Watching Water Boil

 

Hello my fellow travellers

With Samhain now slowly falling behind us as the wheel steadily turns, the dark nights drawing in and the temperatures begining to drop, father sun still providing us with light as the mornings greet us with a more chilly glow. It is recently I have been looking back on what has been happening and what is to come, as before, I mentioned that Samhain is traditionally seen as the ending of the year and the begining of the new. This, to me, is a positive time, a time of preparation, like the old new years resolutions, I have been thinking the same should happen for me now, with this in mind I have been recounting things that have happened to me since my path begun.

I have, believe it or not calmed down a lot more, I find myself spending time outside doing the strangest things just because I can. I sat in the garden the other day, under a tarp, set up as a lean to on the clothes line, with my camping stoves (alcohol ones as these are quieter) just boiling water to make a drink. I sat there alone, it was the morning, I was enjoying the peace and quiet before the world woke up, for company I was joined by my little bird people, the Robin came and sat on the seat near to me, sparrows perched on the goji berry bush taking no notice of me at all, several blue tits joined them, I greeted them as always with a "good morning" and "brightest blessings" welcoming them into the garden making sure that they had food. A magpie flew down onto the garage roof, inquisitive, I assume wondering what on earth this big green sheet thing was and what this person was doing under it. All this became quite meditative, I was looking at the water in the pot on my stove, watching it slowly starting to steam, little bubbles forming on the bottom of the pot as it heated up. The more I watched it the more I began to relax, each bubble began to represent a part of my life in my mind, I was watching it slowly grow and as it did, slowly rising to the surface eventually popping as another took its place. This made me think of my journey and how, since I was young, I have been steadily growing into the person I was becoming. I reflected on my ceremony that I was due to perform for Samhain, I started going over it in my head, forging it into my memory, thinking about every word that I was going to say, and how it felt to me, most importantly the opening words. These few words instilled in me that I am on the right path.

"I am Druid

I believe in and celebrate the spirituality of all life

I am one with the community of the natural world

and the ever flowing tides of the seasons

Honouring all, past, present, and future

Seeking spiritual awakening, inspiration and wisdom through the Awen, the flowing spirit

My life is a journey

I am Druid."

The more I repeated these words in my head the, more I began to break them down, I wanted to make sure in my own mind that, I could fulfill all of this and accept it as part of who I am.

"I am Druid" - this is easy to say, anyone can say this but what does it mean to each person, to me it is a connection to my past, to who I truly am, to what I was and what I have yet to become. A connection to my ancestors, a connection to my place upon this great land bestowed upon me by Mother Earth, a deep connection to me as a person and what I truly believe.

"I believe in and celebrate the spirituality of all life" - I wake in the morning early and greet the sun, I meet and talk to the bird people in the garden, I commune with the bees as they hover around the plants and flowers, I hug my little dog, I love and feel loved by my family, all this to me is a cause for celebration, each day I awake and greet the sun is a new day to achieve something, each breath I take, each sound I hear, each smell I smell reminds me that I am part of something bigger, I am alone in the moment, but I am not alone if that makes sense,

"I am one with the community of the natural world and the ever flowing tides of the seasons" - Just by spending time in the garden, the woods, the beach, the hills and the mountains, I feel a connection deep within the very heart of my being, a feeling of being part of something big and wonderful, there are so many things going on in this crazy word at the moment, but throughout it all, the one thing that has stayed constant yet continues to grow and surround us is Mother Nature. She was here at the very begining and she will be here long after we have all gone, I feel the heat from the sun that my ancestors felt, I feel the coldness of winter, again as felt by my ancestors, I know that when I have moved on those that come after me and walk the earth I am standing on will also feel these things, this is a community that has gone on thousands of years, regardless of colour or size and yes, I am part of it.

"Honouring all, past, present, and future" - this is why I do my rituals and ceremonies, the old ways are important, we live in a world of computers, fast food, cars, planes, travel is easy, you can get from one side of this planet to the other in about a day, but through all this, if we are not careful we will slowly forget how it all started, for me honouring the past is important, because with it we would have nothing. The present and the future wouldn't exist as it does, maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing, after all without the invention of electricity imagine how romantic it would be watching TV by candle light, (sorry madness slips into me again lol). In all seriousness though, the old ways formed who we are, and what we have become. I will be teaching my little granddaughter all about the old ways, nature and all that I know, just because I think it makes sense.

"Seeking spiritual awakening, inspiration and wisdom through the Awen, the flowing spirit" - this is what I try to do everyday I wake up, my daily rituals to welcome the new day, to thank the moon for the protection she gave through the night, these simple things that take a few moments of my day to say, then resonate with me through the rest of my day. Through this I get inspiration for my poems, my stories, this then makes me want to learn more which increases my knowledge and this repeats daily.

"I am Druid" - to the best of my abilities yes I am.

Isn't it amazing what happens when you watch water boil, excuse my ramblings but this is the sort of thing that pops into my head when I do something simple. I would like as always to end on one of my poems, this one may seem familiar as it is the poem I took my short story from that I have put up in a previous blog.It is called "The Gypsy Woman" I hope you enjoy.

 

GYPSY WOMAN

One night whilst walking through the woods

I came across a light

And within a clearing I did see

A campfire burning bright

And there beside the campfire

A gypsy woman sat

With a lacy shawl upon her head

And on her lap a cat

To rest my weary feet

She beckoned me to sit with her

And she told me that she had a dream

And knew we were to meet

I sat beside her on a log

And took from her a drink

And as she placed it in my hands

She gave to me a wink

I took a sip and felt the liquid

She reached across and took my hand

Warm me deep inside

And held it by her side

Oh, traveler listen to my voice

The gypsy woman said

Three days will pass before your eyes

On the fourth you’ll need your bed

There to lie no more to move

And slowly start to die

And to heaven you will fly

Until your final breath departs

The only way to stop my curse

Is find for me three rings

A day for each is all you have

Before the angel sings

So, go with haste and start your search

For death is drawing near

And when you find what I must have

Then this curse from you I’ll lift

You must bring them to me here

And give back life to thee

For in my hand the rings must sit

Once more to set me free

Where to start? I asked of her

Please gypsy woman tell

For I have only days to live

This place I know not well

Who lives beside a stream

The first is on a maiden fair

The second on a soldier brave

Of whom this maid does dream

The third is on their sleeping child

So cozy in its bed

Wrapped up in woolen blankets

With a pillow ‘neath its head

Pray gypsy woman answer me

If you know where these rings lay

And waste my life this way

Why do you give of me this task

The maiden was my sister dear

Who threw me from her house

The soldier brave now lies with her

But used to be my spouse

Their child who slept so soundly

In its cozy little bed

Is now a weary traveler

So now you see what you must do

With a curse upon his head

Before these four days end

Just place the rings within my hand

And this curse I’ll surely mend

Oh, gypsy woman let me say

This is an easy quest

For both the soldier and the maid

Have now been laid to rest

And spoke their final word

But just before they closed their eyes

Three rings in silk they gave to me

And this is what I heard

Always on your person keep

This tiny silken purse

For it will give protection from

A gypsy woman’s curse

So alas the time has come

For as the sun now starts to rise

Farewell to you I say

I must journey on my way

 

Blessed Be /|\