What's Behind the Blarney Stone?

According to Dictionary.com, the BLARNEY STONE is a stone in Blarney Castle in the southwest republic of Ireland said to endow whoever kisses it with the gift of the gab and skill in flattery.



What a great year it is for me to consider the question of what’s behind the blarney stone! I just took a trip to Ireland a few months ago to visit my daughter who is living in Galway for a sabbatical year. And I got to enjoy the delightful…no, make that DELICIOUS ways of the Irish as evidenced by my encounters with the Irish taxi drivers.

THEY certainly have the gift of gab. And they’re not just talking to hear the sound of their own voices. Their gift is their beautiful, heartfelt interest in the lives of others. They really want to know about people. How they are feeling…how they are enjoying the day…what’s really in their hearts. And, in return, they open their hearts at the first inkling of interest.

They seem to intuitively know how much information you would like to have and they are happy to provide it. No, not just happy. This heartfelt sharing is like breathing to them. This is probably why I felt so at home there. I, too, share a desire to do this heart connecting.

One taxi driver in Dublin told me about his family history, including the legacy of his father and his grandfather. Interestingly, he was not of Irish descent but he fit in so beautifully with Irish ways he could have been mistaken for Irish. (Probably he was called to live there because Ireland resonated so appealingly with him.)

Other taxi drivers discussed their children when I asked about them…giving me not only the statistical details but also commenting on their strengths and virtues and how they also drove their parents crazy.

As for the question of flattery, I’d have to take exception to the inclusion of that word in describing the Irish. Yes, they are given to dramatic descriptions (another reason I loved them so much). And, yes, they seem to love to use language to express themselves but the message of the Irish seems to be that they are sincerely, authentically connected with life…its joys and its hardships…and they have been deeply affected by both.

They do not opt to do a superficial dance with the encounters of life…they immerse themselves deeply. Sometimes they are delighted, sometimes confounded; sometimes they are sad, other times outraged but always they deeply connect with their lives. They ACKNOWLEDGE what is happening to them and around them. At times the pain, I believe, is overwhelming and the attempt is made to quell the suffering by frolic and gaiety, dance and drink. But so often the Irish find the happy note, the joy, the inspiration in the moment and celebrate this discovery. There is a strength to the Irish that buoys them up and helps them rise and meet each day.

What they really have to teach us, I think, is to be unafraid to embrace the flow, to acknowledge it, to speak our truth about how it feels, to deal.

And so, on St. Patrick’s Day, I salute this courage and fearlessness and invite them to inspire us to remember the beauty of dancing Irish eyes and engaging Irish hearts and let that awareness linger just a little longer and inspire us to deeply connect with each and every moment of our day.




When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.


lyrics by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr.
music by Enerst Ball

Conscious Intention

Recently, I posted one of my bookmarks on the Mystic Marks Blog. It was the one about beautiful sleep. Here’s how it goes:

I delight myself with the Gift
of Peaceful Slumber.
I awaken naturally
when I am ready
to experience
the Beauty of a New Day.

Although I wrote this bookmark some time ago the very act of posting it in my blog (on the world wide internet) apparently signaled a new step in my CONSCIOUS INTENTION for since then I have experienced several nights of sleep that arrived within seconds of hitting the pillow.

I usually have several pillows around me and arrange them in a very particular fashion when I am preparing to fall asleep but on these mornings I awoke and the pillows had not been moved…all night. Wow!

In addition, each of these mornings I was inspired to truly appreciate the beauty of the day and made the intention to do some very loving things for myself and others. The intensity of the peaceful slumber and morning aspirations felt like a new experience for me and I am thinking it is because of the very conscious expression of my intention.

I began to watch what was happening more carefully and yesterday I noticed another intention of mine manifesting.

A few days ago I wrote a blog article about how we are interconnected with all people and all things. During a very emotional moment yesterday morning when I experienced a very strong heart connection, I found tears streaming down my face and when I looked outside the window at the bird feeder, I could see snow dripping from the round plate over its top.… and it looked like tears…my tears. When I stopped crying, it stopped dripping.

I have read in many inspiring books that we create our lives and I have noticed this on many occasions, but I am struck by the CONNECTION between the beauty and intensity of these experiences and the expression of my very conscious intention.

So, now, I have decided…I have a new toy to play with and I know just how I want to use it today.

Blogger statistics tell me which countries have people reading my blog and this information is so exciting and connecting for me. One country, in particular, has had numbers increasing and that country is Russia.

Now, here’s the interesting thing about this. A while ago I was going through some legal papers of my mother (who passed away eleven years ago). In her strongbox I found a birth certificate stating that my paternal grandparents were born in Russia. This is something I had never heard before and I found it very exciting. Since then I have talked to members of my family of origin and my daughters about our Russian connection through citizenship. And, a couple of weeks ago, when I was looking at my blog, I noticed that someone from Russia was looking at it right at that moment and so I went to the blog and sent a message of greeting.

The point I am making is that I have been putting conscious intention into connecting with Russia and my blog attests that this is happening.

So, now, I want to use that beautiful experience to also connect with the other countries which are accessing the blog. I gave some thought as to how to do this in a fun, creative way and below you will see the results of my brainstorming. It’s an experiment to bond with people reading my blog and let them know I am holding them in my heart and in my consciousness.

So, here are the results of my curiosity and delight!


Fun facts/info about these marvelous countries:

Germany's Zoo Berlin has the largest number of species in the world.

The concept of jean clothing was born in the Languedoc-Roussillon city of Nîmes, France, from where it was imported by Levi Strauss to California to make tough clothes for gold diggers.

Star gazing: under ideal viewing conditions, like in the Australian Outback, the naked eye can detect about 5,780 stars.

Dinner in Chile is rarely earlier than 9 pm and can often run as late as midnight.


United Kingdom: The 409 escalators in the London subway cover a distance every week which is approximately equivalent to several trips around the globe!


Poland boasts 17 Nobel prize winners, including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature.

There are 221 museums, 2,000 libraries and over 80 theaters in Russia.. Feel like seeing a concert? Russia has 100 concert establishments. It could be Art is more your taste. Then you can visit one of 45 galleries.

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks Denmark number 1 in the world in e-readiness which indicates the state of a country’s information and communications technology

Lipizzaner horses, known throughout the world, originate from Lipica in Slovenia.

In the Netherlands most Dutch people speak at least one foreign language as well as Dutch and English.

The longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway.

The Trans-Canada Highway is over 7604 kilometers in length and is the longest national highway in the entire world.

South Africa is one of the most generously endowed geographic solar hot spots in the world, soaking up just over half of the world's highest category of solar wattage per square meter of land.

The necktie was invented in Croatia and is locally known as ‘cravat’.

Hungary has one of the most important thermal spring cultures in the entire Europe. There are as many as 1,500 spas in the country, adorned with Roman, Greek and Turkish architecture. Hungary also boasts of 450 public baths.

Some of the greatest pop bands and singers are from Sweden, viz. Abba, Roxette, Ace of Base, A*Teens, The Cardigans, Robyn, etc.

An interesting fact about the United States: the American One Dollar Bill is known by several slang terms. You can call it a buck, an ace, a clam, a rutabaga, a one, or a single, among other names. The term "buck" is probably the most popular. It comes from the fact that buckskins were used as a unit of trade in the "Old West.



I hope you have enjoyed reading these interesting bits of info about the Mystic Marks blog countries as much as I have had uncovering them. They are my welcome and my greeting to the parts of the world tuning in to Mystic Marks.

I encourage all of you to use your creativity in making your CONSCIOUS CONNECTIONS and then, sit back and watch the enchanting display unfolding just for you!

Share YOUR Music!

This is a Celebration of You!




Please accept my thanks and appreciation for sharing your beautiful energy by accessing this blog, reading the blog entries and reflecting on the thoughts contained in them.

Blogger statistics indicate that people have found their way to the Mystic Marks blog not only from the United States but also from Germany, France, Australia, Chile, the United Kingdom, Poland, Russia, Denmark, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Canada, South Africa and other world locations.

You are so very welcome here. And so appreciated.

I would like to invite you to bring your consciousness into the mix in still another way…and, that is, by leaving comments at the end of this or any other entry so that we can all share in your responses and reflections.

Make the music go farther…and last even longer!

If you feel comfortable with this invitation, please join in with a word or two... or more... if you are so inclined…and please be sure to let all of us know exactly where in the world you are.

Blessings, light and love for a most beautiful day!

Marie Helena