Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 1

AontachtBrought to you by Druidic Dawn (www.druidicdawn.org)

Volume 2, Issue 4 | Spring/Autumn Equinox 2010 creating unity in community

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 2

Zaontachtcreating unity in community

Cover photo: © 2010. Jenn MacCormack

8 Reverend Bishop Alistair Bateinterview with a Christian Druid

leaderDruidic Dawn community

13 The Riverwaythe ecology of homeJason Kirkey

18 Australia: Spirit of Placea journey with photographsAstrocelt

22 Nature and Nurturethe art of creating buaMorrigan “Morri” Sidhe

27 Spirits of the Landconnecting with your native landMaya

29 What It Means To Be Nativefinding home againJenn McCormack

35 Boduan Wood Sanctuarya sacred site?

26 The Oak TreeCandlesprite

6 From the Desk ...letter from the Aontacht Production Team

7 Keeping Up with the Project Teamlatest news & updates at Druidic Dawn

17 Australian Assemblyflier of the OBOD Assembly in Australia

39 The Cooking Cauldronrecipes from the community

44 Community Events Calendarfind gatherings and rituals near you

48 Coming Nexta peek at the succeeding issue & our

submission guidelines

25 I Stand Before the OakPhagos

37 Spirit of CadburyFaye Boyd

38 Greenwood EncounterCandlesprite

40 Beyond the MistMaya

40 The Song of TaliesinAndeg Myeengum

43 The Druid Isle - new release!from the publishers

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Contributorsaontachtcreating unity in community

Environmental BenefitsStatement

Aontacht magazine is onlyavailable online as a free .pdfdownload; thereby savingtrees, water, solid waste andgreenhouse gases. It is de-signed on an Energy Star ratedcomputer.

Aontacht is published four timesa year by Druidic Dawn, CIC.Aontacht, Volume 2, Issue 4 ©2010 Druidic Dawn, all rights re-served. All contained content iscopyright to its respective own-ers, including art and photos. Thecontents of this publication maynot be reproduced in whole or inpart without the consent of thecopyright owner.

EditorJenn MacCormack

Co-EditorVacant

Druidic Dawn Rep.Nigel Dailey

PublisherDruidic Dawn, CIC

Feature Editor - RecipesFaye Boyd

Graphic Designer Morrigan Sidhe

Original Layout DesignAestas Designs

( aestas.dieromantic.com )

General InquiriesAll questions, comments andetcetera can be sent to the fol-lowing address:

aontacht@druidicdawn.org

AdvertisingAt the moment we are notoffering ad space. However,this is subject to change.

Opinions and views expressedare not necessarily those of

the editors, publisher or staff.

Rev. Bishop Alistair Bate was raised and edu-cated in Ireland. Bishop Alistair graduated fromthe University of Edinburgh in 2002 and had ashort lay-ministry with the Unitarian Churchbefore committing himself to the IndependentSacramental Movement. Interested in Druidismsince childhood, he joined OBOD in 1999 andmore recently founded his own Christian Druid

group, The Trinity Grove.

Jason Kirkey is the author of The Salmon in theSpring: The Ecology of Celtic Spirituality, as well asseveral books of poetry. He currently lives in SanFrancisco where he runs Hiraeth Press andDinnseanchas, an organization dedicated to eco-logical wisdom. In May 2010, Jason will graduatefrom the California Institute of Integral Studieswith an MA in Philosophy and Religion.

Nigel Dailey (Astrocelt) resides in North Walesand has a variety of interests ranging from Ar-chaeology, Anthropology, Archaeoastronomy,Astrology, Druidry, History, Mythology andSmallholding. All has been gained while travel-ling through the journey human beings call "life."

Morrigan Sidhe (Morri) has been a practicingPagan since 1979 and adopted Irish Druidry in1983. Since that time, she has been a member ofseveral Druid Orders and is currently studyingthe Bardic Grade in OBOD. She has been a stu-dent of several Medicine People from variousNations and is a member of the Carrier Sekani Nadleh Whut'en FirstNation Caribou Clan. Morri's publications have included poems,short stories, and articles and she is also an accomplished playwrightand visual artist.

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v

You do not have to be amember of the DruidicDawn community to sub-

mit to the newsletter.

Please submit contribu-tions directly to the edito-

rial staff via email to:aontacht@druidicdawn.org

Refer to the last page ofthis issue for writer’s

guidelines and even moreinformation, before you

submit inquiries or contri-butions.

Below are our upcomingissues. Be sure to specifyto which you are submit-

ting.

The Celts loved and re-vered the Land; how dowe in modern times re-veal our love and rever-ence in practical ways?

The Celts understood theWild Earth as sovereign,as a goddess; what is sov-ereignty and how can weapply this to our everydaylife?

The Celts viewed theCosmos as an ensouled,relational universe; howdo we observe and relate

to the universe in a partic-ipatory way? .

Shaun William Hayes (Phagos) has been aware ofhis path since the age of 18 and has studied healingand the Western mystery traditions off and on mostof his life. His qualifications are in counselling andhypnotherapy and he has practised past life regres-

sion. For the past ten years he has been a member of OBOD and he isnow studying in the Druid grade. Phagos co-founded the SylvanGrove five years ago, and is one of four facilitators. They meet regu-larly in the New Forest near the historic village of Burley, UK.

R.M. Carr (Candlesprite) practices Irish Druidryand lives in Leicester, UK. He is an author, poet,visual artist, staff-maker and amateur photogra-pher. Under the working name of Candlesprite, hisphotography, poetry, short stories and articleshave been published in a variety of magazinesincluding Echoed Voices (where he was also an as-sistant editor) and Witchtower. He also co-wrotewith his partner the 4-part Diary of a Sacred Tree for Anna Franklin’sSilver Wheel magazine. He enjoys travelling to sacred sites aroundBritain and Ireland in his free time as well as long inspirational walksin the ancient woodlands of Charnwood Forest near his home.

Maya St. Clair (Cuardai) resides in Kuwait, is anIrish Polytheist, and a mechanical engineer witha love of history, mythology and culture. She iseditor of the Orán Mór, the official newsletter ofthe New Order of Druids. She also serves ontheir Council. Maya is an Irish Gaelic studentand regularly writes a wide variety of articles

and book reviews on Celtic and religious topics.

Contributors

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r

Jenn MacCormack (Eadha) divides her time betweencentral North Carolina, USA, and Gwynedd, NorthWales. She studies Psychology and Welsh Studies, andis proud to be a fluent Welsh speaker. Her major inter-ests are the Mabinogi, Archetypal Psychology, garden-ing, poetry, singing stories, the Welsh pibau cyrn

(bagpipes) and self-sufficiency. She is the current editor for Aontacht.

Arabella Melville The variegated strands of ArabellaMelville’s life range from organic smallholding to aca-demic research, predominantly into the effectiveness ofmedical interventions. She was a writer for three dec-ades, with a dozen published books on medicine andhealth. She co-founded The Eternal Forest Trust withColin Johnson in 2005.

Faye Boyd (Fae) has been interested in Nature andall things Celtic for many a year. She is a member ofOBOD, Druidic Dawn, Ord Brighideach Internation-al, Celtic Reiki Master, Hot Stone Therapist, GuidedMeditations and is a spoken word artist. Fae residesin Canada.

Andeg Myeengum is a student currently residing nearToronto, Canada. Drawn to pagan ideas as a solitarypractitioner for much of his life, he has recently startedhis walk along a Druid pathway, exploring many as-pects of nature and studying and comparing traditionsfrom the present day to those of history. He is interest-ed in a wide variety of subjects (especially mathemat-ics) and hopes to attend university in the fall to studyphysics and computing.

ContributorsProduction TeamPositions Available:

Co-Editor

A volunteer position as Co-Editor is available. The Co-Editor assists the Editor. Ex-amples tasks include workingclosely with all members ofthe Aontacht ProductionTeam, proof-reading, brain-storming and being responsi-ble for Feature Interviews.Do you have people skills, anethical and professional ap-proach, and an ability toadapt to different roles? Pre-vious editor experience wel-come but not required. Ifyou're interested in applyingor would like more details, please email:aontacht@druidicdawn.org

"Wild Earth"Feature Editor

As we have created a newmagazine feature, a volunteerposition as "Wild Earth"Feature Editor is now avail-able. Do you have the abilityto procure or write relevantmaterial on related Earth-based themes and subjects,process people skills, and anethical and professional ap-proach? Are you interested incontributing to the future ofDruidry, Celtic Spiritualityand the Earth Community inthe third millennium? We arelooking for diversity of expe-rience and will work with youto develop the "Wild Earth"feature into somethingunique. If you're interested inapplying or would like moredetails,please email:aontacht@druidicdawn.org

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Letter from the Aontacht Production Team

(John Muir)

John Muir, one of the earliest nature con-servationists in the US, had a good point.While most religions have sacred texts,Celtic Spirituality is rooted in somethingmore than theology and dead manu-scripts--but in a living, changing Earth andCosmos. For many on the Celtic path, it isto Nature we look for our greatest inspira-tion, wisdom and truth. The wild withinour blood woos us out into the world, tojoin in and lift up our voices as only eachof us can. Participation stands as a corner-stone for any earth-centric spirituality--ina holistic world, everything becomes sa-cred and even the smallest, most ordinaryact the greatest sacrament.

This issue of focuses on the"Spirits of the Land" and in turn toucheson topics such as place, sacred sites, home,being native, as well as practical ways toconnect with the spirits of the land. Wewould like to point out two submissionsto our readers--the first is a piece by Ara-bella Melville on Boduan Sanctuary Woodand the second is an excellent review byAndeg on the radio play,

. This issue in particular is full oftop-notch articles. As a Team, we aredelighted with the quality of submissionswe have received and thank everyonewho has contributed.

Volume 2 is now coming to a close. Overthe last year, has grown signifi-

cantly--an increase in submissions, greaterdiversity of opinions expressed,"magazine" status (as opposed to just a"newsletter"), and a new Editor to name afew of these changes. But we are notstopping there. In Volume 3, we aim tocontinue our standard of quality, punctu-ality and integrity. In our last issue, theProduction Team put forward a numberof suggestions to the community for pos-sible new features. This was followed byan on-site poll-- the most voted feature toappear in our next issue. " " wasthe community's choice-- a regular earthor eco-themed feature for each issue.Readers can expect a variety of topicssuch as permaculture, green living, eco-activism, eco-psychology, wilderness re-treats, wild law, or anything else of rele-vance to our planet and themore-than-human world. This feature isaimed at rooting the magazine in the liv-ing Earth community.

Where-ever you are, whether Spring orAutumn is deepening in your corner ofthe world, we hope this issue inspiresyour path to fuller meaning and joy. Andof course--don't forget to have fun whileyou're at it!

On behalf of the ProductionTeam, blessings of the land,

Jenn

by Jenn MacCormack

From the Desk ...

bendithion y ddaer!

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rDruidic Dawn has been conducting a series of interviewswhich we recommend you check up on when you can,and to help you get there, we've added an additionalmenu item.  More and more personal interviews areplanned and they will be added after each Solstice & Equi-nox publication of the Aontacht magazine.

The new Fraternal Druid Archive is expected to be on-line in the 2nd Solar Quarter, which will be an excellentresource for looking at the history of druidic orders, andcomes with its own sophisticated search engine.

The on-going discussion about Druidic Values has hadhuge participation, and many members are contributingtheir opinions and ideas, and we would welcome inputfrom you (http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1791). Druidic Dawn is going to draw-up a review of the discus-sion to-date, picking up on common themes and ideasexpressed just in the discussion, and we shall be lookingto publish the first draft shortly.  Druidic Values is anevolving organic topic, and thus at least once every yearthe publication will be updated, and it will be interestingto see over time how the world wide Druid communitygrows and changes.

Druidic Dawn has been kindly invited to present at theOBOD Assembly in Australia (April 2010), which wewere delighted to accept.  A member of the ManagementTeam will be explaining the values, concepts and benefitsof Druidic Dawn CIC. Details of this OBOD event can befound within this edition of the magazine.

Continuing on our international theme, on the other sideof the globe in Canada, Druidic Dawn has made initialenquiries to organising team who have agreed to arrangethe next Celtic Gathering, which will be held in 2011. Lastyears event was a huge success, the venue was fantastic,

the workshops inspirational, and locals very welcomingand helpful.  Druidic Dawn wants to make the event in2011 just as successful, and if you're in a position to assistthe Canadian Team, please send an email tocelticgatherings@druidicdawn.org. Dates and venues arestill being arranged, and will be published once everythingis confirmed, so get ready for planning your holidays fornext year!

The Aontacht Magazine has almost been a victim of itsown success;  We never anticipated the readership wenow have, and this is all due to a team of talented individ-uals who are willing to devote a large part of their busyschedule to creating a wonderful publication.  If you wantto join the production team, there is a position of co-edi-tor open.  If you're interested in applying please emailyour details aontacht@druidicdawn.org for more informa-tion.

Druidic Dawn continues to work on various excitingprojects, which are to be announced in due course. Like-wise the development team have also been busy withtheir concoctions, creating new software and featureswhich are currently being poked by a stick in ReleaseCandidate mode, and if behaving as expected will be al-lowed out into the Beta Pen for wider use, before beingreleased upon the Druidic Dawn Community.

Druidic Dawn would like to thank all its members for itscontinued growth and success; 2010 is becoming anotheryear of inspiration and cooperation throughout the worldwide community of Druids.

Keeping Up with the Project Team

Welcome to Spring & Autumn of 2010, a lot has been happening at Druidic Dawn, and we like to keep our readersupdated on what's going on.

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The DD Q&A:

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tI think myself fortunate to be raised an Angli-

can in the south of Ireland. There are many worse

religions to be and from a young age I appreciated the

religious heritage I was born to. However as a young

teenager I did have a spiritual awakening and was a

fully paid up evangelical for a few years. As my father

was a Spiritualist I also felt the influence of the esoter-

ic and para-normal from an early age. My dad, for

example, went to hear The Hon. Olivia Robertson on

one occasion at the Theosophical Society in Dublin

and my parents were quite indulgent when I bought

my first Tarot pack at the age of twelve. Druidism was

always there too, from visits to neolithic tombs in the

local area, to books on the Druids in the school library.

In fact there hardly seems a time when I was not

aware of the druids or found them attractive in some

way. Apart from my few years as a mis-guided evan-

gelical I never felt that my interest in druids or the

esoteric/magical was incompatible with my Christi-

anity. Today I understand all the strands of Western

spirituality as component parts or strands in the wider

Western Mystery Tradition.

Both the liturgical year of traditional Christi-

anity – and by traditional I mean Catholic/Othodox/

Anglican/Gnostic - and the Neo-Pagan “Wheel of the

Year” both follow the journey of the sun and the

seasons and both traditions are liturgical or ritualistic.

Both traditions, at their best, practice ritual as poetry

in motion, almost an art form as well as a means of

devotion. Both traditional Christianity and Neo-Dru-

idry facilitate the spiritual development of the indi-

vidual by means of meditation and

magickal/sacramental ritual and of course there is a

common ethic in “do what you will and harm none”.

Raised and educated in Ireland, Bishop Alistair has variously been an Anglican BenedictineNovice, an administrator in the HIV/AIDS charitable sector and a Shaker Brother in the United Statesfor a while. After graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2002 he had a short lay-ministry withthe Unitarian Church before committing himself to the Independent Sacramental Movement. Ordainedas a priest in 2005, he was instrumental in founding the Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship andafter his consecration to the episcopate he co founded the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church withBishops John Kersey and Andrew Linley and presently serves as a Bishop in that Church. Interested inDruidism since childhood, he joined the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1999 and more recentlyfounded his own Christian Druid group, The Trinity Grove. He formed the Companions of the Crossand Passion, a monastic congregation in the Passionist tradition in 2007 and is also a keen Freemason,Knight Templar and Rosicrucian.

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For me there is not much difference. I value

both strands equally. Whilst Celtic Christianity, in the

main, is focused on the lives of the Celtic Saints and

those forms of devotion which have survived from

the pre-reformation Celtic churches, Christian Druid-

ism brings in another strand – the resurrected bardic

system promulgated by Iolo Morganwg and the neo-

Druidic orders of both cultural and fraternal Druid-

ism. So one could say that Celtic Christianity is more

Catholic, whilst Christian Druidism is more Protes-

tant, at least culturally.

Day to day, I celebrate the festivals of the

Church’s year and largely follow the Roman calendar,

though I often pay particular attention to favourite

Celtic saints. I also celebrate the cross quarter festi-

vals, solstices and equinoxes, sometimes privately,

often communally.

The great Dion Fortune used to talk about

working with three magical rays; The Hermetic Ray

of Knowledge, the Green Ray of Nature and the

Devotional Ray and in a recent article on “Dion For-

tune and the Plantary being” Wendy Berg writes on

these rays, “we do have to combine all three, in equal

measure, if our magic is going to fully explore, and

encompass and express all that we may be…”. This

says it better than I could ever hope to and when I

read these few words recently I understood why I had

been striving for so long to integrate Druidism, esoter-

ic Christianity and my Masonic and Rosicrucian work.

These three strands of the Western Mystery tradition

belong together and feeding as they do different hu-

man needs, working all three has potential to lead the

seeker to true wisdom as well as service to others.

It might also be said that my kind of Druidry, al-

though traditional, is also very rooted in the practice

of shamanic techniques so I find that the Green Ray

helps to keep me grounded and helps to maintain my

relationship with middle earth and the under world

whilst the other rays have a tendency towards mysti-

cal ascent.

A little perhaps.

I guess I quite like certain aspects of Hinduism and

Shinto and I can see the attraction in Sufism and

Buddhism but they are not for me. Generally I would

feel most at home with the various shamanic systems

throughout the world.

I think it’s about time it happened and there

are some encouraging signs. My friend the Revd Mark

Townsend, for example, has done wonders with his

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recent book “Path of the Blue Raven” in bringing

different Celtic and Druidic voices together. I am

intolerant of bad scholarship and particularly dismiss-

ive of so called hereditary Druids but I am all for

dialogue with well informed people of whatever tra-

dition.

Last year I offered a six day introductory

training in Druidry over six months, one Sunday each

month. Included in this were three Druidic initiations

and two Celtic Reiki attunements. The course was

not overtly Christian or Pagan and probably if any-

thing was more a mix of fraternal/cultural Druidry

with Celtic shamanism, ritual and magic. Anyhow it

was affordable for students, reasonably well attended

and great fun to lead, so I think I shall offer it again

this year. I also offer open public Druidic rituals to

celebrate the solstices and equinoxes and/or the cross

quarter festivals and normally these take place in or

around Edinburgh, sometimes outdoors but often at

the Theosophical Society in the colder weather.

I would like to see friendships forged be-

tween fraternal, cultural, esoteric and neo-pagan Dru-

ids. Even over the last few years the boundaries have

become a bit blurred, which is a good thing. Granted

there are far more pagan druids now than any other

sort – all of whom would be Christian to some degree,

but I can only think that dialogue would be mutually

enriching. If I were living in England or Wales I would

participate enthusiastically in such dialogue. Sadly

however neither the Gorsedd of Bards of the Isle of

Britain, the Ancient Druid Order nor the Ancient

Order of Druids are represented north of the border.

There are of course groups of Christian Druids pop-

ping up in other parts of the world, most notably in

the USA, so I expect we will see more Christian

Druid individuals but possibly less membership of the

older (Christian) Druid Orders.

A lot of ism’s really! Here’s a short list:

Anglicanism, Catholicism, Druidism, Monasticism,

Spiritualism, Shamanism and Esotericism.

What a difficult question!

(1) “The Druids” by Prof. Ronald Hutton – an indis-

pensable starting point for anyone who would seek to

understand modern Druidry.

(2) “Magical Christianity: the power of symbols for

spiritual renewal” by Coleston Brown – a very good

introduction to esoteric Christianity.

(3) “Honest to Goddess: Russia, Sophia and the Celtic

Soul” by Revd Geraint ap Iorwerth (so you think

Christianity is “patriarchal”. Think again!)

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(4) “Where Three Streams Meet” by Fr Sean O’Duinn

OSB – bring the three streams of the Neolithic, Dru-

idic and Celtic Christian together in a scholarly work

on Celtic Spirituality.

(5)”The Druid Magic Handbook: Ritual Magic rooted

in the Living Earth” by John Michael Greer – I love

what John has done to adapt the high magical style of

working to the Druid context.

 I love to cook, eat out and travel, particularly

in France, but generally I am quite focused on spiritual

things which I enjoy immensely.

Who am I to give advice! The advice is there

for all of us, in the book of nature and the inspired

writings of many religious traditions. Pray and be open!

http://www.revalistairbate.com/index.php

http://www.geocities.com/b.bishopalistair/Christian_Druid_Order.html

Volume 2, Issue 4

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tArticle and Poem by Jason Kirkey

The RiverwayThe Ecology of Home

Wherever I go I can’t help but feel that I am a NewEnglander. The four seasons which mark New Eng-land life so sharply have dug themselves deep into me.New England: the term feels appropriate, conjuresimages in my mind of autumn leaves and the smell ofa damp summer forest humming with the life of birdsand rain. Despite this, it would be more accurate tolocated myself by the name of my watershed. NewEngland has a long cultural history (as long as they getwhen it comes to the history of colonization in NorthAmerica) but it is the natural history for which I feelmy deepest allegiance. When I locate myself by mywatershed I do so hesitantly, unsure if I have locatedit correctly.

The Massachusetts town in which I spent nearly all ofmy first eighteen years growing up is called Danvers.Before I left I was filled of dreams of wandering.Disillusioned with the education system I felt asthough the traditional means of leaving home—goingto college—was unavailable to me. My remedy forthis was to plan a thru-hike of the Appalachian Traildespite having no backpacking or true wildernessexperience. It was a dream that kept me going until,by chance, I discovered Naropa University at the footof the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. I trad-ed the sea-spray of the blue Atlantic for the red rocksand jutting silhouettes of the Flat Iron, foothills of theRockies.

Since leaving home I have been something of a no-mad. Four years with the Rockies; a short but influen-tial semester on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland; andmost recently, my first foray into big city living: SanFrancisco. All are places, most of which I have come

to know well in their landscapes, their flora and fauna,the stories that they hold. Danvers has eluded me.

In my desire to escape the confines of a small town—which was really an attempt to escape the confines ofa too-small identity—I withdrew myself. It didn’t feellike home, even if it was where my family and manyof my friends lived. Even if, when I close my eyes andpeer into my mind, it is whose rich forests and grey-blue oceans I see. For a long time I felt slightly out ofplace on the side of the mountains in Colorado. It wastoo dry. The color palette was all wrong, especially inautumn. The grasses were sharp and yellow, the rockswere red, and in winter the sky was oddly clear andblue.

But I learned to appreciate the place for what it was,like an estranged lover falling for someone before thetaste of the last affair was washed from the mouth. Ilearned to see again in Colorado. There were newsubtleties of light on the hills, sunsets painted theclouds in such a way that could leave New Englandautumn blushing, and a whole new host of plants andcritters to get to know. Over time I learned to seethese more clearly and felt participatory in the mindof the place.

Wherever I go that place is now a part of me. Now itis not just New England forests and oceans in which Ithink, and which think in me, but the wide expanseof the prairie, the sharp upward gaze of the moun-tains, and the douglas fir. If Colorado sunk so deepinto my bones, how deep is New England? How deepin me are the woods in Danvers where I used to go asa teenager in order to feel my connection to nature?How deep is its history in me?

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Is it merely colonially deep in me or does it reach asfar down as the Holocenic layers of my psyche? Or isit deeper still? Do I need more than just an archaeolo-gy of consciousness to reach its depths or might I needthe more penetrating vision of geology? Born from it,the bones of the Earth are my bones—so too must bethe bones of the place which nursed me into being.I’m not so interested in finding my place through themore prosaic and done-to-death history of the townof Danvers (which is still scarred by the tragedy of theWitch Hysteria that happened here when it was stillcalled Salem Village). Danvers, after all, getting rightdown to it, isn’t real. Its boundaries are imagined; theycould be shifted with the stroke of a pen. Because I aminterested in what is real I am interested in “the Place,”of which Danvers is merely the eroded topsoil ofindustry. Underneath and around, still pulsing, how-ever sublimated into the unconscious of suburbanpatterns, is the ecosystem. It composts into a richersoil that, without looking for it, can still be caught inglimpses when autumn comes and shakes the fieryleaves from the branches of trees; when wrens nest ingutters and fight off that trickster, the blue jay; whenthe summer thunderstorms come to remind us thatwe aren’t in control.

We are emergent from the universe and from theEarth. To not know the story of this place—the placeto which I am native—is to be alienated from thestory of the universe and from those strata of psycheat which my body-mind is the clay of this Earth. Tonot know the story of my roots in place is, in somesense, to be divorced from myself.

Four and a half billion years ago the Earth was formedfrom the debris left over by the explosion of the star

which preceded the Sun. The Earth and all its life arethe direct descendents of this star which scattered itselements throughout our solar system in a massivesupernova. The Earth cooled over time from its mag-ma state, allowing the rocks to cool into continents,and in the warmth of the primordial seas appeared thefirst cells of life. It remains a beautiful mystery howthey got there.

Some of this new life, forced to adapt by changingenvironmental pressures, developed the ability toabsorb life from the sun. These would eventuallybegin to cling to the stony continents and evolve intoplants, covering the barren ground with grasses andtrees. The life which stayed in the ocean groupedtogether to form multicellular beings, some of whichchose to stay in the ocean, others following the plantsonto the land to become mammals, reptiles, and birds.

The continents too were ever changing and shifting,drifting and floating and colliding on their tectonicplates. Mountain chains were formed in the placesthey smashed and grinded together or where theydrifted apart enough to expel the great force of themagma far below Earth’s surface. These continentscycle around, coming together periodically to formsupercontinents such as Pangaea. It was in this latestformation of Pangaea that much of the New Englandgeology was formed. Africa and Europe collidedaround the south and northeastern area of NorthAmerica, the force of them pushing up the Appala-chian Mountains. It was this coming together andtheir subsequent drifting apart that forms the signifi-cant geological landmarks of New England.

This happened at a time before New England wasNew England—the name given to it by John Smith,famous for his affair with the native girl Pocahontas.It is more accurate to call this area the North AtlanticCoastal watershed. The watershed was shaped pri-marily by glacial forces, which first carved and shapedthe land and then receded at the end of the last IceAge and deposited silt and glacial till to form a sandyand rocky soil. The glaciers formed the majorwatercourse—the Porter, Crane, and Waters Rivers—which feed into the Danvers River before draininginto the Atlantic Ocean. The three tidal rivers mergeinto the Danvers like the prongs of a fork, an aesthet-ically pleasing pattern. Having a poet’s eye means thatI am inclined to read this landscape as a living meta-phor of the Dao; the Great Ocean running through

Photo: Lightning Riverby Bill Liao

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 15

water, dividing itself up, creating the ten thousandthings. This is the basic structure of the local water-shed, a subsystem itself of the Salem Sound whichcovers the surrounding towns within the larger NorthAtlantic Coastal watershed.

The bare sound of the Riverwaythrough the water-mind, curvesriparian—rushes and willow shoots;aquatic thoughts—terrestrial articulations;so like the terrain of which I live breatheeat imagine love; my water-thoughtsconducive to blackberries and the powerful wingsof red-bellied birds who eat them.

Where the water goes I will go:out to the broad-back seaor into the soil and sunlit air,pouring down in torrents on trees,sinking soft into branches and leaves,trickling pattering rushing drizzling,all the world aglow in its radiant sheen—then returning for a time to the Riverway.

As the water goes, so the world goes.The fluid mind, too, carves contoursof landscape-stories and poem-places.The stream is barely a whisper now,listen.When the water goes, then the world goesand spills out the drying mind.

When the water goes, we too will go.But the Riverway remains.

The watershed is the organizing principle of the lifecommunity. Every drop of rain that falls and seepsinto the land is drained into the watershed and trav-els, eventually, to the sea. It takes about two millionyears for a single drop of water to make the completecircle from rainfall to groundwater, to river, to ocean,to cloud, and back to rain again. All the water, everysingle molecule, makes this journey. This is why thecare of our water is synonymous with the care of thelocal Earth community. What we do upstream iscarried down the waterways; feeds the trees andplants, fills the springs and vernal pools, nourishes theanimals—including humans. The watershed defines

the community of life which grows up around it andmarks the territory of the region. It is the postal codefor citizens of the Earth.

Each watershed has its own Way, peculiar to itsidiosyncrasies and distinct to its personality. It tells itsown story, always, to no one in particular. To followthe Way of the watershed is to the follow the Dao.The watershed is freely manifesting in accordancewith its deep principles which naturally follow thecourse of the Dao—“the flow, drift, or the process ofnature,” as Alan Watts describes it. The Dao is theprinciple pattern or energy which things naturallyfollow. Trying to follow the Dao is useless. By intend-ing to accord with it you immediately deviate, says aCh’an text. Following the Way of the watershed,however, puts us directly in its flow.

The watershed is shared and inhabited by a multitudeof beings. Before the coming of the Europeans theentire Eastern area of North America was covered inrich old growth forest and an astounding amount ofbiodiversity. Of the trees I know well are the blackoak, red and other assorted maples, the pignut hicko-ry, white pine which can be identified by the thinmark of silver on the underside of its needles, birchand paper birch, and the ash and mountain ash (orrowan). I have seen gray squirrels, coyotes, whitetailed deer, raccoons, chipmunks, skunks, red foxes,house wrens, blue jays, cardinals, hairy woodpeckers,wild turkeys, American goldfinches, cardinals, spar-rows, red tailed hawks, and the ever present crows.These are the neighbors to the human communitywho dwell invisibly among us.

Photo: Falls of Clyde by Michael Drummond

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When the Europeans came they displaced the nativeWampanoag people who made this watershed theirhome. Since then, and at the risk of turning thecomplexity of the incoming Europeans into a carica-ture of villainy, the health of the region—indeed theentire continent—has been in steep decline. Theforests of the watershed have all but disappeared,their diversity of life lessened. They remain now in afew patches scattered throughout the town of Dan-vers which is now all but paved over and covered insuburban and commercial development. As if testa-ment to the resiliency of life, the native non-humancommunity carries on, humming unseen with vitalitydespite being forced to the remaining open space“reservations”—not unlike the fate of the indigenouspeople of the country.

I too have been forced into these too few wild places.It is in the wild—where the ecosystem functions in itsintegral and complex unity of creative intelligence—that the soul takes its roots, deriving its nutrients fromthe rich humus of decaying leaves. Instinctually driventoward the discovery of soul I became a frequentvisitor in my adolescent years to a place I simplycalled “the woods,” known officially as Rocky HillCircle Open Space.

I have returned here nearly every time I visit home.The first time I visited was in the thick of a blizzardwhich whitened out the town and closed the schools.Such a remarkable thing, the forest covered in a footof snow, its contours erased, its paths indistinguish-able from the low bracken which lay hidden. Walkingcould be nothing other than a meditation on cold andthe careful falling of feet. The trees seemed sleeping

but waiting and I imagined one—whose size andshape defined it as something special, as though anelder of the community—stirred wakefully beneathmy ungloved hand. I knew then that I belonged to thisforest and to this tree. I live in sublimated anxiety thatthe unprotected portion of the forest in which itgrows will one day, upon my return, be turned tomore suburban housing developments. To lose itwould be to lose a piece of my soul.

I had, at the time, no articulation of these thoughtsyet, and didn’t return until it was summer and walkinginto the shade of the canopy was like walking into ahidden world. The vibrancy of the color struck me,the curve of the land underfoot, and the low cliffswhich looked out to a sea of ferns, perpetually cup-ping its ears in listening to the croaking bullfrogs inthe pond down the hill’s back slope. At the edge ofthe cliffs people had thrown bikes to the bottom, apractice, I was told by a man I met walking there oneday, which had gone on for decades. Despite the litter,I knew then what was unspoken in me last winter.This was my home.

I came in all weather, sometimes loving the sound ofrain on the leaves and not caring how soaked I mightget. Often friends would come with me, some seem-ing to want to recover that playful sense of youth andfight with sticks or wrestle. Other friends were moresympathetic to my need for silence and we filled oursenses together with the artistry of the Earth. Othertimes I came alone, walking the two miles from homejust to spend an afternoon sitting under a tree, walkingon a kind of ground more contemplative and rhyth-mic than a sidewalk. The change of seasons herebecame apparent. I watched the changing colors ofthe leaves in autumn and the slow push of greenshoots in the spring—such intelligence to know whenthey are needed!

Even when it was bare of leaves in late fall or winterthe woods charmed me and refreshed me. I tried toreturn the gesture by caring for it as I could. I pickedup trash, tried feebly to restore the damage done byATVs and bikes, and one day spent an afternoonchasing off teenagers who were trying to light a fire. Iwas aghast one day, coming from school, to find largeswathes of the forest charred and smoking, tree trunksturned black with soot, and the ground still warmfrom the fire. I still don’t know what caused it, but

Photo: Lynches River by Wesley Tyler

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suspect it was done by the kids who come there toparty and drink.

Although I have traveled on, found at least two orthree places where I have tried my best to live withintheir participatory rhythms, this watershed and thesewoods are undoubtedly my bedrock. There beneathall the strata of Colorado mountains, the Irish hills andlakes, and the chaparral and azure blue Pacific oceanof the San Francisco Bay—this place lingers on belowthe falling leaves of my heart and mind where itcomposts away, decaying and sprouting, continuallyawakening in me. And then there isn’t a forest or a

riverway to return to because the place breathes on inme.

If I close my eyes I can nearly feel it there now. Thetrees still standing there in silent meditation, witnesswith the stones to the life of birds and deer. All ofthem living and dying together, blessed by the rainwhich chatters on the surface of the pond and disturbsits reflective surface. It all goes on, telling its ownstory, in its own language, to anyone who will listen,hoping perhaps that some passing soul might come itsway and tell the forest a story for a change.

The OZ OBOD Assembly 201023rd - 26th April

Australia

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To be able to get to know the spirits of the land inAustralia when living in the northern hemispheretakes time and patience. In itself a large continent yetI have come to know a fraction over the years duringshort spurts; undertaken mostly while visiting thefamily who have resided there for a considerable time.Of course visiting and returning within a family unitfrom a long period of absence creates its own difficul-ties, as psychologically one slips back into the familystructure. Associated siblings appear strangers yetfamiliar. It is against such a background which becamethe starting point.

The first visit although not the first, to the SouthernHemisphere, leaving commitments and formalitiesbehind. It becomes only natural being enticed to thewonders this land holds, I’m keen to get to knowanother kind. Yet one is limited and up to a pointrestricted on short trips such this and indeed theothers as into the city of Melbourne to view the floraland fauna held within the botanical gardens. Even

those to the galleries to marvel at the Aboriginalartwork; to view the captured spirit expressed ab-stractly on canvas. Or even the first visit to WilliamRickets Sanctuary in the Dandelions ranges, as hehimself in the waning of his years worked with agilepurpose on what became his final sculpture andperhaps master piece. My thoughts were far removedfrom the nearby confectionary store which sold deli-cate mouth watering items, which took one of thechaperons interest to wander down memory lane andback to the northern hemisphere.

Nonetheless the visit to this lovely spot enabled meto concentrate the senses, that became naturallyswitched on, to the visual delights, unfamiliar smellsand sounds held in a magic, yet protected bubble,which I didn’t want to burst, even when the nearbytraffic became a distant blur of sound penetrating thewalls from the outside. Re-heating of the land as aspring tropical mist visually shows itself, warming andcaressing the bones, thoughts of autumn in anotherplace and time becomes eradicated.  As I approachedthe pivotal part of this circular round, a small enclo-sure space called, a natural hallow within a raisedbank. William Rickets had blended this area creatinga bridge between the worlds. One enters as emotionsrise as connections are made to unseen rhythms fromoutside ones body normal perceptions, taking one intoa temporary ecstatic state, which is beyond all logicand reason.  Is one starting to connect to the land?

Later on I’m taken from the clutches of the city, to beshown a very small area of the countryside of thesouth eastern proportion of Australia. This entailedtravelling towards and up the coast into New SouthWales on the , stopping and stayingat preselected points. One recalled vividly the viewoverlooking Disaster Bay, a deserted golden beach ofsand surrounded by natural woodland, before movingonto Merimbula. The sight of pelican in the wild,while staying overnight there was a delight to behold,which still lingers in the memory. As do the gentlerolling hills which reminded one of south west Walesin the Northern Hemisphere.  Heading towards the

Article by Nigel Dailey (Astrocelt)

Australia: Spirits of Place

A Journey With PhotographsPreviously Published in “Serpent Star”

Ricketts

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snowy mountains the following day through theWadballiga National Park, was a wonder to behold asthe days heat rose in early spring.

The eucalyptuses trees released their scent into a bluecloud of haze which hung mysteriously above theforest. Once again the emotional senses rose to spiritme off into another world. The white clad snowymountains in the distance and Mount Kosciuskocalled. Quite a contrast in temperature and flora andfauna experienced from the coast in spring to theheights of the mountain, the temperature fallbetween then, combined  with the six foot snowdrifts still in evident by the roadside. Indeed playingin the snow within less than 48 hrs of the senseshaving been caressed by the heat and view of DisasterBay is quite incredible.

The latter climax was being whizzed off on a smallerdrive south west of the city of Melbourne and out toHanging Rock. It was quite an experience, volcanicrock rose up from the flat plain surrounded byeucalyptus trees each one held within their ownspace, while not encroaching on each other. Theclimb towards the summit was pleasant enough, apartfrom this small party being alone here, it held its ownspecial silence. Yet, I was very ill prepared for thewonders my senses was about to witness once theupper heights had been reached.

An area of beauty and magnitude, regardless of theviews across the plain to the distant horizon in anydirection one cared to look. Weathered stone inter-mingled with pathways between exposed volcanicrocks released from the earth millions of years agoforms this magnificent edifice. Natural elements andthe passage of time have released its secrets to human-ity to wonder at, and experience.  Jagged roundedpinnacles of stone have exposed their inner secrets ofsacred space. Weathered pinnacles of stone have

revealed its inner secrets of the bubble once trappedinside. Smooth internal surfaces masterfully designed,beautiful stone interiors shaped by the air trappedwithin its once molten form.

Some are large enough for the adventurous to climbinto, if one wish to step or be seated to travel back intime.  Unlike the watery bubble of emotions with itstransparent thin veil, one can be held within anotherkind of bubble with its solid walls of stone. Indeed itacts as a natural kind of sense deprivation tool unlikeany specifically designed machine today; it becomesan experience as timeless as the earth itself, from ahuman experience perspective. Even though I hadthoughts of experiencing the night there this wasunfortunately impossible at the time.

We did not have a picnic at the summit as no onedisappeared. This was saved until we returned to thebeginning of the climb, only to be mocked by a pairof cockatoos from a branch within a nearby tree.Although another form of Hanging Rock wasobserved on the return journey, Aussie humour Iguess, but this brought a few more different bubblinggiggles to the surface too.

The intervening passing years as other members of thefamily visited on a much longer timescale then mine.I had always been thoughtful about a picture of theRed Centre which took pride and place within amembers living room.  Although one had returned inthe interim, but not travelled as widely as previously,circumstances didn’t allow this on the occasion, apartfrom the normal tourist haunts, like Philip Island, toview the penguins there in there barrows on theCliffside. I was certainly impressed by theconservation measures which had been taken here toprotect the natural habitat here and elsewhere we had

Hanging Rock

Snowy

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visited. Plus a return trip to William Ricketssanctuary, this had now taken on a different personawith the passing of its founder. Yet the sculptures hadmellowed and become an integral part merging morefully and blending into their surroundings. However,the curiosity which I had developed surrounding thepicture remained unsatisfied.

Unsatisfied that is until the last venture to theSouthern Hemisphere it too is joined in my personalopinion about getting to know the “Spirit of Place”more intimately.  Unlike stories one had heard ofprevious exploration undertaken in ‘Carla theCortina,’ into the outback, ours was undertaken insome style using a 4WD. Perhaps too in what couldappear to be with very little organisation which wassubject to change in less than 24 hrs notice. There wasa set plan laid out, but this soon went by the wayside.It started off very well, with an early start, but withina few hours we realised some fundamental flaws hadcrept in.  We soon realised the maps and later thefood purchased for this little trip had been left be-hind, in an adventurous spirit we did not turn back toretrieve them. Ahead of us was forty eight hours ofconstant driving between three people. This wouldtake us along the stopping of at theApostles, to view the remaining limestone stacks.Continuing through Adelaide in the early hours, aright turn north towards Port Douglas, through theFlinders Ranges towards the Onondaga track. As weprogressed the signs of civilisation became sparser,less travellers, and the countryside slowly changes tolow scrubland.

The second stop was to view the cave paintings atYourambulla in the Flinders Ranges, to actually expe-rience the story they might have portrayed is perhaps

much more difficult. However this was made up bythe peace, silence and tranquillity the place and itssurrounding area held. Within our modern world itsnot often one can remove oneself from manmadenoise and place oneself in one where it is absent apartfrom the natural sounds associated with a place. In-deed sleep deprivation up to a point also heightensthe human senses to other neurological possibilities.Irrespectively we make our way up the steady climbhaving been accompanied by three kangaroo whichfinally sought out the shade as the days heat increased.The age and purpose of the paintings/rock Art is not

known, it’s been suggested these relate to the Dream-time or ceremonies which may have been associatedwith the site. The cave is in sight of two peaks in theeast which represented two ancestral companionswho camped here during the Dreamtime. The storydeals with the introduction of the Adnyamathanhakingship system, together with the matriarchal line ofdecent from either Arraru or Mathar. Similar to theCeltic Myths the landscape reflect stories in specificareas together with a worldview on how a landscapecan be interpreted, all have their own beauty, magicand special personal feelings associated.

The travels continued through Lyndhurst, population30 on most days, and onto Marree where we joinedthe Oodnadatta tack through the Pedirka Desert. Thattime we followed the old Ghan railway route fromAdelaide part of the way. We were amused someonehad taken the time to reuse the railway sleepers on araised embankment spelling out an anonymous mes-sage to passers by “Are we there yet?” Further on,skirting pass the largest and lowest inland lake, beingEyre, reflecting white in the sunlight through thehaze, having transferred into a huge expanse of salt.Passing William Creek, a local human watering holeLake Eyre

Dingo

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for travellers on the track, where civilisation impingeson the senses with all sorts of messages on a verity ofwriting material to amuse those who have time to stayand stare.  The landscapes changes from the sandywhite appearance into soil of more reddish complex-ion as we begin to enter the red centre. A day beforepassing this way, it had rained, and pools of watertemporarily laid on the track, although the desert wasnot out in bloom yet. However the pools hid dangers,which we were to find out soon enough, with our firstblow out on the rear tyre, as sunset approached.

Again not being perturbed by the situation, the redlandscape intermingled with the stunted bush in thefailing light, held in pure silence apart from ourselves;the beauty took on an indescribable sense of magicand uniqueness. Something which is very hard todescribe but can only be felt individually, as I beganto realise the importance and the memory which thepicture of the Red Centre held many miles away.

This was the start of a journey of a lifetime for mewhich brought me closer to getting to know the“Spirit of Place” not only in the Pedirka Desert, but

also at Uluru, Tnorra or Gosse Bluff, along the Marleetrack through a different landscape whether it indige-nous inhabitants living there reflected a special rela-tionship via a managed landscape which oozed withsomething I have never felt before or since in mytravels since.  Additionally the wonder of the sixteenfoot termite mounds being caught in-between thesunset on one horizon on one side and the encroachingdarkness of the night on the other. Together with themagic of a “tea stop” in the middle of Diamntina dirtroad, in Queensland, to view the three hundred andsixty degree night sky, within an uninterrupted hori-zon in total darkness. As Orion appears to become asauce pan from this southern point of view, yet thetwo Magellanic Clouds and the Southern Cross, wassuperb and indescribable to view!

All was a beautiful experience in learning how to feelthe “Spirit of place”. The memory and feelings are stillclear; the same can be applied to a later gathering onthe beach outside Melbourne afterwards with thisnamed Grove too.  We will have to do that againsometime real soon!

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“Spirits of the Land” connotes different things todifferent people. For some, it is specifically a referenceto those non-corporeal beings that inhabit specificplaces and act as guardians or personifications of theplace. For others especially animists, it refers to thespirits that inhabit the inanimate aspects of the naturalworld, things like rocks, rivers and mountains. I defineSpirits of the Land a little differently -- for me, Spiritsof the Land are all those who exist in this world, in therealm of Land. These can include Otherworldly be-ings who spend time here, it includes the naturallandscape of rock, water and plants, it includes ani-mals and, ultimately, it includes people also. Every-thing that is created by Nature here is a Spirit of theLand. This is the basis of my unverified personal gnosis(UPG).

Many of our Ancestors are affiliated with certainplaces, such as Boann and the River Boyne, and itwould seem reasonable to suggest that the easiest wayto connect with those Ancestors is to visit theseplaces. I have never felt unable to connect to myAncestors because of my inability to visit such places,but I have no definitive answer regarding why thatmay be. One possibility is that my focus has alwaysbeen around the myths of the Sovereignty Goddesses.One of the most famous of these tales is that of MedbLeathdearg and the sacred marriage she demands forany man who would be King of Tara. Other talesinclude Niall Noigallach who makes love to Flaithiusto assume his kingship and Lugaid Laigde who mustdo the same with an unidentified sorceress to becomeking of Ireland. What these stories all have in commonis an emphasis on an intimate relationship betweenthe King and the Sovereignty Goddess. The lesson forme in these tales is the need for people to not onlydevelop a relationship with the land, but for them todevelop an relationship -- a relationship thatreflects love, nurturing acceptance and commitment.Many modern Druids approach the concept of sacredspace and sacred places using the concepts of and

.. Brí is the inherent power that exists in an entity

or place (its nature) and bua is the power that isabsorbed by an entity or place (what is nurtured). Ido not distinguish between entities and places in myanimist view - they are all spirit therefore they are allentities. Everything that exists has its brí and its bua.Recognizing the brí in things is one of the foundationsof magical practice. Those who use magic in spellwork or ritual choose certain things to include in theirworkings - like crystals, herbs and symbols - based ontheir inherent properties, their bríonna. Those whodo things such as charging or cleansing ritual objectsare infusing that thing with new energy and power,they are building the bua in the object. Druids whohave chosen to learn about trees, for example, arelearning about their brí. This is an essential part of aDruid’s education. What we do not seem to speakabout very often is creating or maintaining the bua ofthe Land.

People who have seen me at conferences or campswill know that during any break I will go outside. Iwill lie down on the grass or even in the snow, I willhug trees and I will talk to birds, bugs or animals aswell as people. What I have noticed is that while asmall group may gather around me, most will stillchoose to sit, stand or kneel. The majority of the restof the group will congregate in the designated seatssuch as chairs or logs. This is normal. This is what weare socialized to do. We are socialized to do this tosuch a degree that people will judge you harshly forsitting on the floor or on the ground. I once had a clerkwho expressed that she could not respect me as a bossbecause I had sat on the floor to speak to her when Iintroduced myself to her on her first day. She dideventually overcome this, but I found it very interest-ing that her first reaction was to consider me unwor-thy of respect. I can only imagine how much worse itwould have been she had witnessed me lying down onthe ground at lunch!

I routinely lie down on the ground to interact with theland and its inhabitants. I routinely hug, caress, and

Article by Morrigan “Morri” Sidhe

Nature and NurtureThe Art of Creating Bua

Volume 2, Issue 4

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kiss trees, plants, rocks and even the water in riversand lakes. I spend time with these things in a veryphysical way and I treat them as I would a lover or afriend. I do this because I want an intimate relation-ship with them. When I do these things I focus on thebrí that exists within them and I deliberately infusethem with the energy of love, respect, gratitude,acceptance and caring. I consciously work on buildingthe bua that they need. I am giving them more power,just as I take power from them to feel grounded,mediate or work magic.

I think that we are missing out when we avoid contactwith the ground, the water, animals, birds, fish andinsects and with the souls who exist within them. Welose out when we do not exchange our energy withthe Land and the spirits that reside there. I think thatwe have a responsibility to nurture the Land with ourbrí and bua. I think we have a responsibility to notonly exchange our power with other entities, but toalso offer our power without exchange.

Creating bua is not difficult. It happens naturallywhenever we interact with the Land. The art ofcreating bua is focusing specific energy and conscious-ly sending that energy to the Land (and other spiritsalso). Here are a few simple things to try in order todevelop your skill in the art of creating bua:

whenever you canand send specific thoughts, emotions andpower to it. Lie facing up and then lie facingdown. Look at the world through this “new”perspective. You will recognize it from yourchildhood. You will see things that you havenot seen for many years. Watch the clouds,watch the birds, watch the insects and watchthe plants. You will feel the Earth beneath youand you will be caressed by the gentle, sooth-ing energy of the soil and plants beneath you.Feel this caress along the whole length of yourbody. You can send the Earth all your desiresfor her to be healthy. You can give thanks.You can nurture your bond with that spaceand discover that you have a relationship withit. You can do this in winter also, this is thetime that your space needs your energy themost. If you are brave try it without yourclothes on, both winter and summer (just be

careful in winter, frostbite is not a goodthing!). The experience of feeling snow meltbeneath your body is incredible and is a pro-found way to experience how your energyinfluences the world. I use a huge cloak to goout in my garden without any other clothesand I spread it over me so that I do not offendthe neighbours!

and talk to it. I have several treeson my property who are good friends and

guardians. I make it a point to visit them dailyand hug them. The act allows me to have fullbody contact with the tree. I listen to it. I offerit my energy; I find that trees are very appre-ciative of this in winter. You can form asignificant relationship with a tree over time ifyou do this. You will find that you understandthe nature of the tree and its unique soul inthe process. I recommend talking aloud to the

Morri and TreeSpirit of the West Druid Gathering 2009

Photo by Chris Witshyn

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tree at first, but spend some time in silencewith it also and try to hear the sap flowingbeneath its bark and the whisper of its leaves.

inyour garden, in your park or in your sacredplaces. I have a magpie who loves to chatteraway, chickadees who talk to me while theyare resting in the lilacs, cats and dogs from allover the neighbourhood who come to hang outdaily, and plants that thrive more when I talkto them and caress them. The majority of theplants in my flower beds are perennials and Ienjoy having a long term relationship with eachof them. I do plant some annuals, but therelationship with them is short-lived and lesssatisfactory for me. Try planting a perennial inyour home or garden and creating a long termrelationship with it . You can invest it with buaover time, and you can see what a difference itmakes for the plant. Whenever you can, touchthem. Feel the texture of fur, feather, petal andstem. Get to know them by physically beingconnected to them in a gentle and nurturingway. Like the trees, send them your love andgratitude and send them strength to survive thewinter and to thrive in the summer.

Wade into lakes andrivers, sit or lie on the bottom and feel thewater surround you. Focus on the wateraround you, and the myriad of plants, fish andother creatures that live there. Splash, drink,relax and learn all there is to know about howthe water there moves across the world andthrough you time and time again. Give thanksfor the thing that we cannot live without butoften take for granted the most.

The energy yousend out to any of the spirits in the Land willcreate bua. If you use the earth to ground outnegative energy, be sure to invest it with posi-tive energy to keep its bua balanced. If youhave a particular place that you use to performritual, magic or even simple meditation, payattention to its brí and invest bua that is com-

patible with the place. Don’t pull all the brífrom a place for your working and then givenothing to replace it. Make sure that you arebeing respectful to the spirits that exist thereand that you are focused on building a relation-ship with them.

When you leave aphysical offering to anything, make sure thatthe brí of both things are compatible. Entitiesneed physical energy as well as the energy youoffer through your focused will. Leave some-thing that will nourish them spiritually orphysically. It can be food or an object that hassignificance and power. Always give back asmuch as you take. This is why many NativeAmericans will leave tobacco when they har-vest sweet grass in the wild or crops from theirfarms or gardens, and why they will leaveofferings for the animals that they have hunted,trapped or fished. They are replacing the ener-gy of what was taken from the Land. I believethat one of the reasons that our ancestors leftso many offerings in rivers, lakes and wells wasbecause they were building bua for the waterthat nourished them.

Once you start to focus on knowing the land and thespirits that reside there by committing to interactingwith them physically, you will have started the jour-ney to developing a relationship with them. The moretime that you spend with these spirits, the moreintimate the relationship will become. You will beginto understand them in a way that you never thoughtpossible and you will understand what energy or offer-ings they need from you to strengthen their bua in away that honours and respects their nature. You willdiscover that you have become a key element increating and maintaining a world that supports theSpirits of the Land rather than one of the humans whodestroys them. You will be connected to the Spirits ofthe Land and you will a Spirit of the Land.

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Poem by Shaun William Hayes (Phagos)

I stand before the OakAnd become the forest

I step into the fireMy sparks are the stars

I leapAnd become the sacred wind

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but cool, autumn breeze shivers the dryleaves of the oak tree. Its thick branches sweep out inseemingly random crooked arms; protective, and om-nipotent. The wide trunk provides a rest for theweary, its hollow heart a shelter from rain, snow andsun, and a home for a myriad small creatures. Indeed,there are nooks and crannies, high up, where barnowls are wont to nest and breed during the summermonths. On the western horizon the sun is setting,casting a golden light upon the old oak, creatingshadows that caress the earth, and the light breezeshimmers with rippling shadows as golden-brownleaves fall slowly, solemnly, from the crooked branch-es, floating to the ground with ritualistic union. Faintstars are already beginning to pierce the darkeningcanopy of the blue eastern sky. Upon this land, forover ten thousand summers, this oak and its ancestorshave graced the seasons with their beauty, and willcontinue to do so into unknown tomorrows.

Beside this particular oak tree on this evening theresits two people; a man and woman. There is no-oneelse around to bear witness to the sensations andbeauty unfolding before them. The man, lightlybearded and well-seasoned by life’s experiences, butwith a youthful twinkle in his green eyes, runs hisfingers through the loose soil at his side. He picks upa brown acorn, which has managed to escape beingeaten by jay and squirrel, and wonders at its simplestructure before looking up into the boughs of itsparent and then passes the acorn to his female com-panion. The woman, whose youthful demeanourbelies her physical age, takes the small brown acorn,thanks the man, and smiles with her eyes the colourof a blue summer sky. Her red hair is tussled by thebreeze and reflects the sunset in the west.

Time seems to stand still. Between the birth of theoak tree and the falling of the acorn perhaps 500summers have passed and yet, to the man and thewoman, it feels like no time has passed at all. At thesame time they both feel youthful and aged, caughtbetween acorn and oak tree. The man speaks “thus ithas always been, my love. Our ancestors have roamedthis land for as long and the ancestors of this oak tree.Our existences are entwined past, present and fu-ture.” Once again the woman smiles, benignly. Sheunderstands her companion; their thoughts are inter-twined also. She responds “so it has always been andwill always be so. It is the same as with you and me.I will take this acorn and plant it in a special place asa reminder of this moment that we are all connectedas one, with the oak, the land, and with the universeabove as our witnesses.”

Her partner also smiles and leans over and hugs her.“I can think of no better tribute, for just as you and Ihave afore time tasted of the seeds of the oak tree wehave thus become entwined with its fate and of itsoffspring. Likewise it will guard over the children wehave nurtured until the end of days. Our people willguard and protect the sacred oak groves just as theyhave guarded, protected and provided us with shelterand a staff to lean on in times of need.”

The woman stands up and raises her arms to thedarkening sky. “So may it be” she intones. The manalso stands and joins her and responds “so shall italways be so.” And then, with no further words, theyleave together; she with the acorn clutched in thepalm of her free hand and both of them humbled bythe experience and the power they had shared withthe land and oak tree.

Short Story by R.M .Carr (Candlesprite)

g

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bArticle by Maya St. Clair (Cuardai)

At first I wanted to write an article about how peopleliving in a land not of the spirituality they follow canintegrate that spirituality with the unfamiliar (to thatspirituality) land they live in. I decided to send out aquestionnaire to people asking for their experiences.It was then that I realized that it was different foreveryone. It was then I decided to write this from mypoint of view, my own UPG.

Trying to find the spirituality that I felt drawn to wasnot easy. I floundered around for quite a while, Wicca,witchcraft, then Celtic paganism and Druidism.Through my search I always felt drawn to the CelticPantheon and culture (I’m half a mix of all the Celticcultures) but even when I settled on Celtic paganismand Druidism and started to study and practice itseriously, I always felt like something was missing.

As I went deeper and deeper into my chosen path andmyself I started to wonder. Could the fact that I wasliving in a land that is not Celtic be the reason I havethis feeling? If it is so, how do I reconcile the spiritu-ality that I follow with the land that I live in?

My course of action may seem a little extreme topeople but it felt right to me. The first thing I did wasto read about the history of Kuwait, I read about theirculture and their worldview. I tried to get an affinityfor them and how they think (I am half Kuwaiti butI was raised in a very Americanized house with almostno exposure to Kuwaiti culture).

I tackled the land next. I learned the geography of theland, how it looks now and how it used to lookhundreds of years ago. Kuwait is mostly desert nowwith parks in the cities and greenhouses where fruitsand vegetables are grown but hundreds of years ago itwas actually somewhat green. I went out into thedesert and tried to contact the spirits there, I alsolooked into what animals can be found here and whatanimals used to be here and are now not. I learnedwhere the points of power are and learned to incorpo-rate them into my rituals. Now when I do a ritual ormeditation I ask the permission of these spirits andinvite them to join me, this makes my experiencesmuch stronger.

A powerful example of this was a meditation that Idid back in July 2007.  I thought I would share myexperience from my journal.

“Going into the desert for this month’s meditationmeant that I had to go at night since it is July and theweather now is hot even at night.  I had something onmy mind that I wanted to meditate on.  It was adream or vision (I didn’t know which it was) that Ihad when I was sick with the chicken pox two weeksago.  I was very feverish and that is why I can’t decideif it was a real vision or a dream.

Spot of Power

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I saw myself walking in the desert, and it seemed likeI was looking for something.  It was somethingimportant and I was supposed to have it with me onlyI lost it, or I never had it to begin with and I wassupposed too.I sat down on my blanket.  Greeted the spirits of thedesert and asked them for assistance on thiscontemplation.  I asked if they could help medetermine whether what I saw was a vision or just ameaningless dream brought on by the fever.  And if itwas a vision can they help me determine the meaning? I closed my eyes and went seeking into the desert.  Istayed there for what seemed like an hour but Icouldn’t get a feeling either way.  I decided thatperhaps I was not supposed to figure out what it allmeans and was just about to open my eyes and get upwhen I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I opened my eyesand looked behind me and I found my ancestor.  Shemotioned for me to follow her and I did.  We walkedin the desert for a while side by side, then we cameupon her tent, I turned to her to ask her why were herebut she was no longer next to me.  I looked around forher and found her in her tent talking to a little girl.Teaching her about the family history and traditionand telling her that what she is being taught now shewill one day have to teach to her daughter. I felt dizzy so I sat down on the sand and put my headbetween my legs, then when the world stoppedspinning I lifted my head and I was in my maternalgrandmother’s house.  She was there and she wasyoung and with her was my mother at age 10 I thinkand her sisters who were a little older.  Mygrandmother was telling them about the familyhistory and teaching them the family tradition.  Shewas telling them to pay attention because one daythey will be teaching their own daughters this. Then the house was gone and my ancestor was back,I felt her voice ringing in my head telling me thatwhat I had seen when I was sick was a vision that shehad sent me.  That the thing I was looking for was myfamily tradition which I had pretty much ignored allthese years.  Then she was gone too.

I suddenly opened my eyes and realized that I had notmoved from my place on my blanket at all.  I was also

crying and that is what brought me back.  I sat therethinking about what my ancestor had said and the lastscene with my mother and her sisters and mother.  All my aunts had male children and among themonly my mother had a daughter and that daughterwas me.  I realized that I was the only one who couldkeep the tradition alive, the only one that the traditioncan be passed too.  I realized that I had run away fromit to punish my mother for past grievances, what I hadnot realized that I was also punishing myself and awhole line of dedicated women who came before me.  I gathered my things and thanked the spirits forgiving me what I had asked for.  I also left an offeringof milk and bread for them.  As soon as I got backhome and not really caring how late it was I called mymother and told her of my vision when I was sick, ofwhat the guardians of the desert had allowed me to seeand what my ancestor had told me.  She told me thatshe had been resigned to the fact that the familytradition was going to die with her and her sisterssince I was the only daughter and I had shown nointerest in the family tradition.  She told me how sadthat had made her feel but that she knew that shecould not force the issue, it had to come from the heartor not at all.  I told her of my decision to start learningthe family tradition along side Druidry and I couldfeel the waves of happiness coming from her even overthe phone. I have a long way to go but I am glad I am startingthe long road, I guess better late then never.”

 I learned after that how important it is to incorporatethe Spirits of the Land into everything I do.Meditations become stronger, and rituals moremeaningful.  I hope my experience can benefit others.

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Article by Jenn McCormack (Eadha)

Growing up in a family that never settles down, bythe age of twenty-one, I had moved fifteen times andtravelled most of the US and some of Canada, Mexi-co, Ireland, the UK and Italy. When I finally made themove to Wales in 2006, it was a homecoming ofinexplicable arrival, as though I'd been waiting forlifetimes to return to the beaches and mountains ofEryri and Ynys Mon. This was my first time livingabroad properly, so it became an every-day task tolearn what it means to be native to Cymru. Learningto be native meant a number of things but the mostinstrumental in aligning my mind and body with theactual Welsh places and peoples was learning to speakCymraeg to fluency.

Language is a treasure-house of knowledge, a windowinto the mind or genius of place and people. Asanyone who has learned a second language will tellyou, speaking a different language "gets" to you--youthink in different patterns, you understand in differentways, you dream in different depths--even yourmouth speaks with different muscles. Therefore, itwas through the language I began to experienceWales, and not only Wales, but in turn, I began to seeGreat Britain, and ultimately the world at large,through Welsh eyes. It's something subtle, that hap-pens all the time without much noticeable differencefrom one day to the next. Then one morning youwake up and realise how different you've grown. So itwas, as I ate local produce, drank local water, walkedlocal hills, and talked to local people in the localdialect, that my perceptions changed. Gradually Ilearned idioms that are not translatable into English,and with the language came customs, courtesies, ideasand habits connected with not only being a Welsh-speaking Welsh person (Cymry Cymraeg), but alsoconnected directly to how best to live in Wales, as aplace. How the weather changes or the birds migrate,how the tides turn and how people have managed tosurvive for tens of thousands of years out in theserugged, ragged mountains.

Perhaps the most important thing about Cymraeg isthat it is very much -- I don't just mean alive inthe common sense, that it is still widely spoken orthat there are native speakers. I mean alive in a moresoulful, earthy sense--that Cymraeg is deeply rootedin locality, in native landscapes, in actual terrain andthe flora and fauna of those bio-regions. English haslost this for the most part--it is a dead language whenyou think about how disconnected it is from thephysical, phenomenal universe. This is not so with theWelsh language. For example, the idiom for "up" (ifyny) is literally translatable as "to the mountains".Now obviously this is archaic and if you said "i fyny",everyone would understand it as "up", not "to themountains", but when you think about it, to go up inthe Welsh landscape is to literally ascend the moun-tains and hills, to rise above the lower valleys andbehold the rolling vista opened before you. Cymraegis full of land-rooted idioms like that, no matter howarchaic.

So as I learned Welsh and took myself off into thehillsides and mountains, into the river valleys androcky beaches, the Welsh mind took root, like a seed,transforming my understandings of Self and the world

Drws y Coed, a couple miles from my home inSnowdonia, North Wales

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around me. It became imperative to learn the land-scape--what were the wildflowers, the call of owlsthrough the valley, the smell of gorse and heather andbracken, the tree leaves and bark, the nests of differ-ent creatures, the way the mountain streams flow likemilk from motherly breasts, and most of all, the wildwoeful wind crooning through rushes, reeds and sedgeon a dark rainy night. Wales has become as deep a partof me as my native America, and not without con-scious effort on my part--as well as the part of allCymric inhabitants (including the more-than-hu-man).

Turning my thoughts now to spirits of the land, I amfilled with two understandings. The first is the

, the genus loci, which I understand more ascollective consciousness, or interconnected awareness.This is not just vague philosophical musings, butdirectly connected to the living ecosystem of a place.An ecosystem is made up of multiple parts all inher-ent to the whole, depending on each other for survivaland completion. Each part of the ecosystem has aperspective, an understanding (however unconsciousit may be compared to human sentience) of where heor she fits into that ecosystem. The fox knows it musteat rabbits--not too few or the fox would die, but nottoo many or else the fox would also die from the lackof rabbits. To human morality, it's not a very prettyplace--the food chain, the cycle of life. In one sense, Isometimes wonder about people who "like Nature"--for myself, it is not something to be liked or disliked--it is simply inherent to our existence, just as the foxand hare, or bacteria and decay, or like gravitation andthe way the solar system stays together in its wildorbits. So in one sense, the spirit of a place is the spiritor natural essence of a bio-region or watershed (I use"watershed" here in the American sense). And youcannot have the collective "spirit of place" withoutthe individual of place, without those individu-al nodes on the greater interconnecting Web.

By , I am making a new understandingof the phrase than is commonly perceived. The NewAge and Neo-Pagan idea of "spirits of place" regardsthem as elementals or little fairy beings, gnomes,sylphs, undines, etc that inhabit a place. Although Ican see the value in defining "spirits of place" in thisway, what worries me is that it remains disconnected.The spirit of a tree is not separate from the tree--it isthe tree itself, inherent to the tree's vitality and exis-tence--and in the same way, the physical growing tree

is not some separate reality from the "spirit" world asour dualistic, monotheistic worldviews tell us. If youlook at the world as truly animistic, as truly full of lifeand spirit, you can no longer distinguish between"tree" and the "spirit of the tree"--although in ourperceptions (for example, with the Second Sight)there may be a distinction. Ultimately, the individualspirits of a place are

--so the birch tree is "birch treeing", the rock is"rocking", the bird is "birding", the earth is "earthing"--all modes of being and awareness different to eachother. Humans are "human beings"--"humaning". Inthis way, we too are spirits of place. We inhabit thisworld as beings just like the rest of the universe--webelong here, and we should not forget our own placein the array of wild minds, hearts and lives of theliving Cosmos.

This is how we are native. As Zen philosopher andentertainer Alan Watts once famously said -- "Youdid not come into this world. You came out of it, likea wave out of the ocean. You are not a stranger here."We are all native to a place, to a landscape, by birth,but birth does not happen just once in your life, at thestart of it. Birth is happening all the time, with eachinhale and exhale, with each passing moment as welive, die and are reborn into place and time.

, where-ever that may be externally. Beingnative thus happens on many levels. There is the placeof our physical nativity--where our mothers gavebirth. And there are the places of deep nativity, thatis--the places we have lived and grown, shaped andbeen shaped by, that get under our skin and move usinto new territories of the Self. But what is oftenforgotten is that there is the place of our soul's nativity

The wild west of Wales, from atop Yr Eifl, a local mountain

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too--not necessarily any actual single place out in theworld, but a place within, a core at our very centrefrom which we move and live and have our being.

What I didn't know when I first moved to Wales isthat my real quest was not looking for a home, like ahouse or culture or country--but for the home of mySelf, for a more fully inhabited way of being in theworld as an individual. As my mind melted into theWelsh psyche, dissolving my old concepts and ideasof who I was and who the world was, I soon learnedthat to truly come home, you must home.You must learn to be authentic to your own innatenature, your own niche in the soul of the world. The"hiraeth" so often talked about by Welsh bards, it isnot just an intense longing for homeland and place --

is "hir" (long) and "aeth" (from the verb "tobe") -- hiraeth is , but even deeper,hiraeth is actually itself -- allowinglonging to fully embody its heart-breaking anguishthrough every cell and membrane, organ and nerve ofyour body. Terrifying, to lose control to such total,complete longing, but there is wisdom in this. Hi-raeth is the path from longing to belong toitself, the path to true nativity.

Recently, I returned to my native North Carolina.Although I was not born here, it is the State I havelived in the most. Before moving to Wales, I had nointerest in my North Carolina locality. I knew littleabout the trees or plants, about the birds or wildlife,little about how the soil was formed or the rocksmade, or the ancient memories of the land. I wasn'tinterested, so consumed with longing for the lands ofmy Celtic ancestry that the present reality held littlevalue for me. This is a danger for anyone following a

Celtic spirituality in a "non-Celtic" land. But in mycase, perhaps I was lucky. Wales taught me how tobe fully present, how soul and earth cannot be sepa-rated and how becoming native meant becomingmore fully myself, inhabiting my body and my senseslike never before. Having returned to North Carolinahas been like kissing for the first time--powerful,hypnotic and ecstatic. Nativity is about intimacy,about making love with a place, from soul to soul,mind to mind, body to body. Yes, very sensual! Bymaking love, I mean with partici-pating in life. For over three years I had been makinglove to Wales -- exploring her secret groves and openhillsides, gardening with native plants, eating localfood, walking to ancient ruins of cairns, dolmens andhill-forts, speaking her language, dreaming her myths,loving her people. And so, I am learning to do thesame again here.

When I found myself back in North Carolina, Idiscovered that I had created a way of life while inWales, a way of seeing the world that compelled meto participate in and tend where-ever I am. Afterthree years of working so hard to get to know oneplace, now I was a stranger in another--no matterhow long I'd lived there in the past.

Eno River, North Carolina, USA

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Going for a walk one late winter afternoon, with thesnow melting and the redbirds emerging from theevergreens, it struck me forcibly just how little Iknew of of my local watershed. What sort of pinetrees were these? And what bird of prey was thathigh above? What kind of rock was protruding fromthe hard red clay--and why did we have clay here tobegin with? This curiosity burned in me like thespark on kindling wood. My home is not a mile fromthe Eno River, which itself travels for forty miles.This is an extensive wildscape, protected vigilantlyby conservationists, with much of its pine and decid-uous forests remaining largely left alone. As a teenag-er, first exploring earth-centric spirituality, the EnoRiver was my Otherworld and the trees along itsbanks, my teachers. I hadn't been back since beforemoving to Wales--and I knew nothing about the areaaround the Eno River, except for what I had ob-served in my long afternoon walks there. So I startedreading about the local geology--much of the area isbuilt on volcanic rock, going back six hundred mil-lion years. It is amazing to think that by connectingto the actual soil and stone in my back garden, so too

I am touching a fragment, millions of years in themaking. In the same way, it took billions of years forthe cosmos to be able to produce the original materi-al in the first place, thus my back garden connects medirectly to the origins of the universe. All of thateffort, change, evolution and history went into mak-ing this exact moment. This same ancient lineageunderstood the value of diversity. Some of the ani-mals and plants found there are endangered andnever seen anywhere for a hundred miles around.Apparently the water of the river too is some of thecleanest in the State, supporting over sixty species offish--a high number for a river of its size. With overa hundred different species of trees and one of themost diverse mammal populations in the area,through research I've come to understand the beautyof an ecosystem that is healthy and well.

It also has made me think harder about my ownlifestyle -- for example, putting fertilizers and toxicchemicals in the garden seeps into the soil, into thesubterranean water systems and eventually runs offinto the river itself, bringing immeasurable damage.What I do has real consequences on maintaining theintegrity of my local watershed. Growing some of myown vegetables and herbs reinforces this. Learningthe local history also reminds me of the inescapablefact that what we do now shapes future generations--not just the generations of humans, but of oak trees,ants, field mice, bats, mushrooms, white-tailed deer,and all the other lives we are surrounded by each day.As for human generations in this place, the Eno Riveris named for the Eno people who used to inhabit itsbanks. They were a distant cousin of the Sioux, butthe Eno natives are long gone--only the Occoneecheefrom nearby (and much further upstream) remain,claiming part of the area near the river as sacred,tribal land. After the natives came traders of all sortsbut few settlers. It wasn't until the first mills becameestablished that Europeans really penetrated the locallandscape. Eventually there were over fifteen mills intotal along this short forty mile river. Now the EnoRiver watershed is largely either protected as a park-land or houses the suburbs to the cities of Durhamand Hillsborough. Re-discovering the Eno River Val-ley has given me a sense of responsibility like neverbefore -- to protect and tend like never before.

The Eno River in early spring

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, likeyou would a lover. It is romance -- falling in love withthe shape of the land, the seasons and cycles, thecreatures and inhabitants, the sounds, smells, tastes,feelings all evoked by that place. Being native is notjust romance though, but also practical.

. Once upon a time whenhumans were much more exposed and intimate withthe earth, knowing a place intimately was practical.It was about knowing where to get food and how,where the cleanest water was, where all the animalslived, what plants could kill or heal you, what theweather could do and how to avoid danger. This hasnot stopped being important for modern humans.Perhaps it is even more important that we re-claimthese ancient skills, as an attempt to heal our rela-tionship to the Earth. So knowing a place intimatelyis practical -- what flowers, trees, rocks, birds, fish,sediments, minerals, people, etc inhabit that area. Weare lucky that now we have so many resources at ourfinger tips -- books on local geology, local wild life,local birds, local flowers, local history (both naturaland human) ... local anything. So it's a case of applyingyourself, of taking long walks and learning your wayaround, orienting your senses and your thoughts tothe place itself. It doesn't matter if its "wild" or"human". The same can and be done in a cityor suburbs. Nature is everywhere. Trees, dandelions,birds, puddles of water, annual flowers, ants andhouse flies -- these can exist even amidst the mosthumanized places. The point is getting out of yourchair, away from your computer, and out into thereal world.

Some people can

live in an area for decades and never truly know aplace--no different than people being married foryears without ever truly knowing each other. Thislack of intimacy is not just because of a lack of trust

or an unwillingness to be vulnerable, but also anunwillingness to interact, to touch and be touched, toreally have a meaningful conversation. Poet DavidWhyte talks about conversation as different fromtalking. Talking is two people saying words at oneanother, acting and reacting. Conversation is inti-mate, involving deep listening, where somethinginside one person connects and converses with some-thing in the other person. As the Quakers would say,

. Conversation is about divinitycommunicating with divinity--and divinity is not justthe domain of gods and humans. All things carry thisspark, this divinity. Our souls are in constant conver-sation with all things, if only we would learn to trulylisten and be vulnerable, exposing who we are like aturtle from his shell. David Abram wisely wrote,"We can only be human in contact and convivialitywith what is not human."

So to be native means to consciously make contact

From Occoneechee Mountain, you can see the Eno River

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with the world around you, to listen deeper thanyou've ever listened before, and to cultivate a skillfulway of living in that respects, honours and nurtures.This has very real implications. What are youto participate in your local earth community? Howdeeply do you engage with life? This isn't about guilt,pressure or fear of impending doom, but about love-- about loving so deeply that you cannot help butspeak out and act. With love comes responsibilityand the courage to participate, day by day, step bystep, moment by moment. I am reminded of the Daoand the De. In Daoism, the Dao is like the Wild, likeSoul. It simply is -- no one has to tell the Wild howto be wild, or the Soul how to be soul. "The Dao thatcan be named is not the true Dao" -- so too we have

our own natures, our own wild souls, our own nativ-ity to the Self. These can never be named or defined--perhaps glimpsed in images, dreams, archetypes,myths, sensations, or alternate consciousness--butour native essence is uncatchable. De ("te" some-times) is literally translated as "virtue" but AlanWatts describes the De as "an extraordinary skill atliving". When we become native to a place, native to

our souls, we cannot help but begin to cultivate ournatural skills and gifts, for life to hone us and refineus, deepen and intensify. In order to participate fullyas individuals manifesting our inherent soul, ourinherent wildness, we need to develop our De, ourextraordinary skill at living. It takes work--but as weare working with our own natures, with the universeembodying through us, the good news is that findingthe Path is natural, it comes naturally if we hold tothat place of authenticity, of genuine conversationand intimacy with being native to not just a singleplace or even our beloved Earth, but being native toa living Cosmos beyond our wildest dreams.

Thus becoming native is more than just belonging toa locality. Finding our own place in the universe isone of the greatest journeys we can take. The journeyto becoming native is like any other journey. It takesthe first step, then the second, and third, fourth, thenfifth, and so on. There's no rush, no hurry, no need toworry or get ahead of ourselves. One moment at atime lived as fully as possible in this place andthis place -- that is the truest meaning of whatit means to be native, to be grounded in the presentearth of our bodies and local Earth community.

As I write this, the rain is coming down hard with anuncompromising heaviness. An empty breakfastplate sits on my desk amidst an array of books, someof the authors being Gary Snyder, David Abram, BillPlotkin, Thomas Berry and David Whyte. It's chillyin the house, and my favourite red blanket iswrapped around my shoulders. The kettle is on fortea and I think I'm going to add a bit of whiskey towarm me up. My mind is filled with the pine trees ofNorth Carolina, and the black crows huddled be-neath their drooping wet branches. Outside my win-dow sings the wind, reminding me of Wales and allwandering spirits. Everything is full of presence--even absence is present--and my heart is stretchedwith hiraeth, with a yearning not only for this place,but for all places and times, for all things to be fulland fulfilled, for all things to be native as neverbefore. May it be so!

The native pine woods near my North Carolina home

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Article by Arabella Melville

a Sacred Site?Boduan Sanctuary is an eight acre walled wood on theLlŷn Peninsula, the tongue of green land that reachesout over Cardigan Bay in West Wales. The Llŷn hasmany Sacred Sites; for us, this lovely wood has be-come one of them.   In Boduan Sanctuary we see newlife and joy growing from death and despair, the GreatCycle of Life reflected in the interconnections of along-established woodland ecosystem.

Since 2005, The Eternal Forest Trust(www.eternalforest.org) has been burying people andtheir companion animals in the wood. The spirit ofthe wood reaches out to people who arrive in thedepths of grief, bringing solace and peace, touchingthem in a very special way.

We – Colin Johnson and I – began to think aboutcreating a woodland burial site in 1991, when Nicho-las Albery first introduced the concept of a NaturalDeath Centre (www.naturaldeathcentre.org). Death,Nick argued, had become divorced from life; oursociety is so afraid of this totally natural and inevitabletransition that people are unable to accept it; and thismakes death more painful and distressing. This disso-

ciation led people to choose ecologically and psycho-logically unsound ways of dealing with the bodies ofthe dead, denying their contribution to the continua-tion of life.

Colin and I realised that the dead could protectwoodland: nobody would clear-fell woodland inwhich people had been buried.  In addition, the in-come from burials would allow us – or rather, thecharity that we would set up – to restore naturalwoodland.

 At that time, we were unable to make our dreaminto reality.  Then, in the first weeks of the newMillenium, Colin became ill with MRSA.  I did notknow whether he would survive and I still rememberthe pain of visiting him in hospital, aware that if hewere to die, there was no local wood where I wouldbe able to bury him.  Fortunately, amputation of theinfected foot saved his life.

This experience goaded us into action. We resolvedto find the right place and make woodland burial Eternal Forest Path

Eternal Forest Bedd Blodwen & Titch

n

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M

possible for everyone in our area.   Not only that, butwe would make the wood accessible towheelchairs. Unable to walk, Colin had been deprivedof access to the wild places he loved.    Woodlandshould not be closed to those who rely on wheelchairs.

The search took years. Then, one Thursday, an adver-tisement for a wood appeared in a local paper.  OnFriday, when we saw it for the first time, we knewthat this was the place we were looking for: werecognised the spirit instantly.  By Monday we werebuying it.   We set up The Eternal Forest Trust, gavethe wood to the Charity, and obtained planning per-mission to carry out burials. Everything went wonder-

fully smoothly, the way it does when it is right. Now, we are able to offer a unique service. Peoplecan hold whatever ceremony they like, so long as thewood itself is not harmed; some are religious, someinvolve musicians, some are quiet contemplativeaffairs.  There are DIY burials and burials withundertakers.  It is not for us to dictate what shouldhappen but we offer whatever support we can.   Butof course we will do the hard work, preparing the site,digging and filling, replacing ferns, planting a tree andwild flowers, and sourcing a stone memorial if desired.

You can choose a plot or pick a fine tree in which tohang a plaque or bird box, dedicating that tree incelebration of a joyful event or in memory of some-body you have loved. You can pre-book your glade ifyou wish. And you can visit at any time, the wood isalways open.

We create space for burials – and for other ceremo-nies and events – by removing spruce. There has beena small wood in that place for hundreds of years, butthe Forestry Commission clear-felled all but the slopedown to the stream on the Western border and plant-ed rows of conifers.  In some parts, silver birch tookover the cleared land; but where the spruce survived,the wood became dark and sad.   We are slowlyreplacing those dark spruces with native trees, allow-

ing bluebells to return to sunlit glades. Every year wesee more birds, more insects, a greater diversity of life. We welcome people of all ages and their dogs; thepedestrian gate is not locked, there’s plenty of spacefor parking and there are well-made paths through thewood.   Our website describes our Vision, the serviceswe offer, how to find us, and how you can get intouch.   If you’d like to know more, ring us on 01758612006.

Eternal Forest Melville Grave

Eternal Forest Sky

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 37

Poem by

Spirits of CadburyUp on this mist shrouded hill, soaked in blood and fear,someone whispers, I alone can hear.

As I stand, here and now, upon this land so old.I feel the pain and sorrow, this story to be told.

This was the home of a mighty man, who brought Breton together,to fight and stand.As the torches were lit, and the message sent.

The women and children are secured below,food and drink to last for now.How this will end we do not know

Out upon the plains,their fires burn and the drums soundthey will attack at dawn.

Amid the mists up on this hill,listen carefully,you can hear them still.

As men fall and others prepare to die,the clash of swords the battle cry.

All that remains upon this hill are a few stones, covered with grasson long summer days, the cows come to graze.No one remembers, nor feels their pain.

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Aontacht • 38

Poem by RM Carr (Candlesprite)

¨‘Twas just the other dayA day cool and clear late FebruaryI was walking in the GreenwoodEnjoying the dappled sunlit trees

I happened upon a manA strange man, he seemed, dressed all in greenSilently sitting upon a grey rockDeep in thought he appeared to be

I walked a little closerUntil so I close I could see that heWas writing words upon a scrap of paperWriting words and thinking intently

Unable to resist I spakeI spake to the man beside the tree“What are you doing in this Greenwoodthat should engross you so completely?”

Green eyes slowly looked upAnd looked into mine so intentlyAnd he replied “I am writing a little poemconcerning the inspiration I feel amongst the trees”

Suddenly I am even more curiousSo curious a question came to me”Pray! Tell me what you are writingupon your rock amongst the Greenwood trees”

The man smiled and put down his penHe smiled an ageless smile benignly“I write of those things which inspire my heartif you so wish I will share some with thee”

And thus he spake…

”I am inspired by the dry rustling of last autumn’sbrown leavesWhich still cling to the great oak trees around meAnd within that sound I feel each and every seasonFrom the burgeoning buds of springtime green leavesTo the fall of every acorn nut upon the ground

“And the cool sleepy snow-clad winter morningsbreatheUpon those branches where I see many birds and in-sects

I see the tawny owl at night silently huntingBy day I see the speckled thrush, the robin, the vividjayCaterpillars upon leaves, rodents scurrying amongsttree roots

“I hear the warming summer breezes from the westAnd the pensive autumn gusts from the eastI hear the harsh winter winds from the northAnd the fragrant springtime scents from the southAbove all I hear the silent song of the sun, moon andstars

“I hear the birds sing in voices of intelligible sweetnessTheir mating calls are a joy to my heartAmidst the May splendour of blankets of delicate blue-bellsButterflies dance their aerial dance with graceful aban-donAcrobatic squirrels catapult their russet red forms,branch to branch

“The grey rocks sit still and observe everythingThey have deeper memories than this humble poetOften I also speak to them and share joys and troublesThey listen without judgement, these stoic stonesAnd I praise their commitment as guardians of time

“Each moment I sit here is a jewel so preciousAn experience to be remembered and treasuredFor there may come a time when this place is no moreExcept as a memory recorded only in wordsMy friend, these are just some of the things to inspireme”

After this he fell silent

I am speechless as his words ceasedThey cease and yet echo in my mind and heart to seeThere is more to the Greenwood than just a pleasantstrollThen, I say farewell and take my leave.

But as I look backTo make one final goodbyeThe Green Man had vanishedAnd alone again am I

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 39

iCooking Cauldron

Recipes Submitted by Faye Boyd (Fae)

the

Welsh Pancakes

2 cups of flour Salt to taste 2 teaspoons sugar 3 eggs 1 cup of milk 1 cup of water Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon 3 teaspoons of melted butter Oil for frying Powdered sugar, hot treacle or syrup, chocolate spread, jam, or peanut butter for topping.

Sift together the flour, salt and sugar.

Beat the eggs with a wire wisk and add them slowly to theflour mixture.

Add the milk and water and beet until the batter is cov-ered with bubbles. You may also use a blender to combinethe ingredients.

Add the lemon rind and let the batter stand in a cool placefor at least 1 hour.

Stir the melted butter into the pancake batter.

Heat a little of the oil or lard in a frying pan. When it isvery hot, begin to cook the pancakes, using a smallamount of batter for each pancake so that it is very thin.Only flip the pancake once. The process tends to be a bitsmokey, so be sure to have a well-ventilated cookingspace.

As soon as a pancake is cooked and you have removed itfrom the pan, sprinkle it with lemon juice and sugar andserve.

Variation:

For a spicy treat, add brandy, ginger, cinnamon, and nut-meg.

Yummy!!!!

As the wheel turns and we move toward spring I thought a nicecleansing blend would work well.

Bringing in Spring

1 part white sage 1 part lavendar 1 part sweetgrass

Burn as you walk through the house to clear away the oldand to provide a space for the new.

Sailor’s Duff

¼ cup butter¼ cup brown sugar1 egg½ cup molasses2 tablespoons milk1½ cups flourpinch of salt1 teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in1 tablespoon boiling water.

Beat ingredients together well, then add ½ cup boilingwater. Mix and pour into a well-greased mold. Coverand steam for 1½ - 2 hours. You can add ginger to taste,and 1 cup of seedless raisins which make a pleasing addi-tion to the mixture.

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 40

by Peter O’ConnorISBN-10: 0752843834

ISBN-13: 9780752843834

Beyond the Mist is a book that intrigued me from themoment I read a synopsis of it on Amazon.  It is abook that is written by a psychologist called PeterO’Connor.  I really wanted to see what a psychologisthad to say about Irish Mythology.

In the preface of the book the author tells us that heis approaching the subject as a student of mythologywho happens to be a psychologist rather than anexpert on both mythology and psychology.  His hopeis that the world of Irish mythology will re-orientateour thoughts to the imaginal and re-establish a senseof awe, uncertainty and mystery concerning the hu-man psyche.

Chapters one and two set the stage for the rest of thebook.  Chapter one gives us a little background onhow mythology and psychology are connected andsome of the theories from the famous names in psy-chology like Freud and Jung.  The author delivers thebest explanation of mythos and logos that I have everread.  His definition of myth is one that I absolutelylove and agree with.  He also laments the fact thatpeople have elevated logos above mythos.  Chaptertwo is a little bit of history and everyday social cir-cumstances of the Celts to get a background on thepeople we are going to “analyze” through their myths.

The next ten chapters look at the cycles of Irishmythology, and at the main characters and events in itthrough the eyes of the psychoanalyst that is PeterO’Connor.  The chapters are interesting with interest-ing points of view on what these myths could meanfor us today.

In the final chapter, the author tells us why he doesn’ttalk about the Historical cycle of Irish mythology andconcludes the ideas he put forth in the ten chaptersbefore.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book for two rea-sons.  First I was able to see the application of theoriesof mythology (psychology theories) on Irish myths,which is very rare (at least I’ve never seen it before).And second because the myths were shown for whatthey could mean to us today, and what we could learnfrom them as modern people.

By John Matthews and Steve Gladwin

In their new radio play, JohnMatthews and Steve Gladwin have crafted a rollicking

ReviewsJ

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 41

adventure based on the classic Welsh tale.1 They havecreated a wonderful piece of fast-paced drama withvoice acting and sound effects that bring the myth tolife. But, this is not just a new rehash of an old myth.The old legend has a lot of metaphysical symbolismand allegory, and Matthews, already having writtenseveral critically acclaimed books on philosophy andmythology, has brought his own insight into thisretelling, making it much more accessible for thosenew to the story.

The play is told from the perspective of the poetTaliesin. It tells of his travels and adventures, how hebecame adviser to kings including King Arthur him-self. “I have been from the beginning. I have seen allmanner of things,” the play opens.

Although I have only been given the first scene toreview,2 it is an excellent performance and extremelyrich in philosophy. In this scene, Taliesin tells how hecame to be, how he was once the boy Gwion keptprisoner by the witch Ceridwen, living a life of con-stant fear, until one day everything changed. In anaccident involving a magical potion of wisdom,Gwion was suddenly made aware of the world out-side. This sudden rush of new ideas caused him totransform, developing a new identity of Taliesin fromhis sudden enlightenment as the old Gwion wasconsumed by the fear of what Ceridwen would do tohim if he found out. A magical chase scene ensues, asTaliesin uses his new-found knowledge and power totransform himself to escape Ceridwen, but Ceridwenhas tricks of her own. Eventually, he is caught andconsumed by Ceridwen, to be reborn nine monthslater, transformed, as the great poet of the later tales.

This scene of Taliesin's enlightenment is in manyways similar to Plato's allegory of the cave3 and can beused to teach the same lessons. It tells the story of aprisoner since childhood, separated from the realworld. Gwion's reality was his fear of Ceridwen, livingin constant fear of her and believing all the evil in theworld to be contained in her cauldron.

When the cauldron frees Taliesin and gives him en-lightenment, he is pained by the great rush of newsensations, blinded by the `light' of truth, seeing onlyshadows and reflections. His world was turned up-side-down and “meaning no longer held good.” Hecouldn't bear the rush of new knowledge, but he thattaking it all in was the only way to know the truth.

Like Plato's prisoner being forced out of the cave,enlightenment was not his choice, but was forcedupon him. He didn't try to escape his slavery, but “itseemed that the cauldron had other ideas.”

In this story, unlike in Plato's, Gwion's escape isdiscovered, giving him a sense of urgency and a needto use his new knowledge to get away. His escapeseems unreal to him, as though “hill and river andwood flowed past and around be, as though they trulyhad no substance and I was wading through them, andall the time I felt Her [Ceridwen's] presence.” All heknew for sure was that he was being followed and hadto get away. In the end he was caught, but he still hadhis knowledge and held onto it. His time in Cerid-wen's womb gave him time to think, time to under-stand the new sensations the cauldron had given him,just like the time Plato's prisoner needed when he leftthe cave.

Seeing Gwion transform into Taliesin brings up thequestion of personal identity. At the start of the scene,Taliesin recalls “I was little Gwion once,” as if Gwionhad been sucked into the void, never to return. Hewent through a lot that day, and it changed him.Before the accident, he was a prisoner and his entirereality revolved around the fear of Ceridwen. Theaccident shattered this reality and his enlightenmenttook away his fear. Young Gwion may have beenfrozen in fear of Ceridwen, but Taliesin was able toput Ceridwen's power into perspective, enabling himto escape. He started out afraid of the new knowledgebut the knowledge end up defining him. At the startof his transformation, Gwion asks “I will be, won't I?”This is the big question of the scene. Is Taliesin stillthe same person that Gwion was at the beginning ofthe scene?.

The authors seem to imply that they are not the sameperson, even going so far as to use different voices forGwion and Taliesin. Gwion is “just a little boy,” aprisoner ruled by fear. Taliesin, on the other hand, isborn of knowledge, understanding what he saw fromthe cauldron. During Taliesin's transformation and thechase scene, Taliesin and Gwion alternate speaking,both describing their experiences and the new faces.Always Gwion is pained and confused by the newexperiences, only understanding Ceridwen. “But Iknow none of them, only She, only She coming afterme,” he says.

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Taliesin, on the other hand, takes in the new experi-ences, trying to understand them. When he tries toescape Ceridwen, he is thinking, trying to outwit her.Gwion on the other hand, just expresses fear, howCeridwen gets closer and closer. When Ceridwenconsumes them, Gwion meets his end, trapped by hisfear. Only Taliesin remains to be reborn. He may haveGwion's memories, but he is not Gwion, he has lostthe fear that defined his old life and achieved enlight-enment.Although Matthews and Gladwin certainly produceda dramatic interpretation of Gwion's question (“I willbe. Won't I?”), other philosophers have also tackledthe question of whether someone remains himself inthe face of such a total change. In Plato's cave allegory,he asked whether the prisoner could ever go back tohis old life once he had escaped.

: Do you think he would feel withHomer that he would much prefer to “workthe earth as a man without possessions of hisown,” and go through any sufferings, ratherthan share their beliefs and live as they do?

: Yes, I think he would rather gothrough any suffering than live like that.

Like Taliesin, Plato's prisoner could never go back tohis old, limited life and would go through anythinginstead. He has changed so much that he can't recog-nize his old life as his own. He lives in a differentreality and has become someone else.

John Locke would probably also agree with Plato andMatthews that Taliesin is a different person thanGwion. In his

, he argued that personal identity comes fromcontinuity in consciousness. Since Taliesin can't reallyrelate to his old self and could never imagine goingback, there is no real continuity. His changes weresudden, beyond his ability to comprehend at the time,so it can not be argued that his consciousness wascontinuous throughout his transformation. Sincethere is no continuity of consciousness, Gwion andTaliesin are different people.

This idea of transformative experiences is a universalone. People change from their experiences. In fact, acommon reason for divorce is that people have grownapart. They may claim that their partner is no longerthe person they married. Gradual change is a normal

part of life that we expect. Just think of how differentwe all were five years ago. Unfortunately, some peo-ple suffer from much more sudden transformations.People who have lived through war, who were refu-gees from catastrophes, or who suffered severe trage-dies, often speak of a door closing on their old lives.They may have built new lives since then, but theyare not the same people they were. There are fewpeople would not be able to relate to this idea oftransformative experience.Although the question of transformation and identityis the most obvious metaphysical question in thisscene, it is by no means the only one. The scene alsodeals with the problem of reality, as well as hinting atideas of destiny, the unity of life, and the powerfuland sometimes destructive nature of truth, ideaswhich are developed later in the story. This scene, fullof philosophical insight, is one of those works that canbe analyzed to death and still offer up new surprisesevery once in a while.

The as a story may not havequite the same universal appeal as some of its themes,since stories of mythology have a more limited audi-ence. However, Matthews and Gladwin have done anexcellent job creating their version of the myth. Bytelling the story from Taliesin's point of view, theyhave made the universal themes of transformationand identity much more accessible than in the originalversion. Although not everyone may care for theamount of magic in the scene, the authors havecreated an extremely fast-paced and engaging dramawhich would appeal to students of mythology andphilosophy alike. I fully recommend picking up yourown copy, after all, the first scene's free.

1. See by CharlotteGuest (translation of by EllisGruffydd, 16th century) available athttp://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/taliesin.html.

2. The first scene is available athttp://media.libsyn.com/media/druidcast/DruidCast_SHOW32_OBOD.mp3 start time48m28s.More info on the play (inclusing who to writeto to purchace a copy) can be found athttp://swanfall.co.uk/.

3. See Plato's , book 7.

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 43

by Ellen Evert HopmanISBN-10: 0-7387-1956-0,

ISBN- 13: 978-0-7387-1956-6

A sequel to Priestess of the Forest that invites you tofollow a future priestess on her path to initiation.....

takes you into the world of Ethne, aDruid healer, and her warrior partner, Ruad. Whentheir beautiful daughter Aífe undertakes training on aDruid island, she falls in love with Lucius, a handsomeyoung man who has traded his priestly studies at aChristian monastery for the Druid life.

But their love— and their beliefs— are threatened inthe face of a lustful king and relentless Roman monks.

Set on a third-century island off the coast of Scotland,this instructional Celtic tale delves deeper into thespiritual mystery of the Druids and offers a fascinatinglook at the Romans, Gauls, and Britons.

:

"Ellen has done it again. The Druid Isle grabs you rightfrom the start. In it, we follow the story of Aife, aPagan girl who lives with the forest Druids, and Lu-cius, a young Christian monk who turns Pagan. In myopinion, one of the best features of the book is thesmall bits of old lore from the Druids scatteredthroughout. I would definitely recommend this bookfor anyone's library!"

--Rev. Skip Ellison, Archdruid of Ár nDraíocht Féin(ADF) and author of Ogham: The Secret Language ofthe Druids and The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner'sGuide.

"Another jewel... This daring sequel follows two inter-secting stories of a young monk and a Druidess, oneseeking to know his hidden origins, the other toseeking to save her ancestral ways. Their journeysduring the tumultuous historical setting of ThirdCentury Gaul, Britain and Ireland will provide youwith a series of wisdom lessons and an insight into theclash of two worldviews. The Druid Isle is a must-have for any serious Druidic library."

--Michael Scharding, publisher of "The Druid Inquir-er," the publication of the Reformed Druids of NorthAmerica

"The Druid Isle follows in the inspired footsteps ofEllen Evert Hopman's first novel, Priestess of theForest. In both books, Hopman has taken a complex,esoteric world and brought it to life with engagingcharacters, mystical landscapes and a time before thistime in which the belief in humans as inseparablefrom the living earth was being assaulted by theRoman Church. While Hopman's research and carefuldescriptions of Druid rituals, beliefs, and philosophywill be invaluable to those seeking the Druid path, shehas succeeded in writing alive, compelling novels thatwill keep any reader turning page after page, far intothe night."

--Patricia Lee Lewis, founder of Patchwork FarmWriting & Yoga Retreats and author of the award-winning book of poems, A Kind of Yellow

p

Volume 2, Issue 4

Aontacht • 44

Community Events CalendarListing your event is free and you can submit up to five entries at a time. Note: We reserve the right to editor omit entries. To submit, please send an e-mail to admin@druidicdawn.org with ‘DD Event Listing’ in thesubject line. Include the date, title of event, location (including country), a short description and any contactdetails.

Note: Inclusion of events here does not imply endorsement from Druidic Dawn, magazine or itseditors.

General on going events for 2010

Anam Cara - Weekly Meditation Group

'A Weekly Meditation Group to be held in Oswestry, (UK)to explore everything from the Breath technique; mantra/chanting’ to hopefully movement and shamanicjourneying.' To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1070

NEW MOON MEDITATIONS every new moon, Den-mark; ring 004575757131 for next meditation:

We’ll make a circle and connect with the powers of Earthand Sky, I will then play channelled harp music from atime past, and the participants will be guided into somedeep mediation to the Holy Grail within our hearts. Gobeyond time and space to previous incidents/ presentproblems/ diseases. See them, solve them, let go. After-wards we’ll discuss what happened, and I will aid with myclairvoyance. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.sosha.dk/kurserUK.html

NYMÅNEMEDITATIONER I BRYRUP: Ring for tilmeld-ing og nærmere tidspunktVi vil danne en cirkel, forbinde os med Himlens og Jordenskræfter og jeg vil spille kanaliseret musik fra en svundentid på min harpe, under det første nummer vil mine hjælp-ere fortælle mig om den første meditation, derefter vil jegvideregive den til cirklen som en guidet meditation, medden forskel, at meditationen først påbegyndes når jeg atterbegynder at spille på min harpe og undervejs vil minehjælpere følge alle deltagerne og støtte dem. Jeg vil spillemens deltagerne rejser til deres destination i den andenvirkelighed, derefter vil jeg bede deltagerne vende tilbagesamme vej som de kom fra, takke deres hjælpere og vendetilbage til cirklen. Her vil hver enkelt deltager have mu-lighed for at fortælle om sine oplevelser, hvis nødvendigt,vil jeg gå ind og hjælpe med mine clairvoyante evner.

Dernæst holder vi en pause, hvor vi får noget te og nogetgodt at spise. Så fortsætter vi med endnu en meditation.http://www.sosha.dk/kurser.html

Pathways

A new group called Pathways, in Ellesmere, Shropshire, onthe Welsh borders. The time together will be used to dis-cuss anything that anyone wants to about spiritualpathways. All are invited, from those who have a clear ideaabout where they are going, to those who are just curious,and all explorers in between. Come to raise questions, talkabout books you are reading, workshops you have attend-ed, stuff that is coming up, etc. Self-advertising isallowed/encouraged, if relevant to the spiritual pathwayssubject. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of eachmonth in the Function room of the Ellesmere Hotel. Park-ing is plentiful very nearby. Meet in the bar from 7.30pm;go to the room from 8pm. If you are late, come in anyway!There is no charge, and the drinks are cheap.

Ellesmere is part of what is locally known as the ShropshireLake District. The energy of the town is given by the fabu-lous Mere in the edge of town.  Future meetings mightinclude a walk down to the Mere and through the publicgardens. This is the beginning of something new, and thedirection will evolve with time.

If you need any more details, you can contact John andRachel on jrpathways@hotmail.co.ukOr see http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1698

Introduction to Herbal Healing and Self Care: OngoingStarting Sat. Nov. 7, 2009 (Nov. 21, Dec. 5, Dec. 19, etc.),November to April, two weekends a month, 1-5pm

WHERE: Belchertown, MACOST: Call for details

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Aontacht • 45

DETAILS: A six month intensive. Covers Western herbalMateria Medica, formula making, case taking, ChineseFive Element Theory, Homeopathic First Aid, Flower Es-sence Counseling, plant identification, ethnobotany, andhands on herbal techniques such as poultices, tinctures,salves etc.Over 400 pages of handouts are included with the course.A certificate of completion is offered at the end.MA NURSES CAN GET CEUS BY TAKING THIS COURSECALL FOR DETAILS OR TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE:(413) 323 4494

Events for 2010

March

19th – 21st March: Sli an Drui Weekend Workshop, Ire-land. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/112 orhttp://www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/3117458

20th March: Druid Moon Rite: Ogronios, 19:00 – 22:00hrs.Three Cranes Grove ADF located in Columbus Ohio, USA.To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

20th March: Spring Equinox Ritual Shining Lakes GroveADF, Michigan, USA. To participate and for further de-tails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/184 orhttp://www.shininglakes.org/schedule.html

21st March: Ostara (Spring Equinox) Charnwood Grove,Beachon Hill Leicestershire, UK. To participate and forfurther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/174  orhttp://www.charnwoodgrove.org/events.html

21st March: Spring Equinox Ritual, the three Cranes GroveADF located in Columbus Ohio, USA. To participate andfor further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

21st March: Alban Eiler or Spring Equinox, Isle of WrightDruids, UK. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/178 orhttp://www.wightdruids.co.uk/Events.html

21st March, Alban Eilir, Earthworks Gorseddau, NescliffeShropshire/welsh Borders, UK. To participate and for fur-ther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/177 orEarthworks_Gorsedd-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk or

http://earthworks.grove.googlepages.com/camps

22nd March: Book launch for Journeys of the Soul - TheLife and Legacy of a Druid Chief by Philip Carr-Gomm.To be present and for further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org/events.htm

27th - 18th March: The Prophecies of Merlin and the Anglesof the Mother in the Earth; With RJ Stewart. Manhattan,New York, USA. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197 orhttp://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html

31st March An Bruane: Shining Lakes Grove ADF Michi-gan USA. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/184  orhttp://www.shininglakes.org/schedule.html

April

15th - 18th April: Trillium ADF Spring Gathering, Magicand our Druidry, West Virginia, USA. To participate andfor further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars orhttp://trilliumgatheringadf.org

17th April: 'Why Magic Always Works' a talk for the Scot-tish Pagan Federation at the Pleasance, Edinburgh, Scot-land. To participate and for further contact details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

17th-18th April:  Grail Workshop in Denmark; to partici-pate and for further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1799 orwww.sosha.dk

19th April, Druid Moon Rite: Cutios, 9:00 – 21:30hrs. ThreeCranes Grove ADF located in Columbus Ohio, USA. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

23rd to 26th April: The Melbourne Grove will be hostingan Australian Assembly for members of the Order ofBards, Ovates, and Druids. All members of the Order,their partners, and children are welcome to attend. Formore information and to participate seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1729 or contactVicki email: faster28c@yahoo.com.au.

29th April - 2nd May: 3 jours en Brocéliande “LA LÉ-GENDE DU ST GRAAL”. avec Philip Car Gomm et Ozé-gan. Découverte des lieux et des légendes, Retraite

Volume 2, Issue 4

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druidique, Cérémonie  de BELTAINE. For more informa-tion and to participate seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org/events.htm

30th April-2nd May: Sli an Drui Weekend Workshop, Ire-land. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/112 orhttp://www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/3117458

May

1st May: Beltane Open Ritual, Nervii Nemeton Grove,Merksem, Antwerp, Belgium. To participate and for fur-ther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/182   orhttp://mothergrove.druidcircle.org/nervii/index.php?option=com_eventlist&Itemid=27

2nd May: Beltaine, Earthworks Gorseddau, NescliffeShropshire/welsh Borders, UK. To participate and for fur-ther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/177 orEarthworks_Gorsedd-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk orhttp://earthworks.grove.googlepages.com/camps

6th May: Desert Magical Festival, Sonran Sunrise GroveADF, Tucson, Arizona, USA. To participate and for furtherdetails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars   orhttp://www.ssg-adf.org/desertmagic.htm

18th May: Druid Moon Rite: Gaimonios, the Three CranesGrove, Ohio, USA. To participate and for further details,see http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

21st-23rd May: The Hidden Faery Tradition in Sacred Mag-ic a workshop with R.J. Stewart, Boilder, Colorado, USA.To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197 orhttp://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html

27th - 31st May: Wellspring Gathering ADF, Sherman NYUSA. Stone Creed Grove ADF to participate and for fur-ther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars   orhttp://www.stonecreed.org/wellspring.htm

30th May – 6th June: British Druid Order Spirit Camp2010, Shropshire, UK. To participate and for further de-tails, see

http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/872 orhttp://www.druidry.co.uk/index.html

June

4th-6th June: OBOD-Dryade camp; An international week-end gathering of obod, Netherlands. To participate and forfurther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/172 orhttp://druidry.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=2&page_id=146

5th June: Visit to Medieval encampment, Nervii NemetonGrove, Deurne, Antwerp Belgium.http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/182   orhttp://mothergrove.druidcircle.org/nervii/index.php?option=com_eventlist&Itemid=27

12th- 13th June: OBOD Glastonbury Summer Gathering,UK, to participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/172   orhttp://druidry.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&topic_id=2&page_id=146

17th June: Druid Moon Rite: Simivisonnos, the ThreeCranes Grove, Ohio, USA. To participate and for furtherdetails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

18th - 20th June: Spirit of the West Gathering celebratingModern Druidry, Edmonton Alberta, Canada. To partici-pate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/594 orhttp://www.druidgathering.ca

20th June: Magic Market, workshops, discussions circle,Midsummer midsummer fire ritual Nervii NemetonGrove, Lier, Belgium. To participate and for further de-tails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/182  orhttp://mothergrove.druidcircle.org/nervii/index.php?option=com_eventlist&Itemid=27

20th June: Summer Solstice Rite, the Three Cranes GroveOhio, USA. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

20th June: Alban Hefin Earthworks Gorseddau, NescliffeShropshire/welsh Borders, UK. To participate and for fur-ther details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/177 orEarthworks_Gorsedd-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk orhttp://earthworks.grove.googlepages.com/camps

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Aontacht • 47

20th June: Litha (summer Solstice) Charnwood Grove, Bea-chon Hill, Leicestershire, UK. To participate and for furtherdetails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/174   orhttp://www.charnwoodgrove.org/events.html

21st/22nd June: Alban Hefin or Summer Solstice.Isle ofWright Druids, UK, to participate and for further details,seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/178   orhttp://www.wightdruids.co.uk/Events.html

25th-27th June: Faery Ritual Magic, Three Tall Sticks andconferring Second Sight, workshops with R.J. Stweart,Twisp, Washington, USA. To participate and for furtherdetails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197 orhttp://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html

25th-27th June:  Comfest, the three Cranes Grove, Colum-bus, Ohio, USA. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186   orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars

July 2010

2nd - 4th July Sli an Drui Weekend Workshop, Ireland. Toparticipate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/112 orhttp://www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/3117458

8 to 11th July: The Way of Merlin: The Prophet, the God-dess and the land, with R.J. Stewart, Hawkwood Stroud,UK. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/211   orhttp://www.hallowquest.org.uk/index.html

September 2010

18th - 19th September: Walkers between the world, led byJohn Matthews and Wil Kinghan. North Morton, Oxen,UK. To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/211 orhttp://www.hallowquest.org.uk/index.html

23rd-26th September: Talks and workshop at the OBOD USEast Coast Gathering Milford PA, USA. To participate andfor further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365   orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org/   orhttp://eastcoastgathering.druidry.org/

23rd-26th September: The Sacred Arts of Healing - Sha-manism and Spirituality in our everyday work. A threepart programme led by Dr. Angela Cottter, Caitlin Mat-

thews and Felicity Wombwell. Hawkwood Stroud, UK. Toparticipate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/211 orhttp://www.hallowquest.org.uk/index.html

Advance Event Notices for 2011

Spirit of Scotland: Mystical Islands and Highlands a tourbeing offered in 2011 via Avalon Mystery School, for moreinformation seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/109   orhttp://www.celticspiritjourneys.com/scotland.php

2nd Celtic Gathering, Ontario Canada, Date and Venue tobe announced later, for details as they become available seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1381.

17th - 19th June: 'Spirit of the West' Druid Gathering atPigeon Lake, near Edmonton, Alberta, Western Canada.To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org/events.htm

17th - 23rd September: 'Anchors of Light - Being a ThirdMillennium Druid: Vision, Action, Celebration’ Spain. Toparticipate and for further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365   orhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org/

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Aontacht • 48

Aontacht – Summer/Winter Solstice 2010You do not have to be a memberof the Druidic Dawn community

to submit to the newsletter.

Please submit contributions di-rectly to the editorial staff via

email to:aontacht@druidicdawn.org

Refer to the writer’s guidelines,before you submit contributionsor inquiries. Below are our up-coming issues in case you'd liketo get ahead on submissions. Besure to specify which issue you

are submitting to.

The Celts loved and revered theLand; how do we in modern

times reveal our love and rever-ence in practical ways?

The Celts understood the WildEarth as sovereign, as a goddess;what is sovereignty and how can

we apply this to our everydaylife?

The Celts viewed the Cosmos asan ensouled, relational universe;how do we observe and relate to

the universe in a participatoryway?

DRUIDIC DAWN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

An interview with author and druid practitioner, Wyverne, is currently set up as ourmain feature, but we would love to have more wonderful submissions. News, events,reviews, editorials, articles, essays, recipes, devotional pieces, photos and more arewelcomed.

We are also fielding questions for Wyverne’s interview. Wyverne is the editor forSerpentStar, the Southern Hemisphere OBOD newsletter, author of “Fairies of theWild Wild Moon”, and dedicated to her path as a bard and seer. So if you havesomething you’d like to ask her, please send it to aontacht@druidicdawn.org. Ques-tions will be asked to Wyverne in an anonymous fashion, however, we ask that youkeep them clean, professional and courteous. Also note that we reserve the right toedit or discard any questions submitted. If too many questions are received we sad-ly cannot use them all, but will try our best to include all. Deadline for questions isMay 15th, 2010.

Basic Guidelines:i Submit original work only. Essays & articles should be between 1,000-2,000 words

(footnotes and bibliography included). There is not a word limit for poetry, how-ever, please do not submit epic verse.

ii You may submit multiple pieces. Only electronic submissions are accepted andshould be either compressed (.zip/.rar) and attached (preferred for photos &artwork), or pasted into the email body. Document submissions should be in PlainText (.txt) or Rich Text (.rtf) formats only; Photos/artwork as .jpg or .png.

Please cite your sources and clearly mark when using UPG [Unverified PersonalGnosis] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unverified_Personal_Gnosis)iii Articles should be relevant to the Celtic/Druidic communities (refer to Subject

Areas below) and must match the theme of the issue (if the issue is themed).iv Run a grammar/spell check on your work before submittal.v Keep work in a friendly manner. No racism, bigotry, violence or hated.

Subject Areas:· Pre-Christian: Discussion of history, anthropology, archeology and more, but also

of the current Reconstructionist or Traditional movements happening today.· Modern Druidry: Discussion of Druidism within the last 300 years; includes

Revivalist and Neo-Druid.· Modern Celtic: Talk on surviving beliefs, folklore and superstitions still alive

today on the Celtic isles, i.e., Fairy Faith.· Celtic Christianity: Looks into this truly beautiful and unique branch of Christian-

ity.· Inter-Faith: How people incorporate other cultures into their Celtic/Druidic prac-

tice, or getting along with those of other faiths.

The deadline for ALL submissions will be 15 May 2010, as we are looking to havedistribution by 21 June 2010. Submissions can be sent to aontacht@druidicdawn.orgor DDaontacht@gmail.com

Note: International copyright law will protect all materials published. However,submitting your work will not guarantee its publication. Also note that as Aontacht isa free publication, which generates no profit, you will not be paid for your contribu-tions.