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Autumn Arrival: Customs and Folklore of the Equinox
“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” John Donne We are fast approaching the equinox and the moment of astronomical autumn which takes place on the 23rd of September here in Western Europe. In the meteorological definition, though, autumn began on September 1st. So, for those… Read more
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Watermint: Mint of the Druids
“When Summer strews its cloak of hues, Then the dells, Yield earth nuts, mint and marjoram And fragrant smells.” George Sigerson, Bards of Gaeilge, 1925
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Dreaming with Mugwort
“On this eve, too, was gathered the Bollan-Feaill-Eoin “John’s Feast-day wort ” (mugwort), which was made into wreaths to be worn on the heads of man and beast to protect them from witchcraft.” A.W. Moore, The Folklore of the Isle of Man 1891 Mugwort is an ancient plant ally which has been held sacred in… Read more
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Ravens in My Garden
“On the road to wisdom, behave like a raven and observe everything carefully!” Mehmet Murat Ildan There are two glossy black Ravens in my front garden. I’m fascinated. They are picking tufts of recently mown grass into their beaks, and it surprises me how much they can gather altogether. They must be nesting near. I… Read more
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Entitlement
“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” Criss Jami One of the things that has most brought me into conflict with other people, is their sense of entitlement. I… Read more
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The Power of the Sacred Center in Ritual
“Ogma Sun-Face raised four pillars of equal length” The Book of Ballymote, written in 14th Century CE
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Into the Summerlands: The Afterlife of Fairies
All art by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley “The world is filled with invisible realities.” William Segal One belief of those we call the Celts was that when a person dies in this world they are reborn in the Otherworld. Likewise, when a person dies in the Otherworld they are reborn in this one. There are of… Read more
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Belonging to the Land
All art by Samuel Palmer “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Aldo Leopold Talking about druidry on this blog recently, I suggested the idea that what defines… Read more
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Uisge Beatha, Life Water: The Birch
“O birch, smooth and blessed, thou melodious, proud one, delightful each entwining branch in the top of thy crown.” Author unknown, Buile Suibhne, 1629 The Silver Birch or Betula pendula and Downy Birch or Betula pubescens are also called European white birch, silver birch, moor birch or hairy birch. It’s called beith or beith gheal… Read more
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House Martins Colonize My Eaves
“In September countless sand and house-martins jazz above the river, taking insects from the surface, from the air, thousands of birds kissing the river farewell. They creak, a sound like the air rubbing against itself. Summer is everything they know; they’re preparing themselves, sensing in the shortening days a door they must dash through before… Read more
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The Division of the World
Cover art by Piotr Stachiewicz “There are four directions: North, South, East, and West. We are going in the fifth direction, which is the direction of stories.” Sean Taylor
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A Soft and Sweet Beauty: Marshmallow
“Marshmallow leaves is an old fashioned remedy for coughs, colds and whooping cough. An ounce of the leaves in one and a half pints of boiling water boiled down to one pint, makes a useful fomentation for inflamed wounds, boils or abscesses.” – Tommy Fagan, County Longford, Schools’ Collection, 1930’s
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The Center of the Worlds
Cover art: Unknown artist “Sacred space is not just an external place. It is an internal place as well.” Mat Auryn
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A Druid’s Pilgrimage to Brittany continued: Honouring the Path at the Alignment of Saint-Denec
The Iroise County area of Finistère is alive with giants, literally. They take the form of gargantuan granite menhirs that stand like sentinels guarding the coast. Some stand alone, others form rows, some are engraved while others are ‘dressed’ in that the surfaces have been painstakingly smoothed giving them an almost polished appearance. The alignment… Read more
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Cost and Value in a Druid World
All art by Gustaf Tenggren “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” Albert Einstein I listen to BBC Radio 4 a lot, so news and politics are a daily feature in my life. There are always pieces on the cost. Be that the cost to the economy of antisocial behaviour,… Read more
