Tag Archives: Collette O’Mahony

Nomadic Gene.

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The nomadic heart feels confined in a world of borders. Nomads are a direct lineage from the ancient Hunter-Gatherer tribes that once colonised the earth. The nomadic gene lives on in the heart of anyone who loves to travel and dreams of far off places. The explorer, the tourist, the writer and anyone who saves the Travel section of their newspaper, share a wandering gene that strains to visit foreign lands and see sunsets on new horizons. While we have settled into generations of permanence in the form of walls, windows and doors, there is always a part of us that gazes at the stars and dreams of faraway places.

Contentment is a word often associated with security and belonging, it’s a feeling of knowing and understanding your environment. When contentment nudges into boredom it becomes predictability and wants to stray across the fence to a world without borders. The Hunter-Gatherer gene survives in us because evolution takes millions of years and we, in evolutionary terms, are the grandchildren of the nomadic races that once roamed the earth. Nomadic tribes vigorously embrace mobility, the right to roam without constraints of political borders. The senses not the clock, the sky not the roof, and travel not history were the tenets of nomadic life.

Climate change, drought and famine caused Hunter-Gatherers to trans migrate, seeking better conditions in new lands. Many Hunter-Gatherer traits survive in our nomadic gene, however, they are linked to emotional response to an environment rather than if there is a bountiful berry crop. In a world where ideas and thoughts are pooled into one giant watering hole, the internet, there is a worry that we will become complacent and cease to use the nomadic gene that propels us to new experiences and heightened sensation in our natural world. New ideas arise from change. Drinking from stagnant waters causes malignancy. Evolution springs from new waters, out of the need to change. New ideas leading to shifts in consciousness arise from a mind that is not corralled by habit and predictability. Enjoy your house, your settled life and all that comes with it, but every now and again embrace your nomadic gene and live life on the hoof.

My new novel ‘Beyond the Two Doors’ is a modern-day story intertwined with stories from the Celts of Britain and Ireland, and the Scythian tribes of the European Steppes. Available worldwide on Amazon.

Collette O’Mahony 24/05/2022

Nomadic tribes of Mongolia.

BEYOND THE TWO DOORS

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After three years, my novel Beyond The Two Doors is finally published on Amazon. For lovers of history, spirituality and exploration of mind, this book will appeal to you. The book image below is linked to my bookshelf on Amazon.com. The book is also available on Amazon.co.uk and all in all other countries.

Book Cover

Beyond The Two Doors explores the mysteries of life as we follow the story of a man and woman across different timelines. From modern day Britain to post-war Asia, the story takes the reader on a historical journey to the Celts of Britain and Ireland, tracing the roots of the Celtic cultural and spiritual ancestors to an ancient tribe who lived on the Eurasian Steppes.

After leaving her husband, Clara Lewis moves back to Gloucestershire to complete her PhD in archaeology. During her research, she stumbles upon a photograph of a mummy taken by an explorer in the 1940’s during an expedition to the Altay Mountains. Her curiosity about the Jade Mummy and the explorer who found it, takes her on a journey through time where she discovers not only the ancestors of modern day civilisation, but also provides her with a portal into her very life essence.

From the ancient Silk road to the stone circles of the Neolithic, this adventure sweeps through deserts, mountains and plains until it arrives at the very heart of humanity and the quest that underpins our existence. This story will not only take you on a journey through human history, but it will open doors into the invaluable nature of your soul.

Collette O’Mahony

May 2022

Journey into Spring

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I

Houses and fields, houses and fields

Crows on the wires, like a string of black beads.

A whistle blows, my destination it looms

Lost in my thoughts, it arrives all to soon.

II

I step on the platform and straighten my skirt

My phone starts to beep with a string of alerts.

I exit the station and hop in my car

a train carries on stopping near and afar.

III

The countryside glows with the promise of spring,

the mowers are mowing and the songbirds sing.

Bleating young lambs add to the sound,

daffodils trumpet, woodpeckers resound.

IV

Crocus and primrose make gardeners proud,

village greens full of these glorious crowds.

Buds on the trees seem to whisper and hush,

magnolias show off and camelias blush.

V

Joy is a fling with the nature of spring,

smiles that come from the simplest of things.

Open the windows, let in the light

there is hope in the air, ready for flight.

Poem by Collette O’Mahony

2021

Relationship Myths

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When we develop an intimate crush on a person, we see only fragments of who they are. The gaps are filled in by our imagination. Two people seeking an ideal partner, meet on a crossroads of desire and expectation. Any small sign that indicates the person fulfils one or more aspects of our mental criteria is enough for us to label them as the ‘one’. The rest of our wish list we project onto them. When we see someone as an ideal candidate for a relationship, we create little fantasies in our head about the future. We expect the desired person to slot into this role.

Investing in a fabricated story of a relationship ties you to the outcome, so that when a split happens, it feels like tearing strips of fiction from your skin. The pages of the relationship come undone when you realise that your partner is not the person scripted into the story. One or both of you awaken as complete strangers, and in some cases enemies, from the love story.

If you pay attention to people and really listen to them, rather than using interpretation, it allows their true essence to shine. After all, it is the initial feeling that attracts you to a person. Rushing in with needs and desires places a big expectation on a partner. Expecting someone to fulfil a role you place on them is a form of emotional blackmail. If they have low self-esteem or other emotional issues, they can feel love is only shown to them when they meet the conditions placed upon them. Many of us are conditioned from an early age to believe in romance and fairytales. Yet the experience for many is of hurt, betrayal and disappointment. When we are unfulfilled in love, we are constantly waiting for the fairytale to work out, choosing illusion over reality. Taking responsibility for your emotions frees you from blind romance and chasing after impossible ideals. When you see a person for who they truly are, accepting their light and shade, they start to blossom, just as you begin to blossom when you are accepted exactly as you are. People grow in the light of acceptance as the natural characteristics of a person begin to shine through.

Someone who you find attractive usually has qualities you wish to emulate. They serve as catalysts for undeveloped emotions to expand and grow. An emotionally inexpressive person may find they are attracted to a nurturing, caring person who encourages free expression of feeling. Someone suppressing shame and guilt about their physical body may find they are attracted to a sensual person who encourages them to embrace their sexuality. The quality you admire in others indicates the part of you that requires expansion and growth.

As you mature emotionally, any suppressed emotion within you tugs at your feeling body and impresses pain upon the mind. This energy is reflected in the dynamics of a relationship. Therefore, a loved one can simultaneously exhilarate and frustrate you. They push your buttons to release knots of energy that may have remained dormant for many years. This is the purpose of an authentic relationship, to help you grow and mature in love. We enter relationships to share information and experiences that enhance our journey, and the feeling of extending and receiving love. Not all relationships last forever, but the experience we gain from them does.

Extract from my book ‘In Quest of Love’ – A guide to inner harmony.

Collette O’Mahony

Evolving as a Species.

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The embrace of loved ones, moments shared in a busy café, or the joy of driving to a favourite beauty spot for a bracing walk are all simple pleasures put on hold for almost a year now. Loneliness, illness and death have shadowed our communities and our nations, and the coping mechanisms people employ to deal with stress, anxiety and grief have been stripped away during successive lockdowns. Social distancing, a term in itself that seems to contradict the purpose of society, has caused a secondary impact that will reverberate for years to come, perhaps changing forever our habits and rituals as a society.

We were cautioned about the catastrophe that awaited us if we didn’t adapt our ways and reduce our carbon footprint on the environment. Scientists and environmentalists issued a chorus of warnings about the perilous state of our planet. Our planet was in danger and we, humanity, were the cause. It seems to me that we were always the ones in danger, the planet existed millions of years before us, it knows how to rid itself of threats to its continuance. Maybe it is an arrogance in humans that we felt we must save the planet. We must save ourselves from the reaction of the planet if we continue to abuse its energy supply. The planet has its own intelligence and will deal with us in its own way. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for ignorance. We cannot ignore the fact that we do not own the earth’s resources, we are guests here. If a guest entered our home and started pilfering our belongings, or littering our living room carpet with plastic and rubbish, there’s no doubt we would show them the door. The intelligence that guides us also guides the planet. It too, shows unwelcome guests the door.

Evolution has been happening on the planet for billions of years. The fittest survive, and thrive. Humans have thrived and multiplied to the detriment of other species. There is an imbalance. We must evolve as a species. This doesn’t mean we need to grow an extra thumb or expand our lung capacity. On a physical level, we do need to develop immunity against new viruses, however, the real shift must be an evolution in consciousness. We must develop an innate intelligence that connects us to the governing principle of the planet and the cosmos. If we continue to rely on the opinion of scientists and politicians to guide our path, we can readily ignore their opinions and advice. If we have a direct connection to the governing principle of the cosmos, we shall act accordingly, in harmony with every other living thing on the planet.

We must adapt and learn to interact with each other and the planet in a more conscious, harmonious way. Perhaps then we can return without guilt, or fear to our favourite beauty spots, cafés and bars.

Collette O’Mahony

09/02/2021

What is ‘Home’ ?

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I am a seeker with a gypsy soul; adventure is the sum of my parts. Yet, it is always a kind of amiable pastime to dwell on the possibility of finding a place to call home. As the years roll by and the past recedes into a collage of faded photographs and occasional flashes of memory, I wonder what home means to me. Is it a country, a house, a family or merely a thought construct to tame my wandering soul?

For many people home means a family unit living under one roof. We grow up in our parents’ house with siblings and call it ‘home’. When we move out and make a new family unit, we call that home. I know several adults who always refer to the place they grew up as their home. I stopped that when my mother passed away, seventeen years after my father. Home left me and memories faded, no longer compounded by family get-togethers which invariably led down rural byways to childhood, enhanced by the passage of time into faded sepia photographs. Sometimes I dream in colour and I see the vividness of summer days spent on the farm of my childhood, tossing the hay, picking fruit, playing hide-and-seek with my sisters in the hay barn. Ironically, when someone presents me with a colour photograph from my youth, I recall the memory in black-and-white, a kind of foggy moment captured on camera. But my best memories are moments that no lens could capture, my reaction to the microcosm of nature, of life; tiny shells glistening like treasures in the sand, a butterfly emerging from its pupa, a bumble bee intent on tickling the extended fronds of a flower, tadpoles wiggling in a pool of water, endless moments in close proximity to unfolding life. Life birthing every new moment from the one before, like a telescopic event where years, seasons, days and moments in time recreated a new one especially for me. To me, this was home.

Decades on from my first close encounter with a ladybird tickling its way across my chubby fingers, I have witnessed many habitats and ecosystems on my travels and crossed paths with more poisonous creatures than my three-year-old self would ever care to witness. However, it is only when I return to the land of my youth, when I register specific smells and delight in the microcosm of local habitats, that I realise that I too, am a specific flower of this ecosystem. And this is what home means to me.

Collette O’Mahony

19/06/2020

Amber Drops

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Amber drops of autumn gold

Winter freeze turns bitter cold

Hope it springs with verdant grace

Inviting smiles from summer’s face

~

Seasons come and seasons go

Displaying all of nature’s show

Harvest brings its dividends

Nurtured by Life provident

~

Oceans swell and then abate

Trusting moon to seal its fate

Tidal signs left on the shore

Lifted up from deep sea floor

~

Stars stream light and pattern shape

To help night hunters navigate

Shifting round the central eye

Remaining focused in the sky

~

Earthly orbit round the sun

Reclaims its old, producing young

Misty rain and morning dew

Rising sun, each day anew

~

Tumbling clouds in azure blue

Frames broad spectrum in milieu

Refracting prism of sunlight

Forming shapes in colours bright

~

Beauty shines from all creation

Her displays are but reflection

Of Life’s breath in every being

Behold, full joy is in the seeing

Collette O’Mahony

From my poetry book ‘The Soul in Words’. Available in paperback and e-book. Click image for link to preview on Amazon.

The Soul in Words Poetry Book

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I am very excited to tell you that my poetry book ‘THE SOUL IN WORDS’ is now available to purchase in Paperback. It contains 16 full-length poems and 144 verses set against a backdrop of love and loss, light and shade, and the forces of nature. If you’d like a sneak preview, follow the link below. Collette x

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-Words-Collection-Poetry-Verse/dp/1916007910/