The Druid Network NewsletterSamhain 2012

Greetings of the turning seasons, Druid friends! The fires burn as the nights grow longer, and we gather together to seek warmth and shared community...

As some of you will be all too aware, while we are now entering the quieter period of the year, this time is not without its challenges. In fact, this Newsletter itself very nearly never happened! Due to computer mysteries, the final ready-to-go version vanished from my hard-drive on the very day that it was due to be sent... but I'm very glad and grateful to those who rallied round, providing some of the most thoughtful, inspirational and true expressions of Awen that I have ever seen in these wee pages. Thank you all – this (slightly rushed!) issue truly is the result of many Members coming together in shared expression.

On that note, while the Newsletter is now mainly electronic, we are still very glad to provide postal copies if needed. Please do keep us updated with your contact details and preferred mode of delivery so that we can stay in touch!

As always, there's lots going on in TDN. The burgeoning website, http://change . druidnetwork .org , is slowly being populated, with the forum growing steadily. The Conference is just days away now as you receive this... where you can finally see TDN-branded clothing, entirely ethically sourced and of the highest quality to keep warm on those nights in the woods! The embroided logo sits proudly at the top of this very page...

May these times of darkness inspire you all.

Cat TreadwellEditor

The Druid Network (TDN) Newsletter is published quarterly in October, February, May and August.

We welcome member submissions of creativity, stories, or tales of Druid community activity and events.

Please send your submissions to: newsletter@druidnetwork.or g

Deadline for Samhain (October) issue: January 11 2013.

The Druid Network is a registered charity in England and Wales (1138265)

Who are the ancestors? A personal exploration at the start of Winter...

Who are the ancestors?

This is a question I ask myself often - every time they are mentioned in a pagan rite, public or private - and especially at Calan Gaeaf, as I light my lanterns for the dead.

One answer I keep coming back to, having read through others’ thoughts, is that the ancestors can be whoever you want them to be - anyone with whom you feel a kinship. Far from being a bad thing, I love the diversity this brings to druidry. Everybody needs a thread to follow, or else all our stories would be lost in the cacophony. Many druids choose to focus on their pre-Roman ancestors; others on their Anglo-Saxon or Viking forebears.

Myself – having the questionable luck to be the daughter of a historiographer – I find more inspiration in the small details of everyday life than I do in the grand, sweeping visions of an entire culture. The ancestors leave echoes of their lives in footprints (like the wonderful prehistoric footprints that are sometimes revealed by the shifting sands at Formby beach); the grain they farmed; the letters they sent. I find common cause with the folk of this land regardless of their origins or race.

In the thread I follow, on my own path, the ancestors are threefold: of place, of blood and of spirit – an idea I think I first encountered in one of Bobcat’s books, which resounded deeply with my own. The three sometimes overlap and sometimes clash; their boundaries shift and blur, but whenever I feel jaded or out of touch with a sense of who my ancestors might be, these definitions help me to remind myself.

The ancestors of place help to connect me to wherever I am, which is rarely the same place for very long... Their stories become part of my own, and my story adds to theirs.

Right now, that story could include prehistoric settlers of the Lancashire coast, Anglo-Saxon monks, Tudor merchants, Victorian industrialists, Toxteth rioters and members of the Beatles, and countless, countless more. They help me to find a sense of community and common cause with those around me, and learn how best to love each new part of the world.

The ancestors of blood are a knotty issue for me, as they are for many people that I know - but the stories of my family live on in me, and some of them I will pass on to others, in their turn. As for my ethnicity... it comes with a weight of cultural heritage – what I sometimes refer to (only half-joking) as 'Welsh guilt' – and a healthy dose of ambivalence. I don’t see myself primarily as Celtic, despite the happy accident of my family/name/ schooling; I see myself, like this island, as a gloriously mongrelish mixture.

My roots feel as Roman as they do Anglo-Saxon, as much as anything else – and, above all,

they feel human. For me, this is what matters, above all: my blood ancestors, whoever they may be, are those whose story of flawed and beautiful humanity I carry in my very bones. It is to them I turn for guidance in my darkest moments.

And the ancestors of spirit: who might they be? They are the most elusive, and yet – paradoxically – the most ubiquitous of all; the easiest to find and the hardest to define. They are poets, painters, mystics, heroes, builders, singers, writers, healers... Wherever the awen shines through word or deed, I feel the traces of a kindred spirit: an ancestor, or a fellow walker of the path. They need not necessarily be druids, but they are the wellspring of my druidry. I honour them each time I follow the call of the awen in my own life.

In each of these aspects, the fundamental thing about the ancestors, for me, is their humanity. Much of my druidry is centred on my relationship with the non-human beings in this world (and perhaps beyond); honouring the ancestors helps me to bring humanity back into the frame. They are a sort of corrective in my druidry, restoring the balance between the human story and the world of the wild, for both are equally part of each other. By honouring both, I remind myself of their essential interconnectedness, and carry that knowledge with me in all that I do.

- Cadno

Small Steps

I’ve been actively pagan since I was about 17. When I say ‘actively’ it is probably more accurate to say ‘consciously’ because even as a child I used to refer Mother Earth and was a bit of a hippie, ban the bomb type of person. I loved the countryside and loved to go to the woods but it wasn’t until I met someone involved in ceremonial magick that I began to explore, starting out with Wicca. I was excited, it was an adventure – I was finally going to belong.

I explored Wicca voraciously reading books by Janet and Stuart Farrar, Doreen Valiente etc, yet it didn’t feel right so I moved onto Druidry. I took books out of the library by Ross Nichols and other notable names but it was too deep for my teenage brain to deal with. I looked at Shamanism, Northern traditions, Goddess movements – all in my search to find the tradition that described what I believed, what I felt.

Fast forward to today, 17 years later and I’ve come back to Druidry. It feels better this time around, yet I’m still uncomfortable, I still don’t feel like I’m living my faith the way I should. I’m not a priestess/celebrant, I don’t plant trees and I don’t know enough to teach. I’m a member of TDN yet don’t do anything to help out.

After 17 years I’ve learnt a lot... and not enough.

I feel guilty. Guilty for letting life get in the way, when there is a million and one jobs to do, when the kids are creating havoc, when I’m spending my spare time making phone calls trying to sort out the car insurance and make sure that the boiler is serviced ready for winter. All of I sudden I’ll realise that its one of the festivals, its 9pm and I’ve done nothing to mark the occasion despite grand plans for a ritual. I’m tired, I’m stressed and the only thing I want to do is collapse with a book and a coffee!

Yet I make an effort, if only to offer up a prayer. I might make an offering and leave some food out for the animals. Nothing big.

I do what I can within the madness of my life. I’m starting to realise that what I do is enough for this point in my life. Perhaps later I will have the time and energy to do more, when the time is right. We’ll see.

So for now I’ll continue taking small steps – saying thank you for the gift of a new day, for the blessings (and lessons) in my life, marking the festivals in whatever way I can – because I’m beginning to see that it is what is right for me.- Pamela

Thoughts on a postcard

….. inspired by a thread on The Druid Network Members group on Facebook.

In response to a snippet from an article about how people manifest their druidry, and how tricky that can be to express. I found myself posting an off-the-cuff thought: ‘Somedays my druidry is just remembering WHY I am putting the veg peelings in the compost’

Then I realised how true this was, and that for me a spiritual path is lived out though every-day life. I don’t mange ‘spiritual mindfulness’ nearly as much as I would like, but Hey, somedays life is all too full of poo and puddles. (physical or metaphorical).

For me : Being druid is…….

Sometimes feeling…..…angry with the way things are when they don’t need to be,…at peace with the world,…gob-smacked by….. a sky….., a raindrop…., a moment in time… …just a very small part of a very big universe,…at one with a tree…, a river …., a bird,…inspired…..…loved….…satisfyingly knackered.

Sometimes having….…soil ground in your fingers and grott under your nails,…mud on your feet and possibly your carpet,…too many choices about what to do next, …to care for animals and small people,…a bad hair day ‘cos who cares about hair?...oh, and good sex…….

Sometimes wondering…what the hell keeps the moon up there, that’s amazing

Sometimes being……passionate…still…quiet…thoughtful…too hectic….

Sometimes wanting……to know more…to have someone else wash the pots and clean the loo,…to have more time to learn anything and everything,…help,…to have enough dosh to made a life just a little bit easier, …the gods not to notice too much.

Sometimes needing……to take more time to listen…wisdom…more time to be…

- Elspeth – aspirant to a druid path

Granny’s House

I go to Grandma’s house,Follow the twisting pathThrough trees age thick and toweringBetween shadow and sun poolsBringing what I have.

Of course there are wolvesGrandma wolves, grandma woodsClear path unprotectedWilderness inviting, wolfishI come to risk my flesh.

Grandma’s house, place of cakeMystery, tea and transformationDo not rescue me fromHer animal other selfGrandma wolf, Granny death.

Hard to find, hardly here,Long legged, amblingAll chicken magic and bonesGrandma’s house, elusiveSomewhere beyond the track.

Bring what I have:Blood, innocence, lifeTo be touched, changed byGrandma’s dark compassionGrandma Baba Yaga.

- Nimue

Samhain's Mystical Call - An Autumn Trilogy

Sunlight WaningEarths fertility is failing Ripened crops in the fields As Mother Earth gives up her fruits We reap the harvest from springtime sown seeds The darkness beckons peaking over lights shoulder As natures orange cloak prepares to descend over the green trees Celebrate in corns golden joy

The Sunlight fades as the darkness approaches, but today is in balance. The harvest of fruits from the trees gives life to the creatures of the earth. The final warmth of summer bathes the land As the plants and trees start to withdraw into winters gloom But first comes the Autumnal hues of red, brown, yellow and gold proceeding winters stark grey cold Birds fly south across the autumn skies As the glint of summer sun disappears from our eyes Now is the time to withdraw As the nights draw in and temperature falls, we look forward to Samhain's mystical call.

The heat of Summer, but a distant memory. As Father Sun descends the western sky. Darkness now reigns as the light is retreating. The veil between the worlds is thin. This is the time to celebrate the turning of the years wheel, to remember those that have passed. This is the time to rejoice in Samhain’s mystical call.

Dark windows dressed with orange bright Pumpkins. Their twinkling light warning the spirits, Enchanting the children with their flickering glow, as through the trees the first chill winds blow Let us raise our glasses to the ancestors and toast to the future, Let us cast a spell for good health, Praise the goddess, the mother, the crone. As we drink our mead and feast on earths harvest It is the time to embrace Samhain’s Mystical call.

- Stormwatch

I visited this taula in Menorca in October last year. Around twelve feet high, this particular taula is one of many found in Menorca, but nowhere else. They are known to have been built by the Talayotic people, between 1000 and 300BCE, and it is widely thought that they had a religious purpose. I spent some time here, alone in a grove of ancient holm oaks at sunset, and the spirits of place, of the trees and of the ancestors were tangible

- Louise

Haiku

Druids salute the sunmelting through midwinter mist –oak trees robed in fog

- Andrew

Druidry and the Ancestors, by Nimue Brown

Books written with authority are rare enough. Books about Druidry both ancient and modern written with authority are rarer. To begin with, there are too few writers who know what they are talking about. It shouldn’t be difficult in a field where the known facts are thin on (and very often beneath) the ground. Yet the shelves are filled with books that assume an authority they do not have. It is, therefore, exceedingly refreshing, not to say a relief, to read a book that not only deals with the facts, but does so in a fashion that is confident, exploratory, and which questions itself at every turn.

It may seem a paradox that a confident book questions itself, but only an author confident of their knowledge and understanding is prepared to do this, open themselves to a sensible discussion of the subject they present. In this case it is about something many Druids talk about and acknowledge but which few have explored. Here the exploration is comprehensive, not just of the subject but of the tools required to approach the subject.

In order to understand the ramifications of our relationship with our ancestors, we are treated to a useful and entertaining examination of the way in which poor old Lindow Man has been treated since his corpse was pulled from a peat bog. There is no doubt he has become inspirational. I worked in museums for years and of all the wonderful things it has been my privilege to study, none has held me as fascinated as Lindow Man. However, I soon gave up reading about him as the wild speculation and outright daft claims made me realise it would be many years before we could return to him and treat him with the respect and honesty he deserves.

The same is so of our ancestors in general. We cannot approach them, work with them, and learn from them until we are properly equipped to do so and fully understand just who our ancestors were. This book allows us to get well along that path and build a firm foundation for our own work – for there is no denying that we each will have a different approach, simply because it is a personal relationship. Yet we all have things in common otherwise a relationship cannot get started. With that in mind, we must acknowledge that being Druid is more than an intellectual exercise or book learning. Yet our first steps into the forest (unless we want to stumble about making no contribution) need guidance.

Our work with our ancestors has all the guidance you could wish for in this book. It is well set out, easy to read even though it tackles difficult subject, embracing, and clearly part of a conversation in which the reader is meant to partake. You don’t take it as gospel and you know the author does not want you to. She wants you to learn and then go and learn some more so you can come back to the conversation with something new to add.

All in all, one of those books that every Druid should have in their essential library.- Graeme K Talboys

Events

9 Nov & 14 DecSHAM-TASTIC OPEN DRUMMING CIRCLEBiddenden Village Hall, Biddenden, Kent, TN27 8BB Monthly open drum circle, run by Phil and Lynne Cowley Jones. Held on the 2nd Friday of each month. Mixed drumming with a shamanic flavor, this group will be light hearted and fun... 7:30pm til 10pm, Open to all drummers and strummers.See http://shamanickent.blogspot.com/p/open-drum-circle.html to confirm dates. 14 Nov & 12 DecDRUMMERS AND TALEWEAVERS CIRCLEArchenland, Hereford 2nd Wednesday every month: drumming & taleweaving circle with Elen Sentier … open to all pagans. Time & Cost: 7-10pm: £3. Contact elen.sentier@yahoo.co.uk to get directions.

Saturday 17th November 2012THE TDN CONFERENCEBilberry Hill Centre, Lickey, West MidlandsWell, we had such a great time at our first Conference in 2010 - it was bound to berepeated! This year, we have confirmed speakers including Emma Restall Orr,Suzanne Thomas and Nimue Brown. We have workshops on poetry and drumming. We have stalls featuring hand-crafted and ethically-sourced goods, brilliant vegan caterers . And to top the evening off, we have music from Paul Mitchell and Talis Kimberley!We're pleased to be able to charge the same ticket prices as last time - no increase!£12.50 per ticket bought online (door prices will be higher). Book now - we do have alimit on numbers and I'm sure we're going to be filling up! http://druidnetwork.org/en/conference/tickets

Sat 01 DecMISTLETOE CEREMONYTenbury Wells This years Mistletoe Ceremony in Tenbury Wells,is on Saturday 1st December and will start with the Procession from The Rose and Crown (as is tradition) at 2pm. We will be accompanied once again by the fabulous Bang On Drummers. When we reach the Burgage in Tenbury the ceremony will begin. Its a celebration and thanksgiving for the harvests of the Teme Valley, the Hops, Apples and of course MISTLETOE! Open to all and all are welcome. For further info please see http://www.mistletoefoundation.co.uk

Sun 02 DecHANDS OF OUR ANCESTORSFowlerstone Woods, Vigo, Kent Crafting a clay bowl oil lamp in Honour of the Ancestors of our Land.

A day of crafting, ritual, journeying and working with the stories of our Ancestors. With our ancestral oil lamps crafted by our own hands in honour of our ancestors, we light them as we remember honour and build our sacred relationship to the ancestors of land and indeed our blood. £30 - FFI or to book please email rob@woodspirit.org.uk

Sun 16 DecTHE GORSEDD OF BARDS OF COR GAWR MIDWINTER GATHERINGStonehenge, Wiltshire. (Limited access, date subject to alteration)The Gorsedd of Cor Gawr meets at Stonehenge and within the surrounding sacred landscape to hold gatherings and ritual to honour the time of year, the land and the path of the Bard and Druid. Join us as we gather at midwinter to honour the darkness and mystery of this time of year. The midwinter gathering will be from 4:30pm-6:30pm on Sunday 16th December 2012. Numbers are strictly limited and tickets are available only in advance from the 1st of October. Further ordering information can be found at http://bards.org.uk Please order early! Arrangements subject to final confirmation by English Heritage.

Sun 23 DecANDERIDA GORSEDD - WINTER SOLSTICEThe Long Man of Wilmington, East Sussex We meet in the Long Man of Wilmington car park betweem 1.30 and 2pm for a walk up to the hill figure at 2pm. Southwick Moot is at The Ship Inn on the second Monday of each month. Meet 8pm in the saloon bar. A talking stick moot. Mark your diaries and here's to a great 2012!

SEASONAL & EVERYDAY DRUIDRYRegular workshops, public ritual and 1-1 teaching with Cat Treadwell in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Visit http://druidcat.wordpress.com/druidry-workshops-2 for the latest upcoming events.

For more details on all Events listed here, and the latest updates on what's happeningnear you, please visit the Events page of www.druidnetwork.org