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Aontacht   ISSN 2044-1339

Sacred Places

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Zaontachtcreating unity in community

Cover photo: Under the Oak © Faye Boyd

8 Jenne MicaleFeature Interview

15 Sacred Space and Sacred PlaceCharlton Hall, MMFT, LMFT

24 Cape Split, a sacred part of NovaScotia's Ocean PlaygroundDebra Lewis

27 Swallow SpringLlewellyn ap Dafydd

17 Nature as Living Story: Lectio Divina in the Natural WorldAlison Leigh Lilly

23 Sacred Vision

26 Tea Tree Oil

30 Shadowland: Wales 3000 – 1500 BC

3 Contributors Page

5 From The DeskRichard Fox Editor

7 News from the Druidic Dawn Management Team

Nigel DaileyDruidic Dawn Representative

31 Community Calendar

35 What is in our next issue

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Contributorsaontacht

Environmental BenefitsStatement

Aontacht magazine is onlyavailable online as a free .pdfdownload; thereby savingtrees, water, solid waste andgreenhouse gases. It is de-signed on an Energy Star ratedcomputer.

Aontacht is published four timesa year by Druidic Dawn, CIC.Aontacht, Volume 4, Issue 4 ©2012 Druidic Dawn, all rights re-served. All contained content iscopyright to its respective own-ers, including art and photos. Thecontents of this publication maynot be reproduced in whole or inpart without the consent of thecopyright owner.

EditorRichard FoxCo-Editor

VacantProduction ManagerDruidic Dawn Rep.

Nigel DaileyFeature Editor - Wild Earth

Alison Leigh LillyFeature Editor - Formulary

Faye BoydFeature Editor - Poetry

Sarah WardPublisher

Druidic Dawn, CICOriginal Layout Design

Aestas Designsaestas.dieromantic.com

General InquiriesAll questions, comments and et-cetera can be sent to the follow-ing address:

aontacht@druidicdawn.org

AdvertisingAt the moment we are offering adspace. To the community ofDruidic Dawn. This is subject tochange.

Opinions and views expressedare not necessarily those of

the editors, publisher or staff.

Jenne Micale is a writer, singer, priestessand musician whose endeavors include theethereal/wyrd music project Kwannonand, in former times, the wyrd folk bandBelladonna Bouquet. She us a member ofthe Henge of Keltria.

Llewellyn ap Dafydd was born in the par-ish of Llanwonno and brought up in themining valleys of South Wales. He nowlives in self-imposed exile in a Yorkshirefull of the reminders of its days as a part ofthe ancient kingdom of the Celts. He is theauthor of the Wisdom of Rhiannon,(www.wisdomofrhiannon.co.uk) and canbe contacted atwisdomofrhiannon@gmail.com.

Maya St. Clair resides in Kuwait, is an IrishPolytheist, and a mechanical engineer witha love of history, mythology and culture.She is editor of the Oran Mor, the officialnewsletter of the New Order of Druids. Shealso serves on their Council. Maya is anIrish Gaelic student and regularly writes awide variety of articles and book reviewson Celtic and religious topics.

Charlton Hall has been on the Druid pathsince 1979. He is a Family Therapist, jour-nalist and author. Charlton Hall, MMFT,LMFT, aka Sencha the Druid, was initiatedinto the Emerald Coast Grove of Druidryon Samhain 1979 in Pensacola, Florida. Heis the Chief Druid of the Black MountainDruid Order and the Executive Director ofthe Culture Artist organization(www.cultureartist.org)

creating unity in community

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Editorial Notes

You do not have to be amember of the Druidic

Dawn community to submitto the magazine.

Please submit contribu-tions directly to the edito-

rial staff via email to:

aontacht@druidicdawn.org

Refer to the last page ofthis issue for writer’s guide-

lines and more informa-tion, before you submit

inquiries or contributions.

Below is the theme for thenext issue

Faye Boyd has been interested in Nature and allthings Celtic for many a year. She is a memberof OBOD, Druidic Dawn, Ord BrighideachInternational, Celtic Reiki Master, Hot StoneTherapist, Guided Meditations and is a spokenword artist. Fae resides in Canada.

Caroline Queen of Celtica has a great love ofnature and meditation, and lives in Y Drenew-ydd in Cymru, in the beautiful Welsh moun-tains. Presently runs the record label GreatOak, with a mission to create a sustainablegreen Celtica, filled with Great Oaks and HighConsciousness.

Alison Leigh Lilly resides in the lovely, thrice-rivered city of Pittsburgh. She devotes her timeto cultivating a spiritual life founded on peace,poesis, and attentive engagement with theinner and outer landscapes of wildness,wilderness and nature in all its complexity. Sheexplores these themes through essays, poetryand photography, and her work has appearedin a number of publications both in print andonline. More information about Alison and herwork can be found on her website:alisonleighlilly.com

Contributors

Debra Lewis is originally from Nova Scotia,Canada and has lived in the Northwest of Eng-land since 2005. Currently studying the Ovaticpath of Druidry with the Order of Bards, Ovatesand Druids, Deb also works as a medical labo-ratory assistant with the NHS. Debra othergreat joys include writing, online shopping,baking and ceaselessly reading fiction.

Sarah Ward (Heddwen) is a Pagan Priestesswho lives in the mountains of Mid Wales. Shepractices an earth based spirituality and en-joys poetry, writing, mask making, belly danc-ing and walking in the sacred landscape.Sarah is a member of OBOD.

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This issue of Aontacht is focused on sacred sites.But what is a sacred site and what makes it sacred?

In many cases, the site has unique physical featureswhere natural forces are more potent or present.Every natural hot spring is special in this way,though few would class every hot spring as a sacredsite.

In other places, like the vapor caves of the Oracleof Delphi, the unique and very potent characteris-tics that were found there reacted with humans ina profound and mystical way.

In many cases, it is these powerful activities likethose at the Cave of Prophecy that occur at thesespecial physical places that combine to make a spotsacred.

Most of us experience to varying degrees the in-tense power that exists at sacred sites. I believethis power is often built up by powerful forcesbeing played out over an extended time. A nature-based example is the feeling you get when you arestanding in a grove of extremely large and veryold trees, like the Redwoods and other legendaryspecies. Adding in human based activities, anoth-er example is the power that is gathered up in aceremonial area like many of members and friendscreate and use in their spiritual practices. Beyondtoday's use, think about the old Druid oak groves

where spiritual and metaphysical ceremonies andcultural passages were marked for many genera-tions by our ancestors. Think of the stored upmemories and power that must reside there.

That said, some sacred sites may be energized byshorter duration, but high intensity activities thattook place there, like the passing of a powerfulPriest, Priestess or King.

Some people believe that Earth herself (GAIA)purposefully communicates with us at sacredplaces. In other situations it might be a placewhere she is doing her evolutionary magick and isobserved by us.

As to why GAIA might step forward at any partic-ular place, far be it for us to know the will andways of GAIA, the four billion year old intelli-gence and spirit of our planet.

There are surely many ways to define sacred sitesbeyond my brief structural look.In his book Places of Peace & Power for instance,Martin Gray lists 32 categories of sacred placesincluding:

� Ancient ceremonial sites, such as MachuPicchu in Peru,� Ancient astronomical observatories, suchas Stonehenge in England,� Sacred mountains, such as Kailash in the

Himalayas,

News from the AontachtProduction Team

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� Human-built mountains, such as the GreatPyramid in Egypt,� Sacred bodies of water, such as Lake Titi-

caca, on the border of Peru and Bolivia,� Oracle sites, such as Delphi in Greece,� Labyrinth sites, such as Glastonbury Tor

in England, and� Sacred islands, such as Iona in Scotland.

I believe that many of these and many other sacredsites still retain a direct link to those past activitiesand the people who lived then and that much oftheir accumulated power lies dormant, yet capableof being accessed, explored and revitalized.

Who can say what memories are waiting outthere? What memories might be tapped of pastDruid, Pagan and other earth based spiritual pathsand practices?

And many of the sacred sites are direct links toGAIA - a place to reconnect with our planetarymother, who has shaped our evolution for a verylong time.

So I present this simple but powerfulCall to Action:

To every druid who loves the earth. To all myfellow pagans and every person who walks aearth based spiritual path - I ask each and everyone of you - hear the Call of Awakening andmake a commitment to visit some of our impor-tant sacred sites this year.

Make a commitment to also visit some of thelesser known sites that have been abandoned andseek out ways to reach, restore and activate them.

Here is a simple example, though just one of athousand possible paths you might choose to take.

Go to Bardsey Island off of Wales. Bardsey is apowerful Isle some have called Afallwch (Avalon)and now goes locally as Ynys Enlii. It is the Islandof 20,000 Saints and where Merlin reputedly cameto die.

Go visit this sacred site, where Bards were trainedand Druidry in Wales last bloomed. Visit in rever-ence where the Romans destroyed the sacred oakgroves after slaughtering all who lived on thislegendary Isle of Power.

The island has been almost barren of trees eversince the razing of the groves by the Romans. Butnow, due to the strong leadership overlooking theisland these days, a reforestation project has beensuccessful and as part of those trials, the first newoaks have been restored to Bardsey Island. Let usjoin in visiting and welcoming these new trees andespecially the new oaks who are descendents ofthe Sacred Oak Groves of Bardsey Island.

These new and relatively frail oaks are a livingbridge to the great oak groves that once grewthere. Let us work to keep them healthy andstrong and awaken the memories of power and thepresence of our past great teachers and caretakers.As these new trees grow, who can say what oldmemories will be awakened and brought onceagain into the world of men?

The Druidic Dawn is looking into how more oaksmight be established there on Bardsey Island andpossibly at other sacred sites. So come...join ourefforts at the Druidic Dawn...or if that is not foryou, forge a sacred site campaign of your own. Letthis be a Year of Awakening - within our hearts andwithin our sacred sites.

Surely it is time to protect our sacred sites, but alsoto visit them, experience them, and activate themwith our hearts, our minds and our unwaveringdedication to serving the needs of this planet.

Awaken your own spirit as you create a new way tohonor the old ways!

Blessed Be...

EditorAontacht Magazine

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Welcome to the Spring/Autumn Equinox editionof Aontacht. Some things have been happening atDruidic Dawn, and we like to keep our readersupdated on what's going on.

Druidic Dawn working in the Community andon the website.

Fresh exciting media content has been added tothe resources; Grove Radio is broadcast from theUnited Kingdom. It’s brought to the internet viamembers of the Iw Hearg (The Yew Grove).  Themusic is Pagan and they offer additional inter-views with both Musical artist folk and interestingDruids and Pagans.

In addition, Practical Druidry introduced byChuck, aka Sencha the Druid from the BlackMountain Druid Order on the East Coast of USA,has its own space within Talking Stick. Chuckbrings a host of topical subjects concerning Druid-ry from practicing Druids which are relevant toDruidry today. They are broadcasted on PaganRadio Network at 3 p.m. EST in the USA.

Druidic Dawn behind the Scenes

The Management Team which facilitates DruidicDawn on behalf of its community membership hasrecently been joined by Jonathan Cleaver (UK),Richard Fox (USA), Faye Boyd (Canada), and AlanSutcliffe (Brazil). All are active contributing mem-bers of this community. Druidic Dawn continueson its restructuring.

At the end of February one of the team memberswere interviewed on an Italian radio station KeltioRadio, where both Druidic Dawn and matters re-lating to Druidry were discussed. It’s hoped in thenear future Keltioradio will become an additionalresource to the expanding knowledge base on Dru-idic Dawn relating to Druidry.

The Aontacht Magazine Production Team has re-cently been joined by Nemetona.

Welcome Nemetona!

Aontacht DD Representative

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Druidic DawnFeature Interview

A Conversation with Jenne Micale,

Renard and the Druidic Dawn Community.

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Jenne is a writer, singer, priestess and musician whose endeavors include the ethereal/wyrd musicproject Kwannon and, in former times, the wyrd folk band Belladonna Bouquet. A member of theHenge of Keltria, she also has had work published in "Talking About the Elephant: An Anthologyof Neopagan Perspectives on Cultural Appropriation," "To Fly By Night: The Craft of the Hedge-witch" and "Brighid and Me: Experiences with the Goddess," as well as the forthcoming poetryanthology "Mandragora."

: Thank you for taking the time to do thisinterview with the Druidic Dawn and responding toquestions from our global community.

: You are an extremely talented poet and musician.What were your early experiences that drew you downthis creative path?

: My parents tell a story of when I was 3 or so, andwe were all hiking in the mountains. Or rather, theywere hiking and carrying me. Apparently, I made upsongs and sang the entire time as my father carried meup the mountain and fellow hikers remarked on it. Idon’t remember that incident – I was too young – butsinging and writing have always been part of my life.There’s a sense that my being is intertwined with theact of creation, and that creative act is linked withsound, whether of spoken/written words or my finger-tips on a string.

: In 1997, you had a vision while walking a labyrinththat inspired you to take up voice lessons again after atime away from music. Can you tell us about that andwhat inspires you to keep exploring sound, cere-mony and music?

: I was at the Reclaiming Witchcamp in West Vir-ginia at the time. I was in my early 20s and felt that Ihad lost myself, my creative expression, my way; poetrydidn’t sing to me anymore. I felt as if I was alwayswriting the same maudlin poem.

While I played the dulcimer at that point, I hadn’t sungsince entering high school. I walked the labyrinth seek-ing an answer to the emptiness within. In the center, Ihad a vision of the universe swirling in my mouth. Itmay sound hubristic, but it’s reminiscent of a tale told

of the infant Krishna when his mother went to cleardirt from his mouth; she pries his baby lips open andsees the entire universe in there.

I didn’t know what to make of it at the time, only thatthis is my answer and the meaning would show itself.Three months later, I felt an irresistible urge; I toget professional voice lessons, and I had to arrange it

I dove for the phone in my gradschool dorm and immediately started calling around,finding a teacher that day in Morristown. I’ve beensinging – and taking classical voice lessons – ever since.

The vision, as it turns out, was one of my most pro-found. It set me on my ultimate spiritual path: that ofBard. Every time I’ve doubted this path, Brighid sendsme a sign to draw me back. The path, however, isn’tabout personal aggrandizement or success in the tradi-tional sense; I sing, write songs and poetry, and playinstruments as a way to please the Gods, the naturespirits and the ancestors. It’s a spiritual gift given forspiritual purposes.

“What has been given to you can be taken away,”Brighid told me when I groused about my lack oftraditional musical success. I take that message to heart.This gift isn’t for me; it’s karma yoga, and the fruit ofmy creative endeavors belongs to the Gods.

: Somewhere along your life, you started to becomecloser to Nature and took on a path that includesDruidry. Can you tell us a bit about your relationshipwith Nature and what Druidry is to ?

: I may have grown up in the wilds of industrial NewJersey, but my parents were always connected withnature. They took me hiking, fishing and camping as a

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child, and as a family we still go bird-watching. Myfamily always kept an extensive garden, and I keep oneat my own home to this day.

And it’s not only the palatable parts of nature I’mfamiliar with: I grew up watching fish gutted on thekitchen table and deer in the garage. I’ve always knownwhere my food originates, and am grateful for theplants and animals that give me life through their death.

I dedicated myself to the Old Gods – Greek, at first,because that’s most people’s first pantheon – when Iwas 7 years old. I self-dedicated as a Witch at age 12,practiced Dianic craft through my teen years and wan-dered into Reclaiming. I never felt satisfied with Wiccaor the more magical paths, however; I’m a hardcorepolytheist and profoundly religious at heart. I stumbledinto an ADF grove when I returned to central NewJersey and found my spiritual home: Druidry.

Granted, I ended up leaving ADF some years ago whenI moved out of the area and left the grove due todistance. I wanted a more Celtic path than ADF offers,and the Henge of Keltria was and remains an excellentchoice.

So, how do I link the two – my Druidic path andnature? Nature spirits and spirits of place are thesecond of the three Kindreds and I do my best to honorthem by living lightly on the land, by offering blessingsand awareness wherever I walk, run or drive. My Godsare integral parts of the multi-verse, and I seek alwaysto honor and acknowledge the beauty and wondertherein.

: Are there some influential people who have assist-ed you along your spiritual path?

: Many. As to my current path, my first senior Druid– Norma of Grove of the Other Gods and her partner,Ed, a priest of Brighid. Tony Taylor, my mentor in theHenge. My friend Dave Miley, also a priest of Brighid.On a more literary level: Alexander Carmichael, com-piler of the ; authors Aedh Rua,Erynn Rowan Laurie, Emma Restall Orr and AlexeiKondratiev. In my younger years, Starhawk as well asDianic authors and practitioners. I know Dianics get abad rap in some circles – and I totally understand that,hearing some of the flap over the segregated ritual atPantheacon -- but it’s a damn good path for a teenagegirl.

: What do you think is the most importantcontribution(s) modern Druidry could make to ourworld today? How can we achieve this?

: An attitude of gratitude, of honoring the largercosmos and all the beings therein. That’s what I loveabout Druidry; it’s not about working your will withmagic, although you have the ability to do that if youwish. It’s about forging genuine relationships with theKindreds (Gods, nature spirits, ancestors); the threerealms of Land, Sea and Sky; the natural world and itscycles. You’re not coming with asking hands, but withofferings of love and friendship. My gripe with moremagic-oriented paths is that you’re always workingyour will or asking a boon of the Gods, but not forgingany sort of real relationship with them or asking whatthe larger will of the cosmos is and adapting youractions to suit it.

: I have listened to your music and you include anamazing range of instruments including kantele, moun-tain dulcimer and harp to name but a few. Can you tellus about you bring in so many instruments andwhat unique contributions they make?

: Easy – I never learned to play guitar! My brother isthe guitar player, so I deliberately never learned to playit. The guitar is the default instrument for many musi-cians.

My first instrument – not counting my disastrous pi-ano lessons as a kid – was the mountain dulcimer. Myfather played it first and lost interest, but I loved it:the modes, the drone. It’s like a string bagpipe; that’show dad always described it.

My dad, who always loved woodworking, saw myinterest and became a luthier, an instrument-maker, asa hobby. He made two of my three mountain dulci-mers, my hammered dulcimer and both of my kan-teles, as well as a psaltery, a marimbula (it’s a giantthumb piano you sit on) and sundry other instru-ments. The psaltery and hammered dulcimer were hisideas, but I requested the kantele after listening to itin Finnish music.

My instruments are fairly simple; even my harps have22 and 19 strings, respectively, and not a ton of reso-nance. But I have a love of folk instruments. Soundsthat “professionals” may consider tinny, I consider fas-cinating. I love the modal way of playing, and havespecific modes I play on my 22-string harp when I do

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solo Druidic rites; each mode has its own feeling, itsown power associated with it.

: Can you address and tellus your perspective on this?

: Ah, yes. I wrote an essay on the cultural appro-priation of Hinduism by modern Druids for an an-thology called . It’s a sorepoint with me, and one I can talk about endlessly.

If you’re borrowing texts, rites or concepts from aliving culture, you better damn well respect that cul-ture. That doesn’t mean you have to adopt that cul-ture wholesale or avoid it entirely, but you need toacknowledge its larger context and not feel as ifare the true and only inheritor, and not those towhom the tradition has actually been passed down.

When I was in ADF, I took umbrage with folks whowere “reconstructing” Vedic religion and calling Hin-dus inauthentic and even charlatans. Like it or not,the Vedas are a part of the Indians’ spiritual tradition;we pale-skinned folks on the other side of the ponddon’t automatically know better than they do. It’s apersonal issue with me because I grew up in LittleIndia – that’s what my town was popularly called –and have gone to Hindu rites and even participated inpuja. I’ve also read the texts, including translations ofthe Vedas and the Upanishads, while minoring in reli-gion as an undergrad and studying comparative my-thology as a graduate student. This doesn’t make me aHindu – much less a pandit, mind you – but I’ve gen-uinely tried to learn about and understand the variousfaiths and practices that comprise Hinduism.

I admit it’s probably more of an issue with NativeAmerican practices, for most Pagans anyway; I see theHindu side of it mainly because of where I’m from.As an American, I’m going to end up appropriatingsomething or other, since we’re a mixing pot cultureand, like many of my countrymen, I don’t have a“root” ancestral culture of my own. The key is respect.

I wonder sometimes if I’m appropriating the myths,Gods and reconstructed religion of the Irish, since I’mnot of Irish background myself. But then again, I don’tclaim to be. I’m a mutt and I think there can be spirit-ual virtue in being a mutt!

: Can you also tell us about the experience of usingyour voice as such a key part of your music experi-ence?

: I’m primarily a singer; my instruments are essen-tially background to my voice, although we do theoccasional instrumental piece. (I’d like to point outthat Kwannon, these days, is a “we” that involves myhusband.) My vocals draw on my experience as a clas-sically trained singer and can be a bit operatic andhigh-pitched, since I’m a lyric soprano. I admit that it’sa bit of an acquired taste; in Western culture, we tendto appreciate low-voiced singers who are more bluesyor folksy. I can’t sound like that; it’s not in the vocalcords.

My voice is the prime mover of some of my religiousexperiences as well. In my own rites, I sing liturgywhen I speak it, spontaneously create songs as offer-ings and move energy (or “make magic,” if you prefer)with singing. Singing can put me in a trance state andinspire visions, especially if I’m participating in a largergroup such as a drum circle.

: I know as we write, our creations take on a sortof life and personality of their own. Is there one ofyour own poems or songs that particularly stands outor is particularly meaningful to ?

: Ah, so many! There are all born of experience, of amoment in time. It’s hard to pick just one. My lastalbum, “The Twisted Book,” is a series of poems I wroteone winter; they’re based on the myth of Deirdre (orDerdriu) of the Sorrows, but they also tell a story ofwhat I was feeling at the time I wrote them. There’s apoem called “And the morning” that I recite during onesong; the song itself is an invocation to Boann, the RiverGoddess. The poem itself came from a simple experi-ence: It was morning and I was working on my roof, andsaw the light glinting off the Susquehanna River in thedistance. It’s a poem I associate with the New Year,since that was around the time I wrote it. But that’s onlyone such example.

“Love, a leaf” isn’t one of my favorite songs on thealbum, but I love the poem. It encapsulates the experi-ence of loneliness, but refusing to give up hope andseeing the larger meaning of the journey. Who hasn’tfelt that way at some point or another? But I like all ofthe poems on the album. Whatever you think of themusic, the poems are the true achievement in “The

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Twisted Book.” Which sounds like a boast but hey, theancient Celts liked to boast, so why not?

Other favorites are the Yeats pieces on the album“Oisin,” particularly “He Mourns for the Change….” Ilove Yeats and what his words evoke; I tried to cap-ture the sense of transformation, mystery and desper-ation in that piece. “Hearth and Heart,” the song toBrighid, is one I often play in my own rites to her. Onthe album “Anahata,” I like the feeling of “Mariana,” aTennyson poem with beautiful yet miserable imagery;I think the bleakness comes through. On my firstalbum, “Clear Star,” I’ve always been fond of “I Have aYoung Sister,” a 15th century riddle-poem.

As for my non-musical work, I have a poem called “APrayer to Brighid in Time of Violence” that sings tome. I don’t want to say I’m “proud” of it because of thesubject matter. It’s about fostering compassion forboth the victims and perpetrators of violence. I’m notsure whether it constitutes a literary achievement, butfor me, it’s a spiritual one, that realization. Compas-sion, alas, seems out of vogue these days.

By the way, you can read all the lyrics to my albumsat www.kwannon.net.

: You bring a lot of different influences into yourmusic from medieval and ethereal music to chant,opera, Pagan, Romantic and Victorian poets, as well asthe Carmina Gadelica. Can you tell us about thatprocess of bringing these diverse components togetherinto your music?

: It’s a reflection of who I am, and what I read andlisten to. I’ve never been a rock’n’roll sort of gal and wedon’t have television service at our house, so I’mpretty out of the loop with what’s popular. From thelittle I’ve heard of popular music and other media(television in particular), this is probably a good thing.

I read a lot and keep a number of poetry anthologiesabout. Sometimes, I just flip through them and partic-ular poems stand out, begging to be put to music. Thispast year, I’ve been in a William Blake mood and putsome of his work to music. I also have another Tenny-son poem I’ve written music for, although I haven’trecorded it yet. What I like about older poetry is therecognition of both the musicality and evocative pow-er of words.

We’re all products of our influences, and I’ve beenreading mythology since I first learned to put sentenc-es together. I have a doctorate in English and wasexposed to a wide array of literature during my educa-tion. I think it’s natural that I draw on that backgroundfor my music.

Could you expand on the White Cat Grove?

: There’s the physical and the metaphysical ver-sions. The physical is a study group in the Henge ofKeltria that started meeting a few years ago. Thephysical group is on hiatus, however, because mem-bership has dwindled and I need the time for my owncreative and spiritual projects; running a group tendsto eat your life. Druidry just doesn’t have the populardraw that, say, eclectic Wicca does since it takes study,isn’t particularly spellwork-oriented and is limited asto pantheon. I’m also a dedicated introvert, and I thinkextroverts have an easier time keeping groups going!

The non-physical version is my blog of musings atwhitecatgrove.wordpress.com. I post my thoughts onDruidic topics there, as well as poetry. It’s updatedintermittently, usually weekly or biweekly.

: You write that White Cat is a small Druid grovein the… , and I’m wondering ifthere is a specific part of the Earth that you feel par-ticularly attached to?

: I’m a northerner, specifically a northeasterner.I’m drawn to places with trees and lot of hills, andhave been that way since I was a kid … which is alittle strange when I realize that I grew up on thecoastal plain, a half-hour from the Atlantic Ocean,and don’t particularly enjoy winter sports. When Ifirst contemplated leaving New Jersey, I had a seriesof dreams that told me to move north, to a place thatrained a lot with a lot of hills or mountains. So here Iam!

Weirdly enough, I also enjoy reading about far-northcultures, such as the Inuit, the Siberian reindeertribes, the Mongols. I’ll never see these places, butI’ve always been fascinated with the so-called blankspots on the map. They have a history just as longand storied as the rest of the human world, but it’s solittle known.

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: Could you tell us more about your connectionwith the Henge of Keltria? Perhaps include a bit aboutits history and purpose?

: The Henge of Keltria is a Druidic tradition thatreveres the Gods of the ancient Irish, the nature spiritsand the ancestors. It broke off from ADF to focus on amore Celtic path. Unlike ADF, it has an initiatory path,although you can also practice most Keltrian rites with-out being an initiate. You can find out more about theHenge at www.keltria.org. They have e-mail lists, too,that you can join to meet folks.

I’m a recent initiate in the Henge, completed its studyprogram and frequently contribute to its newsletter. It’smy spiritual path, and I honor the Keltrian year-wheel,which includes the eight holidays common to manyPagan paths as well as two floating feasts, the Feast ofAge and Feast of Remembrance. We also have Mistle-toe Rites, healing rituals held on the sixth night of themoon. There is also another rite, the Vervain Rite, re-served for initiates.

: Regarding the craft of the Hedgewitch, what hasbeen your most successful working or spell?

: That’s a tough one. I do spells, but very occasion-ally; I view such workings as essentially a last resort. Iprefer, instead, to divine the larger pattern and accom-modate myself to it rather than impose my will on theworld. When I have done spellcraft, it’s usually in re-sponse to tough situations – protection is a big one, aswell as hex-breaking, turning paths or creating harmo-ny -- so forgive me for not offering too many specificsin that regard.

Overall, the kind of spellcraft I do involves ogham. Icall the appropriate Gods for aid, sing and chant thespell, intone the name of the ogham as I draw it in theair and, at the height, draw the ogham on a stick as atalisman. You’ll find ogham sticks on my main altar,downstairs with our basement cat Schnoogie (whoneeded some magical intervention), even in my purse.I’ve made them for friends in a tough spot, too.

: Your poems on the Ogam are a treasure. In thearticle you posted in December about Druids and can-on you write: “Heck, there’s Biblical interpretations ofogham as well”. That’s fascinating and I’m wondering ifyou can tell us what they are?

: We tend to think of ogham as being a “tree alpha-bet,” but that’s not really the case. There are medieval-

era lists that involve trees, but also ones that involvebirds, castles, even Christian saints. You can think ofthe lists in the same way as “A is for apple, B is for ball,C is for cat.” They’re associations that help you remem-ber the system. I’m reading Ronald Hutton’s “Blood andMistletoe” now and he points out that many of theogham-carved stones seem to date from the Christianera. We can’t say definitively whether the ogham waspre-Christian or Christian. I’d opt for the former, butthat’s conjecture. There’s no definitive proof.

Erynn Rowan Laurie goes into this in her book, which iswithout question the best book on ogham I’ve read. Likerunes, ogham feda have names – and those names

And that something isn’t necessarily a tree. means “birch,” it’s true, but usually glossed

as holly, actually means “ingot.” the fid mostoften associated with hawthorn, actually means “terror.”

often associated with heather, means “soil.” The fedahave true names and traditional poetry associated withthem; this is what gives a glimpse into their meaning,not Robert Graves’ made-up tree calendar or similarassociations.

I understand you have been pagan since youryouth. Along your path, you became a priestessof Brighid. What do you see to be the role of a Priestessin regards to yourself and other pagans, but alsomore generally in today's society?

: I seek to do the will of the Gods I honor, and to livemy life in accordance with the sacred and the virtues Ihold dear. Being a priest or priestess is ultimately aboutservice – service to the sacred, to the larger cosmos, butalso to the human community. It’s not about gaining orusing power for one’s own ends; that would be the roleof the magician.

A Druid traditionally has three roles: as bard or poet, asseer and the “legal” role as sacrificer, law-giver andliturgist. Obviously, we don’t give advice to kings thesedays. But I do use my seership skills to guide people --I’m a tarot reader in the community – and my arts tospeak truth and beauty. I make offerings to the Godsand spirits frequently. I try to weave my life into thesacred round.

To be a priest or priestess is, above all, to be a faithfulservant to the sacred.

: Do you still sing opera with the What is it about opera that draws you to it?

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I’m afraid not; it disbanded about two years agowhen the director retired. I love opera for the technicalskill, the achievement of it. Opera singers use theirvoices in glorious ways, doing incredibly difficult thingswith ease of effort. It’s that ease of effort that keepsthem from hurting themselves, and is probably thetoughest thing to learn.

: What are future plans, both personally andprofessionally? Anything new evolving for

?

: Well, at the moment, I’m continuing to workintermittently on new music. My albums usually havea theme or feel and this time, it’s a bit more fierce,more Morrigan-like. It draws on William Blake. As anaside, I’ve switched to digital recording as opposed tomy analog tape machine in the past year or two and I’mstill honing my skills with that.

White Cat continues to evolve, and I don’t knowwhere it will end up. Right now, it’s probably going toremain in the metaphysical realm, with musing onDruidic topics and poetry. Whether it returns to itsphysical form as a grove-with-people depends on anumber of factors, mainly interest, and whether anyoneelse is willing to step up and shoulder part of the load.I’m still dedicated to my spiritual work, and have beenworking on a new Full Moon ritual for Manannan, mypatron along with Brighid, to add into the ritual round.

I’m continuing my writing, and will have poetry pub-lished in the anthology . I plan on becomingmore active with the Keltrian newsletter as well, andwriting more in-depth articles on the Gods and spirit-ual practice.

: Of all the books you have read, can you recom-mend to our readers?

: Alexander Carmichael’s , ErynnRowan Laurie’s AedhRua’s Alexei Kondratiev’s

, and, to balance it all out, Ronald Hutton’s I’ll probably replace that last with

but I just started it.

: Do you have a website, blog etc for those whowant to know more about you and the work of WhiteCat Grove?

: Sure do. For Kwannon, www.kwannon.net; Kwan-non also has a Facebook page. For White Cat,whitecatgrove.wordpress.com.

: Do you have any closing comments that youwould like to leave with our readers?

: Hi Bob! That’s my husband. Behind every weirdwoman is a weird guy. Or is that supposed to be“great”? Either way, it works!

I have recently listed my 176 acre property with www.sellwithoutagents.com.au/yamba11/ and would like toshare this with people of like-mind. Forest and wildlife are protected by council bi-laws, built from local timber,is powered by gas and generator but not connected to the grid. Adequate water. Working circle/grove. The landis ready for its next guardian.

Next Interview - Caer AustralisSydney, Australia

Volume 4, Issue 4

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The original meaning of the word ‘sacred’ is ‘to beset apart.’ Therefore, sacred spaces and sacredplaces are places that are set apart for contempla-tion of the divine. While Druids hold that all placesare sacred, we also consider that special placeshave a power to facilitate meditative states andcontact with the divine realm.

An example of such a place would be the SacredCircle. Traditionally, many Druids don’t wearwatches or other timekeeping devices inside theSacred Circle. This is because the Sacred Circle is aplace where time has no meaning. Many Druidsbelieve that time and space are not separate things.The stone circles in Europe were aligned to markthe passage of time. In these places, time wasmeasured in sacred places. The perception of timeis therefore linked to space. Because sacred placesexist ‘outside of time,’ the magic of the ancientsacred sites has never been lost, and cannot be lost.Visitors to sites like Stonehenge, Avebury Circle,and Glastonbury Tor still speak of the power ofthese places, so obviously the magic is still there!

From a psychological perspective, setting aside asacred space allows you to enter that space, stepoutside of time, and do your own work of contem-plating the divine within. If you have a specialplace set aside for this activity, and only for thisactivity, then entering it puts you in a special stateof mind. Psychologists call this ‘situation-specificlearning.’ In other words, if your sacred spacebecomes associated in your mind with relaxation,meditation and contemplation, then after a whilesimply entering your sacred space will put youinto a meditative state.

If you don’t have access to an outdoor place tocreate your own sacred space, you can create oneindoors. Set up a small altar table somewhere in acorner of your home. Cover it with things thathelp you to achieve a meditative state. You mayuse candles, incense, house plants, or pictures ofnature scenes or loved ones. You can use anythingthat might help you to connect with the divinewithin you.

This might be a good time to talk about the con-cept of ‘prayer,’ and what it means to a Druid.Prayer in the way it is usually understood has nomeaning for a Druid. What others might callprayer, a Druid would consider communion withthe divine. There is no need to make petitions orrequests, as an omnipotent deity would alreadyknow what you need. For Druids, there is no needfor prayer in the traditional sense, because wealready know what we need as well. To a Druid,

Sacred Space andSacred Space andSacred PlaceSacred Place

Charlton Hall, MMFT, LMFT

Avebury - Photo Druidic Dawn CIC

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prayer is more of a meditative state that allows usto seek the Awen; that harmony of Wise Mind thatcomes when Emotional Mind and Rational Mindare in perfect balance.

There are places unique to each individual thatwould help to achieve the meditative state neces-sary to find the Awen. These places are sacredspaces and sacred places.

If you are fortunate enough to own a parcel of landin a rural or semi-rural setting, you can mark out asacred space for your own rituals. Stone circlesmark sacred places all over Celtic Europe, andmany modern Druids have continued this practiceby erecting stone circles for their ritual space. Youdon’t have to build another Stonehenge. A circle ofsmall stones, big enough to accommodate themembers of your group, should be sufficient.

If you are in solitary practice, you may still createyour own space. If you have access to an appropri-ate outdoor space, you may make it your own byadding your own personal touches. Perhaps analtar, or a small pile of stones, or a statue will helpto make your sacred space special to you.

My Grove has created a tradition that has helpedto define a sacred space. There is an oak tree nearour ritual circle. Every year at Beltane, each mem-ber of the Grove brings a bell or a wind chime tohang from the tree. Before the Beltane Rite, weeach hang these bells from the tree in a brief cere-

mony. As the wind blows through the tree duringthe Beltane Rite, we remember all the friends andfamily who’ve hung bells on the tree.

You may choose your own variation of the Hang-ing of the Bells, or you may come up with someother ceremony that helps to make your sacredspace special to you and the other members ofyour Grove. The ultimate goal is to create a spacethat has special meaning to you and to anyonewhom you invite to use it. Create an atmosphereof peace and tranquillity that makes it possible forone entering the space to relax and seek peace andinspiration. As the energy and love of your tribe ispoured out into your sacred space, you will createyour own timeless place for meditation and con-templation.

Charlton Hall, MMFT, LMFT

Temple Bells: Photo Ravindraboopathi

Sacred Place and SpacePhoto Druidic Dawn CIC

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Many of us cultivate a spiritual life grounded inthe Celtic tradition of our ancestors as well as areverence for the natural world revealed to us bymodern science and our own direct encounterswith nature. As pioneers striking out to revive orreconstruct a spiritual heritage that has been bro-ken and sometimes lost completely over the inter-vening centuries, we are hungry for regularpractices that can help us connect more deeply tothese wellsprings of authentic religious experi-ence. Pagans and polytheists today draw on manydifferent traditions and cultures from all over theworld in search of helpful techniques and ap-proaches to the spiritual life. One of the mostpopular forms of religious practice is the use ofmeditation to still the mind, seeking enlighten-ment or sacred union from a place of stillness andsilence.

It is often assumed that the West has no equivalentto the Eastern religious practice of meditation.People living in modern Western cultures todayincreasingly look to the variety of spiritual practic-es of stillness and contemplation to be found inreligions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism:from zazen or "sitting" meditation, to yoga and TaiChi. Community colleges offer classes in transcen-dental meditation, and local churches host group

meditation sessions along with their usual Biblestudies. Western medicine has even recognizedthe physical and psychological health benefits ofregular meditation. Eastern meditative practicesare no longer just for New Agers, Pagans andoccultists — these days, everyone's doing it.

What many enthusiastic practitioners might notknow is that Western culture has its own heritageof contemplative meditation to be explored. Onesuch practice is Lectio Divina, or "divine reading,"an approach to spiritual study and prayer devel-oped in the late twelfth century within monasticcommunities throughout Europe, and still prac-ticed to this day by Catholics all over the world.Lectio Divina involves four stages of spiritualpractice: reading, meditation, prayer and contem-plation. Within the Christian tradition, it is mostoften used as a way of studying the Bible as theLiving Word of God, a key to intimate relationshipwith the Divine, rather than as a text to be ana-lyzed from an historical or theological perspective.

The practice of Lectio Divina is not limited to theChristian Bible, however. Those of us who see thenatural world itself as a place full of sacred beingsand divine presence can adapt the techniques of"divine reading" to engage more authentically

The Wild EarthStories of our World

Nature as Living Story:Lectio Divina in the Natural World

Alison Leigh Lilly

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with Mother Earth. Moving gently and reverentlythrough the four stages of Lectio Divina not onlyconnects us with the uniquely Western traditionswe've inherited from our ancestors, but it alsohelps us to open up and listen more deeply to theon-going story of wild holy earth.

But before we look at how we can adapt the prac-tice of Lectio Divina as part of our earth-centered,Celtic spirituality, let's take a closer look at the fourstages as they're usually practiced within theChristian tradition.

The Four Stages of Lectio Divina

Originally, the practice of "divine reading" simplymeant studying the holy scriptures with attentionand reverence, making the sacred texts of theChristian tradition a foundation for both solitaryand community prayer on a regular basis. By thelate twelfth century, however, the term had takenon a more specific meaning as a form of methodi-cal prayer used in monasteries, and by the six-teenth century the practice of Lectio Divina hadbeen formalized into the four-stage approach stillin use today. Each of the four stages has a uniquerole in preparing the practitioner to enter into thestillness and receptivity of contemplation.

• Lectio (Read) — The first stage of the practice ispretty simple and straightforward: reading theselected passage from scripture. Rather than read-ing scripture in order to gain an analytical or intel-lectual understanding of the text, however, apractitioner of Lectio Divina approaches the pas-sage as a kind of mantra, to be read slowly severaltimes, calming her mind and body so as to enterinto a state of attention and receptivity. Unlike amantra, however, the same passage or verse is notused every time, and so the experience of LectioDivina is always changing, shaped by the nuancesof the passage being read.

• Meditatio (Meditate) — The second stage is tomeditate on or ponder the passage that's beenread. The term "meditation" here is not used inexactly the same way as it is when referring to, for

instance, the Zen Buddhist approach to medita-tion. Instead of striving to quiet the mind com-pletely, the meditative stage of Lectio Divina is agentle exploration of the passage's meaning andliving relevance. Meditating on the sacred textallows the practitioner to seek out the personalrelevance that the passage has for her, and how itsmessage speaks to her in the moment, here andnow.

• Oratio (Pray) — The first two stages of LectioDivina — in which the practitioner first reads andthen reflects on the passage — leads naturally tothe third stage: response. In Christian tradition,prayer is seen as a conversation or dialogue withGod. By reading and reflecting with receptivity,the practitioner opens herself to the promptings ofspirit. In the third stage, she responds spontane-ously and naturally to those promptings, guidedby her own deepest longing for connection andauthentic relationship with the Divine.

• Contemplatio (Contemplate) — In the fourthand final stage of Lectio Divina, the practitioner atlast enters a state of quiet stillness or "silent love,"in which prayer gives way to restful, silent con-templation of the Divine presence. This stage ismost similar to the meditative states reached inmany Eastern practices, in which the mind isstilled and the practitioner's sense of self-identitybecomes porous, transcended by an experience ofmystical or ecstatic union. The first three stageshelp to prepare the practitioner to enter this con-templative state, but they also serve to ground herin the community (through reading and reflectingon a shared sacred text) and in herself (through theact of articulating her response through prayer).For this reason, the final stage of contemplation inLectio Divina is not mere "navel-gazing" or escap-ism, but a culmination and fruition of the spiritualwork done during the first three stages.

Practicing Lectio Divina in Nature

The four stages of Lectio Divina are simple enoughthat they can be readily adapted to many spiritualpaths both within and outside the traditional

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Christian community as a way of engaging withsacred writings and exploring their deeper mean-ings. However, Celtic spirituality presents aunique challenge to the practitioner of Lectio Divi-na: the ancient Druids, priests of our Celtic ances-tors, did not write down their holy texts butpreserved them instead as an oral tradition passedon through the generations. What little of thissacred oral tradition that we've managed to pre-serve until today comes largely from tales andlegends written down by monks, with glosses andlayers of Christian interpretation overlaying theoriginal myths. Of these we often have to rely ontranslations and reinterpretations in order torender relatively obscure myths a little more acces-sible to the modern reader. Lectio Divina can be afruitful practice for engaging with these ancientCeltic stories and uncovering their personal rele-vance and power, but there will always be limitson how deeply we can delve into these textspassed down disjointed over a millennium ormore of broken tradition.

Luckily, there is another approach we can takethat will connect us with our Celtic ancestorsthrough our love of the natural world, an essentialaspect of Celtic spirituality both then and now.When we see nature itself as a constantly-unfold-ing story about the deepest, most sacred truths oflife and death, we can adapt the practice of LectioDivina as a creative approach to meditation thatcan strengthen our relationship with the earth.Here are just a few ideas about how to use thepractice of Lectio Divina to engage with the storiesof nature.

Lectio

We can "read" the natural world in many ways.One of the simplest ways is to head on over toyour local library and find an ecology book aboutthe bioregion where you live — any book thatincludes basic information about the geology, flo-ra, fauna, climate, weather patterns and some ofthe natural history of your area. Familiarizingyourself with some basic facts about the naturallandscape that surrounds you and the other living

beings who share the land with you can help yousee the "bigger picture" and your place in it.

After you've done a bit of research, go outside andspend some time quietly observing the naturalworld around you. It doesn't matter if you live ina secluded hermitage out in the woods, or in abusy urban center full of bustling people, or evenin a carefully landscaped suburban neighborhood.Nature is not something "out there" beyond hu-man reach — we are deeply embedded in thenatural world all the time. Learning about yourbioregion will help you to recognize the uniqueways that human life has adapted to the naturalpatterns of the area where you live, and how theland, its animals, plants, and weather havechanged and adapted in their own ways.

Of course, you don't need to be an expert in ecolo-gy to be an attentive observer of the natural worldaround you. Although there is power in knowingthe names of things, there are also many non-ver-bal ways of "reading" nature. One of my favoritesis drawing or sketching while out in the field.Settling down to capture a breath-taking pano-rama in watercolors or sketching the expressiveposture of a bird or the delicate gesture of a flowerforces us to really look at what we are seeing, to bereceptive and attentive to the subtle details andnuances of nature. With practice, the act of draw-ing and the act of observing become one and thesame — almost as though our sketch is a kind of"reading out loud" to ourselves as we capture ourobservations on the page.

Meditatio

Once we've spent time in attentive, reverent obser-vation of nature, we enter the second stage ofLectio Divina. Now is the time to ponder, to day-dream, to explore the personal meaning that thenatural world holds for you as a denizen of theland. In ancient times, seers and oracles studiedthe patterns of weather and bird flight in order todivine messages of guidance or warning from thegods. This was not just a code in which certainevents corresponded one-to-one with specific in-

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terpretations or meanings, but a much more intui-tive, receptive way of opening to the messages ofthe landscape itself. In the same way that the alarmcry of a single chickadee can put all the other birdsin the area on sudden, silent alert as the hawkswoops by overheard, we can learn how the pat-terns of activity and attention in the natural worldaround us shape our perceptions and influenceour own behavior.

One way of approaching this kind of reflection iswhat Druid author John Michael Greer calls "dis-cursive meditation." In discursive meditation,rather than attempting to quiet the mind and si-lence any stray thoughts that might arise, we setoff on a hunt, pursuing a particular idea or impres-sion wherever it might wander, allowing ourminds to lead us deeper into the dark, forestedrecesses of the soul. As you spend time outsideobserving the natural world, you may find your-self captivated by certain images or experiences.Through discursive meditation, you can probemore deeply and reverently into the meaning be-hind these intriguing scenes or inspiring events,exploring the connections that weave you into thenatural world and how they express themselvesuniquely through your personal experiences andobservations.

Oratio

This kind of meditative reflection quite naturallyleads to the third stage of Lectio Divina, the crea-tive, spontaneous response of prayer. Poets,priests and shamans alike throughout the ageshave been moved by the beauty and inspiration ofnature to respond in kind, engaging in creativeworks of ritual, prayer and worship to express thereverence they feel for the world around them.Prayer can be a solitary act of praise or petition, orit can be a community ritual shared with others ina way that heightens our sense of how our person-al relationship with nature is reflected in the rela-tionships of those who live in this land with us.

Many of the gods of modern Druidry and Celticpolytheism are gods of nature, intimately related

to the landscapes and natural forces of the earth.For some, even the planet Earth is herself a god-dess, a fecund mother of all creation. Praying tothese gods and goddesses of the natural world isan act of communion and connection — in fact, itcan be hard to tell the difference between prayingto the goddess of a river or a mountain, and pray-ing to the river or mountain themselves. In thesame way that Christians view their holy scriptureas the Living Word of God, seeing the presence ofSpirit in the text itself, modern Pagans see theunfolding story of the natural world as the mani-festation of the gods' presence in our lives.

Besides praying to the gods, there are other waysyou can adapt this stage of Lectio Divina to aspirituality grounded in nature. If prayer is simplya form of reverent conversation, then you mightfeel moved by your observation and meditation onnature to converse with the many beings aroundyou — even beings with whom you might notnormally strike up a conversation. If you're feelinginspired by your spiritual work, you can speakwith the robins about the coming spring, or con-verse with the tree that stands tall and patient inyour backyard to learn what lessons it has to teachyou. You might even feel moved to speak outloud, to tell your own story to the waterfall or theevening breeze. There is a long tradition in indige-nous and animistic earth-centered religions ofspeaking openly and devoutly with the plants andanimals who share the land with us.

Verbal prayer is not the only form of prayer, ei-ther. Just as we can "read" the natural world bysketching or drawing it, we can also respond crea-tively through works of art: painting, sculpture,poetry, music and dance. These acts of self-expres-sion can be a way of responding spontaneouslyand organically to a world that often defies ourability to describe it with mere words. As a practi-tioner of an embodied spirituality, you might tryturning to ritual, dance and art as reminders thatyou are not merely an abstract mind trapped in-side a meaty body. Your body is itself an aestheticexpression of who you are, and you can respond

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to the world through movement, color and soundas well as through language.

Contemplatio

Finally, we come to the final stage of Lectio Divina:the stage of contemplative silence. After we havespent time in careful study and observation ofnature, experienced the thrill of the wild hunt aswe chased after its meaning for our personal lives,and responded with our own acts of creative self-expression as a way of connecting and conversingwith the sacred beings and gods that dwell herewith us — we come to rest at last in the still centerof our being. We enter into the silence and solitudeof attentive listening, receptive to the experience ofloving union with the natural world in all its com-plexity, diversity and mystery.

Within the stillness and silence of contemplation,we discover that the boundaries of self-identitythat usually appear so firm and solid are actuallyfar more porous, flexible and fluid than we real-ized. From a centered place of calm, we lose ourstrict sense of separation and isolation from therest of the natural world. We enter into a liminalspace in which we can experience the myriad con-nections that weave us together with poignancyand clarity. This kind of contemplation is not anescape into a silent void of nothingness. Rather, itis the practice of communing with the sacrednessof the Many, joining in the ecstatic dance of naturalforces in a way that brings us more fully into ourown truest self without destroying or subsumingour individuality.

We carry with us all of the work that we have doneduring the first three stages of "divine reading,"entering more fully and completely into the al-ways unfolding, ever-evolving story of the world.In this way, we come to know nature as a livingstory of which we are an intimate, integral part.

Bringing It All Together

Although we can approach each of the four stagesof Lectio Divina as distinct activities that we cando one at a time on their own, we experience the

most benefit from this kind of spiritual work whenwe bring them together into a single coherent,continuous practice. After you've spent some timeexploring each of these stages separately, set asideat least thirty minutes to an hour (or more, if youfeel up to it) to explore different ways that you canbring these activities together. Find what worksfor you and helps you to connect more authentical-ly with the natural world. Here are some ideas thatyou might want to try:

• Talking to a Tree — Find a comfortable place tosit near or underneath a tree, in your backyard orin a local park, anywhere where you won't bedisturbed. If you can, bring along a tree guide.Spend some time studying and observing the tree(lectio) — its bark, leaves and overall shape, alongwith any nuts, seeds, fruits or flowers it has. (Ifyou don't have a guide book, just take some timeto carefully observe these details.) After ten tofifteen minutes of careful observation, begin toallow your mind to wander, following yourthoughts and feelings as they meander throughassociations and memories (meditatio). Do this foranother ten to fifteen minutes, but don't get so lostin thought that you become distracted and losesight of the real presence of the tree before you.When you're ready, allow your meditations toinspire you to speak to the tree (oratio). You canspeak the words silently to yourself, as though inprayer, but you might be amazed at how powerfulit is to address the tree out loud, even if only in awhisper. You can tell the tree about a memory thathas surfaced during your meditation or describean experience or event that's been troubling you,or you can simply express your praise and grati-tude to the tree for its beauty and strength. Youcan even ask the tree to share its story with you.Finally, quiet your body and mind and enter into

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a calm, receptive state of attention (contemplatio)— spend another ten to fifteen minutes listeningdeeply to the tree, opening yourself up to its pres-ence. Don't expect to hear a response in words(though you might!), just allow yourself to sit insilent contemplative love with the being beforeyou.

• Painting a Landscape — Head out with yoursketch pad and art materials on a pilgrimage tofind a quiet spot with an amazing view. The viewmight be of rolling hills and meadows, or an oceanshore, or a cityscape of buildings and treetops.Once you've found a good place, spend some timeobserving and sketching the panorama before you(lectio), sometimes examining the details of tex-ture and contour, other times pulling out to see the"big picture" and notice the patterns of light andshadow, shape and balance. After you've finishedyour sketch, don't move on to your final drawingor painting right away — instead, spend ten tofifteen minutes pondering the image you've creat-ed (meditatio), asking yourself how it reflects thephysical, emotional and spiritual sensations thatthe landscape around you provokes. Once you'vespent some time reflecting on your observations,begin the work of drawing or painting (oratio). Asyou work, think of your creative act as a prayer ofthanksgiving and praise for the land to which youare a witness. After you've completed your work,set aside your colored pencils or paintbrush, quietyour body and mind and sink into a receptive,attentive state of listening (contemplatio). Allowyourself to release the work of your hands assomething which is now complete and separatefrom yourself, a gift that you've given back to theland. Listen to the silent depths of the landscapebefore you as you sit in silent, contemplative love.

• Serenading a Waterfall — Seek out a place withfalling water, whether it's a waterfall in the woods,a small cascade in a creek that runs through thelocal park, or a desktop fountain in your home. Aswith the practice of tree-talking, spend some timeobserving and studying the waterfall (lectio), no-ticing how the light reflects and refracts off thesurface of the moving waters and noting especiallythe myriad sounds the water makes as it rushes

and sings over the rocks. After ten or fifteen min-utes of listening and observation, allow yourthoughts free reign to wander (meditatio), follow-ing the rhythm of the water as it moves as thoughdancing its way deeper into the porous recess ofyour soul. Drink in the insights that the watercarries for you, pondering them, turning themover and smoothing them like round river stones.When you're ready, begin to sing, chant or playmusic (oratio) — if you've brought along a flute,drum or guitar, you can use that instrument to tryto micmic the sound of the falling water — joiningyour music with the sound of the waterfall in akind of shared prayer. Your song doesn't need tohave words, but it can if you feel inspired. Afteranother ten to fifteen minutes, fall back into atten-tive silence (contemplatio), listening to the musicof the World Song as it sings through your ownbeing and the being of the waters before you.

There are many other ways you can incorporateLectio Divina into your practice of nature-centeredspirituality; these are only a few examples. In eachexample, though, we see how engaging in the full,four-stage practice of Lectio Divina requires self-discipline and some preparation beforehand — forexample, gathering together art supplies, learninga musical instrument, finding an appropriate spotout of doors. The preparation and intention putinto this practice is an important part of the spirit-ual work, for it challenges us to take our workseriously as something worthy of devotion andattention. That attentive devotion is carried intothe work itself, and we can draw on it as we med-itate and engage with the natural world around us.

The fruits of regular practice of Lectio Divina is asoul-deep understanding of how attention, medi-tation, prayer and contemplative loving silencearise from each other in a sustaining, nourishingcycle. As with all cycles of nature, when we openourselves to the fullness of such experience wediscover that we are already a part of this turning,spiraling dance — and we can embrace our placein the dance with gratitude and joy.

Alison Leigh Lilly

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hBardic WhispersExpressions from the Soul

Sacred VisionEyes, eyes watching me through the night,

Visions to haunt me for most of my life,

Fearsome they were, glowering huge, filled with rage,

So I did stare at them, from this solitary stage,

For years, peering through the dark of the room,

And spoke to them lovingly, caressed them so blue,

Then the eyes began to cry, as the fear melt away,

And the anger dissolved, into gushing tears of the day,

Those eyes, staring at me, now heavy with love,

Found me peace, through the visions at night, from above,

Love to all, conquers, with simple friendly might.

So we reach out in caring & all becomes right.

Caroline Mulcahy

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 24

One of the most magical places I have ever been isas old as the Earth herself. There is nothing manmade there, apart from the walking trail, of course.And let's be honest, there aren't many places thatwe humans haven't somehow marked as "ours" iffor no other reason than to let people know thatothers were there first.

Imagine a two hour walk through mostly un-touched forest, then suddenly entering into ameadow with the noon day sun beating downupon you; the wind whipping your hair from yourface fast enough that your breath is stolen fromyou. Imagine the sun gleaming off the blue waterof the bay below; the sound it makes as the rough,powerful waves crash against the cliff base. Imag-ine, at the far end of the split away piece of land, awhirlpool rotating naturally just off the coast, andthe fishing boat that knows the area well, navigat-ing well away from it. The beauty and simultane-ous power that is Nature exists in full frontal gloryin this place.

This is Cape Split, near the famous AnnapolisValley of Nova Scotia, Canada. It has been consid-ered a sacred place by many for centuries. Thelocal pagan community knows the draw it has,and all the surrounding landscape. It is a naturalformation, formed by the transformative processof erosion that dominates much of that coastline.On the same peninsula in nearby Blomidon, is arich reserve of amethyst, a stone renowned for itspeaceful qualities. One source says it is good for

"Inner alignment".(http://www.crystalcavern.com/amethyst.html)It also is supposed to "activate spiritual aware-ness" which may account for the high populationof pagans and other earth-based spiritualities inthe area.(http://www.charmsoflight.com/amethyst-heal-ing-properties.html)

Perhaps the amethyst deposits are tied into thepopular belief that there are ley lines in the area.In particular, it is said that one big one runsthrough Cape Split, Scots Bay, and Wolfville. Theley line is reputed to be responsible for much ofthe paranormal activity that occurs there, at leastin the sense that the paranormal entities are drawnto the natural energy formed by or carried by theley line.

Cape Split: Photo David Dermott

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 25

From a different perspective, when you're drivingdown the highway just passed Windsor, NovaScotia, the promontory of Blomidon comes intoview. It is reputed to be the head of a god, name-ly Glooscaps’, the creation god of the Mi'kmaqpeople. He is laying down, head back, eyesclosed. And sure enough, if you look for a face,you will see it. You will see his prominent nose,his closed eye, his chin, and his hair flowing be-hind him.

If you decide to venture to Cape Split, it is impor-tant to know that parking is limited at the dead

end road. However, once you do park, go pastthe fence and then set off on path which is usual-ly muddy at the start. At this point, the journey isthrough woodland and aims gradually and con-tinually up hill for a nice two hour walk. I'vedone it quicker than that, but two hours each wayis the average. Just when you think you shouldhave been there by now, you emerge into a wideopen, natural meadow on top of the cliffs, an ide-al spot for meditation and reflection, a picnic, orboth.... well, in the summer anyway.

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 26

I thought that this issue I might discuss Tea TreeOil, it has become somewhat of a 21st centurystaple in the medicine cabinet.

Tea Tree Oil is indigenous to New South Wales,Australia, but a variety of clones are grown com-mercially in plantations within Australia andNorth America.

First I must state the contra indications: If appliedto the skin NEAT such as for spots, boils, etc itcan cause exfoliation of the dead layers of theskin. It must not be used on sensitive tissues,unless it has been well diluted first. There are afew rare reports of susceptible people havingexcessive skin irritation, if this occurs stop usingthe oil. Historically an infusion of tea tree leaveswas used for flu symptoms, wounds, bacterialand fungal skin irritations.

Tea Tree Oil may be used in the same way asEucalyptus. It can be sprinkled on a handkerchiefand inhaled frequently, or a few drops in hotwater and the vapours inhaled. It is ideal forcolds, coughs in chronic bronchitis, chest sore-ness and for nasal congestion.

You may add 6 - 10 drops to your bath to helprelieve some of the above conditions. Some peo-ple with skin conditions such as eczema or pso-riasis may find a little tea tree in the bath will helprelieve the itching. Also may assist with fungal orbacterial skin infections.

This oil is ideal when applied diluted in cream ormixed in water to help relieve itching of hemor-rhoids and to disinfect the area. It is also excellentfor minor burns, such as those caused by kettlesteam, ironing or from the oven. You can applythis NEAT immediately to help relieve the painas well as disinfecting the area. You can repeat 5or 6 times over the next few hours to maintainrelief. You can mix this with Lavender oil and itmakes a great combination to keep in kitchen forminor burns.

Tea Tree can be blended with other healing andantiseptic essential oils such as; Chamomile, Ca-juput and Hyssop to enhance the overall effects.Adding a drop of Fennel to 5 ml. of Tea Tree is aneffective booster of the antifungal activities andreduces the odour of the Tea Tree.

Faye

The

Recipes from the Community

Formulary

Tea Tree, Bairne Track, Australia. Peter Woodard

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 27

I write this article with reverence and gratitudeto an unknown person who had a profoundeffect on me, as I shall show and tell you. Severalyears have passed since the event, and I haveshared the effect with no one, although the pho-tographs I have shared with a few close friends.It feels as though now is the time to share myexperience with a wider circle of people who willunderstand.

Like many people, Avebury is a special place forme, and I return from time to time to bathe in itsunique otherness.

The very first time I visited there I was seized bya strong and powerful dream, but that is a storyfor another day. On this particular day, I waswalking away from the stones towards the com-manding Silbury Hill. It was a very non-descriptday, grey, overcast with clouds, and quite wetunderfoot. Perhaps I had become a bit jadedwith the wonders of Avebury, which after a fewdays had become diluted by the tourists and thenoise and the traffic.

If so, it made me even more receptive to the hugeshock that I was about to encounter. I took apath that said Swallow Spring, sacred waters,and crossed over the stream that emanated fromthe spring. I don’t recall what I was expecting.Usually if there is a reference to a sacred spring,it is generally a source of water that comes out ofa spout or bubbles into a stone trough, the resultsof the early Christians “converting” the waters.This spring though felt more like the waters ofmy youth, where many sources of water rose to

the surface of the Welsh valley that I calledhome. They too turned the ground into a mud-dy morass that threatened to pull the very bootsoff your feet if you walked through it.

As I grew closer to the source of the spring, itappeared even more ordinary and unremarka-ble. There was a low bank surmounting thesource of the water, and a few straggly trees ofvarying size added to the apparent ordinarinessof the scene.

Then came my first surprise, as I made out thefruit that hung from the branches of the trees.The tree was garlanded with ribbons and crys-tals that fluttered and blew in the wind, and as Igot nearer, I could see teddy bears and other

Swallow SpringLlewellyn ap Dafydd

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 28

offerings that had been placed in the trees. Swal-low Springs was a living place of sanctity, wherepeople still came to make their offerings, and toask for their wishes to be met. I was overawed,and almost shocked by the muddiness of the wa-ter, the ordinary way in which the spring emergedfrom the ground.

If so, it made me even more receptive to the hugeshock that I was about to encounter. I took a paththat said Swallow Spring, sacred waters, andcrossed over the stream that emanated from thespring. I don’t recall what I was expecting. Usual-ly if there is a reference to a sacred spring, it isgenerally a source of water that comes out of aspout or bubbles into a stone trough, the results ofthe early Christians “converting” the waters. Thisspring though felt more like the waters of myyouth, where many sources of water rose to thesurface of the Welsh valley that I called home.They too turned the ground into a muddy morassthat threatened to pull the very boots off your feetif you walked through it.

As I grew closer to the source of the spring, itappeared even more ordinary and unremarkable.There was a low bank surmounting the source ofthe water, and a few straggly trees of varying sizeadded to the apparent ordinariness of the scene.

Then came my first surprise, as I made out the fruitthat hung from the branches of the trees. The treewas garlanded with ribbons and crystals that flut-

tered and blew in the wind, and as I got nearer, Icould see teddy bears and other offerings that hadbeen placed in the trees. Swallow Springs was aliving place of sanctity, where people still came tomake their offerings, and to ask for their wishes tobe met. I was overawed, and almost shocked bythe muddiness of the water, the ordinary way inwhich the spring emerged from the ground.

By the mouth of the spring, I could see other offer-ings that had been made recently, as far as I couldjudge. Yet the place was deserted, although clear-ly there had been many people coming here toplace their gifts.

I was stunned and overawed by the unexpected-ness of Swallow Spring. Avebury, Silbury Hill, cc,had all seemed to be cloaked in a blanket of “tour-ism”, their spiritual meaning cloaked and buried,but here the covering had been torn aside, reveal-ing a glimpse of another time and place that isgenerally lost.

Yet awaiting me was an even more profound ex-perience.

Of course I came back to Swallow Spring severaltimes, to marvel, to worship, to drink in the spe-cialness of that place; always it was deserted, butalways I felt that someone had just departed fromthere even as I arrived.

Then, on what was to be my last visit before re-turning home, I came across the Face that you seein the picture. I cannot easily describe to you thesense of sadness that reached out to me as I gazeddown on it. It was immense and overwhelming,bringing tears to my eyes as I saw the tears of theFace.

The Face had been constructed with care and greatartistry, as the picture shows, but another ingredi-ent was also present, not visible but no less tangi-ble. I cannot name it, but it needs no name. Itdrew out of me a huge sense of compassion, ofreverence, of awe, that entered into the depths ofmy soul. I took my photos, but with hesitation, forI had no wish to demean or under-value that

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 29

moment. But the picture of the Face remains withme, in many senses, and I gave thanks to whoeverwas its author, and continue to do so today.

I have written this article with hesitation, notwishing to belittle the profoundness of the Face inany way. But it feels the time is right to share myexperience, and, if she is also reading this article,(and I feel sure it was a she), to thank her forenlightening my spiritual path so brightly on thatday at Swallow Spring.

Llewellyn ap Dafydd

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 30

Shadowland: Wales 3000 – 1500 BC

Steve Burrow

ISBN-10: 1842174592ISBN-13: 978-1842174593

Reviewed by cuardai

Synopsis: This is the story of life in Wales over aperiod of 1,500 years, as gleaned from the remainsits inhabitants left behind. These people had nowriting so they have left us no names and norecords of their deeds. Instead we have the posses-sions they treasured in life, the broken remains oftheir bodies and the marks they left on the land-scape. The people of these 15 centuries have re-mained essentially anonymous, in the shadows of

prehistory. In part, these shadows have fallen bychoice: from 3000 to 2200 BC, people built fewmonuments and buried very few of the worldlygoods which they must certainly have possessedwhile, for the period 2200 until 1500 BC, monu-ments were built in profusion and the dead wereburied in great numbers. The lives revealed seemfilled with rituals that defy easy comprehensionand the motivations of those who lived them aredifficult to grasp. While thousands of burials areknown and dozens of meeting places and ceremo-nial centres have been uncovered, hardly any set-tlements or houses are known. But the legacy ofthese people can even be seen far beyond theirown lands: they provided stones for Stonehengeand began carving copper ore from the hills, in aprocess that would eventually create the largestmine in prehistoric Europe. In this beautifully il-lustrated book, Steve Burrows coaxes these shad-owy figues back into the light.

Review: This was certainly an interesting book toread. I don’t know much about Wales Prehistorybut this book really filled me in. This is an arche-ology book, and you really get a sense of howthese people lived, what they might have done fortheir burial rites, as well as how industrializedthey were (for their time). I found a lot of greatsimilarities between the Welsh prehistory and theIrish one. I would highly recommend this book toall of my friends who are interested in Wales.

Reviews

J

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 31

Community Events CalendarListing your event is free and you can submit up to five entries at a time. Note: We reserve the right to editor omit entries. To submit, please send an e-mail to admin@druidicdawn.org with ‘DD Event Listing’ in thesubject line. Include the date, title of event, location (including country), a short description and any contactdetails.

Note: Inclusion of events here does not imply endorsement from Druidic Dawn, magazine or itseditors.

General on going events for 2012

Anam Cara - Weekly Meditation Group

'A Weekly Meditation Group to be held in Oswestry,(UK) to explore everything from the Breath technique;mantra/ chanting’ to hopefully movement and sha-manic journeying.'  To participate and for furtherdetails, seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1070

NEW MOON MEDITATIONS every new moon, Den-mark; ring 004575757131 for next meditation:

We’ll make a circle and connect with the powers ofEarth and Sky, I will then play channelled harpmusic from a time past, and the participants will beguided into some deep mediation to the Holy Grailwithin our hearts. Go beyond time and space toprevious incidents/ present problems/ diseases. Seethem, solve them, let go. Afterwards we’ll discusswhat happened, and I will aid with my clairvoyance.To participate and for further details, seehttp://www.sosha.dk/kurserUK.html

NYMÅNEMEDITATIONER I BRYRUP: Ring fortilmelding og nærmere tidspunktVi vil danne en cirkel, forbinde os med Himlens ogJordens kræfter og jeg vil spille kanaliseret musik fraen svunden tid på min harpe, under det første num-mer vil mine hjælpere fortælle mig om den førstemeditation, derefter vil jeg videregive den til cirklensom en guidet meditation, med den forskel, at medi-tationen først påbegyndes når jeg atter begynder atspille på min harpe og undervejs vil mine hjælperefølge alle deltagerne og støtte dem. Jeg vil spille mensdeltagerne rejser til deres destination i den andenvirkelighed, derefter vil jeg bede deltagerne vendetilbage samme vej som de kom fra, takke deres hjælp-

ere og vende tilbage til cirklen. Her vil hver enkeltdeltager have mulighed for at fortælle om sine oplev-elser, hvis nødvendigt, vil jeg gå ind og hjælpe medmine clairvoyante evner. Dernæst holder vi en pause,hvor vi får noget te og noget godt at spise. Så fortsæt-ter vi med endnu en meditation.http://www.sosha.dk/kurser.html

Pathways

A named Pathways, in Ellesmere, Shropshire, on theWelsh borders.  The time together will be used todiscuss anything that anyone wants to about spiritu-al pathways. All are invited, from those who have aclear idea about where they are going, to those whoare just curious, and all explorers in between. Cometo raise questions, talk about books you are reading,workshops you have attended, stuff that is comingup, etc. Self-advertising is allowed/encouraged, ifrelevant to the spiritual pathways subject. Meetingsare held on the third Thursday of each month in theFunction room of the Ellesmere Hotel. Parking isplentiful very nearby. Meet in the bar from 7.30pm;go to the room from 8pm. If you are late, come inanyway! There is no charge, and the drinks are cheap.

Ellesmere is part of what is locally known as theShropshire Lake District. The energy of the town isgiven by the fabulous Mere in the edge oftown. Future meetings might include a walk down tothe Mere and through the public gardens. This is thebeginning of something new, and the direction willevolve with time.

If you need any more details, you can contact Johnand Rachel on jrpathways@hotmail.co.ukOr see http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1698

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 32

March

24th March: Oestra Rite with the SassafrasGrove located in Pittsburgh, USA. Further de-tails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/187 orhttp://www.sassafrasgrove.org/?page_id=156#date=2012-03-01,mode=month

24th March: Alban Eiler with the Druid Order ofthe three Realms, Georgia, USA. Further detailsseehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1369 orhttp://druid3realms.org/home/calendar/#

24th-25th March: Temple of the North with RJSteuart, Santa Cruz, CA, USA: Further detailssee http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.rjstewart.org/images/Temple-of-the-North2.pdf

25th March: Autumn Equinox with the Grove ofthe Southern Stars, Pukerua Bay, New Zealand.Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/64 orhttp://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~thewoolshed/gro_festivals.htm

30th March-2nd April 2012  Lucius ArtoriusCastus: The Real King Arthur Conference inSplit, Croatia.Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/172 andhttp://www.druidry.org/events-projects/events-0

31st March - April 1st: The Faery Oath of OakAsh and Thorn, a Faery Ritual Magic workshopwith RJ Stewart and Anastacia Nutt. Eugene,Oregon, USA. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.rjstewart.org/images/Oak-Ash-Thorn.pdf

April

14th-15th April; Singer Shaman Sage, workshopin Zurich, Switzerland with Philip Carr-Gomm,further information available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

14th-15th April, 2012: Temple of the North withRJ Steuart, Louisville, Kentucky, USA: Furtherdetails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.rjstewart.org/images/Temple-of-the-North2.pdf

15th - 18th April; Thresholds of Power andHealing, Somerset, UK. Led by Caitlin Mat-thews and Margot Harrison, further detailsavailable fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/211;http://www.hallowquest.org.uk/index.htmlandhttp://www.hallowquest.org.uk/pdfs/Shamanic%20Courses%20Caitlin%20and%20John%20Mathews.pdf

23rd-25th April; Tending the Hearth: HouseClearing in Celtic Countries, Stroud, UK; facili-tated by Cait Branigan and Cailtin Matthews,further details available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/211;http://www.hallowquest.org.uk/index.htmlandhttp://www.hallowquest.org.uk/pdfs/Shamanic%20Courses%20Caitlin%20and%20John%20Mathews.pdf

26th-29th April; Druidry & The Druid AnimalOracle -The Ancient Celtic Tradition and theWisdom of the Animal Realm and retreat in Sin-tra, Portugal with Philip Carr-Gomm furtherdetails available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 33

27th-29th April, 2012: Temple of the North withRJ Stewart, The Star House, Boulder, Colorado,USA: Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.rjstewart.org/images/Temple-of-the-North2.pdf

28th April: Samhain / Haratua / Last Light /Halloween with the Grove of the Southern Stars,Pukerua Bay, New Zealand. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/64 orhttp://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~thewoolshed/gro_festivals.htm

28th April: Samhuin Ceremony with the Mel-bourne Grove, Victoria, Australia. For further de-tails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/2949 orhttp://themelbournegrove.org/events/categories/tmg-events/

29th April; Beltane Rite; Three Cranes GroveADF, Ohio, USA. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 andhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars/

29th April; Beltane Ritual Shining Lakes GroveADF, Michigan, USA. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/184 andhttp://www.shininglakes.org/schedule.html

May

5th May: Open Beltane Ritual, Nervii NemetonDe Mothergrove van de New Order of Druids,Antwerp, Belgium. For further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/182 orhttp://nervii.druidcircle.net/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=eventlist&Itemid=3

5th May: Beltane Ritual Eiler with the Druid Or-der of the three Realms, Georgia, USA. Furtherdetails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1369 orhttp://druid3realms.org/home/calendar/#

5th-6th May: The Faery Oath of Oak Ash andThorn, a Faery Ritual Magic workshop with RJStewart and Anastacia Nutt. Boston, Massachu-setts, USA. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.rjstewart.org/images/Oak-Ash-Thorn.pdf

6th May: Beltane Rite with the Sassafras Grovelocated in Pittsburgh, USA. Further details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/187 orhttp://www.sassafrasgrove.org/?page_id=156#date=2012-04-01,mode=month

17th-27th May; Talks and workshops in Italywith Philip Carr-Gomm further details availablefrom http://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365and http://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

19th May - Damh the Bard and Spiral Dance inconcert at the English Ale, Mylor, South Austral-ia.   further details available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/172 orhttp://www.druidry.org/events-projects/events-0 andhttp://www.theenglishale.org

24th May: Spiral Dance and Damh the Bard Con-cert, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. For furtherdetails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/2949 orhttp://themelbournegrove.org/events/categories/tmg-events/

31st May -3rd June; Ogham Healing Course Swit-zerland. For details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/2856 andhttp://trinitygrove.weebly.com/ogham-healing.html

31st May - 3rd June; Talks for the 2nd Internation-al OBOD Camp, Netherlands, with Philip Carr-Gomm further details available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

Volume 4, Issue 4

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June

1st-3rd June; Reality: the Imaginary World withRobin Williamson & Greywolf, Shropshire, UKhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/872 orhttp://www.druidry.co.uk/bdoworkshops.html

6th-10th June: The Spirit of the West Druid Gath-ering, Western Canada. Further details availablefromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/594 andhttp://www.druidgathering.ca

9th-10th June; Talk for OBOD Summer Gathering,Glastonbury, UK with Philip Carr-Gomm furtherdetails available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

18th June: Talk for GOD (The Genesis Order ofDruids) at Portsmouth, UK with Philip Carr-Go-mm further details available fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

19th-21st, June; RJ and Anastacia are delighted tobe back at Fairy Congress to give workshops anda concert. For more information and details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/197;http://www.rjstewart.org/calendar.html andhttp://www.fairycongress.com

20th June: Summer Solstice with the SassafrasGrove located in Pittsburgh, USA. Further de-tails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/187 orhttp://www.sassafrasgrove.org/?page_id=156#date=2012-06-01,mode=month

22nd June: Alban Herruin with the Druid Orderof the three Realms, Georgia, USA. Further de-tails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1369 orhttp://druid3realms.org/home/calendar/?month=jun&yr=2012

23rd Jun: Winter Solstice Ceremony with the Mel-bourne Grove, Victoria, Australia. For further de-tails seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/2949 orhttp://themelbournegrove.org/events/categories/tmg-events/

23rd Jun: Winter Solstice /Te Maruaroa o teTakurua / Matariki – Herald of the New Year(Stonehenge Aotearoa) with the Grove of theSouthern Stars, Pukerua Bay, New Zealand. Fur-ther details seehttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/64 orhttp://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~thewoolshed/gro_festivals.htm

24th June: Summer Solstice Rite, he Three CranesGrove, Columbus OH, USA. F further detailsavailable fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/186 orhttp://www.threecranes.org/calendars/

28th June - 1st July Tarot Workshop in BirkenfeldGermany, with Philip Carr-Gomm further detailsavailable fromhttp://www.druidicdawn.org/node/1365 andhttp://www.philipcarrgomm.druidry.org

Volume 4, Issue 4

Aontacht • 35

You do not have to be a member ofthe Druidic Dawn community to sub-

mit to the newsletter.

Please submit contributions directly tothe editorial staff via email to:

aontacht@druidicdawn.org

Refer to the writer’s guidelines, beforeyou submit contributions or inquiries.Below are our upcoming issues in caseyou'd like to get ahead on submissions.Be sure to specify which issue you aresubmitting to.

Aontacht – Summer/Winter Solstice 2012DRUIDIC DAWN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

We hope will participate in the by being the next issue of ourmagazine. Send us your News, Events, Reviews, Editorials, Articles, Essays, Recipes, Devotion-al Pieces, Photos and other materials to us at:

We specifically want you to be part of our upcoming interview with Caer Australis. This is anincredible time to ask your personal questions and get a direct response from brothers andsisters following the faith down under.

Caer Australis is based in Sydney, Australia and uses the Grove as a form of expression throughpoetry and songs from times past and also original poems by the members. The celebrationsare a time and space for inspiration and creativity. They have the alternative view of Paganismthroughout the year, hailing from the Southern hemisphere- Beltaine being in November andSamhain being in May. They celebrate a great Celtic cultural pride in their four Gorseddsthroughout the year at Beltaine, Lughnasa, Samhain and Oimelc through the sharing of poetry,music and mythology.

You can find out more information about Caer Australis at www.caeraustralis.com.au.

So send in your questions that you would like to ask. Don’t be shy! We love to hear everyperspective, and we value all questions received from our members. Take a moment out andbecome an important part of Druidic Dawn!

i Submit original work only. Essays & articles should be between 1,000-2,000 words(footnotes and bibliography included). There is not a word limit for poetry, however, pleasedo not submit epic verse.

ii You may submit multiple pieces. Only electronic submissions are accepted and should beeither compressed (.zip/.rar) and attached (preferred for photos & artwork), or pasted intothe email body. Document submissions should be in Plain Text (.txt) or Rich Text (.rtf)formats only; Photos/artwork as .jpg or .png.

Please cite your sources and clearly mark when using UPG [Unverified Personal Gnosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unverified_Personal_Gnosis)iii Articles should be relevant to the Celtic/Druidic communities (refer to Subject Areas

below) and must match the theme of the issue (if the issue is themed).iv Run a grammar/spell check on your work before submittal.v Keep work in a friendly manner. No racism, bigotry, violence or hated.

· Pre-Christian: Discussion of history, anthropology, archeology and more, but also of thecurrent Reconstructionist or Traditional movements happening today.

· Modern Druidry: Discussion of Druidism within the last 300 years; includes Revivalist andNeo-Druid.

· Modern Celtic: Talk on surviving beliefs, folklore and superstitions still alive today on theCeltic isles, i.e., Fairy Faith.

· Celtic Christianity: Looks into this truly beautiful and unique branch of Christianity.· Inter-Faith: How people incorporate other cultures into their Celtic/Druidic practice, or

getting along with those of other faiths.

Submissions can be sent to aontacht@druidicdawn.org

: International copyright law will protect all materials published. However, submitting your workwill not guarantee its publication. Also note that as is a free publication, which generates noprofit, you will not be paid for your contributions.