A shell, a petal and a feather — a magic spell to remember your true nature on International Women's Day 2025.

IWD Siren Songs | an elemental spell to conjure the wisdom that lies within each of us and the world that we live in.

Hello, I am so glad you have found your way here… I’m Lyndsay — mother, creative and storyteller with a background in interiors PR.

Step inside Story & Thread., a cosy, layered home where the threads of creativity, interiors and mothering meet. Here, we unearth the stories from the seasons of our lives, with a house & a garden at the heart, and everyday beauty as our guide…

“questing and resting, creating and incubating…”

“The psyches and souls of women also have their own cycles and seasons of doing and solitude, running and staying, being involved and being removed, questing and resting, creating and incubating, being of the world and returning to the soul-place.”

—Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With the Wolves.

Dearest reader…

I hope you are landing softly in the earliest days of spring. It has been glorious here in London with crystallised frosty starts, swiftly thawing in the sunshine — the narcissi on our windowsill have opened and there are buttery yellow clumps of daffodils in corners of the garden beginning to emerge. It is a timely reminder of the renewal that comes after a season of rest and retreat, filling me with anticipation of new beginnings in the light-filled days ahead.

This week’s letter reaches you at 11.11am GMT on International Women’s Day 2025, as part of Siren Songs, a collection of women’s voices answering the call of the Sirens to share stories of knowledge and joy, conjured masterfully by the magical

Laura Durban

, supported lovingly by

Claire Venus ✨

Lauren Barber

Georgia

Laurita Gorman | Therapist SEP

Emma Simpson

, and myself.

By communicating our own messages of knowledge and joy as the Sirens were known to do, the call is to both listen inwardly, and into the community around us — to tell our own stories and to hear the stories of others, to witness ourselves and the women around us, to remember, return and rediscover our truest essence, our deepest truths, the songs of our souls. It is an honour to witness the ripples of women’s words across the world find a multitude of forms, creating layers of resonance and taking up rightful space on the page, and beyond.

“Sirens are mythic creatures, winged women with dangerously powerful voices, voices that sing of all they’ve seen, containing all they know”. —Laura Durban, What is a Siren?

Contrary to popular belief, the Sirens were not seductive mermaids, but messengers between the worlds, inhabiting not only the water, but also the air and the earth and even the realms in-between. Divine, otherworldly, seeing and knowing all¹.

My letter takes the form of an incantation crafted from a handful of oracles and omens, totems and symbols, to create an elemental spell of water, earth and air, stirred together in a cauldron, alchemised by our collective fire — to tell of the wisdom that lies within each of us and in the world that we are embedded in.

With a shell, a spring flower and a feather in my hand, we will explore the ebb and flow of the water element, the strength and vibrancy of the earth element, and the inspiration and movement of the air element, a spell to remember our true nature…

Water | the sound of a shell.

Finding shells on a Norfolk beach.

“It is not the ocean that you hear in the empty shell of a nautilus, it is the echo of your soul.”

Khang Kijarro Nguyen.

The Sirens in the Odyssey come from the heavens as winged women and are also closely related to water as they are known to fly across the ocean and sing to sailors on the sea².

The first ingredient for our elemental spell is the deep rumble and reverberation scooped from within the cavern of a shell — symbolising the ebb and flow of the water element, the resonance of our inner knowing and the power we hold when we recognise, and share it.

As we clasp a seashell close to our ears as children, eager to hear the sea — we hear both the vibrations of the world that surrounds us, merging and melding in relationship with the interior of ourselves. The ocean crashes as the blood rushes through our ears, echoing back the beating heart of our souls and the ebb and flow of our breath. From an early age, we find one of the greatest treasures — the acoustic resonance of ourselves embedded within the living world. Perhaps it is the first time we hear our soul song…

The cavernous form of a shell allows us to hone in and to hear our soul whispers in harmony with the backdrop of the vastness of the sea — our thoughts simultaneously distilled and spilling over, we are minuscule, and we are infinite. The chamber of the shell is both enveloping and receptive, it acts as both a container, and a guide, allowing us to remember our inner knowing, to hold it tenderly, and amplify our voice within the context of the wider world.

Finding shells on the beach is one of the earliest experiences we have of finding treasure — plucked from the great oceans, from the water that covers almost three quarters of our planet, and fills around sixty percent of us as humans.

We are in a symbiotic relationship with water; both within our bodies and in our interactions with the world. We begin life in the waters of the womb, enveloped, rocked and soothed by the water element. Being in the presence of water, and specifically the sea, is healing in many ways — the sense of its vastness, its silky smooth embrace as it enfolds us, its movement and rhythm which “resembles in a strange way the ebb and flow of the human breath”³ according to John O’Donohue in his book, ‘The Four Elements: Reflections on Nature’, and the to and fro, back and forth, emergence and retreat we experience as we journey through the cycles of creativity and the seasons of our lives. Time spent by the sea recently allowed me to witness that often the more lingering the ebb (like a held breath), the more powerful and impactful the flow.

Water is both gentle and persistent; soft and powerful; calming and rejuvenating; healing and destructive; still and fluid; soothing and erosive; shape-shifting and impenetrable.

As women in particular, we are cyclical beings, led by the moon which also governs the tides on earth. Water and the moon are closely aligned and entwined with our experience of being human — of being a woman. We are not designed to be consistent day in day out — by honouring and softening to the natural undulations within our cycles, and by coming into relationship with the seasons within and unfolding around us is one of the most potent ways to come to know and find alignment with ourselves, and the world that we are woven into.

We are the ebb and the flow, the moon and the sea.

**A shell is a protective retreat, akin to a soul-place for life’s ebbs. Where is your soul-place? What is your relationship like with ‘the ebb’? How does it feel to be in flow?

Earth | the petal of a Windflower.

The Song of the Windflower Fairy on my desk.

While human-folk slumber,
The fairies espy
Stars without number
Sprinkling the sky.

The Winter’s long sleeping,
Like night-time, is done;
But day-stars are leaping
To welcome the sun.

Star-like they sprinkle
The wildwood with light;
Countless they twinkle—
The Windflowers white!

—Cicely Mary Barker, The Song of the Windflower Fairy.

The Sirens are often associated with water and air, but they originate from the land as the handmaidens of Persephone, the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld⁴. Persephone possesses the power of Mother Nature who both births and destroys, and presides over the unfolding of the seasons. It was while she was consumed by the beauty of spring flowers that she was led by Hades down into the Underworld. It is thought that the handmaidens sought her everywhere and finally prayed for wings to fly across the sea to find her, transforming into Sirens in the process. (In some versions Persephone’s mother Earth Goddess Demeter turned them into birds to punish them for not guarding Persephone).

The second ingredient for our spell of elemental wisdom is the petal of a windflower — symbolising the strength and vibrancy of the earth element, the often unseen slow, sustained growth of building foundations for longevity, and the anticipation of beautiful blooms to come.

The wood anenome.

unseen growth | longevity | anticipation.

The wood anenome, or windflower is gentle yet strong, slow-growing yet enduring, unassuming yet magical — a floral symbol of the importance of inward, invisible growth to produce enduring star-like blooms.

Wood anenome, botanical name Anemonoides nemorosa, in the family Ranunculaceae. The specific epithet nemorosa is derived from the Latin nemus meaning 'forest', making reference to the woodland habitat in which these flowers grow.

Common names, wood anemone, windflower. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Greek ἀνεμώνη (anemōnē) means 'daughter of the wind', from ἄνεμος (ánemos, 'wind') + feminine patronymic suffix -ώνη (-ṓnē, so 'daughter of'). Over time, people shortened this term until anemones were known as windflowers.

“Sun-loving, gentle, a mark of the old”.⁵ Native to the UK, the wood anemone is one of the first spring blooms, emerging from the ground to take in the lengthening rays of sunlight through the still-leafless canopy in woodland. It is a low-growing flower touching the earth and grows slowly via underground rhizomes (horizontal underground stems). The flower spreads at a rate of around 2-5cm per year and can form large carpets of star-like shimmering white over time. Their existence indicates longevity and the presence of ancient woodland.

Like the ebb before the flow, the wood anenome reminds us that slow unseen growth below ground level, has the power to create the deepest, longest lasting impact, much like laying foundations of a life that allows us to thrive. Being part of the living world, when we are in a quiet season of retreat and rest, we too, are laying strong foundations for our next period of growth. We can align ourselves with the earth by allowing ourselves to be still and supported, nourished and nurtured.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is associated with the wood element. I loved

Layla O'Mara

’s observations that “there is a strength to wood energy, it is the act of a tree finding its way to the light, and yet there must be enough energy. Nature’s way is to rest and draw in for a time, before reaching out and up once more”.⁶

Earth is home. It is nourishing, nurturing, tactile, supportive, solid, strong and secure. It is the expression of soft strength.

Within a time of rest and drawing in, it doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing (although that is always ok and often needed). This past winter, I have been filling up by cocooning in the evenings, taking my time to catch up on the day, writing and reading — connecting inwardly has felt like a form of radiant rest in the dark.

Having a period of introspection creates a lull and a pause before the next step, building excitement for the next chapter. Within The Language of Flowers, a popular way of expressing feelings in the Victorian age, the most significant meaning of the anemone was anticipation. As a harbinger of lighter, warmer days to come, it signifies a sense of expectation for new beginnings. Many of the meanings of anemones derive from its cycle of closing petals each night (and with the onset of stormy weather), only to open up again when light and warmth returns. Anemones represent anticipation and the eagerness for something new and promising on the horizon.

**Due to its tendency for slow growth and cycle of opening and closing, the windflower reminds us of the mutual existence of the “doing and the solitude”, the “creating and incubating”⁷. Have you been creating or incubating (or both?) What do you feel anticipation for in the coming months?

Air | a striped woodpecker’s feather.

A collection of air-inspired treasures.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all.

—Emily Dickinson, ‘Hope’ is a thing with feathers.

In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, we are told that the Sirens were human companions of Persephone. After she went into the underworld, her mother, earth goddess Demeter had them look for Persephone. They sought her everywhere and finally prayed for wings to fly across the sea. In art, the Sirens appeared first as birds with the heads of women and later as women, sometimes winged, with bird legs.⁸

The final ingredient for our spell of elemental wisdom is a found patterned woodpecker’s feather — symbolising the inspiration and movement of the air element, the potency of sharing our creativity, of trust in the unseen and the power of lifting each other up with our wings of hope.

According to ‘Nature’s Calendar: The British Year in 72 Seasons’, we are immersed in the days of woodpeckers drumming, to be followed next week by the chiff chaffs’ return, and then by the butterflies. As well as being cheering prospects, it feels as though these creatures of the air hold hopeful symbolism within their wings as bright omens of the days ahead.

The drumming we hear in British trees is that of the great and lesser spotted woodpecker. They drum to create crevices in wood to forage for insects, to create space for nests and at this time of year to mark out territory, and as a mating call. Despite, the noise they make, woodpeckers are elusive and mysterious, lending themselves to tales in myth and folklore across the world, often symbolising determination, perseverance, good luck, and communication. Celtic traditions state that, woodpeckers can communicate with spiritual worlds, bringing messages that grant wisdom to whoever’s around them⁹, much like the Sirens. Woodpeckers are the only bird to use another surface to make a sound, reminding us that the Earth thrums with pulses that travel to us through the medium of air.

Air is unseen and the most intangible of the elements, yet we are surrounded by it. It is associated with the orientation of east, it is the home of spring, the birthplace of dawn, and it encircles our earth in strong winds, gentle breezes, jet streams, through sound frequencies and our breath.

Air allows movement which helps to clear stagnancy and creates the right conditions for change. Air is not fixed, it allows for swiftness, flexibility and adaptability. Air is not stuck, it is fast-moving and can feel uplifting and fresh.

Our breath connects us to the word around us, we are in a reciprocal relationship with the world through our breath. In his book, The Four Elements, John O'Donohue said, "We all breathe air. Air is the interflow between all people. It is also the medium of interflow between person and nature".

Air also relates to ideas, creativity, and communication. 'Inspiration' comes from the Latin 'inspiratus' which means 'to breathe into' and in England has had the meaning 'the drawing of air into the lungs" since the 16th century. Another quote I love by John O'Donohue is about the word 'inspiration', “One of the loveliest words in the English language is the word ‘inspiration’. It signifies the creative breath…inspiration is the flash of connecting light that suddenly comes from elsewhere and illuminates”. When the mind and breath come together, we communicate, creating winged messages which travel through air and have the power to uplift and to create sound waves of self-expression, meaning and hope.

**What do you feel inspired to share? What are your messages of hope?

Thank you so much for reading my contribution to Siren Songs for International Women’s Day 2025. I hope that my spell of elemental wisdom has served as a reminder that we are inherently interwoven with the elements and environments that surround us, that we are a part of the wonder of nature and not separate from it.

By taking cues from the living world we can honour our seasons of ebb and flow, emergence and retreat to better access our inner wisdom, to rediscover the true meaning of our soul songs and the power of our voices when we share them unapologetically, individually and together.

As always, I would love to chat more in the comments and hear your thoughts, which of the spell’s ingredients calls to you? Of course feel free to send me an email if you prefer, I always love to hear from you.

P.S. You are invited to Gather & Tend. co-working space.

I am delighted to introduce Gather & Tend., a cosy online co-working space, part of The Beauty Thread., an online space to be together, to tend to ourselves and our projects with care.

The first will be held just before the tipping of the light as we approach the spring equinox. Within the session, we will find an anchor in the back and forth of early spring, discover seasonal creative cues to set the tone for the weeks and months ahead, and make space for tending to our own projects, individually but together.

The details

When: 10-11.15am (GMT), Wednesday 19th March 2025.

Where: from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere!) via Zoom.

The first session will be open to all subscribers.

The Beauty Thread., is a new paid membership within Story & Thread. Through a series of seasonal offerings, The Beauty Thread. is an invitation to notice, hold and create beauty in our own worlds, woven together by the ever-changing seasons, both around us and within us. When we come to know beauty, it transforms us, the onlooker, into an exquisite piece of life’s tapestry. Subscriptions to The Beauty Thread. currently cost £5 per month or £45 per year.

1. Laura Durban, What is a Siren?

2. Laura Durban, What is a Siren?

3. John O’Donohue, ‘The Four Elements: Reflections on Nature’,

4. Laura Durban, What is a Siren?

5. https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/wood-anemone/

6. Layla O’Mara, W O O D, a deep dive.

7. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women who run with the wolves.

8. Laura Durban, What is a Siren?

9. https://birdsandtrees.net/seeing-woodpecker-symbolism/