A Time for Reflection

Hello my fellow travellers of the old ways, it seems like it has been ages since I last updated my blog, I have had so much going on work wise and also a few personal things I have had to deal with.  I have taken some time away to do this but hopefully things are easing slowly back to a more manageable position now so things can start moving forward again.

Druidry is a wonderful thing, that’s how I see it anyway.  The feelings that it gives me are there regardless of whatever happens around me, its like my big security blanket.  We have just had Samhain, I, as usual, danced the sundown with the wonderful Cracklewick Morris at Ivinghoe Beacon and as always performed a small intimate Samhain ceremony for anyone that wanted to join in, this year it was again wonderful with a few members of the public staying for the ceremony.

One of the parts of any of my ceremonies is remembering the ancestors, I love the look on the peoples faces when this happens, the smiles warm hearts as they think for a few moments of someone special, also as it was Samhain we always use this time of year as a time for reflection, reflecting back on the year just gone, what you have achieved, what you didn’t have time to do, anything.  I thought with this in mind I would use this as a basis for my blog this time.

As with all journeys there is always a starting point, there’s a time to evaluate and depending on the outcome of the evaluation a time to change direction or keep going as you are.  I have been seriously looking at my journey over the last few months and thought, as is the nature of this blog, that I’d share some of my highlights and thoughts with you.

Up until September / October last year I would have considered my path as strictly solitary, my rituals and my ceremonies were conducted either quietly alone in the local woods or in my garden, then I was asked by a friend if I would do a Druid ceremony for the Autumn Equinox at his orchard, I was a little anxious about this initially but agreed to do it, I thought it was going to be just a small simple affair with a few people I was acquainted with then closer to the time found out it had been opened to public attendance, despite everything I carried on and did it and was so taken aback by the response and the reactions of people who wanted to know more about the old ways and my practice.  I spent time after the ceremony talking to what were complete strangers who had an interest, this made me look more to how my path could adapt to this, I don’t consider myself a teacher and never would, I share what I know happily and all the time continue learning from all that is around me.  This lead me through to another small public ceremony for Samhain which coincided with dancing the sundown.  A year later and it has now become a tradition, its amazing how these things start, but I digress.

The year then took us round to Winter Solstice again I conducted a small ceremony at a small stone circle on a farm owned by a very dear friend of mine.  This was also to be the venue for one of the Wassail events we did.

I am a member of a Druid Grove and occasionally I join them for events they hold, one of these was the Croxley Green Wassail and there was also the Imbolc ceremony.  I also joined a small group of these lovely fellow Druids later in the year to be part of a small ceremony at the Chiltern Open Air Museum, and what a lovely day that was too.

From this point up to Beltaine everything was pretty quiet for me giving me chance to catch up on my studies and spend time outdoors walking through the woods and fields.

June came along, I wandered to the Stone Circle at around 4am to set up the things I needed for the ceremony, I wasn’t expecting a great deal of attendance firstly because of the time and secondly because…….well of the time, I didn’t mind because it is something I do as part of my daily rituals anyway so to me it was the same thing different place, however, I was humbled when I got there, I was met by around 20-30 young people that wanted to share this moment with me, I explained what I would be doing and let them know that if they didn’t want to involve themselves fully it was fine.  To my surprise and pleasure each and everyone of them joined the ceremony and as I reached the part where I ask everyone to close their eyes and remember a loved one who was no longer with us it happened again, I heard the unmistakeable hoot of my friend the Owl.  With this happening to me again and the fact that I was joined by so many lovely people I felt a surge of emotions that are hard to put into words.  I was asked if I would perform the ceremony again the following morning which I did happily.

The Owl and my ceremonies are now seeming to go hand in hand, to me it feels like a real acceptance onto my chosen path.  The last ceremony I did to this point was, as I said earlier, dancing the sundown on Ivinghoe Beacon and yes once more there was the distinctive hoot of the Owl during my ceremony.

I know to most this is probably mere coincidence and just one of those things, to me it feels different and as such I will take it for what I see it to be.

I hope the coming months, years, decades who knows how long are good for people, for me my reflection of the past year has been a rewarding one as I hope yours have been.  I have made a few really good friends who I hold in strength in my heart, some are a distance from me and I have only met via the wonders of social media, others I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with personally.

Just to finish, before I share one of my newest poems with you all, I would like to tell of one of the things that has stood out to me most as I have been looking back on my path.  I have said all along the way that I have considered myself a solitary person and my practice reflects this, or at least it did up to now.  I have my family albeit small it suits me fine.  I remember a conversation I had with my wife one night a few years back, we were talking in general when I said to her, “when it comes to leaving this world I would want to be the first to go because I know that you will have enough of your friends around you to look after you, I on the other hand have no friends to speak of (my choice) and would end up alone.” I thought about this as part of looking back on my journey and realise now that when she told me I was wrong……….I was, typical woman always right.  This past year has brought me something that I never really had and that is friends.  That doesn’t mean I am happy if she pops off first, far from it but it has made me realise that being on my path has brought me closer to like minded people and has forged what I hope will be lasting friendships and for that I thank you all.