by EnchantedWolf | Apr 2, 2011 | Wisdom
Who and what is wise? Well, I’m going to set a limit on the list; I find that I if I look very deeply, there is truth and wisdom in everyone, depending upon the context. We certainly all are capable of being wise – including other animals. And yes, that includes myself, too, although I didn’t put myself on this small list.
My Mother demonstrated wisdom when she moved away from her birth family in Connecticut to live near one of her daughters. She realised she was getting older, and actually needed more ongoing support to remain as independent as possible as she got older.
My dear friend, Rhett, shows his wisdom all the time, in his careful consideration of how he can best serve his community, friends and family. He’s excellent at discerning what they need and how he can meet those needs without giving too much and hurting himself. I watched him grow through this… he is a huge giver.
My sister, Susan, is wise and canny; she approaches everything with careful deliberation, with an eye towards future impact and careful consideration of every potential angle. She sets her plan in motion, and works that plan, and makes things happen in a good way. I learned so much watching her manage all the challenges in her life over the years.
Natalie loves life and understands her boundaries and limitations. She’s willing to do what needs to be done, even if it’s hard or scary, but, she also knows what she DOESN’T WANT. She’s very clear about her life and path through it. She also understands that you need to be committed to growth and challenge, and decided that her life was too small for her. After completing her Wiccan 3rd degree, she has gone on to lead her coven in training year, and will hive off at that time and step into full leadership, into the role of High Priestess. Glè mhath!
Brandi wisely understands that she loves excitement, chaos and face-time with people, and that she’s great in a scrape – she served her time in Iraq as a solider in the United States Army. When she receives her degree in psychology, she’s going to work with the Red Cross in disaster relief, to best apply all her strengths, including her deep need to truly help people.
Some more people on the list, that I need to do further research on and will add to this post:
Abraham Lincoln
Jesus
Sobonfu Somé
Sandra Ingerman and Caitlín Matthews
Black Elk and other First Nations leaders / shamans
Also on this list are wolves, whales and other animals; again, humans do not have a corner on wisdom. (I’m making a whole Oracle Deck out of Wolf wisdom 😉 )
I could go on and on – so many people, so many situations – there is so many things to be learned and so much to absorb.
by EnchantedWolf | Apr 2, 2011 | Wisdom
I thought I’d start out my studies here, really, really pedestrian. The dictionary definition(s). Wow. Astounding in my unoriginality!
ADF, through the Dedicant Handbook and the supplementation, defines wisdom as part of the first triad, things that are acquired through spiritual strivings and embracing the qualities of openness and thoughtfulness. “Good judgement, the ability to perceive people and situations correctly, deliberate about and decide on the correct response.”
In Gàidhlig, the words for wisdom are gliocas, tuigse or, the one I use more often, eòlas. Source: My Green Dictionary
Some wonderful keywords for wisdom would be knowledge, discernment, judgment. Source: http://tribes.tribe.net/diasporagael/thread/ee5bfbf7-ef5c-4198-bd92-eca5f337124f
The dictionary definition is, roughly, 1. The results of wise judgments; scientific or practical truth; acquired knowledge; erudition.
2. The quality of being wise; knowledge, and the capacity to make due use of it; knowledge of the best ends and the best means; discernment and judgment; discretion; sagacity; skill; dexterity.
by EnchantedWolf | Apr 1, 2011 | General Thoughts & Comments
From Week 1 of the DP/Wheel of the Year document by Rev. Dangler, there are a series of homework questions I’ve been thinking about and need to record.
I realise I’ve chosen to embark on the DP journey for ADF for two main reasons. Firstly, there has been something lacking in my practice for far too long, namely, connection to the Gods and the honoring and worshiping of said. Greer’s brilliant essay regarding the differences between OBOD and ADF really nail it on the head. I’ve been with OBOD for 11 years, and, although I’m an Ovate, and I have developed a strong Path, again, there’s something missing.
Secondly, I feel disconnected from OBOD. I don’t have Seed Groups or Groves that are easily accessible here where I live, so I miss out on any face-time or meaningful connection with others. I found community here with local Pagan groups, mostly Wiccans, but I don’t follow a Wiccan Path. I feel as though I may have a better chance of face-time and inclusion in ADF.
I’m hoping that this will evolve into my Path, right alongside OBOD. I feel there is room in my life – actually a necessity – for both. As an Ovate, divination, shamanic techniques and my own carefully thought-out practice are all valuable, as well as practicing magick and working with the local groups here in open circles, but, I’m a Druid, and the more I study Wicca, the more I realise my theology and Path doesn’t really mesh with theirs.
What I’m hoping to get out of this, and what I expect to learn, is HOW TO CONNECT AND HONOR THE GODS. I need concrete tools and a feedback forum to develop them in. To achieve this, I actually joined an online Wiccan college and started on a Dedicant 1st Degree Path with them, but, I really want my Druidry – and I took a fresh look at ADF. Well, I was led here, really, but, that goes under the Patrons heading. 🙂 And oh yes, it helped that their very name is Gaeilge, although there’s nary a lick of that in me and my Gaelic is Scottish – Gàidhlig.
Do I know where this Path will take me? Well, ultimately, it will take me where I’m supposed to be. I’m checking my expectations at the door, and leading with Heart. My heart is happy, and it’s full, and I’m ready to start, because the time feels right. There is another element to this, of course – the Vernal Equinox has just past, and that’s a great time to start things and nurture the growth of them.
This course will be a true challenge. I am intimidated by the obvious calibre of the writings and scholarship of the membership of ADF, and it will be a test of my fortitude (my clan motto, by the way – my family is Scottish). I’m an artist, not a researcher, but I do deeply enjoy the exploration, and I love to stretch and push and raise the bar. I’m thrilled to be part of an organisation whose tagline is ‘Why Not Excellence’!! Why not, indeed!
by EnchantedWolf | Mar 31, 2011 | Power Animal - Wolf
Something just touched my heart very deeply; I made a huge connection. I’m reading through Rev. Dangler’s ADF Dedicant Path Through the Wheel of the Year, and in the opening paragraphs of the introduction, he makes a statement that is an arrow through my heart.
He writes: ‘We hope to show all our Dedicants not only how to write a book report, but also how to walk the Path that is in their heart.’ WOW.
To understand the significance of this, I want to recount a portion of a shamanic journey that I took some years ago, a classic dismemberment journey wherein the Walker (that’s me) is torn apart and reassembled by the animal who chooses them. Very briefly, the journey involved a wolf pack that literally ripped me to shreds and ground my bones to powder, until there was nothing left, and one of the wolves – the alpha – handed my heart back to me beating, intact and whole, after he regurgitated it. (My journey focus was ‘how do I deepen my path?’)
My power animal, who was keeping up a running narrative throughout the whole process, by the way, told me that ‘this is all I needed’ to follow this path. My heart. As I would say in Gaelic, Sin e.
I have spent much time now in reading and reflection, and made many subsequent journies since this one, and I have come to understand deeply what he meant by this. And yet again, here it is, echoed in the words of Rev. Dangler.
It is significant that it was my HEART and not my MIND that was given back. It is the heart – that part of us that experiences compassion, empathy and love – also fortitude – that I need for this path. Of course, it was also significant that the heart was whole, healthy and beating, as well.
In the words of one of my Teachers, ‘in the centre of every human being is the heart – it is the seat of the sacred self. This is where we ultimately go to find answers and to make choices in our lives. Your Sacred Self is your ultimate authority. This place must always be respected and remembered.’
The animals are wise.
by EnchantedWolf | Mar 31, 2011 | Power Animal - Wolf
Well, it’s not a bad job considering I only spent a few hours on it; it is a sketch, and not meant to be perfect, but, the animal’s name came to me as I was walking my dog amid a very lovely, crisp evening.
Since my Power Animal (animal totem) is wolf, and my magickal name is EnchantedWolf, as is the name of my art studio, it was only fitting. He or she – I haven’t received enough information to know, actually – told me to call him/her WinterWhite. So, the name of the piece is ‘WinterWhite Watches’. He or she is an arctic wolf, and it was an interesting challenge to choose the undercolours for the coat.
Wolves are double-coated, and arctic wolves, canis lupis arctos, is a subspecies of the Grey. That magnificent, dense coat allows the animal to endure sub-zero temperatures, sometimes for years. They are anywhere from white to creme to beige; I have between 6-10 colours in that little sketch. So much for white!
These beautiful animals live in absolute darkness for five months out of the year, and their eyesight is poor, as are all wolves, but, their stare is said to be very human-like (I don’t see it that way). One thing I enjoyed learning whilst doing this piece was how this animal’s eyes were set differently in the head than my husky, Teddy, who has the same colour eyes.
White Wolves have been visiting me in signs and omens and dreams for many, many years, and this little study/sketch was an honor to do. May my beloveds watch over my journey!
