Druid means Door.
Derwydd,
Duir,
Where our word Door
Comes from.
In the Bible, GOD proclaims, “Behold, I Stand at the Door, and Knock…”
Let those with wisdom, understand.
Discovering the Ancestors
This is not a treatise of dogmatic or theological intent.
This is, simply how I approached the subject. As such, merely a blueprint of techniques used to recreate the old ways. The really old, old ways. Neolithic in fact. Probably up through the early Bronze age. North Western European tradition, and practice. I have based the technique upon Archaeological discovery and speculation.
What are the elements of the old megalithic religion that we know? Very little is known, (some ritual elements have been identified ) That in mind, I recreated rites based upon Mythology, the myth I focussed upon. Lugh/Lugus for Aug 1, Lughnasad. Or Donn/Arawn/Pwyl/Gwynn on Samhain.
The Goddess, changes with the three seasons, all aspects combined she is the Morrigu. Maiden, Mother, Crone, Warrior, Mother, Queen. As well as the cycles of the Moon. This is the festival, ritual cycle. Solar falls both masculine and female ,as does all the stellar region, sun moon, stars. The moon is feminine, but, there is Cernunnos, the Stag lord, lord of forest and hunt with his lunar symbolism. Earth, is distinctly feminine, Sky, masculine. ( Details as to why, in larger, later blog on recreated cosmology and structure, symbolism.)
The physical relics, Are rocks and sticks. I wrote a little poem about it.
I am a funny kind of witch,
all my tools are rocks and sticks,
the old ones gave us all we need,
but never ever what we please.
I used small ( relatively, though I did once build a rather extensive scale megalith site with very large stones. New Mexico, 2004) scale models of megalithic sites, Little Trilithons, standing stones, cromlechs. placing candles at sun rise and sunset markers. ( ne, se, nw, sw, ) along the outer circle. This served as the focal point. the ritual guide)
Choosing the myth to experience.
First, study the myth. Inside out side, Then, build the scale model of the megalith site associated with the myth. Understanding the meaning of each stone you place, once completed, place the candles, recite the myth out loud. Make this a point of practice. Until you can recite and visualize the entire myth. This is Study/worship.
Initiation into the mysteries
We have now assembled the frame and the door. It is time to unlock the door.
Among the tools you will have, small bowl of water/mead/barley beer or whiskey.
A stone tool, axe, knife, shaping stone, sharpening stone,
the sacred food or drink. ( Barley bread, Wine or mushrooms. or one of several scopolamine , or Harmine based herbs, or mushroom tea , tincture, extractions) Some used a topical, Scopolamine based agent/anointing oil, the purpose, is to open perception, change perception,
Step into, wonderland. The Other World.
Recite the sacred myth, partake the sacrament, focused upon the altar, recite the myth, until you are lost in the myth, it comes alive to you, you live through the myth, you experience the story.
This provides a fresh perspective on the myth, experience as well as meanings. You commune with the memory of the Ancestors, through the myth, the imagery…the study, the experience.
You tap into, the universal unconscious, immersed in the multiple levels of symbolic meanings. You meet the Gods. The Gods who are also our Ancestors.
The myths, are memories, told and retold over thousands of years, ultimately, buried in the layers of myth, are the Ancestors, the remembered chief, or smith, or healer etc.…transformed into gods,
The Gods, are constructs, personified from the memory of our Ancestors. The Gods, live today, in our music, our movies, our books, the same basic mythic symbols, the same mythic storyline, or pattern. Reinterpreted, expressed as each generation interprets the myth.
Todays icons, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, in the past, Arthur and Guinivere, or Lughos and the Morrigu.
Now, while sitting in darkness, staring into the altar, by candle light , take two white quartzite stones, strike them together, in a 4/4 beat, common time, striking the quartz hard enough to spark.
This should induce visions, hallucinatory states based upon the myth.
Experience the myth…meet the Gods, say hello to the Ancestors. This is the root of ancient religious ritual. It is quite simple really.
After the experience, you recite the experience, (only among the iniates!) only the basic myth is shared with non iniates. This recitation, is recitation of the Awen.
Awen,
Awe, Wonder, amazement, worshipful,
Wen, White,Sacred, Holy
Thus Awen, Sacred wonder, holy inspiration.
Awen is the point of all rites. the reason, the purpose,
Sacred wonder, Inspiration, Insight, Perception…inner meanings.
These are the Merlins gifts of prophecy. Understanding the myths, how the world recreates, repeats these same mythic cycles, seeing the cycles in action, grasping which cycle it is, the Merlin now knows what will happen, identifying the avatars, those actively playing the roles from the myth….The root of Prophecy, the source of knowing the future.
The Merlin, Knows also the mystery of the Stones and stars, the secrets of the Sidhe. ( from Daoine Sidhe, the people of the Sidhe, the megaliths, the old Gods, the Ancestors)
The constellations, solstices, lunar eclipses, solar eclipses..the ritual meaning of each site. ( I theorize each site is dedicated to specific myths, each site retells a myth in structure and lay out.)
These are the mysteries of the Merlin.
Archetype of the Druids. Our most potent, evocative cultural memory of the Druids, wizards, wise ones…
The Mystery of the Witches Cauldron.
The Mystery of the Witches Cauldron.
The ubiquitous witches cauldron. What does it symbolize? I would put forth that cauldron is symbolic of the ancient megalithic Cromlech.
A Cromlech, is megalithic structure consisting of three up right standing stones supporting a large capstone.
Originally, the cromlech was erected, then covered over with mounded earth. Serving as a neolithic tomb. The Witches Cauldron, is symbolic of the Cromlech.
A traditional Welsh witches cauldron is a three-legged cooking pot in the simplest terms. The three legs, symbolize the three standing stones, the pot, symbolizing the interior space of the Cromlech. All of the Celtic stories of Cauldrons share common themes. The cauldron of plenty, The Cauldron of Rebirth, The Cauldron of creation. The Holy Grail. These themes reflect the Cromlech and the meanings, uses of the Cromlech.
In Celtic mythology, death, is the doorway to rebirth. Some are reborn into the other world, A very few, are reborn into this world in order to fulfill a purpose. The Key element, is Rebirth. So, the Cromlech, symbolizes the entrance to the Other World, as well as Rebirth.
The Cromlech, which along with Passage Graves, Ritual mounds, and Henge type monuments were collectively known as the Sidhe’s. The Abode of the Daoine Sidhe among the Gaels. The Abode of the Gods. The entrance to Faery, or Elphame, or the Other World by any other name.
The Witches Cauldron embodies these same themes. From the Cromlech, life is transformed, death becomes rebirth. Thusly, The themes of death and rebirth, bring the symbolism of the Womb and the Tomb. It is from the association of the Womb aspect, that the Cauldron/Cromlech comes to symbolizing Creation. All of these elements together, bring the association with Magick. So, The witches Cauldron is a symbol, of the Cromlech.
Hidden within magickal traditions, folk songs, myths are the real keys to understanding. The secret lies in learning the vocabulary and the meaning of the words used. The language is one of symbol, verse, rhyme, rhythm. Hidden meanings that have passed into superstitition.
Take for example, The Celtic Cross.
The use of the Celtic Cross as sacred symbol has transcended ancient pagan tradition into modern Christian interpretation. Yet the inner meaning has become superstition, hiding the reality.
That the Celtic Cross was in fact a tool. A surveying instrument, An instrument of Navigation and key to the construction of the great megaliths.
Another aspect of superstition superseding the reality lies in the Magic circle and use of the pentagram. Forgotten are the original use and meaning of the symbols.
Here, is the true meaning of the Pentagram:
The five pointed star, is symbolic of the inner ring of stones, the five great upright dolmen arches.
The circle, is simply the circle containing the structure. The pentagram is a blueprint for the layout and construction of the physical temple. A surveyors description of the structure. In fact, the Magick circle , ritual space, is in fact a symbolic representation of the ancient megalithic circles, centers of sacred meaning.
Simply look at an aerial view of Stone Henge. The directional alignment. The ditch, a circle, surrounds an inner circle marked by stone, which enclose Five hanging dolmens set at the points of a Pentacle.
A note on the Swastika.
First, it is NOT, a solar symbol.
It is the precession of the Big Dipper. A star map.
The science of the past has been convoluted and hidden within superstition. The Adept must endeavor to see beyond superstition , into the reality, and manifest the reality in totality.
Guardians of the
Door
DRUID,
Oak tree, wise, door. Draoitect, the craft ( technology/science) of the wise.
What is the task of these guardians of the door? To list the roles of Prophet, Sage, Advisor, Bard, Teacher, Historian, Judge does nothing to explain the true task. The task of the Druid is to guide the way of integrating the inner world and the outer world. To integrate the other world with the mundane reality.
To remember the science of existence in defiance of the superstition of ignorance.
To guide the way in maintaining a balance between the spiritual and the physical reality. The Druid is the guardian and guide, the advisor on the way of the path of life.
The Sacred king-hero, serves as the living example of the ideal of the people. Living a life without blemish or fault, in order to show the way of integration of inner and outer reality. The completion of existence.
The sacred-king/hero serves to exhort the people to excel, to rise to the challenges of life, to provide a living example of hope and the ideal of existence.
The Druid, serves to keep the sacred-king/hero honest. To guide the way on the path. To help the people find, achieve and maintain the balance of spiritual and material.
The Druid serves to guard the identity of the people, to integrate the otherworld with the mundane and thus build a stable, strong and enduring culture, and shared identity of society.
The modern revival of paganism and druids, practices of wicca and the new age have failed in this task.
They go through the motions, having only vague form but none of the substance. They have fallen into the fallacy of superstition and materialism.
The modern revival has attempted to recreate the mysteries of the past, based only upon the outward forms, lacking an understanding of the meanings within.
One of the fallacies is the worship of the earth as Goddess. The earth is not the Goddess. The earth, the world in which we live is the vessel upon which all life voyages.
There has been an attempt to project the mistaken concept, that the works of humanity are somehow not a part of the natural world.
Are Humans somehow not a part of the natural? How could we not be a part of the Natural world?
The argument has been, that cities, technology, pollution are un natural, that because they alter the “natural order” somehow they are not a part of the natural world.
To this short sighted and fallacious idea I reply, Are Termite colonies on the African Plain un-natural? Is the alteration of the landscape by these densely populated colonies Evil? What of the extreme levels of Carbon Dioxide and other “Green-house gasses” emitted by these great mounds? Are Termites an evil that are not a part of the Natural order? What of the impact of other wild life on the environment?
All Life interacts and effects the environment in which it exists. Humanity is in fact a part of the natural order. The fact is, the works of humanity, from farming, to city building, even to pollution, are entirely natural and a part of the natural order. I suggest the difference lies, not in scale, but in perception.
Humanity can perceive the impact and effect of our activity, we can plan ahead, and work to manage the damage. There is nothing either right or wrong in human activity, any more than there is anything right or wrong in the activity of termites.
The Goddess is the totality of life. The composite sentience of existence. Consider the example of Brighid, Celtic Goddess of Fire, Cattle, Childbirth, And Smith craft. One aspect of the Goddess presides over technology. The Goddess is Goddess of Technology, Nature, Life, farming, all human endeavors and experiences.
All living things are interconnected, interdependent parts of the whole. The Goddess is the projection of human experience we utilize to perceive this interconnectivity. It is like, an independent AI, artificial intelligent program.
The totality of life is the hardware, the concept of the Gods make up the AI operating system we utilize. The Gods, are an independent unconscious operating system we employ to access and organize the inner experience of existence. Created in our image, the Gods evolved, and help create reality by molding our perception.
The Druid, by undertaking the inner journey has learned the language, the essentials of how this software operates.
Becoming an adept of this knowledge, The Druid has learned to see both the inner reality as well as the outer. Becoming, in modern parlance, A software programmer. Master of the language of the otherworld, translator and engineer of the transcending power of the inner world-outer world interplay of total reality.
baby wizards just try to stay alive
while running faster
than the boomerangs
they threw yesterday
~
there is a way to put your hand down
there is a way to open the door
to the ancestors
-prepay the ferryman
-go all in
~
if we refine our intent
using the feedback
of our surroundings
the fruits of our
labors
count the miles of smiles
listen for laughter
anyone can fly without shoes
nothing
to loose
I really like this a lot!!! It is a little over my head and I will need to revisit it a few times to digest it properly; but wow, what a fount of knowledge and insight you provide here my friend! Probably the tidbit I appreciate most that you include is the observation that people and current society, our concrete edifices, roads and bridges, etc. are just as much a part of “nature” as the termites mighty mounds on the plains of Africa, paraphrasing... I never agreed with those that looked at our species as a detriment to the planet and that we are a parish who we should be ashamed of and eradicated because we are mucking it up for all the other species! Yeah, we have our faults and have done damage to the earth but we are still here and a part of its processes... I enjoyed your viewpoint immensely!!!