Circumambulating home

I remember, when I was first exploring druidry, that many authors I respected and learned much from wrote reverently about the importance of learning and knowing the local ecosystems. I agreed in principle, but what a tall order! I’ve always loved nature, but I’d never made a concerted study, and as a young man I’d moved a thousand miles from home, where I still am. It seemed like too much, too high a barrier on top of learning a whole new way of prayer and worship, so I didn’t bother.

Advertisement

A month of prayers: week 3

When I buckle down and hammer out headnotes, I get things out more timely; thus, week 3, barely a week and a half overdue!

Lessons from the trees and the gods: accepting limitations and knowing when to commit

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about where I choose to put my time and energy. I have many interests, many passions, and many responsibilities; in a perfect world, many of these pressures would align with each other so that, magically, I could do everything and still have time to sleep. Alas, I live in the real world, where we don’t have Time Turners, or magical spells that do the dishes for us, so some things have to fall by the wayside. I struggle with that necessity, because my impulse is always to say ‘yes’ to opportunities, and to mourn them when I have to decline. Helpfully, the past few days have been full of gentle guidance and correction.

About the Locust

Within ADF Druidry, we honor three groups we refer to, collectively, as the Kindreds: the Shining Ones (that is, the gods), the Ancestors (those of blood, yes, but also those of spirit), and the Spirits of Nature. Everyone’s experience varies, however, as to how much they relate to each of the Kindreds. I relate to the Gods most easily: I was raised Catholic, and while I had many reasons for leaving that faith, a discomfort with deity was not one. As for the beloved dead, I haven’t spent much time practicing any veneration of my Ancestors, but I at least understand the concept. Nature Spirits, though? That one I have the most difficulty with.