My Sanctuary

My sanctuary is quite a complex landscape that exists on the astral plain. I enter my sanctuary via a moonlit bay which is horseshoe in shape comprising of a shingle bank where the waves slowly break onto the shore and sea Otters play  amongst the breakers.

Walking slowly inland the landscape turns to heathland dominated by silver birch trees and the air is full of insects and the chirring of night jars.

Walking further inland the heathland gives way to a very English country lane bounded by an ancient hedgerow where it is always late summer early autumn with the blackberries and sloes in full fruit. It is here where my teacher the grey haired crone parks her wagon.

As I leave the hedgerow behind I start to climb as the landscape becomes one of downland with the grass waving in the wind. This is a place of horses and giants carved into the chalk and dominating the down is a huge standing stone full twenty feet tall and covered in carved spirals.

As I climb the last hill it is here that my sacred grove can be found within in a perfect ring of silver birches, in the centre of the grove a fire is always burning. it is here that I meet my animal guides and find a safe environment to work with my gwers.

The Hedge

The Hedge.

For hundreds of years the hedgerow has been there testament to natures ability to thrive against the odds. It is said that the number of species in a Hedgerow denotes its age, and so this one must be very ancient.

There are Blackthorn trees laden with Sloes, Brambles dripping with lush black berries, and Dog Roses with their bright red haws. And many species that I do not have the names for

Then my ears pick out the distant sound of a Horses hooves coming down the tarmac lane that shadows the hedgerow. I wait while the Horse comes nearer till it comes round the bend and to my delight it is pulling a caravan of the type that the Romany Gypsies used to use.

The caravan is driven by an old crone with pure white hair (although you can see that in her youth she was a great beauty) Come in, come in, she bids me and with a little trepidation I do as she bids.

Inside the caravan we  sit at her table while the tea brews and she gazes into my eyes. “So you want to be a Hedge-Druid” she says to me “Are you willing then to learn of the Spiritual Hedge  that separates this world and the one of spirit?”

As we take tea I ponder her words and eventually answer yes, “Then you have taken the first step” she replies. I think we have far to travel this crone and I.

Pan.

The Druid Mysteries

The Druid Mysteries.
By Pangur-ban

Life is a mystery, something that being a Druid I am quite happy about. Picture, if you will that you possessed the answer to all the questions in the universe, what would there be left for you to wonder at?

We live today in a world governed by science, in fact to many science has become their God. Let me say at this point that I think that science is great but there is more to this wonderful world  we live in than bare facts.

So what are these mysteries I hear you ask? The most important mystery for a Druid to learn is that the inner world is as real as the outer world.

The Druids inner world is where they meet their deities, work with the energy of the universe, and meet and work with their guides both animal and human.

For most Druids this inner world takes the shape of a Grove. In its simplest form it could be a clearing surrounded by trees, but as the Druid grows so does his Grove.

My Grove is now a landscape but at its heart is a clearing surrounded by Silver Birch trees. In the centre of the clearing is a simple rough hewn wooden altar. There is a spring in my Grove that gives forth cool clear water that forms a small pond.

If you would like to find your inner grove try this exercise. Close your eyes and breath slowly and deeply, let your body relax, and when ready open your inner eyes. What do you see? What trees are there in the surrounding area? Repeat this exercise as often as you need to and you will be surprised how quickly your Grove takes on a personality of its own and will change its appearance of its own accord.

There are many more mysteries that the Druid learns and over the coming weeks and months I would love to share my perceptions of them with you.

Everything is Connected

Everything is Connected.

One of the core values of Druidism is that everything is connected there is no separation. Humanity in its so called wisdom believes that it is the pinnacle of creation, this of course leads to so many problems.
Wars that pit nation against nation. Disregard for the world that sustains us, leading to environmental melt down.

The idea that we are somehow divorced from the rest of creation is of course a fallacy, and one we need as Pagans to admit to. Part of the problem is that we do not see past the superficial and really look at the world.

When we look at the world with our spiritual eyes we see that everything is connected and interconnected. The Native Americans talk of the stone people, the animal people, the tree and plant people, and of course the people people.

As a Druid I see it as my duty to reconnect to these realms of nature as I am made of the same energy they are. The same atoms that flow through the trees of a forest, are the same atoms that flow through me. “We are stardust, we are golden” as the song from the musical Hair so eloquently says.

In the rest of this article I am going to dwell on the relationship we have as Druids with trees. Why does the Druid have this relationship with trees? Why do people who hardly know anything of what a Druid is or does know this one fact that Druids love trees?

Most modern scholars agree that the word Druid is derived from the words Oak and wise with a meaning of one who has the “Wisdom of the Oak.” So without doubt the Druids of old were associated with trees.
What of today? I feel that it is most important for today’s Druid to care for and love trees, as they are our lifeblood, and if we loose them we loose so many things not only in the physical realm but also in the spiritual .

Trees are the storehouse of the Suns energy, they stand upon the earth their roots going deep into the Goddesses body. The leaves of a tree absorb carbon monoxide, and give out oxygen, they are literally the earths lungs. We use trees in countless other ways as well for our houses, books (and how Pagans love their books) for heating when it is cold and many other ways.

Consider this though, the oldest tree in the UK is a Yew tree estimated to be roughly three thousand years old just imagine what this ancient being has seen and has then stored the information in its rings of growth. Each time of drought, famine and fire is recorded by the tree.

It is not just the physical benefits of trees that the Druid celebrates though, we also venerate trees for their spiritual qualities as well. As Druids we believe that we can enter into a relationship with trees, but this takes time and commitment. Trees are old beings and do not live in the same time-scale as we do., so whenever you try to form a relationship with a tree it must be on their terms and time-scale

Go for a walk in a forest or park where there are many different types of trees, walk slowly and thoughtfully. Does one particular tree call to you? If so sit with it, slow your breathing and send your thoughts to the tree. With perseverance I believe that you will be able to form a relationship with trees.
Trees Dance.

Pangur-ban