Onward and Upward in Druidic Study

onward-upwardEver have a hurdle in your spiritual progress and need to take some time off from it to regroup and make some sense of it? That is what I have been doing since a challenging experience with some druidic study. Two groups I have studied with have led to more challenges (and thankfully, some personal growth), so I am now onto a third, more personal course of study about druidry.

There is not a single approach to spirituality or practice, so learn what we can and move on if faced with something that does not fit. We do not need to justify it to anybody else but ourselves, though we have to do what feels right to us. Otherwise, we are wasting out time and potentially setting ourselves back.

With this said, Onward and Upward! More about my study with my new teacher and facilitator, Cat Treadwell, in my next post. Who better with to study than one who serves with and support The Druid Network!

The Celebration of Awen (BMDO DP M1W2)

wheeloftheyearContinuing my Black Mountain Druid Order (BMDO) Dedicant Path (DP), I am still looking at Awen, specifically the Celebration of Awen here in my second week.

While I am not going to do an intense study of the Wheel of the Year right now, I have been thinking more about the change in seasons and how the  circularity of it repeats  each year while we in turn get older and benefit from more experiences. The regular 12-month calendar that we follow does not seem to account for the change in seasons and as such somehow separates us from our natural world. Those of us living in an urban environment are already somewhat distanced, so following the druid (pagan) wheel of the year provides an opportunity to be present to the changes that happen in the natural world, along with traditional human and agrarian activities that follow it.

The part of the year that most resonates with me is Yule, due in part no doubt to how much Christmas is hyped and celebrated in our culture. The light in the darkness and turning point in the seasonal weather follows a tradition familiar since  child, and perhaps that is a useful way to adopt and adapt to what may appear new to many of us.

That the darkness is met with trees that are still green and fragrant, along with a fire that has a feel of safety and new life, makes the period of Yule even more significant. As I recounted how I celebrated Yule a few weeks ago, it is still alive within me, something that helps me to get through what otherwise could be a dark and difficult time of the year.