Autumn Song (Joanna van der Hoeven) was born in Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian mountains. She grew up on the edge of a small town, with her best friends the miles of forest that stretched behind her house and the horses in the fields below by the river. Her love of hiking and camping stemmed from childhood holidays, where she and her family would go to Mont Tremblant National Park and set up the tent for a week. Her fondest childhood memories are of listening to the loons on the lake at sunset, and climbing to the mountain’s summit to see the old, rounded volcanic hills spread out in all directions, with trees and lakes as far as the eye could see. Autumn’s first ventures into Paganism were through Wicca, where she practiced as a solitary in her college days in Montreal at the age of eighteen. She studied Wicca for ten years before coming to Druidry in her late twenties. Autumn moved to the United Kingdom and discovered the songs of the Emerald Isles, and the language that flowed with it, of pure awen. She began her studies in Druidry and for many years practised alone, with the wind and the trees, the seasons and old stories as her guides. In 2005, Autumn set up a local group of Pagans in Suffolk to celebrate the seasons, marking the turning of the year and also to study together. Over the years the group has developed, and is now known as Spirit Grove. Having read the books by Druid author Emma Restall Orr, Autumn joined The Druid Network and began Emma’s Living Druidry course, set over a year’s cycle in the beautiful Cotswolds countryside. She studied for a year, complimenting her own studies with the practical work and guidance of Bobcat’s tutelage, and went deeper into the Druid tradition.
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 Autumn took the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids correspondence course and is an Ovate of OBOD. She continues to study as much as she can, learning not only from books and people but also from the land around her, her spirit guides and animal allies. Autumn now lives in Suffolk, and continues her work in Druidry by working for charities, writing for The Druid Network and doing other jobs for TDN, such as their Podcast and running the stall at pagan events throughout the UK. She sings back to the land where she lives, letting the awen flow. She cares a great deal about the land upon which she lives, and has a special affinity for animals of all kinds. She enjoys hiking and camping, and has interests in theology and art. She is also a poet, musician and writer. She has written two books, "Intinct and Inspiration" and "Falconwing". She has also written many articles for The Druid Network, as well as interviews and book reviews. |
