The Spring comes, and my life transforms. It seems to be almost as reliable as the coming of the Cottonwood snow. It happens every year, this pull towards the world; this letting go of Winter's introspection. In the past week, I've experienced a great upheaval and shifting in my professional and personal life. Relationships are changing, and I'm doing my best to remain calm and steady, respectful of the balance between what I can do to move things forward and what the currents are naturally … [Read more...]
April Tumult & the Birth of New Myth
April 28, 2011 By
April was a month of great change and upheaval. Perhaps I've been holding on to Winter, and all that it represents, and the Gods would have no more of it. Or, it could be the result of cosmic forces; a planet gone retrograde, or some other unseen spirit. I cannot say. All I know is that in the past few days I've felt a shift back into a familiar rhythm, and the world I walk through has not come apart completely. Not just yet. My daily meditation and devotion throughout April was consistent, and … [Read more...]
Ghosti!
April 20, 2011 By
I sat in my room, staring blankly at my altar. I hadn't even lit the candle or prepared the incense, and I was already stressed, bewildered, and overwhelmed with the drama of the morning. The episode leading to this emotional state of emergency involved two missing shipping receipts, a lost package in Alaska, and $400 dollars. I was a frantic mess, running around the house, trying desperately to find the pink and gray Post Office notes, certain that I would end up with a very expensive … [Read more...]
Tree Roots and Druid Groups
April 18, 2011 By
My relationship with Druidry is growing deeper, more committed and a little bit complicated. Tree roots come to mind. I began searching out information on modern expressions of Druidism a few years ago, finding The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) first. I immediately connected with the spirit of the organization, and was delighted that they put such a great emphasis on creativity. I'm a writer and musician, and I've always sought out ways to express my spirituality through my creative … [Read more...]
A Beautiful Noise
March 30, 2011 By
I experienced a kind of breakthrough this morning during my devotional. For the first time since I began this path of Our Druidry, I sang my liturgy. It was a magnificent feeling. I think the experience was so fresh, so powerful, because the sung liturgy the part of the Episcopal church service I cherished the most. As I mentioned before, I was an acolyte, and I loved the liturgy. Wholeheartedly. I knew the rises and falls of the melody, and was moved by them. I relished in them. I sang along … [Read more...]
The Doing of the Details: Ostara 2011
March 21, 2011 By
I'm a stickler for details. As a kid, I was an acolyte. I had a wide range of responsibilities each Sunday. I lit the candles on either side of the altar, establishing the sacred space before service began. I stood beside the priest, assisting him in making preparations for the breaking of the bread. I chimed the bell at the appropriate moment in the liturgy, indicating a call to recognize an event of special importance within the narrative. And, I closed out the service by extinguishing the … [Read more...]
A Response to “Omens and Tarot”
February 28, 2011 By
This post is a response to the blog post "Omens and Tarot", posted yesterday on Grey Wren's Flight. I encourage you to read the full post for context, and I've provided a brief excerpt below which summarizes what she wrote. "I’ve been incorporating omens into my devotionals lately, partly because I’ve been wanting to take my spiritual work to the next level, and partly because I have so many beautiful tarot decks that need love. (I’m such a little kid, wanting to play with my toys.) The … [Read more...]
The Kindred Speak Through the Tarot
February 22, 2011 By
I don't normally share the details of my daily meditation outside of one of my weekly recaps. But today, in light of the power and poignancy of the experience I just had, I'm making an exception. I started the devotional with the Two Powers meditation. I was a tree, the greatest tree ever to stand, and I pulled the water from the ground, through my roots, into my being. I felt the sun above me, and I felt the heat pour into me. The two powers mixed in the middle, and my tree-body tingled. I was … [Read more...]
Slow down, Teo. Slow down.
February 19, 2011 By
I've been moving too fast. Ever since Imbolc, and the completion of my deep Winter creative project, I've been rushing forward without a clear sense of direction. Movement for movement's sake, really. Last week, just before I was set to undergo another intense creative project, my body gave out under the pressure. Illness struck hard. My temperature rose to 102 degrees with little warning, and my corners and edges began to ache. Sweat to chill and back to sweat again; this would be my pattern … [Read more...]
Prose or Poetry?
February 8, 2011 By
A question for all my fellow ADF'ers: What if I prepared my Dedicant Path submissions on the High Days as poems instead of the traditional prose/academic model? I could still site references (which could be kinda cool, actually - my poems would have footnotes!), and it would allow me to engage with the assigned writing in a way that is familiar to me. The idea occurred to me after writing my Imbolc post. While personally relevant and totally valid as a journal entry, I'm not sure it served as … [Read more...]
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