Mothachadh: "The Practice"
“Fite Fuaite is the interconnectedness of all things, Seen and Unseen.”
Chapters:
Mothachadh Meaning >> 00:15
Tìr agus Anam Fite Fuaite gu Bràth >> 2:00
lol >> 2:41
How to use the Worksheet: Mothachadh >> 3:59
Why I feed the birds >> 4:43
Share &/or Ask >> 5:54
Expect to receive Answers >> 7:00
Who attracts you in your asking? >> 7:55
Write that sh!t down >> 11:19
Reciprocity >> 13:33
Click to download.
Mothachadh: “The Practice” Worksheet
(mo-cha-chRAIgh)
This means “Feeling Soul” or “Touching Soul” which is exactly what this worksheet helps us practice. It’s a way to keep focused on the communication happening with the natural world and to connect that communication with ourselves and the message that spirit shares through clay.
Before attempting to connect with the natural world, we want to generate feelings of mothaitheacht and bouichas. These are the feelings of love, connection and gratitude with the natural world. This is feeling kinship with all things and feeling wholeness and harmony with our surroundings.
How to Use the Mothachadh: “The Practice” Worksheet
Mothachadh is Gàidhlig for awareness, feeling, sensitivity. It’s the equivalent of Mothaitheacht in Irish and is described by Diana Beresford-Kroeger in her book To Speak for the Trees, “as a feeling in the upper chest of some kind of energy or sound passing through you.”
This is the feeling of The Bridge - the connection between the Seen and Unseen, the feeling of Tìr agus Anam Fite Fuaite gu Bràth (Land + Spirit are Woven and Sewn Together Forever). It is the state or feeling to which we Practice connecting, feeling, and being aware of because it signals the opening up to communication with all of the everything.
Mothachadh is the central circle in this exercise. It is the most important part of The Practice and one we need to remind ourselves to recognize and purposely activate because it is ephemeral and easily slips away and does not surface again without our help.
You have to find your own way to Mothachadh.
I share ways that I have found helpful - but they are just suggestions and your ways will be built by your own practice.
Practice paying attention to your body and how it feels. Your body is an ancient wisdom tool and is the source antennae through which we understand Spirit in the physical world. Pay attention to your body. Become familiar with recognizing Mothachadh.
Everything communicates with us. Everything is a source of wisdom and understanding. Everything that exists is a teacher. Answers and Wisdom come from every being. What attracts you in your moment of need?
Watch the video for more. Click on the example images below for my own experiences with Mothachadh.
The Share + Ask
What’s on your mind?
Share your troubles and your questions and your needs with the World. Tell the flowers and the bees what is bothering you. Ask the trees and the sky to help you solve a problem. Ask Spirit in the World to answer you and expect answers to come.
The answers may not come how you want or from who you expect - but expect answers and then be open to all the Ways of Knowing. Ask for help. Ask for clarity and understanding, then watch for the communication to come… from anywhere.
Tell the Birds your problems so they can carry them away. Tell the worms your needs so they can plant them in soil. They are kin and they love us as kin. They are kin and they support us as kin.
Watch the video for more. Click on the example images below for my own experiences with Mothachadh.
Write that Sh!t Down
Write it down because you will forget it. You think you won’t. You think “there’s no way I could ever forget that”, because it is resonate and vital and connects to your Spirit and lands in your heart… and until you root it in your body in some physical way - you will forget. Write that sh!t down, or record it in an audio file or video tape it or SOMETHING. Make a record of what you receive because it will fade away back into Spirit.
Watch the video for more. Click on the example images below for my own experiences with Mothachadh.
Reciprocity
Water for the birds is an offer of reciprocity. (They’ve been asking for this for years.)
Recognize the contribution and participation of the World in your well-being. Recognize Their presence and Their gifts to you with Reciprocity. We are giving and receiving in constant flow with Land + Spirit and we are asked to give back for what we receive.
Who helped you? How can you honour Their help? What do They want or need? How can you give back in a way that is doable and joyful for you and for Them?
Ask Them what They want or need from you. Maybe They will direct you to give back elsewhere. Maybe you are already giving and They want to alert you to the benefit of your action. Maybe there is water or fertilizer or compost or something needed by the residents of your yard/garden/neighbourhood. Ask and you will eventually know how you can give back. Give back. Reciprocity in love is how the Universe operates.
Watch the video for more. Click on the example images below for my own experiences with Mothachadh.
Some recent Mothachadh Practice:
Feel the Sad
I’ve come to recognize the sadness as a marker of a shift. Connecting to the sadness through Mothachadh helps it move through so I can access the wisdom that it holds.
Tha mì bronach orm. Sadness is on me. In Gàidhlig emotions are put on like clothes and can be taken off again or changed as easily as a sweater.
Sleepy Bee Wisdom
Sleepy Bee was just living her best life and taught me important lessons on self care in busy Bee times.
Sleepy Bee was also very clear about the reciprocity They wanted. I have planted a group of native Asters that feed the Bees and Wasps well into October.
Remember Trust
Often times the Wisdom is altogether surprising.
After awhile, you might not need the worksheet, when you connect to Mothachadh and stay connected to the feelings in your body. Allow what is there to be remembered. Get out of your own way and allow the wisdom between your particles to float up into the light of consciousness.