December 10, 2011
Fire is like our mind. Like our mind, it is bright, full of energy, of thoughts, dancing like flames. The flames of our mind can bring forth inspiration and beauty, or they can destroy all in their path. We must tend to the fires of our mind, to know the spirit of fire, and so by doing know the spirit of our own self.
When our mind is free of harmful thoughts, towards ourselves or other beings, then the fire burns bright and clear. It is a steady flame, blue at its heart, warming and nurturing all that it needs to. However, when our mind is full of negative thoughts, the flames burn inefficiently, sparks flying from dark pockets of pooled negativity trapped within the wood that we feed into the fire of our minds. Our minds must be cleared of these thoughts, and to begin we must first notice these thoughts.
The fire of the mind must be fed correctly. Fire is hungry. Our minds are hungry. We always want more, desire filling our minds, burning hot. We must feed this correctly, and by doing so, feed our needs more so than our desires. Desire burns quickly and fades, our needs are a constant thing. We should feed our minds thoughts that are like the hardest of woods, which will burn long and true. Desires burn like soft wood – good for getting the fire going, but burning out long before the nurturing heat can set it that warms the heart and warms the soul.
Feed the mind too much, and the fire in the head burns out of control. We process so much information, it is no wonder our thoughts burn constantly in our minds. We must learn to stockpile our thoughts correctly, so that we feed the fire slowly. Noticing our thoughts in meditation, they soon settle, and the fire which at first rampages burns more constantly. Soon, all our extraneous thoughts become the flames, dancing, flickering, playing in our minds, giving light but not that much heat. When these flames settle, our thoughts burn like the coals beneath, shining with their own inner light.
We must learn not to disturb our minds with too much information. If you are constantly playing with a fire, it will never settle and burn correctly. Let the thoughts settle, and inspiration will burn brighter than ever. Sit, and simply be, every day, for as long as you can. Meditate before a fire, and you will soon understand the fire in the head.
Posted by Autumn Song.
April 17, 2011
It was Lady Raglan who first coined the term "Green Man" in her 1939 article "The Green Man in Church Architecture" in The Folklore Journal. He is often seen in relation to Jack in the Green, a figure which is gaining popularity in many seasonal celebrations, pagan or not. Other names for this figure are Puck, Robin Goodfellow, the Wild Man and the Green Knight. The Green Man has survived centuries of Christianity, and is currently enjoying a popular revival, in both paganism and folklore c... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
April 17, 2011
I love the word wilderness. It conjures up images of windswept moors and heathland, dark tangling forests and craggy mountaintops. That spirit of the untamed, the uncivilised, that spark that humanity cannot touch, much in the same way as deity is traditionally viewed. For many Druids, that wilderness is deity – it has the power to give or sustain life or the power to kill. It has not and, in many places, cannot be touched by human hands, existing without any human interference. I like... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
April 12, 2011
Druidry, perhaps more than any other strand of Paganism in the wide weave of spiritual traditions, takes the environment into consideration on so many levels. Druidry – most commonly believed to be from the old Irish words dru and wid meaning “oak knower”, or even the Proto-European deru and weid “oak-seeker” acknowledges this communion with nature in the very roots (pardon the pun) of the word. Heathenry – one from the heaths, or Wicca (most commonly believed to be from the S... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
July 5, 2010
Nemetona
Hail to my Lady of the twilight, of stillness and sanctuary, who calls and welcomes me into her cool embrace, offering shelter, comfort, stillness and the freedom to simply be. You of the sacred grove, of the temple, of a quiet room, of calm in chaos. I honour you with all that I am.
Little is known of Nemetona, a goddess whose veneration was once widespread around the area of Trier, Germany by the people known as the Nemetes. An altar to her was also found at Bath, England. Sh... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
July 2, 2010
Summer
With summer fully (and finally!) here, we are reminded of the sun’s strength and power. The crops are ripening under golden rays, the wheat growing tall and the barley yellowing in the long summer days. What we have sown, what we have tended so dearly to in the early spring, and nurtured throughout a tumultuous season of returning frosts and cold north winds is finally coming towards a harvest. All very nearly ruined by late frosts, many crops – both those o... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
July 2, 2010
Forests are special places. Every time I come across a certain birch wood, deep within Tunstall Forest, my heart just expands, my soul dissolving. I become a part of the forest, losing my sense of self and recognising that I am a part of things, and not separate from it.
I cannot find this deep sense of connectedness in other places so easily. I think that this is because we can be in a forest. We can be upon... Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
July 2, 2010
Walking through Tunstall Forest today, I saw some deer trotting through the dry undergrowth as I came to a very special spot - a young birchwood. A small adder crossed the path in front of me, and the words that you see posted by railway crosssings came to mind - stop, look & listen. The words rang through my head, followed by the word, FEEL.
I sat down, put my hands onto the warming earth, and, with eyes closed, felt the forest. The warm energy beneath my ...
Continue reading...
Posted by Autumn Song.
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