Into the Green

And we continued on.  Problems arose.  B., the individual I identified as psychotic, continued verbally abusing other pilgrims, calling one young woman a prostitute and reacting strangely to technology ("The Internet is going right through my bowels!" was the theme of one outburst.)  More and more of my fellow pilgrims confided they'd expressed concern to the leaders and gotten the same kind of brush-off I did.  And my right foot was now seriously hurting.  The two outer toes were swollen, and I had blisters on the tips of them from all the hillwalking. 

So to start off our third morning, we gathered at the famous statue of Cuchulainn holding the body of his friend Ferdia. 

This is me and my friend Deb.  I had so much fun with her, and I'll be seeing her again this Samhain!  One of the leaders wanted to get a picture of us together that day.  Good thing it didn't have audio; I fell over while getting up and responded in the way that seemed most appropriate at the time.  Yeah, good thing.

This stark memorial seemed a fitting tribute to the scores of Irish citizens who died during the Great Famine which took place in Ireland between 1845 and 1852.

By this time, my foot was becoming increasingly painful.  I accepted a ride with the luggage to our next destination, the Hill of Slane, rich in history and beauty.  I limped up the hill and sat next to the castle wall, resting and soaking up the green beauty around me.  The Hill afforded splendid views of Tara and the verdant braes of Skreen.   

 

Before very long, I was joined by three gentlemen with drums who were looking for our group.  It turned out they were shamans who were going to conduct a ritual for us in the wooded part of the hill.   They stood on the hill and looked out toward Tara, drumming mightily to honor the land, as the rest of the pilgrims made their way up to us. 

 

 

 The shamans had decided to bless our pilgrimage by washing and tending to our feet.  They prepared this beautiful metal bowl, filling it with cool water that was sprinkled with fresh flowers.

 

The pure, scented water and the skilled hands on my feet felt wonderful!  Noting the swelling and redness on my right foot, the shaman took some extra time with me and did some Reiki work for me. I felt deeply honored, and the foot pain did ease up a little after that.