A new book and a magical night

     I had some extra time yesterday. So, I allowed myself a trip to "Rocks and Things... Metaphysical" store in downtown Whitefish. I didn't really know what I wanted to buy, but I was hoping to find some literature on Druidry and maybe find information on other local Druids.
     I didn't find any information on other Druids in the area, but I did find a book called The Druid Handbook by John Michael Greer. I also was drawn to a flattened orb of Selenite that fit neatly into the palm of my hand and seemed very responsive to my touch. I purchased both, went home and cracked open my book.
     What a treasure-store of information! I was afraid that the historical chapters would be dry and hard to get through, but I was quickly absorbed into the fascinating information regarding the birth of the Druid Revival and its development into today's Druid spirituality. I got all the way through it and into the second part of the book, of which I read the first triad, which left me awed by the wealth of relevant information regarding Awen and the beautiful, intensely meaningful Druid philosophies regarding reincarnation- the circles of manifestation. So much information was presented that, although I could have easily kept reading further into the second and third triads within part two, I stopped after the first. I need to take time and digest the material-- maybe give myself some homework and do some activities around the topics presented. It is of utmost importance to me to be able to retain the information by memory, rather than having to refer to my book every time I'm wondering what element or season relates to each ray of Awen. All in all, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase and look forward to the beginnings of my Druidic study.
    There was a spring snowstorm yesterday, and before I retired for the evening I decided to go out and stand in the falling flakes. The darkness was so peaceful and still, and I could feel the Goddess's slow inhale and exhale resonating through everything. As I looked toward a lone streetlamp that illuminated the path skirting the pond across the road, I found myself watching for a satyr to step out of the darkness of the trees and into that circle of light. It seemed as though he was standing at the edge, just out of sight, peering at me from the bushes. The flakes of snow seemed to form a veil through which I was seeing the Otherworld, and I longed to step through it and lose myself in the mystical realm. But not yet, a small voice whispered, and I knew somehow that I must wait until further in my training to attempt such a thing. So, I said a whispered prayer to the Goddess, and chanted a slow A-oh-wen into the chill night air. She seemed to smile and pulsate around me, knowing that I was reaching out to her, before bidding me goodnight. I returned to my warm house and warm bed, to spend the night in beautiful and serene dreams.

Alban Eilir, Year 2012 CE

Here in Whitefish, it is harder to see the spring, though I've felt it getting stronger every day, despite the frequent snow storms. However, down in Atlanta, spring is in full swing!
Thanks to my dad for the pic!

The Escape

Ahhhhhhhhhh...

Deep sighs escape my lips

as I sit consumed with stillness

the trees whisper and the sound reverberates

across the remnants of my chronic aching.

Slowly, I release my knotted being

to the care of green

the care of wind

the care of wood, sea, sky.

Rinse and Repeat.

A virtually endless canopy of perfect lace

stretched across the gray sky

wraps around to form soft, green walls...

I can feel them wrapping soothing arms around me,

while the aphids and ants laugh and tickle my ears.

Poem II (undated)

Deep as the sea, deep as the soul,
      purple and blue in the well of sound;
Carry the notes, carry the song
      trembling, panting and keening on.
So the mysteries, so the old truths
      are sought in the shadows of time
Carry the words, carry the tune
      swiftly on high to the Lady of the Moon.
Wailing, mournful wailing of the pipes
      our grief and desire echo in their cry
Carry the stories, carry them on
      sing them to every gray-streaked dawn.
Deep as the sea, fast as the dance,
      in sorrow and hope we beat, we chant
Chanting the message, dancing the round
      purple and blue in the deep well of sound.

Poem (undated)

As if the colors could blur,
As if the waves would wash them all away,
Through foam and sand I see the sun
peering at her reflection over the horizon.

The gulls keep a careful eye, poised to join the canvas:
       still wet, paint clinging in rough strokes,
       not yet bound to the cloth.

Not a soul,
Not another soul on the strand.
I have stepped into the Morning World,
which only the gulls and tides and rising sun know, and time stops...
...until I release it (and the breath caught in my lungs),
and I smile,
watching the sun climb ever higher
into her cloudy bower.

A Calling

      A few days ago, I began to seriously look into Modern Druidry as a possible spiritual expression for myself. Having struggled for years to find my place in the Pagan world, most recently exploring witchcraft as a "hearth witch", it began recently to dawn on me that perhaps witchcraft was not exactly the road I wanted to travel. There were elements I loved, many that I ignored, and some that just seemed to rub me wrong. I began to see in my minds eye a different vision, which I could barely even explain to myself. I was remembering a book I once read, well known in the Pagan community, "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley which was one of the pieces of literature that drew me strongly towards Paganism as a teen. This book revolved around the ancient pre-Christian world of Druidry in Britain.  What about Druidry? I had nearly forgotten about it in the years since I'd read the book and begun a search for my True Path through this life. Thus I found myself back at the beginning, of sorts. I began Googling. One of the first sources for information on Modern Druidry that I found was the website for the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD), and after devouring the information available there, I subscribed to their podcast. I was, and am, entranced. There is a sense of coming home that I feel to the very core of my being. 
       A friend of mine and traditional witch mentioned today that I should do a divination to help reveal whether or not I should embark on the three year teaching course that the OBOD offers (which I am most drawn to after looking at several courses offered by other organizations) and to perhaps find a sign that this is the journey I need to take at this time.
       An hour later, as I rode the bus home, I was listening to the second half of episode two of Druidcast. It was an interview with Will Worthington-- an artist that has painted illustrations for two Druid oracle card sets- one on Druid animals and one on Druid plants. About 2/3 of the way through the interview, I realized that the oracle deck they were discussing is one that I purchased over a year ago, that I chose without giving much thought to its Druidic nature- at the time I remember that I simply liked the focus on plants.  Here it was, being mentioned on a podcast affiliated with the very organization I was being drawn to, and it was in fact written by the current chief of that organization. I came home and immediately grabbed my deck from the bookshelf. Sure enough, it was The Druid Plant Oracle by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gom and illustrated by Will Worthington. The answer had been in front of my face for so long; it had just taken me a while to see it. I sat down and did a reading. All the cards pointed very clearly to a return to my deep ancestral and spiritual roots from ages past; they reminded me of how disjointed I've felt for some time, how I've yearned to find my connection to the web of life. The common theme running through the cards was connection and wholeness of being. If Druidry will help me to find the connection between all the aspects of my life as well as the web of life surrounding me, can unify the inner and outer aspects, and I believe it will, then that is the path I must follow.

Initiation Invocation

by Oaktree


Oh Great Goddess
In the time before time
In the world before worlds
You were there.


Oh Nature’s most divine mother
Hearken t me at this time
As I come to proclaim my allegiance
To you and to your son and consort
Protector of the wild wood and all animals


I am a bud, bursting forth in flower
As such I have yet no wise and learned things to say
So much is new to me
But I hope you will understand these few simple words
Spoken in faith and fealty


I thank you for all you have revealed to me
And that I have the means to understand
I ask that revelation continue, and
That my eyes, heart and mind
Will always be open to receive these great gifts


Oh great Goddess
Thank you for listening to me
I ask that in the coming days
A sign will be given that
You accept me as an initiate
On the great Path


source: http://druidnetwork.org/rites/passage/initiation/init_oak.html

Cauldron of Changes

Cauldron of Changes
Cauldron of Changes, Blossom of Bone,
Ark of Eternity, Hole in the Stone
~Oothoon/Morning Glory Zell

Lady of the Winter Night

Lady Of The Winter Night

Lady Of The Winter Night Fill Our Souls With Dreams Of Light
Lady Of The Falling Snows Beauty Tells Us All She Knows
Lady Of The Sleeping Land Call The Sun From Summerland
We Stand Between The Light And Dark Singing For The Newborn Spark ( 3 X)

source: http://www.sanfords.net/Pagan_Humor_and_Thoughts/chants.htm

Horned One, Lover, Son

Horned One, Lover, Son

Horned One, Lover, Son - Leaper In The Corn
Deep In The Mother - Die And Be Reborn.

source: http://www.sanfords.net/Pagan_Humor_and_Thoughts/chants.htm

Hail the Elements chant

Hail The Elements


Hail, Hail The Wind It Blows
Hail, Hail The Fire Glows
Hail, Hail The Water Flows
Hail, Hail The Earth It Grows
Hail, Hail, The Spirit Knows


source: http://www.sanfords.net/Pagan_Humor_and_Thoughts/chants.htm