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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
Dancing with Nemetona available for pre-order!
Books
Available for pre-order!
Dancing with Nemetona: A Druid’s Exploration of Sanctuary and Sacred Space
Nemetona is an ancient goddess whose song is heard deep within the earth and also deep within the human soul. She is the Lady of Sanctuary, of Sacred Groves and Sacred Spaces.
She is present within the home, within our sacred groves, our rites and in all the spaces that we hold dear to our hearts. She also lies within, allowing us to feel at ease wherever we are in the world through her energy of holding, of transformation. She holds the stillness and quiet of a perfect day; she is the stillness at the end of it, when the blackbird sings to the dusk. She is the energy of sacred space, where we can stretch out our souls and truly come alive, to be who we wish to be, filled with the magic of potential.
Rediscover this ancient goddess and dance with a Druid to the songs of Nemetona. Learn how to reconnect with this goddess in ritual, songs, chants, meditation and more.
Ellen Evert Hopman, author of Priestess of the Forest says “This lovely volume teaches us how to re-sacralize our life. In a sad and violent world we need to remember to find the sacred within all things; our room, our hearth, our home, our altar, our garden, and our sacred Grove. By doing this, ultimately we will find the sacred within all creatures; animal, mineral, plant and human. This is the lesson of Nemetona, divine protectress of the sacred enclosure, so wonderfully expressed within this book.”
Philip Carr-Gomm, chosen chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids says “For those of us upon the Druid path, Nemetona is an intriguing goddess. Joanna’s book welcomes us into Nemetona’s sanctuary that we might know her more intimately. With a combination of helpful exercises and the gentle but compelling wisdom born of Joanna’s relationship with this goddess, we discover that the concept of the Grove and the experience of Sacred Space is more rich and complex than we imagined.”
Zen and the Awen
The Celts had Indo-European roots, migrating across Europe and leaving their mark across many countries. They share many similar spiritual beliefs to other traditions – Buddhist, Saxon and Norse just to name a few. There are similarities in artwork and other modes of creative expression. Finding something that is “pure” in any tradition is, at least in my opinion, unattainable. We are constantly being influenced by other people, whether it was 50 years ago, 500 or 5,000 years ago.
Incorporating Zen and Druidry has given me a personal life path that makes a lot of sense in my daily practice. Simply because Zen Buddhism is an Eastern tradition doesn’t mean that it can’t work with what is commonly thought of as a Western tradition. (For a more in depth look at Druidry and other Dharmic paths, including Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, Philip Carr-Gomm has written a brilliant page on The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids’ website – http://www.druidry.org/druid-way/other-paths/druidry-dharma.)
Zen and Druidry blend together to form a life path that is utterly devoted to being in the present, giving the Druid a total immersion within nature. This immersion, not just going with the flow but being the flow itself, is what makes it so special. Zen teaches us to let go of our sense of self, to silence our chattering minds in order to be able to pay attention to the world at large. It also teaches us of discipline, learning how our minds work and how we are so often ruled by our minds, through bad habits, reactionary living, destructive behaviour and so on.
With Soto Zen, the mind is brought under control through hours and hours of meditation, of learning to simply “be”, slowly and gently silencing our “monkey mind” so that we may better hear the songs of the universe. This is what is meant by releasing the sense of self – it is not, as so many people assume it to be, becoming a mindless zombie. It is allowing other songs, other voices to be heard above our own so that we may better integrate. We will still have opinions, but we will cherish them less, for we know that everything is in constant change and flux. We will have a sense of self, but again we hold to it lightly so that we may better see where we fit in the world and where we can do the most good. It is not annihilation – it is immersion, awareness and mindfulness.
Within Druidry, we learn to work with awen, with inspiration and the flow of life itself to see where we fit in the grand scheme of things. We work to see how we can live with the least harm to ourselves and the planet, and also what we can do to make the world a better place. We work to create peace within ourselves and peace in the outer world as well. Using our natural abilities and skills, we may work with songs and poetry, or with visions or herbal medicine, with roles in teaching and counselling, in law or in environmentalism – the list is endless. We are devoted to helping and conserving nature and our planet, sharing the awen and giving back for what we have received.
Using the techniques from Zen for training the mind and the love of nature from Druidry we can find a way to immerse ourselves in our spirituality that is so deeply integrated on so many levels. When out walking in the forest, we can lose our sense of self in order to become the forest. Once we are the forest, we are able to drink deeply from the flow of awen that is all life around us. We become the trees, the deer, the fox, the boulder, the streams and the badger. We can learn so much from this integration which can also rejuvenate us, providing us with even more inspiration. We are not looking at ourselves being at one in the forest; we have lost even that in order to become the forest. When we are fully immersed in simply “being”, we are fully in the flow of awen.
Our footsteps become lighter, our passage barely noticeable. Like the deer, we are able to bound through the trees, awake and aware to every sense. Indeed, all our sense become sharper, clearer, for our minds are not running us ragged thinking about what to have for dinner, that paper that is due, the meeting we have on Monday. Fully in the moment, we become the awen.
Zen Buddhism has also leant another aspect to my Druidry that has been rich and rewarding – the idea of compassion. Again, many people misinterpret compassion, seeing it as weak, or being a pushover. Why be kind to others when so few are kind to us? Living with compassion is what enables us to connect once again to that all important word in Druidry – awen. The songs of life can only be heard if we try to understand them. We cannot understand them unless we open ourselves to compassion.
In one of the Grail legends, Perceval reaches the wounded Fisher King, and is invited into his castle. The knight does not ask the King why he is wounded, or how it happened. He shows no interest in learning the story behind the wounded King. Upon sharing a meal with the King, the knight also sees a courtly procession whereby a young maiden carries the Grail through the hall repeatedly throughout the night. Again, trying to appear worldly and nonchalant, Perceval does not ask about this. These two incidents are the clues in which the Fisher King might be healed, and in which Perceval failed at his chance in finding the Grail. If he had only asked the King “What ails thee?” then the King would have been instantly and magically healed. If Perceval had only asked “Whom does the Grail serve?” he would have understood its purpose, and achieved the totality of his quest.
The simple question of “What ails thee” is the showing of compassion. It is taking ourselves outside of our own minds and our own troubles and asking another person what is wrong, seeking to alleviate their suffering. Also, by asking our selves (the separation of the words, instead of writing ourselves is intentional here) “What ails thee?” we take the time to look within, to perhaps explore shadow aspects of ourselves. Within many Eastern traditions, it is through meditation that we understand our selves better, and also understand and redirect our reactions to the world – ie. instead of simply reacting to an event, we act with intention, with mindfulness and awareness. With the Grail question, we can ask this of our selves as well as others in pretty much any situation, therefore eliminating a reactionary response for a more intentional approach. In doing so, we may just find the healing for our selves and the world that is so needed.
The second Grail question, “Whom does the Grail serve?” invites us to question our intention. Whether we are experiencing pleasant or unpleasant aspects in our lives, we can ask our selves “who does this serve?”, thereby eliminating that which is no longer necessary, and bringing joy, awe and wonder back into our lives. With old habits and patterns of behaviour that we wish to be freed from, we can simply ask this question over and over again until we have the answer that is required for spiritual growth. We can ask this question in every aspect of our lives, from our weekly shopping (in order to make better choices not only for ourselves, but the planet) to our everyday interactions with other people. If we are making a positive change instead of falling into negative, but comfortable patterns then we are on the road to spiritual progress. Reminding our selves of the Grail questions has been integral to my learning these past few months, becoming a mantra for everyday life.
In our quest for wholeness, we can either run around in circles, questing after the Grail through established means, or we can simply look within to gain a better perspective on compassion and the divine, whether it be male or female, or even genderless. It is the deep exploration within that allows us to bring that knowledge out into the world – we cannot simply spend our lives gazing at our own navels – we must bring the Grail out for the benefit of others. We must offer the gifts of compassion and self-awareness. In this, the Grail Mysteries are best served.
In this way as well, both Eastern and Western traditions come together to allow us to help not only our own suffering, but that of the world. We can learn the values of compassion and mindfulness, and we also look deep within for the inspiration to live an integrated life that reflects the natural cycles of the world around us.
We do not simply touch the awen every now and then – we become the awen ourselves.
(From my blog at Moon Books – http://moon-books.net/blogs/moonbooks/zen-and-the-awen/)
Down the Forest Path 