Finding Druidry

Finding Druidry

2012 has been a very spiritual journey for me, not only have I been learning the craft of the Kitchen Witch, but through attending rituals with the Dorset Grove and learning more about Druidry, I have come to realise that in many ways I have naturally been following the path of a Druid, without knowing it.  It would appear that many people start their Druid path this way, and Nimue Brown has kindly written the following article about how she came to Druidry, and some advise on starting out on this path.

Nimue has written two books on Druidry, the first Druidry and Meditation and her new book (due out at the end of November) Druidry and the Ancestors.

Thank you, Nimue for taking the time to write this article for me.  Blessings xx

Finding Druidry

By Nimue Brown

I started down the Druid path about ten years ago, and what struck me almost at once was that I’d been doing it all along, in essence. I just didn’t know the conventional forms, or the word for it. What I know from other Druids suggests this was in no way unusual. Druidry is something we are, it’s something intrinsic about how we see the world, how we feel and respond to it, that is hard to pin down in words, but fairly easy to recognise in others. For many people, all learning Druidry means, is learning how to do the formal stuff that enables shared rituals, and finding prompts to go deeper and further with what was already there.

How do you know, if Druidry is where you belong? I think the short answer is ‘resonance’. Druidry isn’t overtly glamorous and eye-catching in the same way as Wicca, and there isn’t the allure of spells, but there is magic. The iconic image of the beardy old guy in a white nightdress, is not a great lure. But the nightdress and beard are not Druidry, any more than the gothic dress is really what it takes to be a witch.

An attraction to the Celts, both the historical people and modern Celtic nations, often draws people in. A fondness for trees and a desire to practice your spirituality outside, is a good indicator. If the idea of standing in your living room calling to Gods of the land feels wrong, while the idea of going out in all weathers and being with the land feels right, you could well be a Druid. Do you want to summon spirits? Or would you feel more at ease greeting them, asking if you can spend some time with them, honouring them and not seeking to control or command? If this is you, then again it speaks of Druidry.

I came in through harps and folklore, a love of live performance and a passion for the natural world that made the bard path immediately resonant for me. But there are many paths calling to different people. Healers, teachers, creatives, activists and warrior can all find a place within the Druid tradition.

I think a lot of people imagine Druidry as a very structured, hierarchical outfit. When I used to volunteer for The Druid Network, we’d get queries from people who thought we were like the Druid Police, able to bestow and remove titles, to rein in the unruly, to enforce conformity. This is simply not the way of it. There are many orders, and many people who choose to work alone or in less formal networks. Some orders are more structured and logical than others. The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids for example www.druidry.org does formal teaching by post. ADF and Henge of Keltria are also big orders, with lots of members, formal teaching methods, affiliated groves and the such. Other ‘orders’ sometimes turn out to be a handful of people, some more credible and enlightened than others, inevitably. In practice, anyone can call themselves a Druid, found an order, run a grove, or anything else they fancy. You could wake up tomorrow, declare yourself to be the great archdruid of the known universe and take your life forward from there. No other Druid has the power to prevent this. What we can do is satire though, and a good Druid satire, traditionally, would raise boils on the face of the recipient.

There are many ways in to Druidry – through larger orders and teaching groups, through whatever happens to be local, or by solitary, personal study. There is something inherently social about Druidry though. Service to community is a big part of what we do, and it helps to have a community in the first place. Druid rituals are as much about celebration and community as anything else, and again this calls for people. There are solitary Druids though, but many of them find people to connect with socially even if they prefer lone spiritual practice. There is no one single, fixed way of following the path.

My main advice for someone starting out, is to follow your heart. Do what calls to you. Look for that feeling of recognition, that sense of belonging, of knowing, of resonating. These feelings are the ones that tell you the path is a good one. It doesn’t matter how much you embrace the surfaces, or learn the forms, if you don’t feel it, what you do will never be real or meaningful to you. The soul of what you do is far more important than the surface of it. Once a person decides to make a spiritual journey, if your heart is open and you follow what resonates, thing will find you. Teachers will find you. Books will turn up. The right word, at the right moment sets things in motion.

For me, it was a guy at my folk club who said ‘sing us one of your druid songs’. I didn’t think I knew any druid songs, then. But within a week of that request, I met my first ‘proper’ druid, and I asked what druids sing. It all went from there. (Damh the Bard’s stuff, turned out to be the answer to my question, along with all kinds of other lovely material, contemporary and historical, and anything that feels right at the time.) On that fateful night of being asked for a druid song, I answered the request with Kipling’s Oak, Ash and Thorn. I already had the right sort of material. I’d been doing it all along. I just didn’t know what the word was.

The journey for me has taken me through several working groups, through the entire OBOD course, volunteer work, teaching, workshops, and now writing books. I’ve learned at least as much from being a teacher as I have from being a student. At the moment I’m not taking on formal students, but anyone who wants company for the journey and a brain to pick, is welcome at my website – www.druidlife.wordpress.com

Neither of my books are introductions to Druidry, but there are plenty of those out there. I recommend Robin Herne’s Old Gods New Druids as being a good place to start. Graham Talboys’ The Druid Way made Easy is another excellent first book that pins down all the core concepts. Mine are Druidry and Meditation, and Druidry and the Ancestors, available online in the usual places.

The main qualification for being a Druid, is wanting to be a Druid. If the word itself seems too big right now, too grand and overpowering, then try saying ‘I am a student of Druidry’ ‘I aspire to be a Druid’ and see if that sits more easily. It took me some years to feel at all comfortable claiming the word, and it is a title that really speaking, needs to be earned to feel meaningful.

Journal of a Novice Witch – September 2012

Well this month has been very busy and has gone by very quickly.  Since my last blog we’ve had a Blue Moon and the Autumn Equinox.  It’s turned from summer to autumn (and at times winter!!).  The turning of the year has been very noticeable, and this has been apt because my studies have been about the wheel of the year.

For my studies I had to think about each Sabbat and what is happening at the time of year it takes place.  I then had to bring together my own list of correspondences for each Sabbat based on my experiences, observations and knowledge, rather than to simply research from books etc. 

I have to admit that some of it was harder than I thought it would be, I found it hard to think of an herb or tree for some Sabbats without looking up what the generally accepted ones would be.  Trees were particularly difficult despite the fact that I walk in the woods often and interact with the trees regularly, whether this is simply saying ‘hello’, or energy sharing, or removing debris and broken branches that have got wedged in them etc. 

Trees are also always there no matter what time of year it is, they are there in all their majesty, bare in the winter, growing shoots in early spring, leafing in later spring, their leaves turning darker as the summer progresses until they change into their autumnal glory before floating to the ground.  So I found it very hard to choose one for each Sabbat.

But, I did eventually decide which ones would represent my Sabbats, and after a lot of thought and reflection I drew up my list of correspondences, although I am sure these will change as I work more fully and more spiritually with the wheel of the year.

I didn’t have problems with all the correspondences though, particularly with the  colours and crystals; colours because I spend a lot of time out in nature, even on days when I could happily stay indoors, you know those days when it is lashing down with rain and blowing a hooley.  But, you can’t be a fair whether witch when you have three dogs that don’t care what the weather is like!  So, I am out every day, come rain or shine, and I have my favourite walks, the woods obviously, but also Maiden Castle, an Iron Age Hillfort, a stone’s throw away from me.   Now, Maiden Castle is in the middle of farming land, and there are many hedgerows separating the fields and footpaths, so anyone that walks here, or in the woods, cannot help but notice the turning of the seasons: the colours of the trees, the colour of the land as it is ploughed, sown and harvested, and colours of the hedgerows that bud, leaf, flower and fruit.  So, this put me in good stead for drawing up my colour correspondences.

And as for Crystals, well they are one of my passions and I work with them a lot, so I need say no more…

And, talking of Sabbats, there was of course the Autumn Equinox/Mabon on the 22^nd of this month.  I made my first ‘proper’ Sabbat altar and made some candles to burn on the night. 

I also attended the Dorset Grove ritual on the 15^th, it was a beautiful ritual, the weather was wonderful, the lovely Kitchen Witch team were there, including Arthur bear, and I attended my first handfasting (of Rita and Dennis) that took place during the ritual.  The whole experience was very special and something I will remember for a very long time (pics can be seen at www.dorsetgrove.co.uk/gallery.htm).

I have to say that with each ritual I attend I feel more and more rooted within my pagan path.  It feels so right, like a coming home, and I always feel so positive and full of energy afterwards.  If you haven’t been to a ritual before I would recommend it if you have a great Grove near you, or can get to the Kitchen Witch rituals in Queen Elizabeth Park.

Sadly though, I didn’t get to the Kitchen Witch Mabon Ritual on the 22^nd (or the Stonehenge one), but I have seen the pictures and the blogs, and it seems I missed two special events (pics and blog can be seen on the Kitchen Witch Facebook page - www.facebook.com/kitchenwitchuk).

I am still doing my branch studies in runes, tarot and magical herbs, there’s so much I want to learn, I could do with that time machine thingy that Hermione Granger had in Harry Potter, but in reality, I just need to learn patience and work diligently at my studies, and enjoy the experience however long it takes me.  Patience is a virtue; unfortunately it’s one I don’t have……

So, here we are at the end of September (already - eeek).  The nights are drawing in, the mornings and evenings are cooler, and the dark mornings are noticeable too, especially when the alarm goes off and it’s dark and feels like the middle of the night! 

But round the corner is Samhain, and I get the impression the Kitchen Witch team are very fond of this particular Sabbat!  My open fire will soon be going, and the cosy dark evenings will be perfect for catching up on the numerous books I have to read and for my studies and practice. 

So next month I will be chatting about Samhain, and my next study subject – Esbats – this is going to be another great study time as I am a moon girl at heart, strongly influenced by the moon’s power.  In fact as I have been writing this it has become dark outside and I will soon be able to see the moon in all her fullness - time to select some crystals to go out and bath in her energy I think. 

Til next time.

Love and blessings. 

Earthshine. xx

The Glastonbury Experience – am I missing something?

Today I paid another visit to Glastonbury.  It was a beautiful day, and perfect for a stroll up to the Tor.  I love the walk to the Tor and the stunning views of the surrounding countryside.  I also like the notices advising of where the sheep are grazing and where you can let your dogs off the lead, this is really helpful when you have four legged companions with you, as you know where they are safe to have a little run. 

As usual it was very busy on the Tor making any prospect of a few moments reflection difficult, so we took some pictures, admired the view for a while, and then headed back to the town.  But, whilst walking away from the Tor, and walking to and around town, I had this feeling a slight discomfort.  I’ve had this feeling on previous occasions, and despite enjoying walking around and exploring the intriguing shops, and of course the book shop, there is this feeling I can’t shake off.  I feel perturbed, and the feeling follows me home.

It prompted me to write this blog as I am not sure what this feeling is.   Talk to many people and they find Glastonbury spiritual, enlightening, mystic, healing and so forth, and I am disappointed that I don’t feel this.  Why is this so? 

I appreciate that we don’t all feel energy and vibration in the same way, but why when it seems the majority flock to Glastonbury due to the above, that I feel the opposite, almost a heaviness, a feeling that makes me feel uncomfortable. 

Maybe there is too much energy there, or maybe I am susceptible to the less ‘positive’ energy -  I imagine a place that attracts so many for numerous reasons must build up an assortment of energy vibrations.

Whatever the reason, I hope one day I can visit Glastonbury and feel the Glastonbury Experience that many enthuse about.

I’d love to hear what others have experienced on their visits.

Earthshine.  xx

Journal of a Novice Witch - August 2012

Journal of a Novice Witch - Part One

By Earthshine

Now forgive me for saying this but if it had been foretold, when I was in my early twenties,  that when I reached my forties, my life-path would change and I would be living and studying the life of a witch, I would have fallen off my chair laughing.  Don’t be ridiculous, I would have thought, witches belong to the world of fiction, films and children’s books like Meg & Mog.  I was very narrow minded back then!!

But life events conspired to make me sit up and think about my life, where I was going and what I wanted to do with it.  I started to feel deep within that there was something I was missing, some path or direction I needed to follow to feel rooted and whole.  I began interacting more with the natural world; I’d always loved animals and nature so this felt easy and right. I became interested in complementary therapies and read up on different therapies and ways to enhance your health and wellbeing in a natural and holistic way.  I went on to train in Reiki, Crystal Healing and Flower and Vibrational Essence Therapy, working with both people and animals.  However, all the while I was studying I had this feeling that this was leading me somewhere beyond simply being a holistic therapist.

I felt this desire, or need, or ‘something’ pulling me towards something as yet unidentified and I found myself buying a few books on paganism.  Being a relatively solitary person I found Hedgewitchery really interesting and bought some books on this too. Although I was drawn to the naturalness of it, it all looked a bit daunting and the thought of spells, rituals, athames, chalices and so forth scared me slightly, so the books ended up on my bookshelf gathering dust, and I ended up joining a local Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist group.  However, despite the beauty and gentleness of this Buddhist way of life I never felt rooted in it, it was like I didn’t really belong, like it was spirituality for another culture, and there was still this pull coming from deep within me, and I found myself reading my pagan and Hedgewitch books again, and I definitely felt that this was the right path for me.

And so I left my Buddhist practice and my life as a novice witch began.  I started to study and research, drawing on knowledge from books and the internet.  But there was so much to learn, so much to think about and new ways to think about things.  Where do you begin?  How do you know you are doing it right?

Now there are many things involved in the path that are straightforward and easy to incorporate into your daily life, such as respecting and working with nature and the natural cycle of things, and I was doing a lot of this anyway.  But then there are Sabbats and Esbats, and God and Goddesses, so many of them, and many with names I couldn’t pronounce (and am still learning); there are spells and rituals and casting and closing a circle, now that was scary, what if I cast a circle and let the wrong energy in, or I didn’t close it properly?  What if I was opening up myself to some dark energy and didn’t know how to handle it?

 There were so many questions whirling round in my head, which isn’t good news when you’re of an obsessive nature, so what to do, do I go it alone and use trial and error and intuition, yes I could do that, but I felt I needed a bit more guidance and knowledge from others to help set me off and build my confidence.  But where do you begin?  Do you type in ‘Witches in Dorset’ (I live in Dorset) on Google?  Well actually I did do this and it brought up historical info, not the name of my local Witch group!!  So this didn’t help.

I did however make connections through friends I’ve made through my vibrational energy work and started to enhance my knowledge a little here. But I was also looking for more practical experience to aid my confidence and my knowledge, and also to meet like-minded people even though I am following a solitary path. 

This time I did an online search for ‘Pagans Dorset’ and the first result was the Dorset Grove, result, a local Druid group that ran open rituals to celebrate the wheel of the year.  Although it is a Druid group they welcome all Pagans whatever path you follow, and they all looked very friendly in their photos on the web-site too!!  So I duly emailed and received a prompt welcoming email in return. 

Now I have to admit that I didn’t attend the first ritual that came up, when push came to shove I bottled out, too self conscious and scared to go. Goddess knows why, and now I have to admit to feeling rather silly about feeling like this, as when I did attend my first ritual with the Dorset Grove, in the very spiritual setting of Knowlton Church, the experience was beautiful, the people were friendly, down to earth and welcoming.  There were lot of smiles, laughter, vibrant energy, and a beautiful ritual, my very first ritual, to celebrate Beltane.  I was gifted with a stunning staff and wand, and cake!  Now I have a feeling that cake will feature quite a bit in my witch path, and I will talk more in this in a bit.

I came away from my first ritual feeling blessed, energized and happy, and also with the confidence to do my own simple rituals at home having experienced a proper official one.  I was also raring for the next ritual which happened to be just as special, as it was at Stonehenge celebrating the Summer Solstice, and where I would meet, in person for the first time, some more lovely and special people who I am just about to talk about.

In addition to joining the Dorset Grove I also found the lovely Kitchen Witch team and their online Kitchen Witch forum.  This is full of information covering all areas of witchery and a fantastic resource that is updated regularly, and is ideal for making contact with others following the same path.  Not long after I joined the forum they started up their online School of Natural Witchery, and I was one of the first pupils to join as it is perfect for the novice like me, or for anyone wanting to study natural witchcraft. 

Starting at the beginning they provide a structured programme to teach you the path of Kitchen Witchery, but what I like about it is that it is not learning by rote and reading alone, you are encouraged to research and experiment and bring your own interpretation of each subject to the course.  And, you receive constructive feedback on your lessons and positive encouragement at all times. 

The added bonus is that you can also learn what are called branch lessons which expand your knowledge and skills as you make your way through the main course work, I am currently studying tarot, runes and magical herbs!!  And….we have online rituals, chats and constant contact with the leadership team and other students, so have become a proper online witch community that you can join in with whenever you want to.  Oh, and the other thing which I referred to earlier, there is definitely a cake thing going on in the Kitchen Witch School.  I’ve come to think that the only pre-requisite to joining the school is that you either like eating cake or talking about it; seeing as I like both I think I fit in well.

The Kitchen Witch School has been perfect for me as like many, I am working, running a home and walking three dogs three times a day, and time and money is limited.  Therefore I can study at my own pace, in my own time and incorporate what I have learnt into my everyday life.

Thus far I have studied energy working, meditation, grounding and centring, which I have to admit I already knew as part of my vibrational work, so I probably had an easier time on these lessons than those that haven’t worked with them before, as they can take some mastering – but don’t tell teacher!!  I have written about Clear Quartz and I have studied my first deity, Sulis, or Minerva as she is also known.  And most importantly I have learnt that I was already working with energy and tools that are very important to the life of a witch.  And the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that I felt my holistic studies were leading me beyond that of just a therapist seems to have been right, and in a way they were preparing me for my life as a witch, giving me some essential skills that I would require, and this has been very enlightening. That the course also requires the study of crystals is great too as it makes me go back and research my crystals again, and this is excellent for deepening my relationship with my crystals.

And so I feel my journey as a witch is truly now underway, and I look forward to following and living this path.

For now I say farewell and if I don't post again before I wish you a happy Mabon.

Blessings

Earthshine

Earthshine Essences:  www.earthshineessences.co.uk

Earthshine Essences Blog: www.quintessentialwellbeing.co.uk/blog  
Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchery: www.kitchenwitchhearth.com 

The Dorset Grove: www.dorsetgrove.co.uk