Scotland Reflections 2: Storytelling with Jane Mather

Another goal of this retreat - honor storytelling and how important it is as we grow older. I'm also reflecting on aging in a youth crazed world and went to learn more about the Scottish folklore of the Cailleach, a Gaelic term for crone or old woman. More on that later but for now, I want to give credit where credit is due of how I met Jane Mather. When I searched for Scottish folklore storytellers who have knowledge of the Cailleach, Scott Richardson-Reid came up and I messaged him to see his closeness to Edinburgh, Scotland and if he did events like I was going to put on. He couldn't but he referred me to Jane Mather, who describes herself on Facebook as, "Storyteller, mother, dreamer, nature lover - inspired by wild things, deep time and imagined worlds." We met online to speak to each other and decided that she would be a part of my retreat.

We met on a section of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh in April of 2025. Both of us seem to maneuver in the world with one foot in the mystical/magical world and the other in the practical world. Her magical tour around Edinburgh showed me the hidden gems within the city. I loved seeing natural and green spaces peek out of such an industrialized city, including gardens, wells, and closes (narrow passageways developed during the medieval period). Below I share some key highlights, but I have to admit that I wish I took more photos!

She told me a wonderful story that I had on video but somehow when I switched my phone, it got lost. I'm still digging for it and will add it to this blog post when I find it. In Jane, I met a kindred spirit, who loves to tell stories, and she also loves to walk in nature, nurturing it and trying to protect it. For example, she knows of the holy or sacred wells in various locations in Scotland and tends to some of them. These locations hold the history of indigenous practices, which honored nature. Industrialization and colonization affected these locations greatly but that is a whole other post!

Thank you Jane for such a magical tour around Edinburgh!