My latest book, Dancing with Nemetona: A Druid’s Exploration of Sanctuary and Sacred Space, is now out – two weeks early! Only 8 copies left on Amazon – grab yours now!
Pick up your copy HERE
Learning Druidry
The Little Pagan Monastery Weekend
I don’t think any of us expected the deeply moving and transformative powers that awaited us on our weekend of the Little Pagan Monastery Retreat.
Held over the weekend of 11 – 13 April 2014, we stayed for two nights at Little St Michael’s, the Companions’ Retreat House for Chalice Well and Gardens. I knew that staying and sleeping in such a sacred spot would be the basis for challenging soul work. We had 24 hour access to the gardens, which was a special blessing after hours, when we had it all to ourselves. The chance to meditate, pray and create ritual at the Red Spring was truly unique. It opened our souls to the very special power of the Vale of Avalon, wherein the Goddess was present in everything.
We walked the spiral path up the Tor, feeling the strong energies push and pull us in every direction as the wind whipped around us. We climbed the Tor twice that weekend, the second time to watch the sunrise. The mists of Avalon swirled around us as we may our ascent in the hour before sunrise, and settled over the Somerset levels in thick, low banks of cloud that seemed to shine with their own inner light. The sun rose from behind the far hills, a red-orange disc of flame that filled the soul with such joy it felt like we would burst with it.
A private visit to the White Spring later that day resulted in a very moving ritual, wherein participants immersed themselves in the sacred waters of the large, dark mirror pool. Souls were awakened, energy bursting forth from the dark womb of the waters and new journeys began for everyone.
The days followed a routine of morning, noon and evening prayers and meditation. Together we created a group prayer to be recited at these times.
We give thanks for this day
May awen and peace flow our way
In honour of this land we pray
Some participants had powerful dreams, which was likely to happen in such a sacred power spot. The lodging itself was incredible – a 400 year old building filled with such peaceful energy. We had the meeting room as well, a beautiful open space filled with light where we gathered for discussions and group work. The kitchen and dining room were huge – how many kitchens have a vesica pisces symbol in the floor?
All in all, this weekend was one that I shall remember for the rest of my life. What we learned from this weekend we will take into our lives wherever we may be, and use the wisdom of Avalon to nourish, strengthen and sustain us in all that we do. We prayed that Avalon itself was blessed in return by our love and devotion to the sacred spirits, and we look forward to returning as soon as we can.
Reblog: Dedication, Devotion and Duty
This is a reblog from my channel at Moon Books:
Spring has sprung, and everything, myself included, seems to be go going throttle. My garden is awash in a sea of yellow daffodils and forsythia, contrasted by the purples and pinks of grape hyacinths, hellebore and crocuses. The birds are singing their heart out, the owls are very active at night and the air is tingling with the anticipation of warm summer days to come.
And yet I must remind myself to slow down, to savour the moment, to remember my intention for this year; to take a step back and focus on studying, learning and personal development. Speaking engagements and workshops are kept to a minimum, and I’ve learned to say “no” in order to keep to my resolution. My third book for Moon Books, a guide for solitary Druid, is in its proofing stages, and after that is done I shall be able to work on a long neglected fourth project; a pagan fiction centred around Avalon. My focus is set, my path is determined.
As I walked a turf labyrinth with three lovely sister souls before the spring equinox this year, three words kept thrumming through my veins and in my head as I made my way to the centre. Dedication. Devotion. Duty. I felt them vibrate in my very soul, the words reminding me of what it means to be a Druid, even when you’re a Druid that’s taking a year off from ceremonial work and other engagements.
These three things are central to my personal Druidry. Without them, I cannot rightly call myself a Druid.
Dedication – this word has so many slightly varying meanings and applications. I am dedicated to my gods, to my path, to the land where I live, to my family and to my community. The word, dedicate comes from the latin dedicare – to declare, to devote, to indicate and consecrate. I declare to all my spiritual path in the usage of the word Druid. I indicate my intentions to follow that path through my words and, more importantly, my actions. The world to me is consecrate – there is no unsacred place. Through how I live my life; I demonstrate my dedication to being a Druid. Everything that I do reflects my Druid worldview. I am utterly dedicated to this life path, feeling it stir my passion and fill me with awen.
In our society today, dedication can seem a bit off-putting. If someone is dedicated to a cause, they may sometimes appear a bit too outside of the status quo. It can have connotations of fanaticism (another word that’s meaning has changed since its original latin origin). If I tell someone that I am dedicated to my gods, whether they are pagan or not, I can get some pretty odd looks. A lot of people may think that when I say this, I am giving over my entire life to another. This is not the case – this is using the inspiration from the gods, from the land, from the land, sea and sky to guide me to living a harmonious, more holistic life utterly attuned with nature. If I gave my life over to my gods I would not be able to function. I have free will. I am dedicated to them and their teachings through the natural cycles, but dedication does not equal submission…
Read the full article HERE
Never stop learning…
Never stop learning. That should not only be a Druid mantra, but one for the entire human species!
I’ve taken this year off to really dive deep into new studies, experiences and finding a very deep Druidry within my soul. So far it’s been exceptional – I have learned so many things about myself, about how my brain and body works, how I interact with others and how I take inspiration from the natural world around me.
I’ve always been an avid student of life. I’ve always loved being a student – whether it was elementary or high school, college or university. I’ve always had a hunger to learn more about the way life works, about philosophy, history, biology and ecology. That enthusiasm has never faded, and I should hope with all my heart it never does.
Too often we can become complacent in our lives, thinking that we know all that we need to know for however long a time until the awen hits us in the face and we wake up, wanting to quest deeper, to learn more, to snack on those little hazelnuts of wisdom like the salmon in the sacred well. For a while I was content that I had learned enough about Druidry, about Paganism – I now see how foolishly wrong I was. There is always something more to learn, something new to experience. When we stop learning, we stop growing, both mentally and spiritually. We have such capacity within our brains to ever expand our horizons, but the safe and comfortable instinct can easily override that desire to broaden the boundaries.
At this point in my life, when I will be turning 40 this August, I realise just how little I know about anything. I also know that I will never know everything about anything at all. What I do know is that I will never stop learning, never stop freeing my mind so that my ass will follow. It always leads to wondrous new places filled with the wisdom that can only be gained by combining experience with learning.
I am devouring books and exploring the Celtic heritage of the land where I live, in East Anglia, UK. Often overshadowed in my particular region by the Saxon ship burial and village kingdom near Sutton Hoo, historically there isn’t all that much available about the Celtic Trinovantes that lived in my area (the much more popular Iceni tend to overshadow them). I’m learning more about their stories, from academic research to spending hours listening to the land and the stories gleaned from the wind.
I’ve also spent the winter really looking at my self, the reasons why I have done things in the past, my motives and intentions for the future. It has been a real eye-opening experience, visiting all those dark and light places in the soul, seeing what works in harmony and what doesn’t. Exploring the nature of Truth, looking at how I can live the truest expression of my soul, fitting in not only with my true nature but the entirety of the natural world around me. Re-reading Graeme K Talboys’ Way of the Druid lead to weeks and weeks of reflection on what the nature of Truth is to the Druid – I heartily recommend that book to anyone interested in the Druid path. I’m sure there is a future blog post on it when I have managed to put down all that I have gleaned into words…
Taking time out for your self, for your studies and for your spiritual path can be the best thing you have ever done. It shakes off the comfortable shackles of complacency and breathes pure awen deep into your soul. It awakens you to life, and that is a gift in itself.
Everyday Spirituality
How can we incorporate more spirituality into our everyday lives? By truly living our religion, our spirituality, our calling.
A religion or spirituality cannot be read about, or simply thought about – it must be experienced. Like life, it is in the doing that counts. Yes, we must think – carefully and deeply, about what we do as human beings. We must also act upon that thinking with full awareness, otherwise the opportunity to really live slips us by.
There are so many ways we can bring more awareness and more spirituality into our daily routines. For instance, a prayer upon awakening is a brilliant way to start the day. Whether you believe in the gods, or spirits of place, the ancestors or nature itself or all of the above is a matter for your own path. But coming to an awareness of them physically, emotionally – through living your meditations can make all the difference. Saying a prayer, either aloud or in your head first thing in the morning can put you in the right frame of mind to be mindfully spiritual for the rest of the day. You can pray in all kinds of ways – prayers of thanks for a new day, prayers of peace and love, prayers of love for those in need. It matters not what type of prayer; what matters most is that it is done, in a way that best suits you to get into a spiritual frame of mind.
When we then get up and perform our ablutions, we are already aware of the sanctity of life. We can say a prayer of thanks to the goddess of the waters, the local water source, to the oceans of the world as we run the tap to wash our face. We create an awareness of the sanctity of water.
When we make our breakfast, or pour a cup of tea, we give thanks to gods, the spirits, to the earth for her abundance. We take time to acknowledge where our food and drink comes from, and in that acknowledgement continue in a sacred manner. We are establishing a strong relationship with the world around us by doing so. A prayer that I like to use before I eat is simple:
“I give my thanks for the food I am about to eat. To the spirits of land, sea and sky, know that you are honoured”.
I not only say the words, but honour the lands that the food and drink came from, the blessings of sunshine and rain, the people who worked to bring it food to my table. Seeing the bigger picture allows me to truly be grateful for all that I have.
I can say a prayer or chant a charm when I am about to drive my car somewhere. Equally, I can say a prayer of thanks for hearing the blackbird’s song of Spring, or upon seeing the sunshine after months of rain. Seeing the moon, or a particular constellation in the sky evokes spontaneous prayers within me, said either aloud or in my mind. Prayers to the rising and setting sun, to the rising and setting moon are said, as well as prayers before bed. Even getting into the bathtub can become spiritual, with an honouring of clean, hot water, or a pentagram or symbol of awen drawn on the water’s surface to acknowledge the sacredness. Gardening, working with others, before or after meditation – these are all good times for a quick prayer as well.
Certain times of day might be better for those who like a stricter routine. A set time in the morning, noon, afternoon and evening might be more suitable for those who can follow a tighter regime. It is all about personal choice.
It is not only prayer, but short rituals we can use – a bow to the sun or moon, the lighting of a candle upon awakening, offering of incense or food at the end of each day. Taking the time is what is most important – taking the time to connect with the spiritual world around you. We are never alone; we cannot be separate. We all live together on this planet side by side. Seeing this connection is pure awen.
Create songs for the sunrise, or write new chants for the full moon. Sing something improvisational when you see the first blackthorn in flower, or raise your arms to honour the sun dog’s myriad colours in the sky. The secular world may try to make us feel silly about doing so – but just try it. You may just find that your soul opens in response.
For more ideas on how to incorporate spirituality and devotion in your everyday life, I am holding a retreat weekend in the sacred Chalice Well Gardens in Glastonbury from 11 – 13 April. This weekend, entitled The Little Pagan Monastery, will be a weekend filled with prayer, devotion and ritual, visits to sacred sites, as well as discussion, meditation, and personal time to incorporate ideas into your life. For more information, see the Retreat Weekends on this site.
The Little Pagan Monastery Retreat
We’ve got our weekend retreat coming up! 11 – 13 April, Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury, UK
Experience a weekend filled with devotion to the gods, the land and the ancestors – with prayer, meditation, discussion and ritual, as well as visiting sacred sites such as Glastonbury Tor and the White Spring on this unique retreat, The Little Pagan Monastery. Stay at Chalice Well & gardens, at Little St Michaels where you will have 24 hour access to one of Albion’s most sacred places during your stay. Incorporate daily prayer and ritual into your life, make new friends and enjoy some time spent away in an inspirational setting with like-minded people.
To book, please visit: The Little Pagan Monastery
Little Pagan Monastery Itinerary
Friday
5pm onwards – arrivals
6pm – Welcome talk
6.30pm – Supper
8pm – Evening prayer and group meditation
9pm – Free time
Saturday
7.30am – Morning personal meditation
8am – Morning Prayers and group meditation
9am – Breakfast
10.30 am – Discussion
12 noon – Midday prayers and group meditation
1pm – Lunch
2.30pm – Glastonbury Tor walk and meditation
5pm – Free time/gardening work
6pm – Supper
7.30pm – Discussion
9pm – Evening prayers
Sunday
7.30am – Morning personal meditation
8am – Morning Prayers and group meditation, followed by ritual
9am – Breakfast
10.30 am – White Spring visit
12 noon – Midday prayers and group meditation
1pm – Lunch
2.30pm – Farewell
Little Pagan Monastery Retreat
We are still taking bookings for The Little Pagan Monastery – if you would like to try a weekend away dedicated to the spiritual, and finding ways of incorporating that into your everyday life, then this may be just the thing! Set within the beautiful grounds of one of England’s most holy sites, Chalice Well Gardens, let this weekend inspire you!
Book your place here: http://www.autumnsong.org/talks-workshops-retreats.php
Craft Names
Within Druidry, and indeed in modern Paganism, it is usual to adopt a craft name within your tradition. It is not necessary, and if you feel that you don’t need one, or one doesn’t appeal, then by all means forego the craft name. However, choosing a craft name, or having one bestowed upon you can enhance your connection to your tradition, if you allow it.
Craft names can provide an air of mystery and magic. We can choose something that reflects our work, such as Oak Seeker, Coll (hazel, if working with ogham), or Pathfinder. We can choose something that reflects a part of the environment that we love – Alder, Willow, Rain. We can put two words together that express a deep part of our soul, or a deep love that we have, such as Gentle Bear, Running Horse, or my craft name – Autumn Song. We can adopt names of the gods and goddesses that we love, such as Nehalennia, Freya, Lugh, Branwen, Rhiannon, Bridget. There are also mythological names like Merlin, Morgan and Nimue that might strike a chord deep within our hearts. We can even choose names from fantasy books that we love – Gandalf, Radagast, Arwen, Goldberry, Eomer, Eowyn, Faramir (all Lord of the Rings names). What matters most is that our name expresses a deep part of our soul; that when we utter it, write it, exhale it into the twilight it means something to us, connects us to the awen.
You can inscribe your craft name upon your altar, or your tools. You can sign correspondence with it. You may even change your name to your craft name if you feel that better reflects who you are. I like having both names, as I can honour my two grandmothers for whom I am named after, and honour my tradition with my craft name. Besides, it took me long enough to learn how to write my own name, and I’m sticking to it…
We might choose our craft name, or we might be gifted it by another. We could meditate, commune with the local spirits of place, or deity, and ask that they bestow us a name. In some magical traditions, a craft name is given upon initiation into the tradition, or upon completion of various grades. When working alone, we do not have to wait to have a name bestowed upon us – we can seek it out ourselves from whatever inspires us whenever we feel ready. We can ask our ancestors, our spirit guides, even friends and family for ideas and inspiration.
Our craft names may also change with time. As we grow and develop in our spirituality, we might find that we outgrow our name, and thereby be inspired to choose another that better suits our current work. We can include our naming in ceremonies, whether it is our first time or our fifth time in choosing a craft name. Taking on a name is not something to be done lightly, however. It requires much thought and meditation if you wish for it to be important to your work.
Whatever name you choose, or however you decide to be named, honour that name with all that you are. Find ways of being that reflect your name in deep and compassionate ways, working to create peace and harmony in your life and in all life around you.
Reblog: Authenticity vs Validity
Here is my blog for Moon Books’ blog page – I write the monthly essay. Check out some of their other blogs as well – really good stuff there!
I remember, quite a few years ago now, reading Ronald Hutton’s Triumph of the Moon. I had always known, vaguely, that modern paganism was just that – modern. After reading that book, and finding out just how modern most of our rituals and celebrations are, I had a bit of a religious crisis. I was having a really hard time coming to terms with the fact that the spiritual path I was following was essentially made up by two guys in the 1950’s and 60’s.
For a couple of weeks I toiled with this issue, until it finally dawned on me that all religions, at some point, were made up by some people. Simply because someone made it up 200, 2,000 or 20,000 years ago didn’t make it any more valid. I realised that authenticity did not equal validity.
There was no way of tracing pagan roots back to what we would imagine to be a more “pagan time” – ie. for most this would be before Christianity. Paganism didn’t write or record much down in words, though we can catch remnant in snatches of old folk songs, rhymes and the like. If our paganism is inspired by an even older spirituality, such as our Neolithic ancestors, then certainly we have no written records – a few artefacts, burial mounds and sacred sites to draw inspiration on, but nothing of their words to live by. We still do not know, and can never be certain, what they actually believed, how they lived their lives and how they communed with their gods, if any. We can only speculate.
And so, two men, Gerald Gardner and Ross Nichols pieced together a spirituality as best they could, after looking into folk traditions and seeking inspiration from the natural world itself. This evolved into what is recognised as Wicca and Druidry today. These paths are not hundreds of years old, though they have been inspired by older traditions. This does not invalidate them in any way.
I would personally have a harder time believing in the validity of someone’s path who told me that they were following a “thousands year old British tradition” than someone who told me that they made up their own spiritual path. Why? Because the need for justification of a tradition bothers me – why do we need to justify our paths? Our good Druid friend, Iolo Morganwg, made up a lot of stuff when he couldn’t find any reference to it a couple of hundred years ago, and yet the stuff that he made up has great resonance and beauty for some druids. Yes, he passed it on as “real”, and was only caught out fairly recently in his forgeries, however they still remain beautiful and meaningful forgeries nonetheless for many. It bothers me that he felt the need to forge these documents, but it doesn’t make his tradition any less valid for himself and others with whom it inspires. The question of lying about the authenticity of a tradition is what invalidates it for many.
Why do we feel the need to authenticate a religion or spiritual path before we embark upon it? Does this have anything to do with the Age of Enlightenment vs the Age of Reason? Why should one be more valid than the other, simply because it has hard facts that it can draw upon?
A religious and spiritual path is such a personal thing, that I find it hard to believe that any one path is good for more than one person. We can certainly be inspired by it, but the path must be walked by us, and us alone – no one else can do it for us. Buddha said “Be a light unto thyself”. We have to find our own ways of communing, our own relationship with the world in order for it to make full sense to our hearts, bodies, minds and souls. Oftentimes the words and teachings of others can come close, and yet they are still not quite as personal as a one to one relationship.
Protestants have a more personal relationship with God, for the most part, than Catholics when it comes down to it. That in an inherent part of Protestantism, one that is explored and made quite poignant in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Protestantism placed a great emphasis on personal, individual reading of the Bible, thereby increasing the personal relationship with God – no other could really do that for you. Sadly, within history and especially after the birth of Calvinism, fundamentalism became de rigeur.
How much of our paganism today is influenced by this Protestant way of thinking? It’s hard to tell, but it’s not something I have a problem with. I like the idea of everyone having to find their own personal relationship with God, or a god, or goddess, or the spirits of place, their ancestors or the three worlds of land, sea and sky. This idea is, of course, not solely attributed to Protestantism (remember Buddha’s quote?) but it is one of the more recent religious institutions in the UK, of which we are currently exploring the legacy.
How far back the tradition of personal relationship with deity goes is, to me, of no consequence. It’s nice to have historical authenticity, but it does not a spirituality make. It is within the personal relationship with whatever it is that you are communing with, and which changes you, inspires you or moves you that is really what matters in this life. Whether you pray using a prayer that is a thousand years old, or one that you made up on the spot, it is in the feeling and intent behind it that matters most, not in the words themselves. It must connect you with what it is you are trying to reach, else what is the point?
So, to all those out there who are making it up as they go along, who find spiritual validity in what they do, I give a hearty hail! To those whose find the words of others resonate deeply within their soul, and blend their historic traditions with personal experience, again I give a hearty hail! Life is too short to follow a path simply because others have trodden it – we can learn from that path, but ultimately it is we who are doing the walking, no one else, and in that is our own validity and personal experience found and blessing us along the way.
http://moon-books.net/blogs/moonbooks/authenticity-v-validity/
New blog for SageWoman Magazine!
So, SageWoman Magazine approached me, asking me to blog for their channel on Pagan Square – it’s now up, and I shall be updating once or twice a week! Hope you enjoy it, and if you like it, you can share it on Facebook or on other social media…
http://www.witchesandpagans.com/Druid-Heart/Blogger/Listings/joey.html
Down the Forest Path 