My first book with Moon Books in the Pagan Portals series, this little introductory book shows how to blend Zen Buddhism with Druidry to create a life that is awake and aware to the natural world around us, fully immersed and living life in accordance with the flow.
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The Awen Alone Book Trailer
The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid is out now in all good bookstores. Kindle version available as well. Part of the Pagan Portals introductory series from Moon Books.
Kindle version of The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid is now available!
The Kindle version of The Awen Alone is now available! Download your own copy for only £1.85. Through the magic that is Druidry, build deep and abiding relationships with the natural world and walk a path of truth, honour, service and commitment.
The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid
Exciting news – you can now pre-order the Kindle version of my third book, The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid for only £1.85!
Click HERE for more details
We’re back in stock!
We’re back in stock at Amazon UK with my latest book, Dancing With Nemetona: A Druid’s Exploration of Sanctuary and Sacred Space – but only 13 left already. First batch sold out in two days, get yours quick! More on the way, but it could take up to two weeks. x
Dancing With Nemetona now available!
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
Manuscript submitted!
I’ve been working on my third book, The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid for some time now. I am now pleased to announce that the final manuscript has been sent to my publishers today for copyediting! Hopefully this title will be available by the end of this year (Moon Books Publishing, part of their introductory series, Pagan Portals). I’ve already had some lovely endorsements from authors that have inspired me over the years – let the awen flow!
“This is one of the best ‘core’ texts on Druidry that I have had the pleasure of reading.” – Cat Treadwell, Author of A Druid’s Tale and Facing the Darkness
“This is not a book about Celtic scholarship or the historical Celts, rather it is a guide to how to BE a modern Druid in the world today.” – Ellen Evert Hopman, author of A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine, Priestess of the Forest – A Druid Journey, and other volumes
“It is enthusiastic, based in good practice, and allows the reader to start with sound and gentle steps. I heartily recommend it.” Graeme K Talboys, author of Way of the Druid: Rebirth of an Ancient Religion and The Druid Way Made Easy
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
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.
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.”
Down the Forest Path 