Solstice

It is certainly a blessing to live an aware life.

Most people go about their days without ever taking a single moment to witness the wonders that happen around them. Tiny bits of magic that go unnoticed. In the growing coldness of Winter, I suppose it is quite easy to dismiss the return journey of the Earth towards the Sun and the lengthening of days. It is important to see and understand things that are outside the realm of our perceived daily lives. The world turns with or without us, and whether we honour the changing of the seasons or not, they still change. It is up to us to recognize that truth. And I do. I welcome the the return of the Sun and all the promise it brings with it.

Snowfall on the Mystic

The Yuletide is finally upon us.

Another year has turned and I am now living through my 39th winter, and with the turning of age, I tend to look backward at the life I have lived thus far and forward to what is to come. But I must always look and see the here and now; be mindful of the present. "The middle way" as Buddhists refer to it. And so I shall. I gaze out the small window from our cozy nook and I see the white flakes gently falling in the dark sky. By the hedge there is a quick shadow. Who is it? In this new home and landscape I look for the familiar spirits and I wonder who is there.

Perhaps Sionnach has followed my footprints...

I must turn with the Wheel

A few Moons have passed, and my life has changed in so many different ways.

A time of great transition is upon me. First, there is my child. I am to be a father for the first time and I am so excited, blessed and a myriad of other feelings that I can not form into a coherent sentence. The spirit that the great Source has brought to us will fill our lives with peace, joy and love. I am a lucky man. Second, we have changed our home. With the coming of our beautiful child, the decision was made to be closer to family, so we have left the country and moved to a larger city. I am still adjusting. The un-tethering for all the natural energies has been an extremely difficult process and the readjustment to urban life has been a trial, but I am managing. I just have to look a little harder to see the faces of the Gods. And third (because all things are three), I have a new job. Same company, but a promotion and a raise. Another blessing, I suppose.

So, let there be change. After all, it is the only constant.

Shrine to Taranis

Whenever it storms, and the booming thunder echoes seemingly everywhere, I smile and my heart flutters a bit, for here is a manifestation of the Wheel, of my guide, my patron deity Taranis...

From windy hilltops and rolling glen,
In the lightning flash I have seen the wheel turn.
The sound of change echoes through the mist and rain,
and I can feel your thunder pulsing in my very spirit.
Taranis, it is to you that my path leads,
to ever receive your blessings.
May I always feel your strength in my body,
your presence in my head,your light in my soul.
So may it always be thus.

Passages in Summer

"Everything changes but change itself. Everything flows and nothing remains the same... You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters and yet others go flowing ever on."
~ Heraclitus

The Summer turns. Moving forward from the Solstice, I have seen changes occurring in my life. The most wondrous has come to pass, and subtler revelations have become known. With the latter, one was after I attended a Pagan festival in July. Though it was enjoyable, it occurred to me that there has been no real evolution within the Pagan community over the past, I don't know, decade. Having been "out of the loop" for a number of years, I felt getting back to that area of my roots would be a positive experience, and it was, albeit strictly in a nostalgic sense. I found myself comparing present to past experiences a little too much, but I think that was because I was basically in the same scenarios. For example, partying around a bonfire can only lend expansion to one's self only so much. Anyways, I feel I have gone full circle with the Pagan fest scene (as it is) in Ontario.

I still walk the Wheel everyday, and I celebrated a quaint Lughnasadh ritual in amongst the cedar, pine and birch trees down in the Nemeton. I adorned the stone shrine with large turkey feathers I had found and, as the main part of the ritual, I made a corn dolly from the freshly-cut hay and wild flowers. Offerings were also made, and I was quite pleased that I managed to cut an apple in half perfectly to reveal the star inside. The sacred space was beautiful and, in hindsight, I wished I had had a camera. But the ritual was not for me so the image will have to live in my memory.

Summer Solstice

Blessed is the high summer,
the turning of the wheel and the triumph of the Sun.
Blessed is the light and warmth
bringing joy and life to the land and the Soul
the fire in the sky mirroring the fire in the hearth
and the head.
Blessed is the high summer,
for the Sunshine on our head casts no shadow
for all the gifts from the Source
are sacred.

Behold, my poor neglected blog...

The Wheel has turned and though I have flowed with it, I have failed to record the many ponderings, musing, thoughts and observations for the past while. With the festival of the High Summer nearly upon me, I have felt the urge to dig deep into my spiritual path and bring out (and back) those things that are important to me yet have not engaged in sometime. So, here I sit, typing this and this declaration of sorts has begun to sound more like an oath.
Uh oh.
As a Druid, I should know not to take such things too lightly. :)

Fire and Light

It is truly midwinter now.

The blessed festival of Brighid has past and the fires of new life and inspiration have been lit. Honour was given the Mother and wishes made to the Source, and already there is evidence of the turning of the Wheel. I meandered through the mud and melting snow down to the Nemeton yesterday and took in the change that has come upon the valley and the forest. Animal tracks were numerous and I followed them in and amongst the swaying trees. Rain fell from the cold sky and the wind began to howl around me, but I still managed to smile whilst relishing the smell and feel of the world around me.

savour the time spent in darkness
for there is muted solace
in candle flame and divine wisdom ...

Birdsong

The Wheel has turned.

Wintertide has come, the festivities of Yule have been celebrated, and as the Solstice promised, light is slowly returning. I long for Spring, and though it is still a few months away, I can feel its imminent arrival even now. The Sunshine, ever absent these past weeks, has begun to grace me with its brilliant light and warmth more and more. The air is quite chill, but the light is returning. The spirits of the land have felt the shift as well. This morning I awoke to hear a bird singing in the pine tree outside. A crow flew over the barn, and the footprints of animals are everywhere in the white snow.

The Wheel is turning...