Paperback version of my new book is out today – ebook will be ready soon! A big thank you to the Druid, Buddhist and Pagan community, who continually inspire me – may we be the awen! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pagan-Portals-Druidry-Natural-Awareness/dp/1780993900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365503883&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+druidry
I spent this long weekend live role-playing in a new game system called Empire run by Profound Decisions (www.profounddecisions.co.uk). It was a very good event, in very challenging conditions, and unexpectedly for a fantasy-based game, brought me more in touch with my Druidry and the ancestors than I would have expected.
The weekend was cold. Not just an uncomfortable cold, but a bone-chilling cold especially when temperatures dipped below freezing. This was the coldest event that I had ever been to in my 15 years of LRPing. I knew it was going to be cold beforehand and so, like I usually do for the first event of the year, booked a B&B so that I could get some rest at night, and not drive home exhausted from the event once I was sat in a nice, warm car. Others toughed it out, sleeping for three to four nights in below freezing temperatures.
There were no buildings to warm up in. The first few days had no hot water in the shower and loo blocks, due to pipes being frozen and generators malfunctioning. It was achingly cold to be out in the elements for four long days without our modern conventions of central heating, hot water on demand and above all, a cup of tea only minutes away. I was thankful for the battles that came that weekend, for moving around was the only way to keep warm, and kept you warm for at least a half hour afterwards.
I was camped in the woods with a large nation that can loosely be described as a cross between the ancient Celts and the Rangers from Lord of the Rings. We had no buildings, and no big tents in which large numbers of people could gather (and share body heat) – we were outside the entire time, with only fires to keep us warm. The fires were hard to keep lit – the cold and damp just seemed to seep into the firewood no matter how dry it was, and required constant attention. Take a step away from the fire, and the cold hit you once again.
I was hugely thankful for returning to the warmth after midnight in the hotel room, and even more so upon arriving at home. I felt that the experience of being out in that drew me closer to the ancestors, giving me a real sense of what they had to go through every winter and every spring. The constant work of keeping warm, and of keeping fed, was challenging to say the least. The mud – oh THE MUD was everywhere, well above the ankles and sucking you into its cold embrace wherever you went on the field or on the roads through the wood.
Sitting beneath the trees after the first battle in an almost empty camp, with some bread and very cold water, the snow falling softly around me, I felt a connection with the ancestors – this is what it could have been like for them. A muddy rath in the winter and springtime, food especially scarce in the spring, and the longing for the warm days of summer flowed through my mind as I listened the blackbird singing above me. Hearing the cold wind pass over the little hollow with the last rallying cry of winter. Praying for warmth. Honouring the cold and the dark. Honouring the mud.
I was blessed with a brief glimpse of what the ancestors had to put up with – never being clean, never being warm, the ease of summer living months away – it was a real eye-opener, to say the least. I usually go on holiday for a couple of weeks in the year to get away from it all, to reconnect with nature – but as a Canadian, I’ve always done it in the summer. We know better.
With the cold and the mud and the wind came an acceptance of life as it is – complaining about the cold did absolutely no good. I noticed the first couple of days people’s conversations were rife with comments about the weather, and then as the weekend wore on, less and less comments were made as people either tired of the topic, or came to accept it, as I did – it was as it was, and there was nothing that could be done about it. We were all in the same boat, so to speak. We were all cold, and tired, and hungry. It brought us together – I have never been to an event where people were so open and so kind. I do think the weather had a lot to do with that – when the stakes are high, people pull together to ensure that the community survives. This community did just that, with my eternal gratitude for being able to be a part of it.
Spring was the hardest season for our ancestors. The cold, the wet, the lack of food and waiting for the crops to be planted and harvested was always on their minds, death always at their door. I was honoured to really experience that, and will remember this event always for that reason.
“This is a fascinating book that lays out the core concepts of both Zen and Druidry, exploring the points of overlap and the ways in which these two traditions compliment each other. The writing is precise, lucid and beautifully accessible whilst managing to put across a vast amount of information in a very small space. I would say that even if you aren’t attracted to the idea of Zen, this book is still well worth your time, because of what it shows through the contrast between the two traditions. Joanna draws attention to the importance of being as present in the moment as we can be, and as open to life as possible. That’s an issue for Druids of all flavours to consider. Druidry is very much about here and now, and what we do from moment to moment, after all.
If you’ve been attracted to both traditions all along, this is, quite simply, the book you have been waiting for.” – Nimue Brown, author of Druidry and the Ancestors and also Druidry and Meditation
“Back in the distant past when I was taking early steps along the Druid path, I was also studying Eastern ways – Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Brahmanism, and the like. I stayed on the Druid path and became Druid because I better understood the imagery and symbolism which allowed me to better shape my own metaphysical stance. But I have never ceased to be a student of those other ways.
It was a pleasant surprise, therefore, to pick up this little book which outlines both Zen (a school of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in China during the 6th century) and Druidry (the modern name given to a spiritual path developed from that overseen by ancestral Druids) and shows how they can work together. It is a little book, so you might not expect too much of it. You will, however, be pleasantly surprised. It manages to pack a lot into its 74 pages, largely because it is written without fuss or pretensions – indeed, very much in keeping with the subject matter. That alone speaks to me about how valuable this little book is. The author not only knows her subject inside out, she clearly practises what she preaches.
I found the application of the Buddhist Eightfold Path to the eight annual festivals of the Druid way to be of particular interest. Meditation is important to Zen and I have long felt that following the ritual year is a form of extended meditation. And here we have an extra layer to contemplate, integrate, and practice as the seasons revolve.
The greatest connection between Zen and Druidry (for me, at least) lies in mindfulness. It is, perhaps, an attribute common to all spiritual paths, but it is of especial interest to those who recognise their rootedness in this world, who recognise that the worlds of spirit and matter are as integrated as everything else. From the extempore prayers said by Celtic peoples over everyday tasks and events, words that spring from an awareness of working in the now, to the formal ritual built up around significant events in the life of the planet, the individual, the family, and the community, a Druid needs to be mindful. But it goes well beyond word into every aspect of our being – our thoughts, our dreams, and our every action. All this is simply and powerfully highlighted by this book.
So what we have is an engaging and thoughtful introduction to a pertinent fusion of ideas. A book which beautifully illustrates that when you strip away the fluff, the images, and the symbols there is very little that is different between the paths. And whilst it is something you could read at a single sitting (as I did), it is worth revisiting on a regular basis so as to be able to return to that clear and simple vision on which it is based. A book I would willingly recommend to anyone.” – Graeme K Talboys, author of The Druid Way Made Easy, The Path Through the Forest: A Druid Guidebook and Arianrhod’s Dance: A Druid Ritual Handbook
“This little book gives an outline of druidry, what it is and how it works, followed by an introductory tour of Zen teachings and then shows you how to bring both ‘traditions’ together to form Zen Druidry. Very intriguing concept, well written and interesting for anyone on a spiritual path.” Rachel Patterson, author of Kitchen Witchcraft, Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch and Hoodoo Folk Magic
Spurred on by my blog posts and comments regarding living a pagan monastic life, I’ve decided to organise weekend “retreats” that will follow and incorporate monastic traditions such as daily prayers, meditation, talks, lectures, chores and ritual for the Pagan.
Set in the beautiful and sacred Chalice Well Gardens, this three day, two night weekend will follow a strict routine and regime that hopes to inspire you to incorporate more spirituality in your daily practice at home. Take what inspires you and run with it!
The first weekend will be on 11 – 13 April 2014 at Chalice Well Gardens. We have booked St Michael’s Lodge, which is a lovely guesthouse designed for peace and relaxation in mind. Rooms are either single or shared, so be prepared to possibly share with a new friend! There is a library where books may be borrowed, but please return them at the end of the weekend. There is also a lovely kitchen, and a meditation room for daily practice and connection.
The Meeting Room set right up against the gardens is where most of the weekend’s events will take place. We also plan to do some work in the garden, as well as take trips out to Glastonbury Tor and the White Spring, weather permitting. Come and experience the beauty of land, sea and sky atop the Tor, or take a healing plunge into the sacred pools of the White Spring, or simply come to enjoy the beauty of the Red Spring and the serenity of Chalice Well. The weekend will end with a ritual (if possible) by Chalice Well.
All food (vegetarian and vegan), drink and accommodation are included in the weekend retreat price. A £50 deposit must be made up front to guarantee your booking, and will be non-refundable if you cancel within two weeks of the booking date.
If you desire to taste the monastic life, to pray, meditate, work and enjoy the silence in a special holy site with like-minded people, then this is the weekend for you!
£180 per person, cheque or paypal payment only. Please email autumnsong@hotmail.co.uk to book your place. If you are booking for more than one person please let me know and we will allocate you the double rooms first.
Many blessings!
Available for pre-order on Amazon – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pagan-Portals-Druidry-Natural-Awareness/dp/1780993900/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364042599&sr=8-1
As per my latest blog post, I’ve been inspired to go media free one day a week, when I am home and have access to the internet, television and radio – it’s easy to go media free when on holiday, for instance, but not when we’re home alone, and have to be alone with ourselves. No phone calls, no internet, no television, no radio. One day a week, to get back in touch with myself. To remember a time before all this media and social media became so important. A time to remember what really matters. A time to read, to meditate, to go for walks, to sing, to dance, to play an instrument, to create.
Look into the abyss, and the abyss looks back at you…
How often you do say “enough already”? Mostly, when you’re sick of something, and really don’t want anything more, or anything more to do with it. These past few months I’ve been applying the “enough already” to my life, though with different connotations.
What are our needs, as human beings? Food, shelter, clothing and something of a sense of security go a long way to making our lives happy. Social interaction, music and literature also go a long way to making our lives better. Yet in our culture, we just can’t seem to get “enough”. Our economy, if it isn’t growing, is in recession – if our GDP isn’t constantly on the up, then we’re seen as failing. We need more news, faster, and through all kinds of media. We need bigger houses for all our possessions, multiple cars and swimming pools. This is the measure of success in our culture, not happiness.
I would pose that we need to relearn just what enough is. We’ve got things galore, but do they make us happy? Looking up the word galore, I came across with an interesting little find – galore also means enough. Irish go leor enough, plenty ( Scots Gaelic gu leòr, leòir ). To have enough is plenty.
Some 20th century modcons make our lives much easier – the telephone, for example. We can talk to people and distance is no longer a factor, though money still is – you must be able to afford that phone call (though I would say that even this is a stretch, for I know people with mobile phones who manage to pay their mobile phone bills but not their rent). However, do we really need phones that do everything, with all the latest apps? I have a mobile phone that I have for emergencies, ie. if my car breaks down on a lonely country road, I can call for help. This phone is 10 years old. If people want to reach me, they have my landline. If I’m not home, they can leave a message. It’s not life or death if I can’t be reached 24/7. It rarely is for most people. (I often wonder if this 24/7 reachability gives people a sense of self-importance – and if so, that’s something that saddens me terribly).
I don’t need to wait in line outside a store for hours for the latest IPhone release. Why on earth would I want to do that? I have a life to live, in all honesty, that does not revolve around bowing down to the gods of consumerism. My phone is enough for my needs, which are pretty basic when it comes to phones.
A computer is also a necessity in my line of work. For writing, for my other jobs, I just couldn’t do without one. Social media is also a necessity for me, to share ideas and get feedback, to promote events and subjects that I feel are important, to keep in touch with my family who are thousands of miles away. But I don’t have a Twitter account, or pininterest, or the host of other things that create an online presence – I have what I need in my line of work – a blog, a website, a Youtube account (for my dance company, visual is the most important form of media) and a Facebook account. This already seems like a lot to me, and I don’t want to expand this any further – so much time is already spent on all of these, and there are, after all, other things I need to be doing for my work, like writing and choreographing to say the least!
When is enough plenty? When we can find something to wear that doesn’t take more than a few seconds to think about. When we eat until we are 80% full, knowing that we will feel full in a few minutes. When our grooming habits take less than 20 minutes for a usual day. When we don’t feel the need for the latest “thing”.
A good exercise – take a look around your house, maybe just one room, and note all the things you absolutely need. Write them down. Now make another list of everything that isn’t essential, and then compare the two. A few items, such as a gift from someone that you love and want to display on your mantelpiece, for instance, shouldn’t really count against you. But all the things that you don’t love, that don’t have meaning, that you could just as easily do without – these are the things we need to think about.
Before each purchase, I always ask myself – do I need this? If the answer is no, then I won’t buy it. It’s that simple. I made a vow last year (the second time I’ve done this) to not buy any new clothes for a year. I still have license to buy whatever I would like from charity shops, but even then I always ask myself – do I need this? If the answer is still no, even if it is only £2, then I won’t buy it. I have enough. I have plenty.
On one of my favourite television shows, two characters were taking a road trip, and the tire blew. They got out of the car, and the young man said “Well, that happened.” His girlfriend queried this -“Is that all you’ve got to say?”
I like his attitude. There are many, many things in our life that are beyond our control. We have no control over other people, the weather, the bus timetable. It’s an acceptance of things the way they are – that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to change it if you aren’t happy with it, but it is the path of least suffering.
Those three words also state that whatever happened no longer exists – it is in the past, and the past is ungraspable. So is the future. We only have the now. Let’s get on with it.
I could rant and rail about other people’s behaviour and actions. Or I could get on with living my own life the best that I can. I can use the people and situations around me as inspiration to be the best person I can be at this point in time. I can also release any notion of control, for it is a fallacy at best.
Yes, certain events in human history are exceptionally horrid – it’s hard to say those three words about things like the holocaust, for example. It’s not letting go of the responsibility of our actions; it’s more about getting on with making things better instead of dwelling in our heads with our emotions and not really achieving anything. If a loved one dies, these three words aren’t particularly comforting. But it can give us a context, where we can feel the emotion at the time, and then work to make the world a better place in the precious time that we have left.
The next time something happens that has the ability to upset me, this is what I’m going to say. “Well, that happened”.
“We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
I’m not a Zen monk, nor will I ever become one. However, I find great inspiration in the way they try to live their lives: the simplicity of their lives, the concentration and mindfulness of every activity, the calm and peace they find in their days.
You probably don’t want to become a Zen monk either, but you can live your life in a more Zen-like manner by following a few simple rules.
Why live more like a Zen monk? Because who among us can’t use a little more concentration, tranquility, and mindfulness in our lives? Because Zen monks for hundreds of years have devoted their lives to being present in everything they do, to being dedicated and to serving others. Because it serves as an example for our lives, and whether we ever really reach that ideal is not the point.
One of my favorite Zen monks, Thich Nhat Hanh, simplified the rules in just a few words: “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” It doesn’t get any better than that.
However, for those who would like a little more detail, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve discovered to work very well in my experiments with Zen-like living. I am no Zen master … I am not even a Zen Buddhist. However, I’ve found that there are certain principles that can be applied to any life, no matter what your religious beliefs or what your standard of living.
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.” – Shunryu Suzuki
“Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.” – Wu Li
Reality is a slippery little devil. Our minds are so adept at creating our own version of reality that the boundaries between what is real and what is not can become so blurred as to be indistinguishable.
Our thoughts can control us so much that they can keep us running around in circles, spinning off into the depths of our minds and in doing so, missing out on all the wonders and also the reality of the present moment. Most people don’t enjoy being in the present moment – they avoid it at all costs. However, this is because they have probably, for the most part, never ever truly experienced being in the present moment. (See my previous blog post on mindtraps for more on this subject – https://downtheforestpath.wordpress.com/?s=mindtraps.)
But I digress. Problems arise when our perceptions of reality become twisted with the imaginative and creative thought processes that our human brains are so capable of. This was made clear when my husband received a phone call last night from someone he hadn’t heard from in a long time. When he queried why the person hadn’t been in touch (he didn’t have their number) they stated that he had become upset at their last conversation, and that he had put the phone down on them.
This was not true – I don’t believe he has ever put the phone down on anyone, and especially would never do so to this person. This person had left the real conversation months ago, and was not satisfied with the outcome. And so, this person developed in their minds ways that it would appear that they had been wronged, so that they could continue to avoid reality and live in their preferred state of being the victim. They may have told and retold the story of the conversation in their minds over and over again, changing the details until, after a period of days, weeks or months, reality had changed. Stories change with the telling, we know this. But we are fooling ourselves when we keep changing reality to suit our own egos and emotions.
I remember times when I’ve done this myself in the past – sometimes it is to justify certain behaviour, or to explain events. The key is to become aware of when you are doing it, to stop and say “Right. I know what the facts are, and I’m going to stick to them, and not change them to suit my own desires”. I still get surprised when I see this in other people – I’ve had people accuse me of certain things, of promising others and of creating a totally separate reality to that which actually occurred. It can be hurtful, at times, until you understand the thought process that creates this – you then realise that you had no part in it, that it became an entity totally foreign to your own being.
This doesn’t mean that you are not responsible for your actions – we all must be the best human beings we can at this present moment. Actions have consequences. However, we must also be aware and have some compassion for those who are caught up in their own realities, to a certain extent. We don’t have to live in them, or even partake of that reality, but we can understand the reasons why.
We have to learn how to live in the here and now. Being alive and present in the here and now allows no time for emotional attachment to our thoughts and feelings – we still respond emotionally to situations, but we don’t become attached to the emotion itself. As I left work yesterday, after a long staff meeting, my colleague was upset at what was said about our department, which was, unwittingly or not, derogatory. Not only does this emphasise that we need to think very clearly before we speak, but also that we also cannot attach to the emotions that follow after a certain event. I too was very displeased with the outcome of the meeting and the insinuation, and driving home could feel anger welling inside, threatening to ruin the whole drive home and run well into the evening. However, I caught myself, and brought myself back to reality and the present moment. What was the present moment? Driving home, in the late afternoon sun, putting miles between myself and the event, figuratively and literally. It was no longer happening now, except in my head. I could either let it continue to live in my head, or simply enjoy the evening. I chose the latter.
This doesn’t mean that the issue will not be dealt with. It will, in a calm, rational and compassionate way. But it won’t dictate reality for me – reality is what it is, and nothing more. When the time is appropriate, the issue will be raised without undo emotional attachment to the residual event that still exists in our minds, which may have altered slightly or even greatly since the actual event occurred – reality is a slippery devil indeed. I will not go over the event again and again in my mind, perhaps changing reality in doing so. I will deal with the facts.
Let us continue to tell stories, but not make up the story of our own life. Our own lives are brilliant and fascinating enough – we don’t need to add more drama to them. By doing so, we will miss our own lives, living instead in our minds and foregoing some of the wondrous nature that is constantly unfolding right before our very eyes. We can hurt other people by making up stories to suit our egos and our needs, and the person whom we hurt most is ourselves.
Reality is not such a bad place. Really.
Down the Forest Path 