Around The Sacred Wheel

Upon the passing of days

2010-12-10T14:19:00.000-05:00

On the eve of my 40th birthday, some gentle words sent to me in the mail...

"One should say before sleeping: I have lived many lives. I have been a slave and a prince. Many a beloved has sat upon my knee and I have sat upon the knees of many a beloved. Everything that has been shall be again."

- W.B. Yeats

On The Path

2010-08-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

I walk sunwise
around standing stone,
well and sacred tree.
I walk sunwise
around mountain, lake
and wood.
I walk sunwise
on the path of the spiral
on the path of vision
on the path of truth.

~ Dennis King

The simple way

2010-08-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

Accept Her.
That is all She requires.

Tokens of homage, sacrifices, vows,
She knows, herself a mistress of disguise,
may merely be evasions, even snares,

but true acceptance
needs no outward signs,
has no expression
other than the way
you trust her equally
in love and rage,

plucking Her bloodied fingerprints
like flowers.

~ Robin Skelton

A calling to Danu

2010-06-09T02:07:00.001-04:00

Danu rolls in the midst of never-ceasing currents flowing without a rest forever onward...

"The Rig-Veda" translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith, 1889

Feeling Like Ulysses

2010-06-04T00:12:00.003-04:00

The wheel turns, my life changes, and, as of late, I've been singing this song...

John Francis Dooley,
wipe the sleep from your eyes
and embrace the light
you have slept now for a thousand years
beneath starless nights
and now it's time for you to renounce the old ways
and to see a new dawn rise

In former days, the masks were raised
when the god came down from off the mountain
and a sacrifice was made
for they knew that the day of wrath was fast approaching
just like yesterday, before the war
John Francis Dooley,
the scapegoat has run
all our sins are disowned

and now it's time for you to take off your mask
and cross the Rubicon
if you and I were one within the eyes of our designs
it would still not change the fact of our leaving
for tonight we must leave with the first gentle breeze
for the Isles of Ken we are assailing

Just like Ulysses
on the open sea
on an odyssey of self-discovery...

One

2010-01-17T19:43:00.001-05:00

One with the buffalo, one with the bear
One with the meadow, one with the mare,
One with the redwood, one with the rock
One with the eagle, one with the hawk.

One with the blue sky, one with the storm
One with the winter, one with the warm
One with the thunder, one with the rain
One with the laughter, one with the pain.

One with the shadow, one with the light
One with the sunrise, one with the night
One with the sorrow, one with the joy
One with the fullness, one with the void.

One with the mystery, one with the doubt
One with the famine, one with the drought,
One with the homeless, one with the king,
One with the angel, one with the wing

One with the harvest, one with the seed
One with the marshland, one with the reed
One with the sugar, one with the cane
One with the loss and one with the pain.

One with the hero, one with the whore,
One with the rich man, one with the poor
One with the marrow, one with the bone
One with the hunger, one with the moan.

One with the sparrow, one with the song,
One with the righteous, one with the wrong,
One with the morning, one with the dew,
One with the mountain, one with the view.

One with the newborn, one with the breast
One with the outcast, one with the guest
One with the palace, one with the cell
One with the bucket, one with the well.

One with the seeker, one with the sought,
One with the teacher, one with the taught
One with the trinket, one with the jewel
One with the master, one with the fool.

One with the lover, one with the loved,
One with the vulture, one with the dove,
One with the diamond, one with the coal,
One with the beggar, one with the bowl.

One with the desert, one with the dust,
One with the iron, one with the rust,
One with the heavens, one with the earth
One with the labor, one with the birth.

One with the bridegroom, one with the bride,
One with the blind man, one with the guide
One with the vision, one with the eye,
One with the knowing, one with the why.

One with the shining, one with the star,
One with the battle, one with the scar,
One with the music, one with the flute,
One with the branches, one with the root.

One with the daughter, one with the son,
One with the convict, one with the nun
One with the mountain, one with the awe
One with the forest, one with the saw.

One with the infant, one with the crone
One with the feather, one with the bone
One with the master, one with the slave
One with the water, one with the wave.

One with the seer, one with the seen
One with the dreamer, one with the dream
One with the garden, one with the bud
One with the chalice, one with the blood.

One with the meaning, one with the word
One with the spider, one with the bird
One with the spirit, one with the soul
One with the part, one with the whole.

One with the dying, one with all life,
One with the wounded, one with the knife
One with the other, one with the ONE
One with all beings under the sun.

© 2001 Jan Phillips

Another Year

2010-01-01T21:37:00.001-05:00

Even if you don't know what you should be doing or what your mission is, you need to practice creating that vision anyway. remind yourself that before long, the all-creating source will bring your vision into the physical life in ways greater than you could have imagined...

Solstice

2009-12-22T19:32:00.008-05:00

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

2009-12-15T20:02:00.003-05:00

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

2009-12-01T20:10:00.005-05:00

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

2009-08-09T13:51:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-08T14:22:00.005-04:00

"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

2009-06-21T22:17:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-06-18T22:21:00.004-04:00

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

2009-02-12T20:09:00.004-05:00

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

2009-01-25T16:35:00.004-05:00

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...

A Fellow Pilgrim

2008-11-18T18:12:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-11T15:24:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-06T19:47:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-06T18:13:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-20T15:08:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

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...