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Thank you all who came to my live audio yesterday! As promised, since we got on to the subject of history re my work as a historian, I wanted to share the moving work of the artist I mentioned re the mother and baby homes; a horror that was allowed to happen for ver 200 years and which affected over 10,000 women and their children.
A bit of a grim subject but I touched on this yesterday re women having a tough time when it comes to relationships and also with regard to emotions and experience being deeply effective to engage publics with history. It is why I am also sharing a blog that includes history, not just wellbeing and spirituality or psychology and symbolism as I am mentioning important topics which should trigger some of you and make you think. The aim being to help us remember the things that really matter in life and also forgotten ways that can make our lives better.
DRESSING OUR HIDDEN TRUTHS – ALISON LOWRY
One of the most effective ways historians can engage with publics is through emotions and I hope to have touched some of you yesterday who came to my talk on Ireland’s most haunted house, Loftus Hall. The true story behind the popular centuries’ old tale being much more haunting but also in many forms, a “dressing of hidden truths” and a terrible injustice but also relevant to the horrors of the Magdalene laundries and fates of children and their mothers who became pregnant out of wedlock.
This is why I must share with you all today the work by Alison Lowry which truly provoked a deeply emotional response in me to the point of making me cry. I still have tears in my eyes as I write this, as some of the topics she addresses hit very close to home, being a survivor of domestic violence and a single mother who has raised a son alone and felt the stigma. It is estimated that around 10,000 women went through these mother and baby homes during a period of just over 200 years where many of their children born of sin were not just taken away but simply murdered. Alison Lowry speaks out through her creative work in defence of these voiceless souls who still have not seen justice and who must be remembered, for this I need to share her work, but I do caution you, that the Christening robes…will stir up all sorts of emotions and at the very least, make you extremely uncomfortable though they are beautiful. Lowry’s work is outstanding from a creative but also historical point of view.
Alison Lowry is a rather unique artist in the European context in her commentary through the medium of glass on such discomforting topics as child abuse and domestic violence. The video and link below in the comments features her exhibition “Dressing Our Hidden Truths” divided into four distinct areas – installation of suspended sand-cast pâte de verre christening robes, sculptural works responding to the theme of the Magdalene Laundries, a video piece made with performance artist Jayne Cherry and a suit of armour using glass and leather created with the internationally renowned designer Úna Burke.
Amongst the exhibition’s highlights is an installation of nine christening robes in pâte de verre (glass paste) spread across two rooms – a profound piece of commentary on the Tuam Mother and Baby Home revelations. Other elements of the exhibition include audio testimony by way of poetry and song from those who experienced the industrial school system and Magdalene Laundries.
Please take a moment today as a sign of respect for the souls of the children and women being remembered here, may they rest in peace.As a recent convert to Paganism and a student of the occult. I find your posts very intellectually refreshing and thought provoking. Posts like yours are very few on sites like this. I haven’t had the time to read all of them, but I definitely want to see more.
Ray thanks so much for this, I really appreciate your comment. I’m a little rebel in many ways but with a cause; I do aim to bring back the old ways especially when they can improve our lives in terms of body, mind and spirit but also aim to give a voice to the voiceless.
I hope that my work can trigger some of you to reflect and hopefully inspire some of you to make a few changes to your lives but also engage with the past as it can teach us so much. Thank you again!
Hi all, I just uploaded a new blog article for this week also relevant to this time of year and just wanted to let you all know I’ll be here this evening at 9 pm ET (2 am London time for me). Be well all and if you are free come and join me! I will limit the time to 1 hour today as I am lecturing in many events this week including a conference at the end of the week.
Hello all, just a note to let you all know I’ll be online later this eve doing the 9 pm EST live audio (now I know there was a time change ;)) so hopefully see some of you there. I’ll also be uploading a ew blog post later this evening, hope you are all well!
Hi all, as always I will be here this evening with the live audio in the chat at 9 pm ET (US), hope you are all well and see some of you there 🙂
I’ll be live today on the live audio at 9 pm EST – note the last post for today’s topic which has come up quite a bit privately
Healthy Sexuality: Embracing Our Shadows and Unlocking Authentic Desire
𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥…
𝐈’𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤—𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. It’s even more gratifying when the praise touches on how I’ve mastered the art of 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬, gracefully balancing the diverse realms of my life and work.
I didn’t have the idyllic childhood one might expect from a financially affluent, “respectable” family—whatever that label even means. We moved constantly, sometimes across countries and continents, while my parents were perpetually “unavailable” whether abroad or at home (when they weren’t fighting!). The warmth of hugs and shared family moments was replaced by the solace of 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 and the 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝—a presence that has guided me then and ever since. I’ve always known I was different, feeling as much an 𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧 in spirit then as I do now. Over the years, I made far too many decisions to appease family expectations, chipping away pieces of myself in the process. It wasn’t until the pandemic swept through that 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦. With the chains of the past shattered, I began the slow, imperfect work of building a new future which is still a work in progress. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭, tied up in endless hours at university, immersed in an Postgraduate MA. 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲…
𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 “𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥,” 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫s. Like the independent women of centuries past, I belong to no man and live life on my own terms. I’m a 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. My writing can be daring, even provocative, and my research often ventures into territories where, as one academic colleague once told me, “others would run a mile.” It’s a curious compliment that I wear with pride.
𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬. Still, I endure, because, as Anaïs Nin so aptly put it, “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲.”𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭. That is the only way to live…anything else isn’t “living” and I have no desire to join the undead.
SHORT BREAK AND NEW DATES FOR LIVE AUDIO
Hello everyone and thanks to all who came yesterday, I had a great conversation with all of you and as always, we stayed for hours. While it has been fun and we have had some great meaningful conversations, I need to take a short break from live audios due to my overwhelming load of work at university.
I’ll still post on my blog, but my next live audio will be in Feb 2025 and may be changed to cater for European time zones too so that more people can join.
Thank you all of you, especially Michael Admin and I look forward to the New Year live audio sessions, a little more rested 🙂
With best wishes for the coming season and new year, Elayne (Sophia Unveiled)
Stay strong, keep your magic close to your chest.
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