In a bid to actually focus and finish the Dedicant Path, I’m keeping this online journal to consolidate all my thoughts and writings on my path and to document my growth as a Druid and a Pagan.
Week 15 Wrap-up
I can't believe another week has come and gone. This one worked so much better than what I had been doing before. I have to learn not to pressure myself with very rigid standards; I have to learn how to pace myself, when to push and when to go easier. The meditation...
Week 15 Mental Training – No thoughts, no images
This week, I posted a little late my practice. First of all, I'm not setting a goal for daily work. That is too much of a strain, as my health has taken a nosedive, and I'm really struggling. My goal and practice this week is to try no more than 3 times, to sit and do...
Week 14 Wrap-up
I liked this one. I had a good time, dancing around and drumming. Mr. Teddy followed me around (that's my dog) and I enjoyed playing pied piper. It was a joyful activity, more so than some of the other things I've done. It felt more like PLAY. I did have some issues,...
Week 14 – Repetitive Motion / Music
I've decided this week to do 10 minutes of drumming every day for this phase of the meditation / mental training. I love drumming, and it builds energy for me, and makes me feel connected to things in a way that is beyond words. It's as though my drum vibrates the web...
Week 13 Chant wrapup
I loved it, and I would like to revisit this again; I even arose at Dawn on the Equinox, and was able to watch the sun rise. This is very unusual for me; but for some reason, this chant just - worked.
4th High Day Ritual
For Samhraidhreadh, I decided to look at some rituals already used by solitaries here at ADF, and have a go at one. I chose a ritual for Fall Equinox published on the ADF website, written by Aigeann (http://www.adf.org/rituals/general/sol-fall-equinox.html). My...
Badger
I realize, over time, that Badger is an animal that I heavily relate to. It's a member of the weasel family. They range in length from two to three feet and are about twelve inches high. Family members often mark each other with scent for recognition since their sight...
Samhraidhreadh, or Mabon, from a Wiccan point of view
For the Wiccan coven I study with, Mabon is the second of three harvest festivals, preceded by Lughnasadh and followed by Samhain, and falls on the Autumnal equinox. The actual name 'Mabon' is a contemporary, new name for the Sabbat coined in the 1970’s. Until that...
Week 13 Meditation – Daily Chant
My week 13 starts today, and I've decided to do something experimental, something that just 'felt right'. I want to do a daily devotional in the form of a chant. This chant is a Sun greeting taught to me by my mentors in the Foundation for Shamanic Studies; it...
Week 12 Wrapup
I had fun with this mindfulness exercise, although I only did it twice. I used an orange and blackberries. I love the orange meditation, because it's reminiscent of childhood and climbing the orange trees in the grove in the summertime to get to the fruit. I also love...
Ritual plan for Samhraidhreadh
I'm going to do what I did for Lunasduinn... I'm going to take a pre-existing ADF ritual, and work through it, with the focus on the Core order, and some memorisation.
4th High Day – Samhraidhreadh
This high day is an actual astronomical event; in the Northern Hemisphere, it takes place this coming Friday, Sep 23, at 9:04 AM; I need to check to see the local time. There are many names for this event; the September Equinox, The Autumnal Equinox, Alban Elfed...
A quick Gaelic note on my 2nd High Day
I found reference to the Summer Solstice as being referred to as 'An Fheill-Eoinm', on a website called 'Celtic World'. However, I do know that one of the authors of the site is a SF writer; but I don't know what her scholarship is. The Gaelic means, basically,...
SMO Schedule and registration open!!!
I heard again from SMO - their regular track for the Gaelic programme is now taking registration. However, since they caught me flat-footed with finances and overcommitment to other things, I'm going to have to go for the February intake. Here's the info: "We are now...
Week 12 Meditations – Mindfulness
After a bit of thought, I've decided to do something a little more lighthearted and whimsical. It's a combination of visualization and mindfulness. I've seen this opening meditation many times, in many different places, so I'm not sure of the source, but I'll list at...
Week 11 Recap – Rhythmic breathing
This week went really badly. A week ago I started having serious breathing problems, and realised on top of everything, I caught a cold. It was hard to deal with what I set for myself, and I just mostly failed in the attempt. I was being very unrealistic to think i...
Love and energy to all struggling with the wildfires
There are lots of good people in the path of the Texas fires, and my heart goes out, as well as my prayers, to those affected by them. May the Gods protect you during this trying time. I live in the Central Texas area, and although I'm not in the direct path of the...
Week 11 Meditation
I am choosing to do another breath / discipline meditation this week, although it might be folly. I do not plan on doing this daily, this time; I will wait a few days before starting this, and only do it 4 or 5 times this week. Again, I'm exhausted from shallow...
Week 10 Wrapup
I don't have much to say, except I'm glad I did this. And, I had problems with this too, related to my health problems, asthma and the horrible fires Central Texas is experiencing. Breathing deeply hurts, and shallow breathing makes me very tired. But, this was...
Week 10 Meditation
And it is. I'm leaving off Tai Chi, and going ahead and doing a breathing meditation this week. I looked at a couple of them, one from Alberto Villoldo, and another from Anodea Judith; I finally settled on this one: "Bring your attention to the sensation of breathing....
Week 9 Wrap up
Jeeezzz.... I got behind on my wrap-up and posting... life goes way too fast. The Tai Chi I had variable success with. I love it, I love doing it... but since I'm such a rank beginner, I'm still just learning poses and trying to get more fit just to be able to DO it....
Week 9 Meditation – Tai Chi
I love Tai Chi. For this week, I decided to start moving again - I feel more up to it. I have a bunch of DVDs for beginners, and I also found this website that's helping me work on learning the movements: http://www.everyday-taichi.com/ I'm not very good at it, in...
Meditation Week 8 wrap up
I did the Light Body, and it's something I've done for many years and find very comforting. I don't really have much to say about it, except that it's something I always seem to fall back on, and I have a lot of good experiences with it. All-in-all a good week.
Heard from SMO
Right now, they've got the new semester up for Cùrsa Inntrigidh Earrann 1 , but it's the accelerated track. Jeez. I don't think I could handle that. My own local Gaelic group is going in full swing again, YAY! after a hiatus, and I just don't have the courage, or the...
Meditation Week 8 – Light Body Exercise
For this week's practice, I'm reaching back into my beginning days with OBOD; I've been practicing this for a good 13 to 15 years now. Wow! Time flies! The exercise is referred to as 'The Light-Body', and is part of Bardic Grade training. It is essentially a seated...