A Fellow Pilgrim

I recently stumbled upon a BBC documentary (through another blog) and when I finished watching it, I was awestruck. Not only is it a wonderful story, but it so closely mirrors my own journey as an 'Earth Pilgrim'.



Pure wisdom!

Something More

Last week whilst meandering in the forest I happened upon the partial remains of a deer. I was fascinated by the find, and after looking at some of the bare skeleton, I found the skull. The hollows of its eyes stared back at me as turned it over in my hands. Nothing but bone, but as I placed it atop a broken tree stump and walked away, the feeling that there was "something more" crept into my mind. And so I journeyed out of the woods and back home.

Well, last night I dreamt of the deer skull. I was standing the Nemeton, holding it in my hands. It was the only image from the dream I could recall upon waking and I had no idea what to make of it. But after a while, I decided I should venture down to the forest and see if I could find where I had placed the skull. So off I went. I wasn't exactly sure where I had left, which tree stump in a myriad of tree stumps I had left it on, so I just followed the edge of the woods and let the spirit within guide me. In the damp cold, the land was still, yet electric. The feeling of being watched was very strong and I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eye. A few times I would stop to hear the crunching of footsteps amongst the damp leaves and fallen branches. After 30 minutes of careful trodding, I sensed I was getting close, and sure enough, there in a small clearing, was the tree stump and sitting atop it, the deer skull. As I approached and lifted it with hand, there was a flourish of twig-snapping and sounds of movement amongst the shaded cedars and pines. I quickly turned to see the tell-tale flash of white darting off deeper into the woods. Deer. I had happened upon them, yet as I stood there, I wondered if they had been following or even guiding me from the beginning. I could not and still can't understand why (as that is very uncommon behavior for a deer) but nevertheless, they were there. I stood for a few minutes, listening to them in the distance, then moved on. I was surprised at how very close to the Nemeton I was, and as I entered, I found a spot just outside the ring of stones to place the deer skull. After some contemplation, I headed for home. It might seem strange to place the skeletal remains of an animal in a place of worship, but for me, I see it as a way of honouring that which is sacred to us. Something that is "without Spirit" helps me reflect on all things that are alive, reminding me that all things move in cycles and that there is a connection to turning wheel of life that we all should respect.

Samhain Turning

I just came in from an evening walk. The air was cool, which is fine since the weather we have been having has been unseasonably warm. The ground was crisp with dry leaves and the half moon shone overhead. The coyotes were howling down in the valley and as I walked back towards the house, I happened upon a family of deer grazing in the field. As I strolled along, I mused upon the turning of the year. Samhain came and we celebrated at the dying of the Sun in the forest-shroud Nemeton. Spirits walked amongst us as we chanted, made offerings to Ancestors and journeyed to the Otherworld and back again. We feasted, divined with Goddess amulets and made "blind collage"; our yearly tradition. The flames of the previous year were extinguished and new ones kindled. Samhain came and the Wheel turned.

I now look ahead to what is to come along my path. There are some things I am moving towards and some things I am sure to stumble upon and over, but I trust in the Source of All Things that all will come to pass and I shall flourish and grow.

Autumn and Peredur

Autumn has always carried a strong sense of change and turning for me, more so than any other season. As I sit here, I can see the forest of trees in the valley are well into their turning from green to a myriad of reds and oranges. I can see one tree spirit which has decided to bear two sides of itself at once; red and green. The image of the half and half tree reminds me of the story of Peredur as told in the "Mabinogion"...

"And he saw a tall tree by the side of the river, one half of which was in flames from the root to the top, and the other half was green and in full leaf..."

Autumn Harvest Ritual

I celebrated the Equinox today under a brilliant blue sky, warm sunshine and amongst the gentle spirits of the forest. As I was writing out the framework, I found myself getting quite excited to honour the turn of the wheel with a ritual ritual done completely in my own tradition. After working with a group for so long, it took awhile for me to get back to the solitary practice. But I feel that with the rit today, I've comfortably broken away from the need for "group life" and got back to "me".



It was a good ritual, celebrated in the Nemeton I had built back in the early Spring. A gentle breeze blended with my drumming, the birds echoed my calls to Awen and my heart beated in-time with pulse of the Divine Source all around me. The ritual core was the making and blessing of the Harvest King. I meant to create only a small token-size effigy, but it turned into something much larger. Ah, behold the will of the Gods. The Harvest King will be kept in a place of honour until Samhain, when He shall journey to the Otherworld. The omen received during the oracle portion was the rune Othel; focusing my thoughts to attract the right energies. Interesting and appropriate.


Autumn has always been a time for change with me, and I feel that this ritual had a feeling of welcoming to it. So I look forward to positive change(s) in my life. /|\

New Pathway

To all things, a new beginning.
This is a path I have walked for many Moons, but sometimes one must journey with new and different footsteps. Hence this journal, in which I will post my various spiritual experiences and musings as they relate to my Druidic path. Through luck and Awen, I hope to utilize this space as a way of helping me formulate and solidify my experiences (and various other things) as they come about. I do have another site devoted to my personal spiritual tradition (La Tradition de la Roue Sacrée) but I want to use this space for my more random and fluidic meanderings.

So there we go. Let's see where this pathway leads...