, la, la… la, la, io… and craving for sun our life and love renew

The making of the video

Above: Part of the video was filmed in this fields that I can see from my window. I love the way the fields transform before my eyes. At the moment there are no flowers but it’s covered with vivid green grass.

Credits
Music and lyrics and all arrangements written by Priscilla Hernandez
Everything in this recording is acoustic:
Priscilla Hernandez (me): voice, lyrics, composition, harp, flutes, chalumeau, low whistle
Hector Corcin @hedac: Percussion and various, mixing and mastering
Armen Vartanyan: Violin
Svetlana Tovstukha: Cello

You can support me by downloading this song from Bandcamp
It was a stand-alone single that was never included in my albums though I will likely include it eventually in an acoustic compilation of songs inspired by Nature I have made throughout the years.

The video was filmed in a park in Barcelona and the rest of locations are in the countryside of Navarra, Spain where I currently live. The video was filmed and edited by @hedac and me. I made my own gown and dresses, except for the big floral garland (courtesy of Mimsy Crowns) and the white blooms crown (courtesy of Freckles Faerie Chest).

My harp was a gift from Rees Harps https://harpsicle-harps.com/
I was new to harp and it is one of the first formal recordings I ever made playing it.

Fun random fact about this video and me

You can see me dancing… I cannot dance in public. Even in a party I would hide behind a curtains not to be noticed. It makes me feel extremely shy, and I certainly don’t have a talent for it, yet here I genuinely spun in joy. When performing on stage my movements are subtle and I often seek shelter behind my instruments… but I still am able to appreciate the “liberation” of it and shh…. sometimes I do in meadows and groves Sound of Music freestyle and vibe. That is the power Nature has over me and that the courage it bestows upon me.

My fufunchi starlet: Guest appearance of my rat Ritva

The video features a guest appearance of Ritva (now gone). She was one of my three rats (known as “fufunchis”). Ritva was a gorgeous white and grey husky rat, her name meaning Birch Branch.
She already had hind leg paralysis and was very old when we filmed this video. But this footage makes me remember her under the sun enjoying the smell of the garden flowers. I love you my sweet “fufunchi”. One of this days I will write about my rats, because I know there are still lots of prejudices against them and I think I might be able to change a few minds about it. They were amazing and left a deep imprint in my soul. In fact they are featured in many of my music videos, sometimes in hidden places (like Easter Eggs to be found). You were so beautiful my little branch, Mummy misses you!

All images and music are copyrighted to Priscilla Hernandez. All Rights Reserved.

New leaves unfolding, bare branches in full blossom… May you bloom and feel the warmth of Spring. And craving for Sun our life and love renew

Some impressions from last Spring

---

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day (Patron of Ireland, country that has given us so many Fairy myths and legends). I like Celtic music and play myself Irish whistle and harp, and other traditional instruments that are usually featured in my recordings. Though my reinterpretations and original songs are not traditional, this influence is undeniable.

Though the tradition was born as a Christian celebration (being the death of the Patron Saint of Ireland) for me it’s a celebration of green.

So today is all about green… I love wearing green and usually wear it the whole year to the point some of my friends and neighbours make jokes about it as if I were some kind of pixie. I love green so much that I classify my clothing in my wardrobe by “shades of green”… mossy green, forest green… It´s a green that shifts through the seasons. A green that becomes vibrant in Spring and muted in Winter.

So Kermit the Frog once said It’s not easy being green. Today might be the easiest day to be, because it is told Leprechauns will pinch on you if you do not wear it. And also as Kermit said… green is the colour I want to be. For me it represents my “Mother Nature” which I like to worship. I hike regularly (with my partner @hedac) and find it an enless source of inspiration.

Branches don’t stay bare forever

We have endured Winter, and yes, for some it’s been harsh, and branches have faced winds and even some of them have broken all naked and bare

These days I’m rejoicing to see the first budding leaves unfolding… if you care to see those little buds sprouting… they seem small but they’re a promise of life (and luck maybe)

and we must now remember it won’t be long until this happen again

And this is a message I leave to all of you for interpretation 🙂

Blessings

All images are copyrighted to me and taken by me or along with @hedac
Crown and dress made by myself.

Meanwhile outside, the first leaves are starting to unfold… Pay attention… You don’t want to miss this magical moment of “transformation” . Light returns and all comes to life. Days are longer… make the most of them!

I love the moment when the wintry bare forest starts to turn green. Now it’s time to grow.

By the way, I’ve never found a “four leaf clover” myself… wish me a little bit of “LUCK” to find one (and for all the things that matter to me). Best wishes back!
The leaves of Shamrocks and common 3 leaf clovers are said to stand for faith, hope, love and the less common variants with four, luck. The “luck of the Irish” might be related to the fact that in that country is where these rare variants of clovers are more easily found.