Autumn

Our local coyotes were in fine song last night. They started up around 1 or 2 am. There are few things quite as blood curdling as a pack of coyotes howling and yipping - I love it! They tend to be quite active here in the fall, especially the month of October. I strongly suspect that it is the waning of the summer fields that sets them off, as they don't mate until February. I think as the fields die down and are harvested, they have better hunting. I think I need to research that. They scavenge a lot of their food - but they do hunt mice and other small critters.

I have a lot to prepare for in the month of October, which, as it appears, is not too far off. Samhain is an important holy day for me - it is my patron god's day of birth as well as a day for tending to the comforts of the ancestors and those who have passed. I have a major gripe with pagans who "celebrate" Samhain. It is not a day for celebration, unless you are celebrating the birth of Aengus. It is a day for calm and peace and quiet reflection, a day for underworld journeying and world walking and a day to remember one's roots, the ancestors and the ones who have passed, and to offer them comforting thoughts and gifts and a light in the window as they pass the boundaries of worlds. We do not "celebrate" Samhain, we observe it. AS well, we most certainly do NOT celebrate Halloween. I think costuming is appropriate for Samhain ceremony, as it is a tradition that disguises us from the faer folk who have journeyed through the thin veil. It is a welcome to the ones who aren't hostile and a disguise to those who are. It is an honor to them all.

For myself, at the season of Samhain, always a difficult one, I have a number of things to take care of. I undertake, almost every year, the Rite of Aisling, which is a rite I learned in honor of my god - it is a vision quest, if you like that term, involving dreaming and journeying the otherworld in a sacred manner. It is shaman's work, for want of a better term. I also have, usually before or after Samhain (I actually prefer to do this at the Winter Solstice), the Ritual of the Cups, which is a cleansing, rejuvenating ceremony that I wrote for group work, but which I also use solitary. Samhain, for me, culminates in the celebration of the day of my god's birth. A nice Irish cake, a belt of whiskey and a gift of flowers at the altar are all part of that. Though, that is not a ritual for most druids. As I said, it is my own patron god's birth I am celebrating.

That's what is going on for this month! I have to get back to the housework, before the baby wakes :)

Love, Honor and Respect,
Niamh sionna'dubh

Memoriam

I regret that as I return to Aisling, that I must do so to write in memory of Steve Irwin. Steve and Terri Irwin are two of my personal heroes. They have educated and fought for wildlife and conservation and shown great courage and compassion when it comes to this Earth and its creatures. The loss of Steve Irwin in this world, is the loss of an outstanding ally to nature and to those of us who love the wild things and places which are so much in danger in this day and age. Our house mourns the loss of this hero of the Earth. Steve - Blessed be your journey, safe into the arms of your gods and the spirits of nautre and the ancestors. Find rest and peace and know your impact on this world that so sorely needs all its heroes.

Love, Honor and Respect

Long time

Sorry, it's been ages since I posted - keeping up with three blogs, my new forum, the ERWF forum and writing has been a bit...ummm, overwhelming. I have been involved in Isaac Bonewits' Spells for Democracy list too, and that's been pretty active for the past week and a half or so, so I've been neglectful.

We've had a decidedly unremarkable harvest from the garden this year, but it isn't unexpected. The weather has been so very iffy this summer and too cool for tomatoes and peppers (especially the hot peppers). I have not had the time or energy to put into the garden or harvesting this year, as I should - the baby takes up a lot more time than I ever dreamed :). But we have blueberry picking, sometime soon and blackberries as well. I am hoping to get to the elderberries this weekend before the birds get 'em all.

The new altar under the quince is working out nicely. I am looking forward to scouting the new grove this fall :) All this, while getting the new druids' order together. I love being busy! The ol' blog has been light on druid items lately, but we'll remedy that soon enough. My brain seems to be caught in a wild cycle of focus on various things. I'm a decent multi-tasker, perhaps we need to shake it up a bit.

Isaac Bonewits new Bonewits' Essential Guids to Druidism is out and I hope to bury my nose in that soon and give a review of it here. There are plans, as well, for a proper Druid's Thanksgiving for the autumn eqinox or, if you will, Mabon.

Just wanted to touch base - I'll have something a bit more...relevant in the next few days. Off to check the boards at Father Oak's now :)

Love, Honor and Respect,

Niamh sionnachdubh

Harvest

We've been busy, getting the harvesting under way. Much of what we grow has been late to ripen due to strange weather patterns. We are having a very different year from most, though it is in keeping with the past few. Sort of. At least we actually have crops this year. Last year was just lousy not only for us, but a lot of folks out here. Anyway, for us, Lughnassadh is this week. I like to wait until the hay is in and we are just near the Lunasa full moon. It makes far more sens in our little area of the world. We have a lot to get ready for this week, though we are only having a small family Lughnassadh, I have more to do since I am the only one doing it!! It will be nice though. The baby's first Lughnassadh coincides with her new diet which includes some mild grains and fruits and vegetables. Just a little bit. She mostly has milk. She will be nursing for at least a year, if not awhile longer. But she does need a little more than milk can give her. She is very active and I think she burns a lot of it right off. She didn't gain as much weight as she really should, so the ped is recommending a little solid food in addition to milk. She's a healthy kid all around though.
This is perhaps all I will be able to post this week since we have much to do.
Respectfully,
Niamh

Lughnassadh

Lughnassadh approaches...
I admit, this is one of the holy days that I have a hard time with. I feel keenly the deeper meaning of sacrifice and an underlying sadness regarding it. Lughnassadh (you will find this spelled many ways - I spell it the way I learned to pronounce it in Irish). It is the first harvest and ceremony is performed, sacrifice given for the strengthening of the land and protection of crops. You will hear stories of John Barleycorn and his sacrifice. This is where my Lughnassadh sadness comes from. I recall a story from a wonderful wiccan with whom I have sadly lost touch. He had a story that he told at Lughnassadh that gave me chills with its beauty and sadness. It was the story of Lugh. In this story, he was loved by Brigid and he was sacrificed by Brigid to the nourishment of the land, his blood flowed through furrow into soil. I could never tell the story as beautifully as he told it, but I always carry with me the vision of Lugh bleeding into the earth and while he accepted fully, even gladly, the sacrifice of his life for the earth and its creatures. This story sets an aching in my heart. There are many stories of Lugh and if you have read them, you will say "Well that story couldn't have happened, that's not what happened with Lugh..." But this is an example of the sacred storyteller's art, not of the historian's or loremaster's art. Those gifts are commonly intertwined. But sometimes, they unravel and weave an exquisite trim to the mantle, though they are not the mantle itself. I remember too, another Lughnassadh at which a professed druid (a beginner) interrupted another story, more fantastical, and my response was the same. Though less courteous. This would be about ten years ago.
My points are several and I hope you are able to pick them out. I am in preparation for this Lughnassadh - for sacrifice and spellwork. We will sacrifice a good cut of beef and a heavy-grained loaf in the shape of a braid, sun or man. We will prepare our hunting equipment and begin to sharpen our skills for the coming hunting season. We will sing and dance and play music and I will think of Lugh as the sacrifice and as life. I see him as both. I see him dying and living and I have never in my life witnessed the death of the sun, as some traditions have it. My Lughnassadh may be different than the original, but I believe it comes from the same spiritual place - changed and even grown - but still the same in many ways.
For a brief history of Lughnassadh customs and origins, I direct you to Ellen Evert Hopman's A Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year. Lughnassadh may have changed in many ways, from its origins, but it is no less Lughnassadh. As with any holy day, the understanding of the spirit of the customs known is the important part. The roots are vital to the growth, fertility and survival of the tree.
Respectfully,
Niamh

Honor

As promised, I am adding my personal code of honor as a druid, though it is much abridged. This is the personal code of honor that I wrote about 15 years or so ago, so it goes without saying that I have added a lot to it since then. However, it still provides the bare bones of what I have interpreted my duties to be, as a druid and a pagan.

A Druid's Code of Honor
much abridged

First and foremost a druid is a sacred guardian of the earth. It would serve you well to act like it.
Believe in the power of good over evil always, but remember this: Light does not equal good and dark does not equaly evil.
Moderation in all things, even virtue.
Maintain a cheerful disposition and revel in the joy of living. These things are contagious.
The Gods and Goddesses are always there
Keep the rites of your Gods and Goddesses
Defend your rights and the rights of others
Keep your honor
Help and protect those who cannot do so for themselves.
Be courteous - be courteous even when others are not for they may not have had the chance to learn courtesy.
Grace and dignity go hand in hand.
Fight for the earth however you must for there are few of us who will. Fight for the animals, the forests, the greenfolk, the mountains, the waters, the air. Fight for them until death or there will be nothing left to fight for.
*******
As I have said, I have added a great deal more and clarified certain things over the years. This is my most basic list of my personal requirements to fulfill my duties as druid, on my own path.

Love, Honor and Respect,
Niamh

Bittersweet

Some creature or another left me a gift two days ago. I was complaining bitterly about the rabbits that have gotten out of control population-wise - eating everything in the vegetable garden - broccoli, celery, beans, peas - you name it. The other day my husband pointed out a grisly find. But one that I realized was a gift. A rabbit foot. Just a small one. I felt bad for the rabbit, but at the same time, I was deeply moved by this gift in the path out front. I suspect a neighborhood cat. At any rate, I say gift, because the vegetable garden is very important to us. We never had problems with critters before, but thanks to the new neighbors, the rabbits have been flushed out to our place which is rich with all kinds of lovely things to eat. I enjoy the rabbits, but at the same time, their numbers tend to get out of control very quickly. I cannot wait until we can move away from our neighbors! grumble...anyway, I was deeply moved and felt the foot was a message from my gods saying "We know you have your hands full right now and couldn't get to building the fence. Here is a little help." I felt this deeply when I saw the foot. I have since placed it in a spot beneath the fowering quince, where the family altar is. With a thank you and a blessing to the little creature who died. Bittersweet.