30 Tuesday Aug 2011
Posted in Writing
Today you find me over at Soul Spackle; partaking in the Summer School of Self-Love 2.0 series with a post on how we can use our language lovingly, especially in terms of self-talk.
Head on over to check out the other wonderful entries and a link to my second blog; which focuses on how neuroscience principles can help us reach our potential.
24 Wednesday Aug 2011
Posted in Writing
Today is the official launch of The Phoenix Mind; where talk about reaching your potential using neuroscience knowledge [made simple]. Today I’m also hosting the Wednesday Workparty so why not head on over and say hi?
19 Friday Aug 2011
Posted in Living Metaphor, Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the sixth post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
Firstly, I had to look up Nemeton, which for readers who also don’t know, essentially means a sacred space.
My sacred spaces have always been in forests and by water. They have been forests and water.
The Grove is something that I only associate with Druidry, a sacred space within a collection of trees; usually in a horse-shoe or circle of them.
Yet, do trees ever grow in neat arcs? Even planted groves lean and grow at odd angles.
I find the Sacred in the element of air; the cool wind upon my face, the earthen smell of the earth and in the sound of trickling water.
My Altar is an inside chest of drawers for the purpose of ease, yet all the tools I need are within my mind.
My Grove is within my mind; a safe space to retreat to, and a physical group of people I celebrate the Sabbats with. A joyous yet calming space on the inner and outer level.
And Nemeton is home; in a circle of stones, a church or in the forest near my house.
The sense of it comes through connection; not dissimilar to that pulse I feel looking up at the stars or celebrating the seasons with the other Druids.
I guess, for all purposes, my altar and sacred space are my mind and my Nemeton is connection to the trees, people and ideas.
In Light,
Rose
18 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in Living Metaphor, Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the fifth post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
Elements.. elemental aspects of life. How many are there and by what name should we refer to them?
As a Pagan and a Physicist, this is an interesting term.
Commonly we’re told of Four
Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Gnomes, Slyphs, Salamanders, Undines.
Other traditions see Five
Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit
Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire, Water
Or possibly six fundamental blocks (Quarks):
Up, Down, Strange, Charm, Top, Bottom
Maybe there’s 12 (with the 6 Leptons):
Up, Down, Strange, Charm, Top, Bottom, Electron, Electron neutrino, Muon, Muon neutrino, Tau, Tau neutrino
Or 24 with their anti-particles
Anti-above-12 except for electron with is called a positron
Plus the four forces:
Strong, weak, electromagnetic,
Maybe the seven states of matter
Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, Fermionic condensate, Bose-Einstein condensate
But the elements that make me –blood & water (fire & water); breath (air); flesh, bone & food (earth); mind & thought (spirit) are the five I choose to honour.
I am elemental
A Cosmic Field
Of the earth’s fundamental keys.
The fire of sight and warmth,
The water of taste, cool and cleanse,
The air of hearing, smell and mind
And the earthen foundation of touch.
Land, sea and sky
In form of energetic atoms
With a state of inner flame
Flesh, Blood and Breath.
I am a cosmic,
elemental being.
In Light,
Rose
16 Tuesday Aug 2011
Posted in Living Metaphor, Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the forth post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
Threes are a common phenomenon in spirituality – from the all signs comes in threes, snapping matchsticks for the third bad thing and the common break-up of religious Gods.
My associations:
Maiden, Mother, Crone
Bard, Ovate, Druid
Waxing, Full, Waning (Three observable moon phases)
Past, Present, Future
Lower, Middle and Upper worlds (Norse belief)
Mind, Body and Soul
In term of a common three of Druidry, I automatically think of the elements:
Land, Sea, Sky
The trees of a forest speak. The rustling almost contains song and the creatures, so content to play amidst the branches or scrabble along the soil; the earth has always meant Home. Feeling at ease, running between trees and jumping over ditches; I’ve had a taste of wildness. When you leap over a fall tree; you can’t help but wonder if this is how deer feel.
Earth is home.
I grew up around water. I took swimming lessons, my grandparents had a boat and I learnt to sail. I think it’s one of the best drinks, taste-wise. I could dive before I could swim, and I prefer being under rather than on.
I am a water-baby. Washing quietude over me and giving me poise.
Water brings tranquillity.
The sky, full of stars which tell us we’re part of something bigger; of clouds which meld and move; showing us a journey of flow and faith. The messages of the future can be told from the wind, and signs of the Gods thought to travel from feathers.
Sky brings sight.
In Light,
Rose
15 Monday Aug 2011
Posted in Living Metaphor, Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the third post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
The earth is where we stand, we crawl and we dance.
It is a stable foundation for us; for our body, for food and for our connections to one another. It contains the pools of reflection and the sky of our breath.
~*~
Nature is beauty, something we are within and without.
There is something wild about nature which calls to the wild within us; something alive about the plants which grow amidst others – within a forest of a nature system, which draws me in.
Nature is.. poise, beauty and peace.
~*~
The earth, this ball of water, gas and rock is one of many planets; a goldilocks sphere where life thrives. Earth is an element, something we’ve chosen to bring on board in our society and in our spirituality – seen as one of the four building blocks of existence.
While looking for the right words, I remember an interview with Stephen Fry, who mentions how Oscar Wilde blamed violence on our hideous wallpaper:
All of Nature is unconditionally and absolutely beautiful… The only ugly things you will ever see are made by man.. Beauty is possible.
Beauty is possible Nature is beautiful.
That is my foundation for Druidic practise – I am Nature, I dance upon the earth; I am surrounded by wild beauty and I am aware of it’s crucial part on the building of existence.
In light,
Rose
14 Sunday Aug 2011
Posted in Living Metaphor, Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the second post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
As a Pagan, I’m stereotypically expected to love the sun and moon; the Sun especially if I’m a Druid and the Moon especially if I’m a Wiccan or a Witch. When I was 13, I joined the Astronomy club at school.
I’m a star-gazer. A star lover. Nothing speaks to me in such a loud whisper as the stars.
When I look up at the stars on a clear night, I’m separate and one and infinite and finite. I’m a small part of a massive universe, and yet I am the universe.
The universe is alive, and I am not alone. Even connected in my separateness; Separate in my inter-connectedness.
The world began, by quantum physics of an energy; with or without a higher consciousness. The universe exists; be it born, exploded or imploded; a bang, bounce or ever-expanding arc.
I am the energy and the void, the world is both chasm and material.
I read the poetry in the stars, the tales of mythology and the signs of the seasons; and then I write the poetry of a conscious mind; of an energy-field with sensation.
I am the cosmos and it is me.
I am scientist, Druid, dancer, singer, writer, Bard, artist and quark compositions.
In light,
Rose
Comment Zen: this is my experience and my thoughts; I have nothing against other spiritual or religious beliefs; everything here is an account of my opinions. Let’s keep things respectful.
13 Saturday Aug 2011
Posted in Personal Notes, Writing
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This is the first post in the 30 days to Druidry series.
A couple of posts ago, I wrote about my experience of introduction and initiation into Paganism. That explains how I came to be here.
The reasons for those choices are hard to sum up in a post. However, some I’ve already mentioned – that it feels right to be at Druid circles, that I continue to feel or sense something there for me. That it somehow became accessible so.. synchronistically.
Memories
I began my journey with two books; Inner Magic and A Woman’s Guide to the Earth Traditions. The latter of which, mentions Druidry in it’s proposed original form and contemporary practise. I read the book in 2004, and from it dove into Native American Systems.
However, the parallels are many and half of my beliefs and practises could also be named Druidcraft or Druidry.
I also remember taking the “what do druids believe?” from the OBOD website into college (in 2008) to read and highlight. I think I was surprised to find that I agreed with every point. One of the courses I was taking asked for each attendees details to see what kind of people were taking it, how we felt the course was structured etc. I put myself down as “Druid” for the first time; because my heart and logical mind knew that if I believed the beliefs; I’d already become one in terms of belief system.
I’ve always hugged trees, been drawn to forest, hills and water. I grew up sailing my grandparents boat and love nothing more than being out in the open ocean during a storm; the air sizzling with energy before the clarity of space.
There are three major aspects which let me know I’m on the right path for the me-of-now:
– Belief & Action. I agree with the beliefs of Druidry. I practise Druidry.
– Balance. Firstly, I love how the elements are applied to the land I know – land, sky and the sea which surrounds this sacred isle. I have all three elements and the three Druidic aspects. I really like how the grades are split into three:
* Bardic – I’ve always written poetry, sung, danced and painted. I’m a creative being who has always known it and kept the practise in some form or other.
* Ovate – I come from a background of Witchcraft – Tarot and Runes were a big aspect of my path, which fit well with the divination aspect of Druidry.
* Druid – Teaching is important. Learning is important. I have this desire to be a scholar and to teach or guide others.
– Sensation. I feel something real in Druidry; that the church-goers never gave me. The church, like fields of nature, feels holy. The people however, never gave me any sense of reality. Even the priests didn’t have the kind of energy that the Druids give me.
– Knowledge. Despite my dislike of History, I love learning about the history behind the practises, language and myths. I love the symbolism in each myth and each natural object; which can guide us to truths.
– The Mixture. Some Druids believe in deity as an entity, others just call the land and sea names, others just use the names of Gods as a symbol; not believing in an actual God. The mixture provides thought-provoking questions, debates and general good, nourishing conversation where people actually share openly and listen in kind.
So; Why Druidry?
Because it’s right for me at this time. And seems to have been for over 7 years.
In light,
Rose
Comment Zen: this is my experience and my thoughts; I have nothing against other spiritual or religious beliefs; everything here is an account of my opinions. Let’s keep things respectful.
12 Friday Aug 2011
Posted in Personal Notes, Writing
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Catching up on blog reading is something I’ve not made time for recently. Writing blog posts is another. I want to get back to both this month.
The Meme
I discovered the 30 Days of Druidry Meme at Meadowsweet and Myrrh – Alison’s Druidric version of the 30 days to Paganism prompts that I used to plan to partake in. Others such as The Ditsy Druid and Themon are also sharing their responses on their blogs.
As I keep meaning to post about the beginning of my journey through the OBOD course material, I figure this would be a good starting point to introduce my core beliefs.
I won’t be posting daily because a) I don’t seem to be very good at daily posting at this point and b) I’ve specific events in the next 30 days that I know will stop me from concentrating on the blog – however I will eventually complete the 30 prompts and they will all be linked to from here.
So here goes; this is the list:-
30 Days of Druidry
If you want to take part, please leave a comment to let us know so we can read your thoughts in return ^_^
In Light,
Rose
04 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in Enchanting, Insights, Personal Notes
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A post about my Pagan journey inspired by Damh the Bard’s Initiation post over at Bardic Blog,(thanks for posting about your experience!) and my recent step to become an official Bard of the OBOD.
My journey through Paganism [now in its eighth year] has been one of scholarship. I found out about Wicca in early 2004, thanks to a girl in my Latin class … and thus begun the discoveries of a lifetime.
In June, I did a small dedication to the path in my room; using some flowers ornaments that smelled of lavender to mark out a circle. It was the 4th, known as the Strawberry or, quite appropriately, Rose Moon. Just like my practise for the next few years; I kept it pretty low-key on the practical side; focusing instead on books and websites. I conversed with many pagans via networking sites like Witches Voice and essentially, my practise was a mixture of prayer, reading and meditation.
I can still remember the two most influential books of my “spiritual career”: Inner Magic, by Ann Marie Gallagher, which had a good history but too many spells for my liking and A Woman’s Guide to the Earth Traditions by Vivianne Crowley which I’ve never actually finished but found incredibly useful as a “this is what this is and how it came to be, in it’s commonest forms”, which then meant I had new terms to search for further information with.
The Way In – Beginning at Beltain
And then I came to University in Brighton. I’d emailed the local Pagan Federation District Manager and around May, received an invitation to meet her at a ritual.
It was Beltain 2009; the 1st of May had occurred on the Friday and for once, I’d done a small rite in my room at university. On the Saturday, I found the courage to attend this open Wiccan ritual and meet the woman who also ran the local moot. There I also met a family who were going to a Druid ritual the following day; and invited me and another girl to join them.
The Wiccan Ritual, although pleasant, had one person there who didn’t understand the customs – who proceeded to walk in and out of the circle after casting, with her wine, and then asked pretty personal questions of people. The energy wasn’t very powerful and I found myself in a really uncomfortable space.
I recognised this experience as a one-off; and still attend open rituals with that group [that person has not been invited back]. However, it did somewhat nudge me away from Wicca a little and I wonder if the need for secrecy has worked against Wicca’s favour. After my continued circling with them, I feel that denotation of my path which; all I knew for sure; wasn’t here.
A Chance Meeting
Yet, through this, I met some wonderful Pagans at the Druid ritual, who I still see and I got to meet Anderida. I was terrified. At this point, I still couldn’t use trains or buses without panic, a print-out of the train times until midnight and my medicine pouch.
I remember thinking I wouldn’t be accepted; that I’d be a blatent outsider; feeling a bit odd with this family I’d only met the day before.
Looking up at that hill, I felt nothing special; just the joy of being outside. I said hello to the horses in the field next to the car park and as time passed, we headed up the long climb to the Circle Space.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of my favourite parts of Wiccan ritual were also here; I enjoyed the simplistic quarter calling, the words “God and Goddess” who were both revered here and how this was actually related to the actual reality as we know it. The earth beneath our feet; the water that surrounds England– not just a cup of it on the ground. I loved the Druid’s prayer and for the first time, heard [and joined in with] the Awen.
The Awen. My memories of Awens are now many [must be.. 54 now – nine rituals!], but I remember that first one strongest.
And I laugh at the memory of my thought process during that first set:
I FEEL SO SILLY.
Keep in time and tune and oh I need to breathe half-way through it’s so embarrassing. Oh hell. Oh hell. What the.. twice more? What am I doing here?!
Just close your eyes, it’ll be over soon. Hey..wait a second.
Feel that? I feel a thrum.. do the others? This is.. wow it’s quite.. beautiful.. how odd.. it’s a real thrum.. and now we’ve stopped.. but it’s still here…
The Shift
As part of the celebration, we split into two circles; one for the men to do their secret manly meditation.. and one for us women to divinate the May Queen in our magically sacred manner. We connected via words; hearing each woman speak, drinking the same mead and seeing the tears of happiness and of sadness. And we stood hands-held, and closed our eyes to “feel the forest of women” we made.
And I felt something shift.
I still don’t know what it was; but each time I return, I feel a smaller version of it. I feel that thrum when I sit in the pub with those wonderful people. I feel it when I hug those I’ve built a friendship with. And having finally taken that formal step into the Bardic Grade, I can feel it in my Inner Grove.
Initiation
My first ritual, a pledge to the Goddess upon my bedroom floor was actually a spur of the moment thing. I jumped straight into the practise for about a month and then fell back to the books; although I kept up meditation and my energy work as a separate exercise.
Now that I live my spirituality as part of each day; I’m looking forward to the Bardic Initiation; which I’ll do when the time feels right.
However, I have to acknowledge each stage; my original initiation on June 4th 2004, my first Sabbat, my first Esbat working with someone else, my first group ritual and that first day I felt the Awen of the Anderida Druids. Those were initiations as much as this one will be.
In a way, every day is an initiation; as we question and have faith. Each day I awaken with the sun [maybe a little after :P] and each night I go to my grove or to see my animal guide.
Each day I cross the threshold of my door; I become the actress of whatever role I am to play; be that child, student, volunteer or worker; yet each day; a Druid Pagan.
In Light,
Rose
