My Path

Image via Wikipedia This is a book I picked up from BN a few days ago. I was looking through the cultural studies section, because the native american metaphysical books are there instead of the Metaphysical sections. Go figure. Anyway, I picked this book up and am pleasantly surprised by it. I was expecting a mishmash of cultures and generalities but what I got was a precise study of NA Culture with only a slight feminist slant without screwing up the tales themselves. The translations are solid and enjoyable to read, made for a modern audience but remaining true to the roots they spring from. Its a collection of tales that highlight the power that women held in NA culture and the questions at the end of each section help apply lessons taught in the tale to your own life. ------- Chapter 1:Spider woman saves Ko-chin-ni-na-ko This tale orientates from the keresan pueblos, located in the southwest of the US, and features a w...

Where to begin? The beginning of course! Well, it all started back in the beginning of November..and by it I mean all the dreadful things that have come to pile up over the last few weeks. The first week was when I had a horrible cold. Sore throat, runny nose, the works. The only symptom I didn't have was nausea and vomiting...which would have been perfect. I was terribly sick but I still had to go to school and take care of my mother on a daily basis. Then, two weeks ago I got into a major accident. 3 other cars were involved and my mother's van was totaled. I have bruises where I didn't want to know I had skin to bruise and I was sore as all hell for the first week afterward. Then, during the second week, last week,  I started to feel better and life was starting to look up. I should have been waiting for the other shoe. Really...they come in sets of threes...I should have brought an umbrella at least. I was taking my mom to the doctors and taking the elevator...

Save The Words

I know its been awhile since I've posted, and the few people that read this might have gotten a little anxious or I'm just projecting my anxiousness onto them, but never the less I am posting after a long silence. I've been reading a couple of blogs out there dealing with divination, the runes in particular. I actually do have a set of Runes, or I did until I broke them with the help of my car. I don't know what it is about them but...I keep breaking them. Or I keep losing my Tarot cards. I have a special place to put my cards, and for some reason I take some more care in keeping them up....its odd isn't it? A druid that doesn't have a great affinity for the Runes? The Tarot Cards I have now, The druid craft deck, really resonate with me and I get really good readings with them. I can read with the runes but...they seem a little more abstract and difficult. I usually only use them for special events, the power of the occasion helps balance out the lack ...

Lighting a rosemary candle in memory of a great man's passing . "You are journeying across the dividing water that lies between this world and the next, carried away by the ferryman on your way. Look ahead of you, do not look behind. Look ahead of you, where you destiny lies. Do you see them?  They are there, ahead of you on the other shore.  Slowly, they become visible to you; the Shining Ones appear slowly out of the concealing mists.  Clearly they appear to you, though hidden from our eyes.  Go to them, they welcome you.  Go to them, not stopping for farewells. Holy Ones in the world beyond,  open wide your arms  to receive this one who is journeying to you.  Make him a home, bring him to rest.  Farewell, Issac.  We who have loved you wish you good journey." Ceiswr Serith's Book of Pagan Prayer, pp 186 Blessed be. Good night.

Federal protections restored for Northern Rockies' wolves - Defenders of Wildlife YAYYY!!!!!!

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I really had no  idea what to really call this post. I was reading The Archdruids Report, a blog I follow, and it mentions how ineffiecent our sewage system here in teh US really is. Using clean, drinkable water to flush waste away has never made sense to me but considering that I live in a society that doesn't make much sense in general...it make perfect sense to go along with the madness. Its best to just go with the flow, because were all mad here. California especially is a little more mad than most, at least in my opinion. Just recently a neighbor lost his job because he lacked the correct 'credentials' for his job, when he had been doing the job very well for the last 20 some odd years. They gave him his job back a few weeks later, only after finding out that he credentials mean squat compared to experience. That just goes to show how crazy Californians can get. Maybe thats why the French like us so much, that and we both have pretty good tastes in wine. Back t...

I don't know about you but....I have a hard time personally with sitting down and doing a meditation daily. Its not because I don't want to meditate or I don't believe in the benifits. Its mostly due to the fact that I really have a thing  about routine. I hate routine or any kind of structured set of rules that must be followed. I recognize that getting more organized or keeping a schedule may be benifitial but...when I sit down to actually do it I really struggle. I want to meditate daily...but it seems that after a few days of this I get...bored and give up. I also have a thing about doing things others tell me to do, I just balk at any kind of direction. Even if I recognize that the person probably has a better idea of what to do...I really don't like being corrected or being told what or how to do something. That being said, I just started my first meditation. Again. I know I said this a few weeks ago but this time I really do think I'll pull this off. ...

Day1: I really didn't experience anything outside of my feet falling asleep, and a general increase in energy. I was doing chakra cleansing before hand, and it is funny to mention that if I do a cleansing more than once in a week my throat kind of get raw and sore. I just played a relaxation tape for about 20 min. Nothing too exciting there. I would like to mention that whenever I do meditate I feel drained afterward and almost always feel a headache coming on. Is that normanl? I'm under the impression that it isnt, otherwise why do it? Pain usually motivates someone to avoid the cause of said pain.

Moderation is creating healthy boundaries in the things you say or do. For example, spending money would be a big example of where I personally struggle with the virtue of moderation.I don't set a personal budget for myself, and as a consequence I am really bad with impulsive purchases - which leads to my account being overdrawn a lot.This leads to lots of embarrassment, especially when I'm still struggling with things I should, as an adult, already have a grip on. A hard sentiment to cope with, too,is the disservice my parents have shown me by bailing me out of financial difficulty - I've never really had to deal with financial consequences, such as when I cant pay important bills on time. In retrospect, perhaps the only real place I have moderation is in alcohol and speaking. Having moderation in alcohol is a "no-brainer" -my father's family has a tendency to be alcoholic and I've seen it destroy many of them. The benefit of this, perhaps...

I was just minding my own business, talking to a client on the phone and trying to hear what he was saying when I heard what I thought was someone leaving a message on my cell phone. Everyone in the office could hear it, my phone calling me sexy baby and asking if I wanted to meet up on saturday for a night of fun. Now, if you know me you will also realize that I don't have anyone who would call me like that and leave that sort of message, I just don't. So, embarrassed and red faced I put the client on hold and turn off my phone and continue with my day. My da, my boss, walks in and tells me I have to pick up my niece. I let him know what happened, and he promptly tells me that I should figure out who its from and he will call the DA to press charges to whomever it is. I take my phone with me to try and do this, finding something interesting along the way. It wasn't a message or  someone calling to say such obsene things, it was my ringtone that someone had recorded on ...

I had a really disturbing dream last night. I woke up and was really disturbed when I dreamed of a glass full of maggot like things in the bottom, tipping over and flies and other insects crawling all over me. Another part of the dream was that my two sisters were watching and I was crying out for help from them but all they did was continue to discuss between themselves. I don't remember what they were talking about but they were not helping me as I lay in a fetal position right in front of them. I know I have issues with abandonment and trust between most of my family but I really was surprised to have my oldest sister playing a negative role in this dream.

Recently I've taken to a kind of amateur bird watching...Not really going out and looking for particular birds really but just going about my usual activities and keeping an eye out for any avian tag alongs.  One being the common Crow or Raven, I can never remember if there is a distinctions...I've heard that the raven is bigger with a orange beak, with the crow as a smaller bird with a black beak. I've seen many of these birds hanging around my home, and can identify them by sound or sight. Another bird that I only caught a glimpse of was the magpie, I didn't get a chance to take a picture but found one on the internet that matched what I saw. It is really a beautiful bird but beyond what it looks like I really can't say I know very much about it. What really was strange was that while I had never done any research about the bird I KNEW that the bird was indeed a magpie, the name just popped into my head as soon as I saw it. I also found this guy in my backyar...

There is a bit of a debate going on right now on one of the groups that I belong to, relating to the acknowledgement of an Earth Mother in daily/public rituals. I don't know too much about IE religions, I am just starting out on my path really and have alot to learn, but ADF supposedly is a Neopagan group and not a reconstruction of  Ancient Druidry, and while we do share some relationship with it, we are still a MODERN religion. The present view of the earth is of an all-giving mother figure whom should be respected and cared for. Some have argued that while the earth itself is important, it is not the only reason we have life and remain living. In isolation the earth would shrivel up and die, taking us along with it. Without the sun  we would have no vegetation, without the moon there would be not sea life or tides, and without fallen meteorites we would be without many minerals and nutrients. I'm probably oversimpliying it but you get the gist of what I'm trying to ...

I just found a bunch, over two hundred, videos made by a wiccan lady that are very informative and useful. At least in my opinion, I love the idea of being able to make my own smudge bundles and runes. That just adds more power to them, and while she is a wiccan and I am a druid, Wicca borrows some of its beliefs from druidry. I feel that this sharing make them more compatible. Her name on youtube is charmingpixieflora if your interested. Speaking of videos that are informative I have found a dirth of videos converning divination, namely tarot and runes. Since these are the two forms that I am most associated with, the dirth of information is quite daunting. There is alot of information concerning them in general but little is done by the way of actual readings. At least as far as I've found. There is a blog in my favorites called Thor's anecdotes, in which a guy does a daily rune reading, as well as thought provoking post that concerns outside influence as well as the ru...

I went to my second ritual tonight, celebrating Beltaine with the sierra Madrone grove in Sacramento. My first ritual was with the Feather River Grove in Pulga last weekend. They were celebrating different things and so can't really be compared to each other in that way. Both had wonderful rituals, with differences that enhanced the reason we were there perfectly in my mind. In Sierra Madrone I didn't know many people there and was a little bit of an outsider. I wasn't the only new person there but I didn't see anyone, besides Bonnie, step up and really help out and explain what was going on. Not to say that there might have been some welcome committee that I missed, I am not aware of all things and I was a little preoccupied by taking pictures. Bonnie can attest to my sieve like mind, random thoughts are common in my experience. It was a little intimidating that most of the members ages were either much older or much younger than I was. Not alot of younger people wer...

Beltaine is traditionally considered to be the beginning of summer and festivals during this time focus on asking for the blessings of a good harvest later in the year. Purification and the bringing in of blessings are a main theme during this time. The coming together of two powers for the creation of new life is personified throughout the festivities. The May Queen and King are married symbolically and the Maypole itself weaves together this idea. Sierra Madrone had the Dagda and Boyin as patrons for their Beltane ritual, the all father and the White Cow Mother. In Wales, May 1 is a holiday known as Calan Mai or Calan Haf , which means the first day of summer. Celebrations start on the evening before, known as May Eve, with Bonfires; as with Calan Gaeaf , the night before (Nos Galan Mai) is an Ysbrydnos, or "spirit night," when spirits are out and about and divination is possible. The tradition of lighting Midsummer bonfires happened annually in south Wales until ...

This past weekend I went camping with the Feather River Grove up near Chico, Cal.  It was a long way home for me but not that bad a drive all together. I had company,great company actually, in a friend that lives along the way in Sacramento. It was all together about a 400+ mile trip in my little miata two seater, an 18 yearold car that I absolutely love and adore. I took lots of pictures, mostly of the baby that was there for the one night we stayed. I am actually importing them as I type. Beutifl campsite that used to be a ghost town but is slowly being converted into an Nemiton, if I'm spelling that right, for the Feather River Grove. Blackberry bushes are everywhere so you have to be careful about where you pitch your tent. Ours was HUGE compared to everyone elses, we probably could have had everyone in our ten and still have room to spare. It was just the two of us alas, in the big tent so it was a little chilly in our sleeping bags, or at least I was chilly. Bonnie was ...

I was supposed to put this out over two week ago but...if you haven't figured out by now, I am a bit of a procrastinator. I love to wait until the last minute and get things done. If not as well as I would like than at least done the minimum requirement. I have actually been thinking it over for a long while, its a very important step to make an oath to someone. Be they Gods, Spirits or people you see every day. On the scale of promises the oath is the most important, have vivid and deep consequences if not taken seriously. Actually the best explaination of the importance of the promise, vow and Oath came from a story I read not long ago. Yes its from a Fanfiction but it still rings true: " Sarah sighed. "Her father had just left us, and she wanted to know how he could do that… there was this man in      the tale taking an oath to love forever…and I had to explain the difference between a promise, a vow and an oath." The Fae man listened carefully. "So...

DP Through the Wheel of the Year Week One      I said I would post this on Thursday but if you know me well enough you were probably expecting this either today or tomorrow. I just have a horrible habit of procrastinating till the last minute so only a day late is a triumph for me, be grateful for little miracles. I have written about 4 entries, very short ones but they were written on the dates inscribed. I did not write everyday but I did try for at least 7  entries total only missing 3 of the 7. I'll try to be more consistent this week.      The first entry was actually written on the ninth but I wrote down the date on the eighth, go figure, and procrastinated till the next evening.      I did all the 'required' reading and answered the following questions over the last week, but I won't be done with them. I probably will add to them or just write comments pertaining to them as I go along. The questions are as follows:...

not thoughtless exactly...just a little bit lazy. I haven't posted in a bit and I am very sorry about that. Things have been in a bit of a whirlwind these last few weeks. I officially am a part of a Druid organization, ADF, and will be starting thier dedicant program in the next week or so. I have a written version of my DP Journal but will be posting them in a weekly chunk, hopefully, which makes sense because the program really is weekly lessons that you write on during the week in question. The requirements for the DP are met through a yearlong, ideally, work book that is available on the website when you become a new member. It really gives you lots of research to do and thoughts to think as you decide your own druid path. Right now I am in the first week, starting last Thursday so look forward to a longer post on Thursday of this week. This week is labeled appropriately, Personal Religion and an Introduction . Dangler, the author, begins with the basic question of why you have...

I mean that quite literally..I got home late a few nights back and decided to still do my daily ritual before I went to bed. Warning, tired people should not mess with fire. I have a small candle that is on my altar that I light in the course of my ritual. It really didn't seem like a problem but...when you mix a large piece of flammable material with flame...it turns into a rather hot topic really quickly. Mix in that my reflexes were a little slowed due to my exhausted state and you have a big problem waiting to happen. That's right, my altar cloth caught on fire. I was a little slow putting it out, with the bowl of water I have on my altar representing the Well. I was a little shaken. I finished the ritual, I was almost done anyway, sans the flame. A quarter of the cloth was burned away and my room smelled strongly of burnt feathers for the next couple of hours. Even with Febreeze and the window open. Next time I get home late I'm just going to wait until morning....

I just need to vent...alot of things are going on right now ....and I really can't talk about anything else...not right now. I just got off from school a little over a week ago and I am supposed to be having a bit of a lay ii, relaxing for about a week before going back to school, right? WRONG! Dead Wrong! My mom, who is a diabetic, has decided to ruin my week off. Not on purpose but it still makes me a little mad. I'm also very distressed about what she's done this time. Well, you know how diabetics usually have major health problems if they don't take care of themselves properly. Even if they do take care, there are still issues but they are less severe. My mother does not take care of her diabetes like she should. SO, she has major issues. A few years back she nearly died because she was so deep in denial about her diese that she didn't go to the doctor for a simple cut on her foot, which soon turned into a Gangrene infection. She had to hav...

 Hey there! Its been a bit since I last posted...and I just thought I would get you up to speed on what I'm doing....I just made my own set of runes...and I have done my daily ritual for two days straight now...I missed Ostara...I didn't get my Praise Offering done in time and so I just did my ritual as per usual...I'm going to celebrate the Summer Solstice though and I should have my ritual down by then and have an Offering worthy of the season as well. I had a poem I was going to read but...I had written it a year ago and was just really picking it because I had no other option. I picked up a silver plated bowl that I am thinking of using as my Well, the one I have now can be used as the Whiskey/Ale bowl. I usually put the dry offerings together in a bowl and then spread them outside later...then put the liquid offerings in another bowl for later as well. The book I read the ritual from is a little vague on how to set out the offerings and could be read that one bowl b...

I went over to my usual tree, an older birch tree in a park near where I live. I brought headphones to drown out the sounds of the expressway. I was there for about an hour and got really good and centered...I don't think I communicated of anything but it was a good meditation session anyway. I think I'll take a friend of mines advice and try to merge with the earth first. I think there has to be some connection, and an exchange of energy because after a session I am really drained but not to the point where I can't function or anything. My thoughts kinda drift towards Ostra at this point. It kind of make sense, I was around growing things and that really is what Ostra/Easter is about really. The rebirth after the winter or the fruition of what was planted in Imbolc. As a beginner I really have no set traditions around this time of year, beyond the usual Easter celebrations. Easter doesn't show up till april though so I could actually do both. My family, besides my...

Yesterday I went to my usual spot near my tree. I sat down and meditated. I was merging with the trees spirit, much like you would if your merging with the earth...just a little slower and more engrossing. I was actually getting quite deep...or starting to at least when suddenly my cell phone goes off with a warning that a text message is coming through. I am so beating myself over the head...why didn't I turn the darn thing off? Or at least on vibrate mode....or silent or any number of other settings that would have made it less likely to disturb me. Was I subconciously wanting to be disturbed? Obviously my subconcious didn't realize the pain I would be in from the broken link. It wasn't horrible really...but I shudder to think how it would have been had I gone any deeper... I was warned that a quick exit would be painful. I am now more aware of the consequences of my actions. Next time the phone goes off. Oh, and it wasn't even an emergency either...my sis o...

I know I said I would visit my Birch tree today but...I just never got the chance...at least not yet...I may later tonight...if I can and I'm not too tired. I get off from my mid term around 8pm so I should be able to go..and the upside of it being so late is that I am less likely to be observed or be self-conscious. I'm going to try that Tree melding today. I'll post later... ----- Well......Its really late, cold, rainy and I have no umbrella. I am going to go later tomorrow evening for sure though...just after work around 6pm....I'll bring an umbrella this time.

I didn't get a chance to visit my birch tree today...and I am really surprised how many times I actually missed it. All I'm doing right now is sitting near the tree and reading...occasionally making comments at the tree...not much communication yet...at least none that I can hear...I'm actually going to try to go early in the morning and try to Meld with the Tree to see is that helps....I found the technique here at PaganSpace.net and am curious to feel it work. I've never actually sat down and talked with a tree before so it'll be a new experience. Oh...I also wanted to specify that I really do think the tree is indeed a birch...I have pictures ....let me know if you disagree.   It isn't the same tree that I am hanging out with but it is one that is similar...The leaves are the same as far as I can tell. The bark is a silvery white and papery and fragile looking. It really is a distinctive looking tree, I really don't know how it could be mistaken for a...

In Blamires book the first exercise is that we have to imagine how Ireland was transformed into the land it is today by the people/Peoples who claimed sovereignty over it. Then we are to compare it to our own lives and how people who have effected us have shaped us into the persons we are today starting from our earliest memories. I've been influenced by many people throughout my short life...this is going to get kind of personal...I'm kind of dubious. Its not exactly comforting that nobody reads this. Logically...according to many studies the most influential persons in someones life will be thier family or the persons who raised them. I was no different except for the fact that what my family didn't do influenced me more on a basic level than what they in fact did do. I'm kind of gearing myself up for a long rant on the injustice of physical abuse right? Well, only partially. Or mostly, depending on how you look at it. One of my most profound memories is of when my m...

Well, I am slightly put off that I am not quite sure if the tree I found really is a birch tree. I need to go back an take a better picture of the tree itself and the leaves put I am somewhat sure that what I thought to be a birch was in fact only a similar breed. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. Another tree nearby is more likely to be the correct species. I'm still not sure but I'm checking it out tomorrow. I still have tons of time to figure this out but its still a little frustrating. I still need to get some of my Tools or Weapons together. There are four personal Weapons all together: tthe Stone,the Wand, the Knife and the Chalice(Cup) The Stone is a representation of the world and is the first of the four that I am to 'find'. By find I mean literally. I need to find a stone that meets some requirements. It should be 6'' circumfrance but still easy to carry and flat enough to put your feet on during OtherWorld Journeys. The best places ...

I was really having a hard time finding ANY trees of the birch variety in my area. I looked around for two days and couldn't find a single one. I finally gave up and went to the bookstore to pick up the other Blamires book that I had been looking at for the last week. The bookstore wasn't open so I went for a little walk to waste some time. Suddenly I see it. A birch tree!! Right there in front of me, when I am not actively looking for it, is the exact tree that I need. I go closer before noticing exactly where it is will cause a problem. I don't know about anyone else but I would really have a problem with someone coming into my front yard to meditate with my tree. Well, maybe I wouldn't but someone else might. The lady that owns the house was a little bit unnerving anyway. So as I sit there contemplating how I'm going to work around this I decide that I will pick up a fallen branch, just in case I don't find another tree. I'm a little nervous about stating...

Hey there! Recently, I've been researching the Celtic Tree Ogham, and during my research, I found a lovely book titled: Celtic Tree Mysteries-Practical Druid Magic and Divination by Steve Blamires. In the first section of the book, he explains some misconceptions that have been attributed to both the Ogham and its predecessor, the Tree Ogham. The first myth dispelled is that the Tree Ogham and the Ogham alphabet are not interchangeable. The Ogham Alphabet was used mainly as a form of communication between a select group of people, such as bards, to communicate. It has strict grammatical boundaries, and in many myths and legends of the Irish, it is used between people who don't want what they are saying to be understood by outsiders. This developed as time went on and became the basis for the current Gaelic Alphabet. The Tree Ogham,  on the other hand, was used as a means to convey layers of different meanings, both mundane and otherworldly. The letters themselves represented T...