Metaphysical Druids & Dryads's topics - tribe.net

LIGHT is LIFE

2009-09-25T12:02:34Z

LIGHT is LIFE

The human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day.

Past research has shown that the body emits visible light, 1,000times less intense than the levels which can be seen with the naked eye. In fact, virtually all living
creatures emit very weak light.aura, biofield, photons, light particles, biophoton

To learn more about this faint visible light, scientists in Japan employed extraordinarily sensitive cameras capable of detecting single photons. Five healthy male volunteers in their 20’s were placed bare-chested in front of the cameras in complete darkness in light-tight rooms for 20 minutes every three hours.

The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 AM and its peak at 4 PM, dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked tothe body clock, most likely due to how metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.

Faces glowed more than the rest of the body. This might be because faces are more tanned than the rest of the body, since they get more exposure to sunlight.

El's note: This makes so much sense! Light is LIFE. Darkness is DEATH (well, scientifically, darkness is the absence of light so logically, it is also the absence of life therefore death). So those who follow the path of darkness (the dark side of the Force? "LHP?") are following the path of death. This too makes sense, since they frequently will surround themselves with symbols of death. Some Neo-Pagans, adapting a kind of "Harry Potteresk" metaphor, have taken to referring to non-Pagans as "muggles." Does this make the followers of "Left Hand Paths" then "Deatheaters?" Hey, I'm just making an observation here. As always: "Ai gwisgi t cara 'i alli t ca unrhyw."

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Health Care Reform

2009-09-23T20:45:04Z

What did you do this week to help get real health care reform passed by Congress? I'm talking about the Public Option or, (better) single payer. Personally I wrote both my senators and my congressman (actually, I've been writing them over and over on this since Obama took office). My congressman, Mike Thomson is a blue dog, but my senators (Feinstein and Boxer) seem to be on board. We don't have tea-baggers, birthers, or other wing-nuts here abouts (that are active anyway), so the town hall meeting we had here a week or so back wasn't very eventful.

So, what are you doing?

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AARRRR!!!!

2009-09-19T07:32:44Z

ARRRR! Hey mateeys, it be "talk like a pirate day," arrrr, arrrr!

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Did you know that liquor companies are using their profits to kill health care reform in Congress?

2009-09-01T21:42:47Z

Fellow Druids,

Did you know that liquor companies are using their profits to kill health care reform in Congress?

I just signed a customer complaint form to the liquor company that distributes Bailey's, Guinness and Johnnie Walker, for running an online campaign attacking the health care bills before Congress.

Can you sign the form, too? http://action.seiu.org/drinkingliberally

Join myself and Isaac Bonewits in standing up for health care for all.

Thanks!

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The Druids Egg, Lughnasadh/Mabon 2009 now online!

2009-08-13T19:44:25Z

Late Summer Greetings,

After a slight delay because of the Gathering, here is the latest issue:

http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/

As always, The Druid's Egg publication is supported by Avalon Risen

I hope you are all having a wonderful Summer, filled with warmth and mirth! :)

In Gaia,
Ceridwen Seren-Ddaear /|\
AD/RDG

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Druids & Reiki

2009-08-11T04:15:18Z

One thing in evidence at our Druid Gathering last weekend was the number of Reiki Masters among us. All counted, a good 60% of the Druids who attended this year were Reiki Masters, plus a few who were working on their Master level. One could wonder whether that number is consistent across the board (that is, across all of Druidry), or if this was only an isolated case.

To be sure, Order of the Mithril Star, which many of the attendees belong to, encourages it’s members to pursue Reiki as a healing discipline, and many of us also incorporate Reiki as part of our daily spiritual practice.

This years healing circle, which was incorporated into the main rite on Saturday, was both much simpler than in years past, but also much, much more powerful, possibly due to the presence of so many Reiki Masters among us, but also probably due to the magnification of energy we produced. This year, instead asking individuals to come forward and receive Reiki from the Masters present, we had everyone stand in a circle, holding hands. The Reiki Masters were interspersed in the circle, with just a few people between masters. We then sent the energy around the circle clockwise, allowing to pass through each and every one in the circle. The result was very powerful, very profound and we are told, very effective.

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About the Gathering

2009-08-11T04:13:47Z

About the Gathering
It was possibly the most successful Gathering we have ever had!

This year it was pretty much "Druids only," and turnout was still about the same as we have had in previous years. Ceridwen and I had some car troubles on Friday, and didn't actually get down to the site until very late afternoon (we also couldn't find a kitty- sitter for the weekend, and ended up commuting every day). So Friday ended up being very free-style and laid back. We really didn't get "organized" until Saturday.

Workshops were held in Tengsen (sp?) pebble divination (by Druid Antlerchime), Magick using Tarot, and Numerology (both by AD Ceridwen). A beautiful Lughnasadh ritual was led by AD Aigeann and Druid Seven Tines (both of Clan of the Triple Horses Grove), followed by a feast.

Ceridwen spirited off AD Aigeann and AD Tiffiny (of Proto-Grove of the Manzanitas) to bestow the Seventh degree upon them.

But the thing here was it didn't have the atmosphere of a "convention" at all. What we experienced this year was more like a family reunion than anything else. I think I like that! There was a lot more growing closer; a lot more obvious love shown at this Gathering than at any of the previous ones.

In previous years Ceridwen and I had felt like "gee, we're glad that's over," but this year we were saddened to have it end, and we're already looking forward to next years Gathering -- next years "DRUID FAMILY REUNION."

We end the gathering in the same manner in which we've ended all previous gatherings:

"Keep coming back it works!" and "Next year at Dryads Realm!"

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Join Us!

2009-07-18T22:59:29Z

Is Nature your friend? Do you get more out of a walk through the woods than going to church? You might find that you're a Reformed Druid at heart, and didn't even realize it.

Check us out -- http://mithrilstar.org

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Celtic Myth Podshow

2008-05-29T01:18:38Z

Hi all,

I apologise if advertising here causes offence but I am hoping that
the subject of this podcast will be of sufficient interest to the
subscribers to this list to warrant inclusion.

I produce the Celtic Myth Podshow (http://celticmythpodshow.com) which
is a free MP3 download and aims to tell the stories of Celtic
mythology to its listeners. We have started with the Irish
Mythological Cycle and aim to cover all of the Six Nations in the
series. The by-line of the show is "Bringing the Tales and Stories of
the Ancient Celts to your Fireside" which is the atmosphere we would
like to create. The old legends were recounted orally and only written
down in later years, so by hearing them told we are getting a step
closer to their original presentation and hopefull, meaning. That's
the theory anyway :)

You can find us on itunes or download/listen to the episodes on the website

I hope this is of interest to some

Thank you

Ruth

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Latest Druid's Egg now online

2008-05-22T13:07:05Z

http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org

This is the OFFICIAL JOURNAL of the REFORMED DRUIDS!!

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A Big Hello!

2008-04-29T01:51:31Z

Hello, My name is Michy and I am a hereditary Dryad whose line goes back to the 8th Centuary. i just joined tribenet last Saturday and I have also started a tribe called Followers of the Celtic Way. I hope you'll take a look at it and like it enough to join. I look forward to being a member of this tribe and hope I will learn more, because you never stop learning.

Blessings, Michy

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Iron Age mystery of the 'Essex druid'

2008-04-23T19:01:23Z

Iron Age mystery of the 'Essex druid'

Grave near Colchester could be the first burial site of an ancient mystic ever to be discovered in Britain

By Andrew Johnson
Sunday, 20 April 2008

As sacred priests, their duties included teaching, law enforcement and possibly even burning people to death in giant wicker men. Druids dominated British culture with their mysterious magical rites in the centuries before the Roman invasion.

For such an important band of men, however – it could take 20 years to train to be a druid, according to some sources – hardly anything is known about them. That could be about to change now, though, after what is thought to be the first discovery in Britain of a druid grave.

The extraordinary find was made at the Essex village of Stanway, near Colchester. It is among a number of graves of eminent people interred around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD43.

Following Queen Boudica's uprising in AD61, Emperor Claudius ordered the druids be wiped out. Their Anglesey stronghold and sacred groves were destroyed, along with their entire history.

In the grave, archaeologists uncovered a board game with the glass counters laid out, medical equipment – the earliest ever found – a tea strainer still containing some kind of herbal brew, and some mysterious metal poles.

The first find at the site was made in 1996. But now, after 12 years of painstaking digging and research, the final report into the unearthing suggests that the grave could be the only one of a druid ever found. The clues are not just in the objects buried with an obviously important man, but also in the way they are laid out. The metal rods, possibly used for divining, are in a specific order and near the surgical equipment – scalpel, surgical saw, hooks and forceps. There is also a jet bead, believed to have been seen as magical.

Writing in this month's British Archaeology magazine, the team of excavators from Colchester Archaeological Trust say: "It is hard to avoid the conclusion that he belonged to the stratum of late Iron Age society that comprised druids, diviners and healers. It is conceivable that this grave was the final resting place of a British druid."

Philip Crummy, director of the trust, remained cautious, adding that there may be other explanations. "In the report we draw the possibility that this man or woman was a druid," he said.

"The so-called druid could have been a doctor. The tea strainer contains artemisia pollen, which is commonly associated with herbal remedies. Healing is an attribute given to druids. We don't know what the metal rods are for, but we think they could have been used for divining. The question is whether all that stacks up to him being a druid. It could be – it was certainly somebody special."

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Beltane / Calan Mai -- May 1st

2008-04-11T21:49:19Z

(Following is an excerpt from the Reformed Druidism 101 course,
written by Adam Walks Between Worlds, El Arseneau and
Ceridwen Seren-Ddaear. The CDROM course is available online at Avalon
Risen: http://avalonrisen.mithrilstar.org/brit3.htm):

Beltane / Calan Mai -- May 1

"Of great importance is the festival of Beltane, which is at the
beginning of Samradh. Then shall ye observe great ceremony; and with
the kindling of large fires on the hilltops, and the glorification of
the renewed tree shall ye celebrate the renewed life." – DC(R) The
Book of the Law, 4:5

It's May, it's May,
the lusty month of May,
That lovely month when everyone goes
blissfully astray.
It's here, it's here,
that shocking time of year,
When tons of little wicked thoughts
merrily appear.
It's May, that gorgeous holiday,
When every maiden letches for fun,
wholesome or un.
It's mad! It's gay, depraved in every way.
Those dreary vows that everyone takes,
everyone breaks, everyone makes divine mistakes.
The lusty month of May.
~~From the musical, "Camelot"

Beltane celebrates the midpoint between the Vernal Equinox and the
Summer Solstice. Beltane (bauL-Ti-Ni, or bauL-Hi-Ni), known in Modern
Irish as L· Bealtaine (Laa bauL-Hi-ni, or Laa baul-Ti-ni), in Welsh as
Calan-Mai (calends of May), in Scottish Gaelic as Baltiunn, and in
Manx as Shenn da Boaddyn, La Boaldyn, or Laa'nTourey (Day of Summer;
is, of course, the day we know in English as May Day. It is also
called by a variety of other names, such as Roodmas, Summer Day,
Walpurgistag, St. Pierre's Day, Red Square Day, etc. It is the
beginning of the Summer Half of the Year (the seasons of Samradh;
Foghamhar) and is a festival of unalloyed joy.

A very large number of important mythological events are connected
with this day. It was on a Beltane that Partholan and his followers,
the first inhabitants and partial creators of Ireland, landed on that
isle. Three hundred years later, on the same day, they returned to the
Other World. It was on a Beltane that the Tuatha De Danann and their
people invaded Ireland. It was on a May Eve that Pryderi, the missing
son of Rhiannon and Pwyll (Rulers of the Welsh Otherworld) was lost by
them and later (on another May Eve) was found by Teirnyon Twryf Vliant
(and eventually restored to Them).

On every first day of May "till the day of doom," Gwyn-son-of-Nudd
fights with Gwyrthur-son-of Greidawl, for the hand of Lludd's (Lugh's)
fair daughter, Creudylad. Most of these events, again, as all over
Europe, have to do with stories of the forces of light defeating the
forces of darkness. Why did you think the Marxists chose May Day as
their international Holiday? And can you guess why Adam Weishaupt
chose Walpurgistag as the day to announce the founding of the Bavarian
Iluuminati, and why the date at which the forces of evil later tired
to Imannetize the Eschaton?

The focus is on fertility and the planting of crops. This is a more
intense holiday, magickally speaking, than Oestara. The rites include
as many people as are available making love in the fields, in the
gardens, on hilltops etc. Traditionally, marriage vows are suspended.
Everyone is encouraged to share and grow closer with as many different
partners as possible. The "Balefire" is lit on the hilltops and in
ceremonial groves, and couples jump the bale fire in order to insure
their own fertility. During the day, the May pole is erected, and the
traditional dance is performed around it. The May pole is a symbolic
penis decorated with multicolored ribbons and topped with a wreath. I
found it amusing (living as I did in Santa Cruz, CA) that some of the
local Dianic Wiccans always hold public rites involving the May Pole.
These are folks who believe that men are inherently evil, that there
is only a Goddess, and that real magick and spirituality are the sole
dominion of women (or wymen as some like to put it) yet here they are
on the front cover of the local paper dancing around a symbolic penis!

May Day is also sacred to the Goddess. The Catholic Church makes it
the day for the crowning of the May Queen, Mary, and her statue is
decorated and paraded around by school children, who also usually
build home "May altars" in her honor. More explicitly Pagan rites
involving Mary can be found in many Latin American countries as well.

May Day is also "International Workers Day." This socialist holiday is
celebrated everywhere in the world except in the United States (we do
the first Monday of September and call it Labor Day -- this was to
divorce it from its socialist origins). Is there a connection between
Labor and Beltane? Perhaps blue collar people are more into fertility
(and therefore production) than the bourgeois. It's something else I
am researching.

In Ireland up to fifty years ago, the very devout Catholics there
still were lighting the bale fires, and making love in the fields
(marriage vows suspended for the day). Children born of such unions
were referred to as "fairy children," and treated as special gifts
from the fairy folk. The prefix "Fitz" was once given to children born
of Beltane unions, hence the proliferation in Ireland of
"Fitzgeralds," "Fitzsimmons," etc. For every "sinful" tradition,
there has to be a cover up, so today some Irish say the "Fitz" prefix
actually refers to those of Norman origin who immigrated to Ireland.
In fact, it is the "O'" prefix (as in "O'Connor, O'Flarherty,
"O'Hara," etc.,) that refers to Norman heritage, not the "Fitz."

(Copyright 1996 - 2008, Order of the Mithril Star of the Reformed
Druids of Gaia, Eureka CA USA -- http://www.mithrilstar.org )

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Pagan Libertarians?????????

2008-03-21T17:53:20Z

There is a small minority of Pagans and Druids who are attracted to the ideals of the Libertarian Party and who fancy themselves Libertarian. I understand this. I don’t like paying taxes any more than anyone else, and I certainly would like to see marijuana legalized. But aside from those things, am I really a Libertarian? I don’t think so. My Paganism demands a certain amount of tribalism, a certain feeling of obligation to the collective. My Druidry demands that I do all I can to protect mother earth. Neither of these tendencies can be met by Libertarianism. But lets take this further, and look at the logical effect of a Libertarian dominated government of the future:
It’s 2026. The Libertarian Party has become the dominant political entity in the US, occupying the White House, the Supreme Court and the majority of seats in both the House and the Senate. This has been true for the last 10 years. What is life like in the US?
There is still an income tax, but it is very minimal – 5%, with no deductions, exemptions or credits. Everyone pays some tax. But that’s the only tax. There are no state or local taxes; no property taxes, zip. There are few laws. Marijuana and all other drugs are legal now, and can be purchased in drug and grocery stores. Prostitution, and for that matter, all other “victimless” crimes are legal now. The government no longer meddles in the affairs of business or of individuals.

As I said, there are few laws. In fact, the only laws left on the books are those concerned with the protection of property and murder.

To the American family, life is different. There are no Public Schools, Parks, Libraries, Zoo’s or museums. There is no public transportation. Even the Post Office is owned by private interests. Is your house on fire? You’d better have insurance, because all the private fire service will do is make sure your house doesn’t start fire to your neighbors (who will be paying a considerable sum for this service).

As I said, there are few laws. There is no minimum wage, and employers may work you as many hours and as many days in a row as they like. There are no mandatory breaks, even for lunch. Your employer may offer such if they like. Or not. There is no unemployment insurance, no disability insurance, and you can be fired for attempting to start a Union.

There is no social security.

Police Departments at all levels, Prisons and small jails have all been privatized, and their now huge populations supply private capitalism with a constant source of cheap labor. The “debtors prison” has been revived, where people who can’t pay their bills are sent to work off their debts in servitude.

Since there no laws, the environment is rapidly deteriorating, despite the voluntary efforts of some higher minded corporations and individuals. On California’s North Coast, where I live, the last redwoods were clear cut years ago, when the State and National Parks were sold off to private concerns. It’s more or less a coastal desert here, with weather much like that of Baha Mexico.
Thousands of species once on the endangered list are now extinct, as environmental laws designed to protect them were taken off the books as governmental encroachments on the rights of private enterprise.

Crime, murder, homelessness and poverty are at record highs, as people will do whatever they have to to survive. Likewise, sales of security devices and guns are at an all time high as well.

Is that really the Libertarian world view? Not really, at least I don’t know of any Libertarians who have thought their philosophy through that far. What I have projected here is the most likely scenario given what I know of human nature.

Libertarianism is based upon Objectivism or what Ayn Rand called, “The Virtue of Selfishness.” This ethic states that you are only responsible for yourself. You have no obligation, and in fact you are stupid, if you help anyone else or participate in any group that attempts to help anyone else. This ethic also states that you are obligated to take care of your family only until they leave your nest. Your children are never obligated to help you. So the idea of "tribe," which many Pagans hold dear, is anathema to Libertarian thinking. Likewise anathema is the idea of our "oneness" with the rest of the Earth. Instead Libertarian thinking makes us each "Marlboro men," responsible only to ourselves.

My conclusion then is simple -- Pagans who believe themselves "Libertarian" simply haven't thought it all through. Once they do, they will understand that this Objectivist political party based on individual selfishness has nothing in common with Paganism, or any other form of Earth centered spirituality.

"Objectivism rejects any form of altruism". -- Ayn Rand

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Q: How do I tell "real" Druids from Druid wannabees?

2008-03-20T19:11:34Z

A: Druids are by nature, compassionate, benevolent, all accepting, liberal minded, tolerant, educated people, who universally accept anyone who reverences nature as one of their own. Who understand that we are all interconnected and interdependent on one another and on the whole of the planet. There was in recent times, a man who self-identified as a Druid who ran for US President as a Libertarian. He was an "Anti-Druid." The underlying philosophy of Libertarianism (Objectivism, Social - Darwinism, abject- selfishness) is totally at odds with the collectivist worldview of true Druidism, which sees every man and every woman as an extension of every other man and woman, or in more Bardic terms: droplets in the infinite ocean of mother gaias womb.

(Above taken from http://rdg.mithrilstar.org/rdgfaq.htm )

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A Dryad chant

2008-02-22T07:22:09Z

Here are the words to a chant I know about plant or tree spirits. The melody is lovely.

"The spirit of the tree (or plants) has come to me
in the form of a beautiful dancing green woman,
Her eyes brings me peace
Her dancing brings me peace
Her eyes bring me peace
Her dancing brings me peace"

repeat at least three times.
Peace
Iannin

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White Stag

2008-02-11T18:51:53Z

A rare white stag has been observed on the west coast of the Highlands.

The animal has been seen with other red deer by a member of the John Muir Trust, which has kept its location a secret to protect it from poachers.

The killing of a white stag on the Devon and Cornwall border last year sparked outrage.

Fran Lockhart, partnership manager for the trust, caught the young Highland deer on camera. She described it as "ghost-like".

She said: "I am thrilled to know that there is a white stag roaming free out there in the Scottish Highlands and that I was privileged enough to be able to spend an hour observing him.

"We will be watching this animal with interest, particularly as he will be reaching his full potential in the next couple of years."

The trust said white deer were potent figures in the mythology of many cultures.

Celts considered them to be messengers from the otherworld.

They are closely identified with unicorns and their appearance is said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encounter them.

Found headless

White deer are often mistakenly thought to be albinos.

The trust said their unusual appearance was caused by leucism, a rare genetic pattern that causes a reduction in the pigment in the animal's hair and skin.

Unlike albinos who characteristically have red eyes, deer with leucism have normal colouring in their eyes.

The stag killed in England last year was found headless after being shot by a poacher.

Farmers and gamekeepers had kept quiet about the stag's whereabouts for years in an attempt to protect him.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7238534.stm

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A look back at the 1st Year of the 2nd Age of the Reformed Druids

2008-02-03T04:30:45Z

The past year has been a remarkable and progressive one for the Reform. Looking back to the beginning of this 2nd Age of the Reform, we saw the birth of a new Goddess, and the birth of a new vision of Reformed Druidism – one that sees the preservation and restoration of the Earth Mother as our primary mission. We’ve seen a record number of new members join, and several new Groves have sprung up.

We also saw a lot of criticism, but that is to be expected. So-called “Reconstructionist Druids” think we’re not Celtic enough – that we don’t emphasize studying the ancient Celts enough. I wonder how much time the ancient Druids spent studying the Celts? I’ll bet not much at all. If at all. And in the midst of a global environmental crisis, is such study really worth our time? What will we say to our children and grandchildren? “Sorry little Dalon. We were busy learning Gaelic and didn’t take time to lobby congress to do something about global warming. Maybe you can find a new planet?”

I also have to wonder about people who emphasize Celticity too much. The Celts were one ancient people out of many. Yes, I admire their art and culture, music and language. But I don’t believe they are superior to any other race or culture on the planet. I read once, to my great embarrassment, that the Ku Klux Klan believed, at one time anyway, that theirs was a reconstruction of Celtic culture. That they adopted the white robes, the Celtic cross and, burnt the cross as a substitution for the wicker man. Or so some of their early leaders believed. I certainly don’t want to be compared to the Klansmen, and I think groups like the so-called “Sinnsreachdaidhean” need to take care lest they be accused of espousing white supremacism under the guise of "Celtic Heathen Revivalism" (those who claim that theirs is “the only true Druidism” are already on the path of hate).

I think the new age of the Reform will reflect the original values of the founders of the Reform, but on a more global scale. This means universal acceptance (if you say you are a Druid, than you are one) of Druids no matter what their ethnicity, their religious upbringing, their sexual orientation, their race, their language, etc.

I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again: We are one people on this Earth. We cannot separate ourselves from each other without separating ourselves from the Earth Mother. We have to take responsibility for each other. If one is sick, or hungry or homeless, ALL are affected by their misfortune. Druids should be on the front lines of the soup kitchens, the welfare offices, the food banks, and the homeless shelters. We should be lobbying Congress and the United Nations for and end to all wars, all poverty, all hunger. We should be lobbying Congress for higher minimum wages, for universal health care, for universal access to good schools, including higher education. We should be insisting that the global trend towards deforestation be stopped. That alternate forms of building materials be utilized and new ones found. That alternate forms of energy be legislated into use. We Druids are the ones who need to set an example and do the ultra-recycling, and drive the economy cars, or take public transportation. We need to be the ones who will encourage science and technology to make Green technologies a priority. Our communities need to be the ones that utilize wind, and solar and hydrogen power.

In other words, we Druids need to be activists, who stand against the old, corporate polluting ways of doing business for the sake of profits alone, and stand for an economic model that puts the needs of people, and of the Earth Mother herself, before the needs of stockholders.

In this, the beginning of the second year of the second age of the Druid Reform, we need to believe in ourselves, and take upon ourselves the challenge:

We can change the world.

Namaste, and May the FOREST be with you.

El Arseneau /|\
Senior Archdruid of OMS/RDG

http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org/newssamhain07-02.htm

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Druidry: A nine step program?

2008-01-24T19:08:28Z

Nine Steps to Becoming a Druid
by Leila of OBOD

If you are an aspiring druid and you are trying to start your path, then you might go over to the many druid organizations either on the internet or in your own country. However, what if none of them really appeal to you? What if you want to go on your path alone? Well here is a good place to start.

1. Become Environmentally Aware.
2. Read all you can.
3. Meditate.
4. Take resposibility for your life.
5. Make contact with other people who might share some of your views.
6. Engage with the Spiritual world.
7. Let go of your cherished illusions, the Celts and druids are not as romantic as you think.
8. Become well rounded.
9. Serve your Clan. Providing service to others is important to druids.

Walking the druid path requires a lifelong commitment to learning and leadership

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The Case for Druid Pacifism

2008-01-06T08:34:30Z

Historically, Druids have been warriors. Druids have not been opposed to warfare in general, whether it was for the purpose of defending their territory against invaders, or for the less noble cause of cattle raiding, or the even less noble cause of being the invaders themselves. But for the most part, traditional warfare had little negative impact on the environment. Blood and human remains are biodegradable after all, and often times warfare was just a faster method of returning to the Earth from which we come. The only notable exceptions were the Roman practice of salting the fields of those they conquered, rendering them sterile for a hundred years or more; and of clear cutting the sacred Groves of the Druids.

Modern warfare is different. Modern warfare involves conflict not only between combatants but also between man and nature. Attacks on the environment have become more savage as technology has developed. Environmental destruction has become an inevitable result of modern warfare and military tactics. The nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that have emerged during the late twentieth century present threats to life itself; but short of that apocalypse, modern weapons can cause or hasten a host of environmental disasters, such as deforestation and erosion, global warming, desertification, and long-term pollution of air and water.

Modern Druids, or "Neo-Druids" as we are sometimes called, are drawn to this spirituality by the recognition that the Earth itself is a living, breathing, entity. We Druids are therefore the caretakers of the planet; Priests and Priestesses of the Earth Mother, Gaia. In most aspects of our lives, Her well being is taken into consideration first and foremost. Additionally, we are charged with trying to reverse the damage that has already been done, and guarantee that future damage will not occur. This in essence makes all Pagans eco-warriors, fighting the good fight for the environment in the arena of politics on a local, national and global scale.

We must therefore, in the defense of the Earth Mother, renounce modern warfare, and militarism, altogether. Every weapon that is fired today pollutes the Earth, and the bigger and more impersonal the weapon, the more the negative impact on the environment. We must become pacifists, and like other religious pacifists, we must not allow ourselves to be drafted into military service. Although there are certainly opportunities in the military to effect the environment in positive ways, in the event of war, those opportunities become moot. Modern warriors directly pollute the environment. There is just no way around this, or we find hypocrisy staring us accusingly in the face.

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Better late than never.......

2008-01-03T04:18:59Z

The Samhain-Yule (2007) edition of The Druid's Egg is now online at http://druidsegg.reformed-druids.org

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Are you committing "cultural genocide"?

2007-12-26T05:31:14Z

A member of our little board on MySpace (who asked not to be
identified) wrote me off-list. Apparently she's been over on the
"Druid Fellowship for Todays Druids" group, and made the classic
mistake of revealing herself as a Reformed Druid. Of course, as has
happened before, the CRs came out in droves to kill the witch.

Not surprising really, as this has happened to many of us on
practically all the MySpace Druid groups, since CR is the dominant
Celtic paradigm over on MySpace. But apparently there's a new twist.
She was accused of "cultural genocide."

Apparently, calling oneself a Druid without a strictly Celtic context
(something the Reform has always done, as Celticism has always been
treated as an option) is "stealing" from another culture and
"denigrating" the office (or do you think it was because she is Black?).

I went and looked over the thread myself (It was my "Who's a
Druid...." thread, started back in April - still alive and kicking
many months after I left). Indeed, she was accused of "cultural rape"
several times.

In another thread, Steven Crimmins' (sp?)(Archdruid at Carleton in
2006 I think), edited version of the "What and Why is Reformed
Drudism.." pamphlet (from the ARDA) was used to further bolster the
"Reformed Druids are fluffy bunnies who steal cultural elements"
argument. In Crimmins new version, he mentions Carleton Groves use of
the Lakota Sweat Lodge ceremony. Yet another charge of cultural rape
occurs here.

We're also accused of being "Treehuggers." Which, we are, and so
what? What's wrong with that? It's a code word for
"environmentalists" anyway, and I proudly sport the "TREEHUGGER"
bumper sticker on my car.

I suppose I should write reviews of all the Druid groups on MySpace
and post them somewhere so that Druids don't wander in to those places
unawares and get pounded.

Let me say too that I don't have anything against CRs at all. I think
they do fine work and if you are in to that sort of thing they have
great resources (we integrated the IMBAS Book list into the
recommended reading list long ago). I have an acquaintance whom I've
know for some 15 years that is a founder of the CR movement. She's
never been anything but nice to me, and we've reprinted some of her
articles (with her permission) in Druids Egg.

It seems like it's just the younger CRs that are coming across like
Nazis on the boards. What's up with that? Why can't we all just get
along? This isn't Iraq you know. It's like a Sunni vs Shia thing. Very
ugly. Aren't we all Druids after all?

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 1 reply

Damn! We missed it!

2007-12-22T20:33:18Z

The winter solstice has been declared Global Orgasm Day. Organizers, the anti-war organization Baring Witness, are asking participants to simultaneously climax at 06:08 a.m. GMT on Saturday December 22nd (10:08 p.m. PST on Friday Dec 21st on the West Coast and 1:08 a.m. EST on Saturday on the East Coast). The goal is "to effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible instantaneous surge of human biological, mental and spiritual energy." So get jiggy in the name of world peace y'all. But remember a really good time doesn't have to lead to babies, and since over-population is a major cause of our planet's crisis the emphasis here is on orgasmic energy rather than fertility.

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Would you still be a Druid.....

2007-12-03T23:03:56Z

... if your Reconstructionist friends discovered that a fundamental and essential part of Druidism was human sacrifice? That to "be a real Druid" you had to build a wicker man and sacrifice a virgin in it? Would you stay in Druidism or would you find another path? OR -- would you redefine Druidism?

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 2 replies

wood spirit art

2007-11-14T09:30:14Z

Hey all, just wanna say hi and check out my wood spirit art on my profile. Thanks!

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 1 reply

Irish Soma

2007-10-20T19:19:50Z

Irish Soma
By Peter Lamborn Wilson

Many scholars believe that the Indo-Europeans used an entheogenic or
psychedelic drug in their rituals -- called soma amongst the Vedic
people of India, and haoma in Iran. The ancient Greeks also used an
ergot-based preparation in wine as the entheogenic trigger of the
Eleusinian Mysteries. Soma has been identified as amanita muscaria or
the fly agaric mushroom; haoma may have been the same, or it might be
"wild rue," a harmaline-containing shrub (see Bibliography under
Flattery and Schwartz). If there's any truth to these theories, we
would expect to find that other Indo-European peoples also used such
drugs shamanically or ritually. Terrence McKenna believes that
psilocybe was once even more widely distributed than it is now, and
therefore must also be considered in the soma context. Certainly
entheogenic religions are far more thoroughly attested today than when
Wasson launched ethnomycology with his "wild" speculations, which now
seem rather conservative. Even if we cannot accept the "psychedelic
experience" as the origin of religion, I believe that we must
certainly see it as one of a complex of "origins", a complexity which
might best be expressed in a palimpsest of theories about those
origins; in short, I would maintain that the failure to consider
entheogenesis ("birth of the god within" by ingestion of psychotropic
substances) must be considered a serious flaw in any integral History
of Religion.

I consider it strange that in all the writing I've read about
psychedelics, and about Ireland, not one text has connected the two
subjects. My reading is of course far from complete, and my first
query concerns this point. I can scarcely believe that I'm the first
to consider the question of a soma cult amongst the Celts, those
old-fashioned Indo-Europeans so loyal to ancient ways -- and so fond
of intoxication. An immediate presumption would be that the Celts lost
soma, if they ever had it, when they migrated West from the
Indo-European heartland; at best, they may have developed mead as a
substitute. I know of no reference to intoxicants other than alcohol
in use among the Celts, who in fact quickly became major importers of
Mediterranean wines. We know, however, that a vast amount of
orally-transmitted Druid lore is lost beyond recall, and we als/o know
how entheogenic cults can thrive under the very nose of "civilization"
and not be noticed (as in Latin America). Wasson and his school have
demonstrated how mushroom language tends to be euphemized, masked,
coded, buried in etymologies and even "false" etymologies. If we are
to speculate about the possible existence of a Celtic -- specifically
Irish -- soma, we must exercise a bit of detective work. Using some of
their findings as possible structures for our exegesis, we can go back
and read our texts over again and hope for a few glimmerings or clues.

Irish myths and legends were not written down till the Christian era,
and then only by monks who might well have misunderstood or even
censored any references to a soma-type substance or cult. By that
time, any entheogenic knowledge or ritual once possessed by druids
might well have already vanished (or retreated into folklore), and the
memory of soma distorted beyond recognition. Any mushroom lore that
survived till the ninth to twelfth centuries A.D. would be the
province of illiterate peasant wise-women and wizards -- not of
literate monks. For this reason we can expect that the myths and
legends of the monkish manuscripts will be hard to read from our
special perspective. But Irish folklore, as distinct from myths and
legends, may prove a much clearer source. For reasons known to
folklorists, Ireland is a special case of the survival of
Indo-European lore, comparable perhaps only to India. In fact, Indian
material should be used to throw light on Irish material where areas
of darkness exist. From this point of view I think we can take for
granted that whatever we may find in Ireland that looks like soma, and
smells like soma, so to speak, might very well be soma, although we
may never be able to prove the identity. But the well-known affinity
between Celtic and Vedic cultures should pre-dispose us to at least a
certain open-mindedness.

The Irish material abounds in references to magical substances which
bestow knowledge and/or pleasure when ingested. Perhaps the best-known
are the hazelnuts of wisdom, eaten by the Salmon, fished up by the
Druid, and cooked by young Finn--who, as "sorcerer's apprentice",
burns his thumb on the Salmon's skin, sticks thumb in mouth, and
attains all the wisdom in his master's stead. The "shamanic" overtones
of this story are quite obvious. Turning to the older manuscripts, we
have the enigmatic "Geste of Fraoch" [1], concerning the hero Fraoch
who is half-fairy (Sidh) in origin. His sister is the nymph of the
River Boyne. He seeks to marry Find-abair, daughter of Aillil and
Maeve, the witch-queen. He arrives at their kingdom with his retinue
and impresses everyone with his beauty, and his skill at music and
chess. Find-abair falls in love with him. They meet secretly and she
gives him her gold thumb-ring. Aillil and Maeve agree to the wedding,
but secretly plot the hero's destruction. Maeve invites Fraoch to
bathe in her magic spring. Growing on its bank is the rowan tree.

Every fourth and every month
Ripe fruit the rowan bore:
Fruit more sweet than honey-comb;
Its clusters' virtues strong,
Its berries red could one but taste
Hunger they staved off long.

Rowan Berry juice could preserve life and cure dread disease. Maeve,
sitting on the shore, begs Fraoch to swim over and pluck some berries
for her. As she well knows, the rowan-berries are guarded by a dragon
(or water-serpent), who attacks Fraoch. In one version, the beast
kills him. In another version, as Maeve, her daughter, and the court
ladies enjoy the sight of Fraoch sporting naked in the pool, Aillil
steals the gold thumb-ring from Fraoch's purse, shows it to Maeve, and
throws it into the water. Fraoch notices this, and also notices that a
salmon gulps down the ring. Without anyone seeing him, he catches the
fish barehanded, and hides it "a hidden spot by the brink" of the
water. Thereupon Maeve demands the rowan-berries; Fraoch complies; the
monster appears. Find-abair strips to the buff and leaps into the
water with a sword, which she tosses to her lover. He slays the beast.
Aillil and Maeve now plot the death of their own daughter. A ritual
bath is prepared for Fraoch, "of fresh-bacon broth and heifer-flesh
minced in it," a sign that he will be raised to royal status.
Afterwards a feast is organized. During the feast Aillil orders that
all his treasures be brought out and displayed. In order to complete
this vulgar show, he demands that Find-abair produce her gold
thumb-ring; when she fails to do so he threatens her with death. But
Fraoch has meanwhile retrieved the salmon from its hiding-place and
given it to Find-abair's maid to cook. The girl brings in the fish,
"broiled..., well prepared with honey dressing." The ring is of course
discovered. Aillil and Maeve are foiled.

In this version the tale ends happily. Ignoring the temptation to
unpack too many clues from this story, we should confine ourselves to
asking whether or not it can be read for possible ritual content. The
sacred pool, the sacred tree, the combat (which can be seen as a
sacrifice, either of Fraoch or of a substitute, the salmon, or of the
monster), the beef-and-bacon bath -- during which a chorus of fairy
women (Fraoch's sister Boyne and her maidens) appear and sing. All
these motifs suggest that our legend is (at least in part) a masked
ritual. In that case, the berries may also have a ritual significance.
The salmon (with honey) and the thumb ring remind us of the shamanic
complex again. The old manuscripts also preserve a number of imrama,
or sea-going voyage-tales: the voyages of St. Brendan, of Bran, of
Maeldun, and of the O'Corra brothers. The sailors in these romances
find many marvelous islands, and on some of these islands they find
marvelous fruits -- some poisonous, some euphoriant, and some which
stave off hunger. In "the voyage of the sons of O'Corra," for example,
they visit an island whose trees are "laden with fruit, and the leaves
dropped honey to the ground. In the midst of the island was a pretty
lake, whose waters tasted like sweet wine. But after a week of rest by
its shores, a "monstrous reptile rose up from the lake, and looked at
them." The monster, however, disappears without harming them. [2]

Maeldun and his crew also experience an "Isle of Intoxicating Wine
Fruits:"

They were now a long time tossed about on the great billows, when
at length they came in view of an island with many trees on it. These
trees were somewhat like hazels, and they were laden with a kind of
fruit which the voyagers had not seen before, extremely large, and not
very different in appearance from apples, except that they had a
rough, berry-like rind. After the crew had plucked all the fruit off
one small tree, they cast lots who should try them, and the lot fell
on Maildun. So he took some of them, and, squeezing the juice into a
vessel, drank it. It threw him into a sleep of intoxication so deep
that he seemed to be in a trance rather than in a natural slumber,
without breath or motion, and with the red foam on his lips. And from
that hour till the same hour next day, no one could tell whether he
was living or dead. When he awoke next day, he bade his people to
gather as much of the fruit as they could bring away with them; for
the world, as he told them, never produced anything of such surpassing
goodness. They pressed out the juice of the fruit till they had filled
all their vessels; and so powerful was it to produce intoxication and
sleep, that, before drinking it, they had to mix a large quantity of
water with it to moderate its strength.

St. Brendan seems to have visited the same island but, being a saint,
he failed to experience the deep trance and euphoria of the more
worldly Maeldun. [3] Note that the color of the magic substance is
usually red. Even hazelnuts are "reddened" by association with
salmon-flesh. Maeldun sees red apple-like or nut-like fruit with a
rough rind -- which could be an accurate description of a fly-agaric
"toadstool" or its dried cap. Maeldun's squeezing of the juice reminds
us directly of Vedic soma-ritual, and the warning to cut the juice
with water reminds us of the Greek injunction to mix certain "wines"
twenty-to-one with water, lest they be too powerful -- obviously not
wine as we now know it, as C. Ruck points out in Persephone's Quest. [4]

Persephone's Quest is the book which sparked my intention to draft
this query. The specific impetus rose from Ruck's brilliant essay on
"The Offerings from the Hyperboreans," i.e., the votive offerings sent
from the semi-mythical land of Hyperborea to Apollo's shrine oracle at
Delos. In this text, Ruck makes no mention of the often-repeated but
not very convincing identification of Hyperborea as Ireland, or the
insular-Celtic lands in general. The route taken by the offering (a
sheaf of wheat hiding some other plant, apparently), is traced by
three ancient authors, who all place Hyperborea beyond the Danube and
beyond Scythia, near the Altai Mountains. This might locate Hyperborea
somewhere near the vague (and controversial) origin-point of the
Indo-Europeans and hence of the Celts. A Siberian origin for the
Indo-Europeans is strengthened by Vedic references and a mass of other
material which must not detain us here; suffice to say that the
"Hyperboreans" are very close to the area in which A. muscaria still
provides the entheogenic juice for shamanic practice. Ruck marshals a
great deal of circumstantial evidence to identify the offerings as fly
agaric, dried and wrapped in straw.

A possible historical connection between Hyperborea and the Celts,
however fascinating, will not serve our purpose so well, however, as
Ruck's discussion of a certain tribe living along the route of the
offerings and involved with their delivery, the Arimaspeans. Their
name, in the Scythian language, supposedly describes them as a
one-eyed people, akin to gorgons and griffins. A number of other
one-eyed and/or one-legged races appear in the story of Apollo and the
Hyperboreans--for example, the Telchines, magic metallurgists "with a
reputation for sorcery and drugs" [5], masters of herbalism and the
"evil eye". Ruck explains:

"The fungus of the Hyperborean homeland would have come ... from
the wooded slopes of the Altai Mountains, where conifers and birch
abound, an environment, therefore, where Amanita muscaria is commonly
found. Presumably, it would have fruited in the autumn and been
preserved by drying so that it could be conveyed over the long
journey, wrapped in straw, to arrive on Delos in late spring along
with the other offerings of first fruits. Is there anything, we must
now ask, in the Apolline traditions that might suggest that this was
the identity of the secret plant?

The one-eyed Arimaspeans, who, as we have seen, were either just
another name for the Hyperboreans or, as a separate people, were the
first intermediaries in the transmission of the subterranean gold that
was mined by the griffins. [They] are a personification of one of the
attributes of soma as the "single eye." So, therefore, are the
Cyclopes, whose murder as primitive surrogate occasioned Apollo's
expiatory sojourn amongst the people of his northern homeland. There
were two versions of these Cyclopes, and the Anatolian ones probably
arose from a separate dissemination of the metaphor through Asia
Minor, where the later discredited Lycian Telchines display the same
attribute as their evil eye. These one-eyed creatures are a variant of
another attribute of soma as the figure with a single foot, a
characteristic of a supposed race of people called the Shade-foots,
who came from the Indus valley and were fancifully implicated,
according to Aristophanes6 in a profane celebration of the Lesser
Eleusinian Mystery. It appears that the Arimaspeans may have come from
the same general region, for Herodotus's supposed Scythian etymology
of their name is probably not correct, but they were really an Iranian
tribe, called the Argempaioi or Argimpasoi. All these fabulous
creatures can be traced to fungal manifestations and testify strongly
that it was some kind of mushroom, if not actually Amanita, that was
originally the Hyperborean plant. In its Hesperidean version, the
plant bears still another attribute of soma as the 'mainstay of the
sky', which is the role that Atlas plays as 'pillar of heaven' in the
west [7], just as his Titanic brother in the east, Prometheus, when
presented as a Shade-foot, impersonates the sacred plant as a
"parasol," which is the same Sanskrit word as mushroom. The
single-footed trait can also be seen in certain Greek heroes who, like
Oedipus, have mythical roles as Apolline surrogates."

The Shade-foots were also known as Monocoli or "One-legs". [8] This
latter name is particularly interesting because when we find these
people in modern times, they will be a particular plant involved in
Asiatic shamanism. Monocoli in Greek was an epithet of plants9. In
modern times, the prodigious strength of their single leg will also be
remembered from ancient traditions.

In his own essay, "Persephone's Quest," Wasson also discusses a number
of one-eyed, one-footed beings from various folkloric and iconographic
sources, including the Cyclopes, and soma itself, which is described
in Vedic Sanskrit as Aja Ekapad, "Not-born Single-foot." Mushrooms are
"not born" because they have no seed; they are caused by lightning
bolts. And mushrooms are single-footed, of course. The penis is the
"one-eyed serpent," and the mushroom is a penis. Folklore can be
scoured endlessly to rake up further examples; Wasson's point is that
one-eyed one-legged beings are to be decoded as mushrooms, at least in
certain contexts.

The Irish also have a one-legged one-eyed race in their past: the
Fomoire or Fomorians. In some legendary histories they seem to be the
very oldest inhabitants of the island, but still they come from
elsewhere, either "from the sea" (but "sea" is probably a false
etymology for their name, fomorian); or else they invaded Ireland from
Africa. In some tales the Fomorians live under the sea (like Chinese
dragons) or else more prosaically on Tory Island. Sometimes they are
giants, and moreover they can appear as one-eyed one-footed giants.
Sometimes they appear to be a race of wizards, "human" enough to
inter-marry with the Tuatha de Danaan (who, however, aren't all that
human themselves). In fact the half-breed King Bres, who causes war
between the two races10 is described as the most beautiful youth in
Ireland -- even though the Fomoire are usually depicted as ugly, low,
hideous, deformed, etc. One gets the impression that the Fomorians
represent a pre-Celtic Irish race, and that we are seeing them through
the texts of the Celts, who invaded their land and subdued them, and
now wish to present them as villains, boors, snake-worshippers, or
even nonhuman monsters. This is a universal theme in folklore, which
often seems to harbor memories of an archaic "us/them" situation.
Ultimately it may lead us back to the emergence of agricultural
peoples and their "conquest" and enslavement of hunter/gatherer tribes
-- i.e., back to the very beginnings of civilization and history. The
Fomorians, who are connected with the megaliths by folklore, and who
survive to play roles as ogres and giants in Irish fairy tales, may
have been remnants of the great Atlantic Megalithic peoples, who
created the culture of New Grange and Stonehenge long before the Celts
arrived in Europe. The marginalized "race" or "caste" survives as
tinkers (primitive metallurgists, perennial outsiders), minstrels,
vagabonds, fortune-tellers, herbalists, servants, grooms, prostitutes,
wizards. Much later in history the Celts will undergo the same
marginalization by new "invading races"--the Fomorization of the
Celts, as it were.

What interests us here, however, is not the fate of the Fomorians but
their special role as one-eyed shade-foots -- i.e., their role in
folklore. Whatever their other qualities in history, myth, or legend,
they are clearly "Arimaspeans", and hence are to be suspected of
kinship with mushrooms. And if hazelnuts, or red berries, are used to
"mask" the mushroom in Irish tradition, we should look for Fomorians
lurking somewhere in the underbrush near the sacred tree.

Just such a conjunction occurs in the saga of Dermat and Grania, which
in turn forms part of the Finnian Cycle. [11] The hero and heroine are
fleeing from the jealous wrath of Finn himself. Their flight takes
them all over Scotland and Ireland, where many dolmens are still
called "beds" of Dermat and Grania. At one point they come to the
Forest of Dooros (a name containing the Celtic word for "oak" and thus
identifiable as a druid grove) in the district of HyFicra of the Moy
(later known as the barony of Tireagh, in Sligo). At this time the
forest was guarded by Sharvan the Surly, a giant of Lochlann.

"Now this is the history of Sharvan the Surly, of Lochlann. On a
certain occasion, a game of hurley was played by the Dedannans against
the Fena, on the plain beside the Lake of Lein of the Crooked Teeth.
They played for three days and three nights, neither side being able
to win a single goal from the other during the whole time. And when
Dedannans found that they could not overcome the Fena, they suddenly
withdrew from the contest, and departed from the lake, journeying in a
body northwards.

The Dedannans had for food during the game, and for their journey
afterwards, crimson nuts and arbutus apples and scarlet quicken
berries, which they had brought from the Land of Promise. These fruits
were gifted with many secret virtues; and the Dedannans were careful
that neither apple nor nut nor berry should touch the soil of Erin.
But as they passed through the Wood of Dooros, in Hy Ficra of the Moy,
one of the scarlet quicken berries dropped on the earth; and the
Dedannans passed on, not heeding. From this berry a great quicken tree
sprang up, which had the virtues of the quicken trees that grow in
Fairyland. For its berries had the taste of honey, and those who ate
of them felt a cheerful flow of spirits, as if they had drunk of wine
or old mead; and if a man were even a hundred years old, he returned
to the age of thirty, as soon as he had eaten three of them.

Now when the Dedannans heard of this tree, and knew of its many
virtues, they would not that any one should eat of the berries but
themselves; and they sent a Fomor of their own people to guard it,
namely Sharvan the Surly, of Lochlann; so that no man dared even to
approach it. For this Sharvan was a giant of the race of the wicked
Cain, burly and strong; with heavy bones, large thick nose, crooked
teeth, and one broad, red, fiery eye in the middle of his black
forehead. And he had a great club tied by a chain to an iron girdle
which was round his body. He was, moreover, so skilled in magic that
fire could not burn him, water could not drown him, and weapons could
not wound him; and there was no way to kill him but by giving him
three blows of his own club. By day he sat at the foot of the tree,
watching; and at night he slept in a hut he had made for himself, high
up among the branches"

The Fena or Finnians or followers of Finn are Milesians, the last Iron
Age Celts to arrive in Ireland. The Tuatha De Danaan are an earlier
people, perhaps also Celtic but Bronze Age. The De Danaan have magical
power, and after their final defeat by the Milesians they will retire
into the megalithic mounds, such as the Brugh na Boine at Newgrange
(which in this tale is the Castle of Angus, the god of love, patron of
Dermat and Grania). They are in fact the fairies. The land of Promise
or Land of Youth or Tirnanog, etc., is the mundus imaginalis or
fairyland, Isles of the Blessed, Hy Brasil, etc. -- the spirit land
where the De Danaan are also "at home". This is the origin of the
various "crimson nuts and arbutus apples and scarlet quicken berries,"
which are not native to Ireland but to the "other world," the place
where shamans go in trance. The quicken tree is the "quicken beam or
mountain ash, or roan-tree; Gaelic Caerthainn," a tree holy to the
druids. The tree with its red fruit guarded by a giant recalls the
Golden Fleece and the Golden Apples of the Hesperides; it is thus the
world-axis, the shamanic ladder, and also the tree beneath which one
finds fly agaric; it is the beanstalk, Alice's tunnel to Wonderland,
and all other liminal structures or gateways between levels. The fruit
of the tree, like that of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil
in Genesis, is the principle of transformation and realization; it is
the sacrifice; and it is soma. This will become more clear as the tale
unfolds.

Dermat makes a peace-pact with Sharvan the Surly: refuge in the
Forest, so long as Dermat keeps his hands off the quicken berries. For
a while all goes well. Meanwhile, Finn receives an offer of fealty
from two former enemies, the sons of Morna. Before he forgives them,
however, he demands an erc, or blood-price: either "the head of a
warrior, or the full of my hand of the berries of a quicken tree."

Finn's son Oisin takes pity on the sons of Morna and explains the
situation to them; nevertheless they undertake the quest and set out
for the Forest of Dooros. Dermat easily overcomes them. Meanwhile
Grania has developed an overwhelming obsession with the berries: she
must taste them, or perish. Reluctantly Dermat sets out to find
Sharvan, taking the sons of Morna along as witnesses. The giant is
asleep; Dermat whacks him on the head and rouses him. The hero asks
for berries, the Fomor refuses. They fight a ferocious duel, and
Sharvan is slain by three blows of his own club (just as the soma was
sacrificed by pressing or "wounding" the plant). Dermat orders the
sons of Morna to bury the corpse while he goes to fetch Grania. Dermat
then satisfies Grania's desire, and also gives berries to the sons of
Morna, who thank him profusely for sparing their lives, and set off to
return to Finn. Dermat and Grania take over Sharvan's tree-house high
in the branches of the fairy-quicken, and settle down in bliss again.

Finn explodes with fury, rouses his loyal and not-so-loyal followers,
and sets out to capture Dermat and Grania in their lair. They arrive
at the Forest and find the tree, but no sign of the lovers. They gorge
on fruit, and then settle down to wait. Finn and Oisin play chess
beneath the tree. Time passes. Finn tells Oisin that he can win in one
move, but Oisin can't see the move. He ponders endlessly. Suddenly a
quicken-fruit falls ripely onto the chessboard, as if to show Oisin
the correct move; he makes it and wins. They play again, and the same
thing happens: wisdom falls from the tree as fruit: Oisin wins. And a
third time!

Finn finally realizes what's up. He calls up into the tree, and Dermat
answers from the treehouse. In a fury, Finn orders his men to surround
the tree -- then offers a huge reward for the head of Dermat O'Dyna.
At this point nine men, all called Garva (and all hailing from various
mountains around Ireland) attempt the coup against Dermat, but they
all fail. The love-god Angus -- deus ex megalitha -- has flown
invisibly from Newgrange to save his worshippers, Dermat and Grania.
As each Garva climbs the tree, Angus casts a spell over him so that he
appears to be Dermat. Each Garva is then pushed from the tree by the
real Dermat, falls to the ground, is mistaken for the enemy, and at
once beheaded. The Garvas might be related to the Ghandarvas, who
appropriated soma from the gods and became its guardians. [12]

Angus then wraps Grania in his cloak of invisibility and flies off
with her to Bruga of the Boyne. Dermat decides to stay behind, do the
honorable thing and fight his way out. He makes a speech in in
self-defense, and the great hero Oscar is converted to sympathy with
him. Oscar offers his life as surety for Dermat's, but to one dares to
fight him. Dermat leaps lightly out of the tree, lands on his two
spear shafts, pole-vaults over the heads of Finn's circle, and escapes
with Oscar. He and Grania wll live to flee Finn again and again -- and
eventually die at his hands.

On the assumption that the fairy-fruit of the quicken-tree is indeed
soma, and that as soma it must be associated with a ritual, with a
sacrifice (of itself), and with transcendence (either ritual or
pharmacological), this charming tale would appear to function as a
"mask" for just such a ritual. The berry is constantly equated with
the head. The Celts were head-hunters, very much like the Dyaks of
Borneo, the Guarani of Paraguay, etc. All wisdom and power are in the
head. Because Dermat has taken on (or stolen) the wisdom of Sharvan by
"dashing out his brains" (no doubt beheading him), Dermat acquires
insight. In this heightened state, he plays the near-magic trick with
the fruit and the chess-board, thrice-repeated. This foreshadows the
thrice three heads of the Garvas, which will also (in a sense) fall
ripely from the tree.

The one-legged one-eyed Fomor loses his head like a berry. Dermat
should be the next sacrifice (like Gawain after the Green knight) but
a substitution is made "at the last moment" (as usual). Nine
mountain-men's heads are sacrificed -- nine more berries, as it were
-- in Dermat's place. In the original tale, Dermat (like Grania) would
no doubt have ascended the tree and escaped into the "other world";
instead another substitution (or "rationalization") is made, the
acrobatic spear-leap. The point is, Dermat flies. He goes above. He
transcends. He has shamanic powers, gained (or reinforced) by his
overcoming and absorption of Fomorian/Fairy magic.

The tale of Sharvan the Surly is just that, a tale, not the text of a
ritual. Nevertheless folktales have been known to "mask" myths, which
in turn may serve as aetiological legends for certain rites, which in
turn may derive in part from earlier myth, ritual, or lore. This
particular tale seems to contain such ritual elements. The structure
of the tale and many of its details might well pre-date its inclusion
in the Finnian Cycle; any hero might experience such an adventure. And
the Finnian Cycle itself seems to have roots in a past so distant that
agriculture has not yet appeared, a world of pastoralism and
hunting/gathering. Finn and his "merrymen" are anachronisms, free
forest guerrillas held by only a slender link of reciprocity with
settled society, and perilously close to that taboo realm of sorcery
and alien otherness, the Forest. The world of Sharvan the Surly seems
an archaic one indeed, ancient enough to contain traces of the soma
ritual once common to all Indo-European people, as well as to the
Semites, the Siberians and the New World Indians, etc.

That's my hypothesis. I wouldn't even begin to argue that we have
"detected" an Irish soma. What we have here is a mere suspicion, not a
case. I'm looking for support and/or refutation. A number of queries
must be directed to specialists. From philologists we need exhaustive
comparisons of mushroom and soma/haoma vocabulary from all the
relevant languages, such as that which Allegro carried out for the
Semitic languages in The Mushroom and the Cross. Celtic, Persian, and
Sanskrit should be the main candidates for word-sleuthing. The Vedic
soma ritual needs to be compared in detail with all texts and
fragments from Celtic sources relevant to magic substances.

Ethnomycologists should investigate Irish (and insular Celtic)
mushroom lore. Does Amanita muscaria grow in Ireland, and might it
have grown in Ireland in ancient times? I've never come across any
written material on this, but during my last trip to Ireland (May,
1993) I made a few discoveries. At least one magic mushroom grows in
Ireland, the "Liberty Cap," a type of psilocybe; I saw it grown at a
mushroom farm in County Cork, but it is also found wild. Subsequently,
in a village on the coast of the province of Munster, I interviewed a
certain well-known shanachie or traditional story-teller, who must
remain anonymous here due to his involvement in gun-running and
pot-farming (neither very successful). "Mick" is said to speak the
purest Irish in the southern Gaeltecht--and (somewhat magically) is
reputed to live on nothing but pigsfeet and Guinness. In response to
my query, he stated that magic mushrooms were known in Ireland in the
time of the druids, and he agreed with me that "this explains a lot"
about the druids! Since I'd been introduced to Mick by an old friend
of his, I doubt he was trying to pull my leg; certainly he failed to
elaborate on his statement, which he appeared to think was rather
unexceptional.

Yes, it would explain a lot--but itself needs to be explained!
Therefore, I ask for collaboration. The answer (however tenuous) seems
genuinely worth knowing.

Peter Lamborn Wilson,
c/o Autonomedia, Box 568 Brooklyn, NY 11211
dmandl@panix.com

FOOTNOTES
1. v. the Celtic Dragon Myth, J. F. Campbell and G. Henderson
[Edinburgh, 1911]; Lemma Publisher, New York, facsimile, n.d.

2. Joyce, 421; see bibliography.

3. The Voyage of St. Brendan, translated by J. O'Meara [Dolmen Press,
1976], pp. 46-47.

4. Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion, a
collection of essays by Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, J. Ott, Carl Ruck,
and Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (Yale, New Haven, 1986)

5. Ruck, p. 236

6. Birds, 1553 ff.

7. Aeschylus, Prometheus 351

8. Pliny, Natural History 7.2.23; Aulus Gellius 9.4.9

9. Theophrastus, How Plants Grow, 2.25, Enquiry into Plants, 9.18.8

10. In the Cath Maige Tuired, or Second Battle of Mag Tuired, ed. E.A.
Gray [Irish Texts Society, Naas, Co Kildare, 1982])

11. Joyce, 313 ff

12. See "The True Identity of soma" in M. T. Greene, Natural knowledge
in Preclassical Antiquity (J. Hopkins University, 1992), p. 116.]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Court, Artelia, Puck of the Droms: the Lives and Literature of the
Irish Tinkers (University of California,1985).

Davies, Michael, Mythic Ireland (Thames and Hudson, London, 1992).

Flattery, David S., and Martin Schwartz, Haoma and Harmaline: The
Botanical Identity of the Indo-Iranian Sacred Hallucinogen soma and
its Legacy in Religion, Language, and Middle Eastern Folklore
(University of California, Near Eastern Studies #21, 1989).

Joyce, P.W., Old Celtic Romances (Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1978;
facsimile from the 3rd edition, 1907).

MacCana, Proinsias, Celtic Mythology (P. Bedrick, NY, 1968, 1983).

O'Driscoll, R, ed., The Celtic Consciousness (Geo. Braziller, NY,
1981); contains "Near Eastern and African Connections with the Celtic
World" by Heinrich Wagner, and "Irish Folk Tradition and the Celtic
Calendar" by Kevin Danaher.

Quinn, Bob, Atlantean: Ireland's North African and Maritime Heritage
(Quartet Books, London, 1986)

Rees, Alwyn and Brinley, Celtic Heritage (Thames and Hudson, London,
1961).

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 2 replies

TREESITTERS need your help

2007-10-16T02:18:31Z

Once again, the cupboards are getting bare for the treesitters in
Humboldt County CA. In the past we Druids have been able to raise
significant contributions to help them. Can we do it again?

"The rainy season has begun here, and it gets cold and damp up in the
treetops. In addition to funds, please send our treesitters healing
energies as well. Let's keep them safe and fed." -- El Arseneau, Archdruid, RDG

Use the "Donate" button here:

http://www.mithrilstar.org/donate.htm

And we thank you for your support!

More information on Treesitters and the Coast Redwood at:
http://www.mithrilstar.org/projects.htm

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

About contributions to the Druid's Egg

2007-10-14T20:21:19Z

The Druid's Egg (druidsegg.reformed-druids.org) is the (IMNSHO) premier journal of Druidic thought and practice on the internet. Free for all to read, it is a collection of poetry, prose, opinion, and news of the Reformed Druid world. We receive contributions from both Druids and Pagans alike, from all traditions and all spiritualities.

Recently a contributor asked me if I could delete an entry they had contributed to a past issue of the Egg. The answer is "No." Just like if you had contributed an article to a print publication, we can't go into a past issue and delete things just because someone has changed their mind. If you had sent an article to say, Readers Digest, and they published it, and then, a few years later you changed your mind, do you think they could somehow recall all the issues printed, and reedit and republish it just for you? Would that seem reasonable? Of course not, and, just because it's possible on the web, doesn't mean it's desirable. No publication does this, and we're not going to start.

Besides, legally, you gave up your right to your work as soon as you gave permission for it's publication. Every issue of DE states the following:

"Send letters, submissions to druidsegg-owner@yahoogroups.com
There is no guarantee that your submission will be published.
All submissions become the property of RDG."

In a court of law, that is considered a contract you freely entered into. You'll find similar wording elsewhere on other web based publications. There is nothing original about this, and this is understood when you make your contribution.

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

ONLINE Class in Reformed Druidism begins this week!

2007-10-02T02:47:54Z

Information at http://rdg.mithrilstar.org/d101.htm

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

THE ONENESS OF THE ALL

2007-09-26T14:31:11Z

By Archdruid El Arseneau

We live on this one planet, Earth or Gaia. The planet is a living, breathing, entity, and we are a part of Gaia’s ecosystem, a complex, interdependent system that sustains all of the life forms, both seen and unseen that is dependant on the planet including ourselves.

We call this concept “oneness” and it is the idea that every human (or every being present in a human body) is a part of every other human, and every other living thing on the planet, including the planet itself. This concept has been the heart and soul of Druidism from the very ancient times up to our present day. The ancients knew, as we know now, that there really aren’t any differences between the races, or between cultures, that justify fear, separateness, or any kind of ethno or racial phobias. It’s like the bumper sticker says:

One Planet, One People, One Future

So as Druids then we are called to evolve beyond petty ideas about cultural and racial differences. A common trap we fall into is the idea that Celtic culture is more important or superior to any other, or that, we as Druids serve only those from the Celtic community. It’s an absurdity, when one examines the attitudes of real Celts. There is no word for “Celtic” in any of the Celtic languages. The Welsh, for example, call themselves “Cymru” which simply means “the people.” This Welsh word therefore has no ethnic or cultural exclusivity. Anyone, therefore, is “Cymru.”

As Druids, we need to be open to whatever works for the betterment of all, regardless of its origin. For instance, most martial arts are very beneficial for those who practice them, leading to discipline of body and mind and of course, better health. Most martial arts are also Chinese or Japanese in origin, but that shouldn’t matter. Likewise, Yoga is very beneficial for those who practice it, and it’s an Indian discipline. But that shouldn’t matter. The fact that it does matter to some, who wish a purely Celtic Druidism, is problematical at best, and unbecoming a Druid at worst.

We had a fellow email us recently, complaining because we have made the Dalai Lama an “Honorary Druid.” He went on to complain that because His Holiness was Tibetan he could never be a Druid. I think the ancient Druids would laugh at such a concept. I personally found it to be very sad.

We sometimes are prejudiced in other ways. We know it’s a bad thing to disparage another because of race, or creed, or ethnicity. But some of us will use birth sign as an excuse. I can offer myself here as an example. I have experienced two bad marriages in my life and both of those women were Pisceans. So in the past I have tended to shy away from friendships with Pisces women. If a persons chart has Mars in Aries, I also tend to shy away from them and I have even in the past engaged in saying that perhaps Pisceans shouldn’t be allowed in our Order. This was a major wrongness on my part, and I humbly apologize to all the Piscean women out there whom I might have disparaged. It won’t happen again. I’ve also made excuses for myself in the past by saying “Oh, it’s a Scorpio thing,” when I’ve exhibited some bad behavior.

Using your own sun sign to excuse your bad behavior, or disparaging another sun sign for whatever reason is just as bad as exhibiting bigotry toward another race or culture. It’s a wrongness no matter what.

We are one people on this Earth. We’re not black or white, we’re not Celtic or Indian, we’re not Aries or Scorpio, we’re one people, one tribe, one race (the human race). Yes, in past incarnations we may have come from the Pleiades, or from Arcturia, and we might have been Elves, or Angels. But we’re here now. We’re in human form in this incarnation at this time on this Earth.

It’s time to embrace each other. It’s time to celebrate our one-ness! It’s time to act like the Gods we have incarnated to become.

One planet, One people, One future.

We are one

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 1 reply

Happy Alban Eluid! Happy Birthday to the Goddess Cywarch!

2007-09-24T19:07:14Z

Yesterday we celebrated not only the Autumnal Equinox but also the birthday of the Goddess Cywarch merch Dalon, daughter of Dalon ap Landu and Sequoia.

If you haven't done so already, light a bowl full in her honor. :)

Myth cycle is at
http://rdg.mithrilstar.org/mythos.htm and continues at http://rdg.mithrilstar.org/cywarch.htm

Peace! Peace! Peace!

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Help save the last remaining Coast Redwoods

2007-09-07T02:57:51Z

Sign the petition for a 100 year moratorium on the cutting and harvest of these magnificent trees.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/115247858#body

More information here:

http://www.mithrilstar.org/projects.htm

Making any purchase here helps too: http://avalonrisen.com

May you never thirst for the waters of life!

el /|\

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 1 reply

Interesting article by Michael Scharding

2007-08-21T20:51:56Z

Missionary Impossible
File 4: Strategic Ambiguity

By Mike the FOol

Diplomacy sometimes sheds light on Druidism

One interesting diplomatic skill that you learn quickly is the ability to talk for hours without actually commit to anything. In some of the most delicate issues, there are even times when you go out of your way to avoid accidentally turning a de-facto policy into a de-jure one, by saying what your side really wishes to do. Take for instance the U.S. policy towards the Republic of China (i.e. Taiwan). Nearly every government in the world has knuckled down under pressure from the People’s Republic of China (i.e. mainland China) to state that Taiwan is part of China, and then to withdraw diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. The U.S. tends to claim that Taiwan is part of “one China”, but that doesn’t apparently, in practice, mean that extends to a full political dimension, remaining in a quasi-philosophical principle level only now. What you have is three sides agreeing to one statement but interpreting the statement in very, very different ways. This is generally known as “strategic ambiguity”, with inherent advantages when a side has internal contradictions and doesn’t really know what its policy is, but has risks, in that other sides may misunderstand what you’re saying.

Now go back to Reformed Druidism. We, as a group, are rather noteworthy for our avoidance of policy or strict definitions. While individuals, or possibly even a grove, may have strong opinions or even policy on politics, membership, theology or what not; the Reform (as a whole) does not generally take sides. As an example, do we believe in Celtic gods, Jehovah, universal Creator, etc? We don’t say. I have my own personal preferences, which may be quite different from other members of my grove, and my grove may be quite different from the next grove. As I wrote in “Less is More” about a decade ago, Reformed Druidism is often better explained by what we don’t do that by what we do do, when comparing with other types of Druidism, which often explicitly state what they believe, how they make decisions official and define their terms.

Why do we tend to avoid defining things? That’s a hard thing to explain. Probably because it is divisive, in that anytime you take an official position, those who disagree will be disgruntled, and feel put upon to support that definition as part of the group’s new identity. In general, most of the founders believed the membership had diversive opinions, so it was best to accept that was the case, and concentrate their energy on spiritual development and noting the lessons of Nature; rather than organizational development and policy polishing. As you can tell from the Isaac Affair in the 1970s, when a policy position is brought up, it may lead to interesting and expressive conversation and different final interpretations by many individuals or groves, but rarely to adoption on the total level of the Reform.

One area that came to mind is how we approach the Order of Worship, our standard liturgy. As any actor can tell you, a script is a script, but how you read or perform it makes a big difference in the end result. Why do we enact this liturgy, what is its “tone” or purpose? When newcomers or concerned parents of Reformed Druids ask what you do during a reading of the liturgy, how do you describe it to them in the initial 20-30 seconds that people are most receptive to a nutshell explanation? Do you call it a “rite”, a “ritual”, a “service,” a “worship,” a “ceremony”, a “meeting” or a “celebration”? Each of these words carries a different connotation, but are often carelessly used interchangeably. A reading of the liturgy may be approached by a grove as very still and literal with few flourishes, no mention of deities, no theological insertions, very dry and cerebral, and thus they may prefer to term it a “meeting” or “service”. Other times “worship” may carry the right implication, as deities are brought up, beseeched, thanked, addressed and honored. Sometimes the liturgy may be shift to different tones in the course of the enactment, based on the section you are in, and several factors like; the leading members personality, number of members, season, weather, purpose of meeting, the group’s present mood, and just plain Fate.

So what this means, that when describing what Reformed Druids do and don’t do; it’s usually a very good idea to use a few qualifying words like; “most of us”, “often, but not always”, “depending on”, “prefer”, “we tend to”, “in a few groves,” “I’m not sure as a group, but our grove....” and so on to leave the impression that while sub-sets of Reformed Druidism follow this or that, we acknowledge that other sub-sets do not follow this, and that we respect that divergence of opinion in many areas of contention, and that we are not “more proper” or “better” Reformed Druids, just different. That built-in ambiguity of Reformed Druidism allows Christians, Atheists, Neo-Pagans, ascetics, ritualists, ceremonalists, etc. to be part of a movement that explores Nature, raising questions together, but coming to spiritual answers individually.

This strategic ambiguity is often a difficult path, as is seen by the many schisms in the Reform, when you want to give a quick decisive reply to a posed question, and don’t want to appear wishy-washy. I wish you good fortune in dealing with this sometimes liberating sometimes vexing characteristic of Reformed Druidism, and hope you become adept in handling the issue when it appears.

Yours in the Mother,

Mike the FOol

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Thou art God/dess (like it or not) :)

2007-08-15T18:31:57Z

(The following is from a conversation within the online course, Reformed Druidism 101):

You should all know that this is one of the Order of the Mithril Star's (http://www.mithrilstar.org) three tenets. In other words, to join the Order, you must at least pay lip service to the idea with the understanding that full grokking will come later. I say this rather than "you must believe this" because, as we have seen already in the discussion, there is a wide variety of ideas surrounding this idea. And guess what? With the lone exception (no thou aren't), they are all correct!

It's not a new idea you know. Jesus himself said that "I and the Father are One," and if he, a Rabbi from a (then) obscure religion in a backward country is, then we all are or can be. George Fox (one of the founders of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)) said, " Go out into the world and answer to that of God in everyman." Hindu's greet one another with the word, "Namaste," which means something like "the God within me greets the God within you.."

Someone here suggested that divinity is an energy field -- like the Force. It surrounds us; it's inside of us; we breathe and drink and eat it.

Someone else said that "God is perfect." Sorry, no God's or Goddesses are perfect. The Judeo-Christian God is supposed to be (and believers in Him are required to believe that), but no, even a casual reading of the Torah and Tenach (what Christians refer to as the Old Testament) reveals a God of many, many faults, many listed as forbidden behavior in His own laws (He's a "do as I say, not as I do" sort of God). I won't go into that in detail. As you read further into SiaSL, you'll encounter Jubal's commentary on this.

The Greco-Roman Gods are great examples. They're always breaking the rules. The Celtic pantheons are no better. Hindu Gods do things a mink breeder wouldn't tolerate. :) In every mythos it's the same: the God's are the mirror images of ourselves. Or we can say that God is made in our own image (and then the opposite is true to - if we are made in the image of God, then that's why we act like him).

We're all fledgling Gods here. We're learning how to be Gods, and unlearning how not to be. It's, as Lady Heart said, a lifetime learning
experience. We will make mistakes. That's part of the learning process. Hopefully, we'll learn from each other, and grow in perfect love and
perfect trust If we just grok that small part, we are half way there.

Ok, so let's say that one or more of you are thinking: "No, I could never believe that. I'm not a God and can never be one and none of these folks are either." Well, don't let THAT stop you from becoming a Druid. "Thou art God" is a special tenet, added to the other two that Druids must believe in, and applicable only to this Order. If you want to be a Druid, but not an OMS Druid, you need only believe these two tenets:

1) "The object of the search for religious truth, which is a universal and a never ending search, may be found through the Earth Mother, which is Nature; but this is one way, yea, one way among many."

We sometimes simplify this by saying, "Nature is Good."

2) "And great is the importance, which is of a spiritual importance, of Nature, which is the Earth Mother; for it is one of the objects of
Creation, and with it we do live, yea, even as we do struggle through life are we come face to face with it."

And we sometimes simplify this one also, by saying "Nature is Good."

Believing those two ideas makes you a Druid according to the Reformed Druids (which is the mother organization of OMS).

But, in a broad sense, in saying, "Nature is Good," Reformed Druidism is saying "Nature is the Goddess (and the God)." If we then, are a part of nature, (and we most definitely are) then we're back to "Thou are God/dess." It's a snake that bites it's own tail (well, now, look at the OMS emblem). You can run, but you can't hide. :)

May you never thirst!

el /|\

"Solipsism and pantheism. Together they explain anything."
-- Jubal Harshaw, in "Stranger In A Strange Land"

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

An article I found inspiring... :)

2007-08-15T09:15:32Z

All my Relations
by Toria Betson

Some of my best friends are trees.

I felt a strong affinity toward grandfather tree, the first time we met. Battered, scarred, burnt by lightning; we both have had rough pasts. I don't know how old grandfather was, but when I reached my arms around to hug him, they barely made it around the sides. His trunk bulged where long ago a farmer had nailed barbed wire. The wire still stuck out from under the scar. No longer attached to a fence, it was a reminder that one could break free from boundaries, and grow beyond the pain of the past.

I knew one day grandfather would cross over. He had been through a lot. His large sturdy roots could be seen clinging tightly to the cliff he precariously stood at the very edge of. One evening we had storms, the kind with large hail and strong tornado-spawning winds. We huddled together under the stairs that night. The next morning I stepped outside, looking forward to breathing in the freshly cleaned air, and soaking up the sun in the cleared blue sky. There was a hole in the horizon, where grandfather tree had stood.

Grandfather taught me to see the aura of the forest. At least once a week, I would stand with him, to ground myself and to connect with the universe. After greeting him and asking permission, I would stand with my back against his trunk. I would close my eyes and feel myself merge with him. I would feel my feet as though they were roots, going down into the earth. I would feel the earth's energy rise up, nourishing me, up through my feet, legs, body, and out the top of my head. My upper body felt as if it were extending up into the sky, bathing in the light. I would feel this light energy come down through me, exiting deep into the earth. I could feel the energy flowing through me, confirming that I am connected with everything around me; we are part of one. In and through, the energy buzzed as it flowed. When I would open my eyes I would feel all tingly and renewed. One day, I opened my eyes, and I could actually see the auras of the forest, undulating around and between all the trees and plants.

Today I leave offerings, where his twisted and sun-greyed stump remains. I call him 'spirit tree'. The upper part of his trunk stretches across a ravine. Animals, insects, and mushrooms are making him a home, as he slowly crumbles into earth. Where now light reaches the forest floor, new plants begin to grow. The sweet perfume of wild roses flirts with the spicy masculine scent of sassafras.
After grandfather crossed over, I started looking for a new 'special' tree.

Until I found the 'right' tree, I decided to visit the largest tree in the woods, the tree who appeared to stand guardian over the rest. I went up to the tree and asked permission to lean against it, but felt a distance, as if it said 'No. That is not my purpose'. This tree was clearly not a tree to assist me, neither in healing nor in exchanging and building energies. Each day I pass around it, and give it my respect.

Then I began visiting a grand old maple, I call 'grandmother' tree. Grandmother is so welcoming! If I quiet my mind, she will speak to me in a soft whisper.

"Stay still my child", she says this morning, as I am about to move on, continuing my daily early morning hike through the woods. I lay my head against her massive trunk, and close my eyes. I find comfort in the scent of the decaying leaves at her feet. "Listen" she whispers. I hear the wind rustle the leaves. In the distance I hear the rapid low rat-a-tat-tat of woodpeckers, the haunting call of a hawk. Above, in her branches smaller birds are fluttering. Two squirrels chatter with each other. "Now" she says. I open my eyes, and just twenty feet away are two white-tailed deer. I am invisible to them! Had I gone on as planned, I would have missed watching them as they grazed up and down the hills and back again to nuzzle each other. A movement near my face, ants! Lots and lots of tiny ants, but they are walking right by, like I'm not there. Grandmother is home to all. "Now you may go" she gently nudges. I turn to leave, feeling as though I had been in a trance where time had stopped completely. I look down so as not to step on a branch that might crack, signalling a warning to the deer. There at my feet lies a large black feather. A sign to me which says, of course this was a real conversation! Grandmother has much to teach.

I did eventually discover the 'healing tree' which was meant for me. I never would have chosen this unassuming and relatively young tree. I have walked by it, time and time again, but never paid it much notice… until I saw the faint scar, which that day jumped out at me, a scar in the same shape as my totem animal. I asked permission to stand with the tree, and felt the same 'buzzing' feeling I used to feel with grandfather. As I looked up, I saw how very alive and vigorous it is. Thousands of new branches sprout, all up and down the trunk. The tree seems so radiant, I must have been sleepwalking right by it all this time!

After visiting my friends I feel alive, renewed, and vibrating with energy. What a beautiful way to start the day!

Victoria Betson has been a student of 'all things metaphysical' since her childhood, in the 60's. She lives, creates, and gardens, in her home in the woods, with her husband of almost 20 years, and their two children.

Toria began as an artist, tarot reader, and psychic. Through the process of healing her self, and with the help of her spirit guides and the universe, she found her life taking an unexpected path, that of a spiritual "healer". Word of mouth has allowed her to distantly assist others from around the world, through shamanic journeys, energy healings, and tarot readings. http://www.geocities.com/toriastarot/.

Toria also writes blogs for www.HealthyNewAge.com and some of her other articles may be found at www.saskworld.com.

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

Druidism on YouTube

2007-08-14T16:00:12Z

This is very, very good stuff:

One mans personal journey to Druidism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33TSeWt6QDU

An ADF slideshow. Very nice -- I LOVE the song. Why are most (all?) of ADF's leaders male???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7iW0ndPak0

New Zealand Druids celebrate the Solstice: Nice little news story about a new Stonehenge built in New Zealand, and an (I think) OBOD ritual therein. Phillip Carr-Gomm is interviewed and answers the question: "Is Al Gore a Druid?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIhXUUh13ak

FYI: These were forwarded to me from the RDNAtalk list. Thanks to Michael Scharding.

mynt -- el /|\

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 2 replies

Off to the Druid Gathering

2007-08-07T06:42:17Z

Today my household is in final prep for the annual Druid Gathering ( http://rdg.mithrilstar.org/2007wcdruidgat.htm) here in the Redwoods. For many, this is their occasional chance to "live the Pagan lifestyle" for a few days out of the year. It's a chance to meet and greet old friends, to run around naked in the woods, to wine and dine nature spirits, learn a new magickal skill, hookup with a new (or old) lover, and mostly, just commune with the magnificent Redwoods.

Others, like myself, aren't satisfied with just living the life a few days out of the year. So we have two choices: we can travel to other Pagan festivals throughout the summer, or, we can attempt to build the lifestyle where we live. That's what we are doing here: mithrilstar.org/imladris and we call this "Dryad's Realm." Like Harbin and Breitenbrush (sp?), "Dryad's realm" will be a New Age resort and teaching center, run by an intentional community.

For now though, I need to concentrate on the Gathering this Friday, and so I bid you adieu to do just that. :)

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 3 replies

British Pagans are upset over this

2007-08-03T03:17:32Z

http://tinyurl.com/2q72z3

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 3 replies

Have you ever met a Dryad? Care to share your experience here?

2007-07-26T00:13:05Z

I myself have had numerous experiences with Dryads of different types - especially the Redwood Spirits as of late - and I have discovered that there are some that like humans and some that prefer to be left alone...

One particular Dryad comes to mind: He lives in a place called Pinnacles National Monument Park in North/Central California. "Rising out of the chaparral-covered Gabilan Mountains, east of central California's Salinas Valley, are the spectacular remains of an ancient volcano. Massive monoliths, spires, sheer-walled canyons and talus passages define millions of years of erosion, faulting and tectonic plate movement. Within the monument's boundaries lie 24,000 acres of diverse wildlands." Here is the link: http://pinnacles.areaparks.com/

Some of the boulders are the size of city blocks, and I've done many full moon hikes through the park and boulder caves. An interesting effect during the full moon is that when you are walking on the trails, Otherworldly "doorways" open up that are not visible during the day. And when one climbs down into the boulder caves from one side of the monument to the other, well, it is a pretty interesting experience! In fact, when you are in this park, it's like you can imagine that you are on any planet in any time period - it is truly a "playground of the gods"!

Getting back to the Dryad story, though: every time I climbed down into the boulder caves that lead from the west side of the monument to the east side, I encounter an old pine tree about 20 feet from where the path begins after emerging. Now, this Dryad only appears when the sun is at a certain angle (just prior to dusk) - then his face becomes visible. He has a long beard and looks very Merlin/Gandalf-like. He is not smiling, and surrounds himself and his tree with a bed of poison oak plants - a radius of about 10 feet - so no humans will approach too closely.

Not a very sociable spirit, really, but if you sit at a distance and quiet yourself and act respectful, he will tolerate your presence. I feel that he is ailing a bit and in need of healing, but he has a very defensive energy because of all the disrespectful humans that come here to party and leave beer cans and garbage around - and are loud and jarring on his nerves.

He has come to know me, though, and I no longer get a "keep away" vibe from him. I usually sit quietly in meditation and send him love and healing - which he can accept or reject as he sees fit. At first he was resistant, and I didn't push it, but eventually he came to welcome the energy from me...

Now that I am way further north in California, I don't get to go there any more, and I miss him sometimes. But now I have a new mission up here: to send love and healing and Reiki energy to those of my Redwood brothers and sisters who need it and some actually "ask" me for it! And of course, they ground and comfort me and send me their own brand of healing energy and love... :)

Anyone else care to share their experiences?

In Gaia,
Ceridwen /|\

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 0 replies

If The Ancient Druids Had Lived in Northern California

2007-07-25T23:50:14Z

The Druids: figures of romance and mystery. Mention of them evokes images of cloaked figures performing obscure rites in the oaken groves of Gaul. The name Druid, at least according to some sources, means "oak Priest" and the magnificent Oak was indeed the chief of the trees revered by the ancient Celtic Priests. In ancient Gaul, the Oak was indeed the most impressive of trees. Known for the strength of its boughs, and its sheer beauty it was also the source of the sacred mistletoe.

So what if the Druids had lived in California? Specifically, the northern coast? I believe that our own Coast Redwood (Sequoia Sempervirons) would have become the tree revered most by the Celtic priesthood. The poor oak pales in comparison to these magnificent trees, which grow to an average height of 311 feet. The redwood is also the source of the mysterious burl, which give many of these trees distinctive personalities. From a distance, the formation of burls can make faces appear on the trees, evoking thoughts of the Ents, Tolkeins race of trees.

Redwoods grow in two ways. The first is with seed, and their seeds are among the smallest of any plant known, hundreds of which can be found in the redwoods own pine cones, which average around the size of a jelly bean. The second way they grow is by shooting new trees from their root systems, which spread out hundreds of feet around the typical redwood, just a few feet deep in the ground. Typically, these offshoots form "fairy rings" around their mother. As they grow, and the mother tree dies off, the ring is all that is left. I can picture the Druids using these natural rings as the centers for their rites. The Redwood is illustrative of magickal practice too. Its taproot, which extends into the earth from the center of the tree grounds it, like the familiar grounding meditation many of us do before Circle, to conect ourselves with the earth mother. The tree then shoots high into the sky, higher than any other tree, also like the familiar centering meditation which affirms our connection to the cosmos.
Water brethren may find the Redwood a friend too, since it gives off ten times it's own weight in moisture every day. The Redwood also needs a lot of water, which is why it thrives only from the Big Sur area to a few miles into Oregon, and only within a thirty mile stretch from the coast. They like all the rain and fog we get here. They are true water-kin. Water was sacred to the Druid as well. Most of their main groves had a spring or stream running near or through them, and water deities played an important role in much of Celtic mythology.

My own staff came from a Redwood, a rather famous one. The Dyerville Giant was once listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the worlds tallest tree. When it stood, it rose some 375 feet into the air. Alas, about twenty years ago it toppled. Residents in nearby Weott thought an earthquake had hit, and the sound of the impact was heard thirty miles away. I visited the fallen giant, located in "Founder's Grove," off the famous "Avenue of The Giants" in 1994. It was in the early morning, and I was guided to the top of the tree. There on the ground, like it was placed there, was my staff, broken from the top branches of the giant. . I remember feeling quite enchanted during our visit, and, although at the time we were the only humans around, I felt the eyes of other entities watching us. I know there were fairies in that grove, and my walks in other Redwood groves have confirmed for me the presence of fairy folk.

We who are modern Druids living here on the north coast are very blessed indeed. Surrounding us and within easy driving distance is Redwood National Park, home of some of the most impressive and ancient redwood groves in California. Any time one needs to recharge one's spiritual batteries, an hour or so spent in the giant trees will do the trick. And, if you stay very quiet, and still, and long enough, one of them just might speak to you.

-- El "Sybok" Arseneau /|\
(Posted here by request of the moderator, who happens to be my soulmate :)

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 2 replies

Enviroment demands

2007-07-25T23:47:12Z

A petition published by me from one my groups

Conserned about Climate Change, Global Warming, Poor Houses, Poor Working Condition, Unclean Air.
Then take a look at this Petition
Please sign, pass on to your friends.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/enviromental-demands

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 3 replies

What healing method works best for you?

2007-07-24T18:22:03Z

I am a Reiki and Karuna Ki Master, so these are the methods I use the most. I incorporate them into my magick in various ways, such as: creating sigils with the symbols, empowering ritual tools with Reiki, healing trees that need it when I am taking a walk through the sacred Redwoods, and whatever other ways that come to mind at the time of the magickal working. I also send long distance healing to friends and loved ones, for distance is only a limitation of the 3-D physical plane and not a factor in the higher dimensions...

posted in Metaphysical Druids & Dryads - 3 replies