PAGAN PATHS
Issue
BOOK: THE FIRST
Dedication This book is dedicated to everyone I have met whilst walking this path of mine. Some may have just been passing through whereas others have become lifelong friends. No matter where you sit in the journey thank you for joining me and walking beside me for at least part of the way.
Pagan Paths has been published to provide seekers with an indication of the variety of paths and choices that they can make as they follow their personal journey into Paganism. First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Moonshadow Media Productions, 6 Lee Place, Ilfracombe, Devon. EX34 9BQ Copyright Š Moonshadow Media Productions All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the express permission, in writing from the publisher except by a reviewer who may quote passages and reproduce images for the purposes of a review. 2
Table of Contents 04
Introduction
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Dave Baxter / The Merlin - owner of CauldronFM / Capstone Radio
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Rebecca Head - owner of The Witches Shop
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Kai Seidr - owner of WildWizardCrafts
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Wayne Hughes - Arch Druid, Phoenix Order of Druids
18 Sabrina Randall - Equine Therapist 22 Catherine Green - Wife, Mother and Author 24 Joan Farrell - Watercrone 26 Gary Ray 29 Delphine Sutherland - Tarot Reader / Artist 31 Avalon Whitefeather - Teacher, Therapist, High Priestess 34 Lianne - Writer, Artist, Photographer 36 Tom Newman - Record Producer, Musician, Composer and Poet 38 Helen Sparshott - Druid
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Introduction The paths through this life are many and various, nobody can say, for certain, which, if any is the correct path. Indeed, in my own life I have passed through Christianity, Agnosticism and Pagan with numerous changes along the way. By far and away my biggest and strongest feelings of belonging and working in harmony with life and the planet, have come since I accepted my life as a pagan, instead of fighting against it. The beauty of this particular route is that there are many teachers, all of whom offer wonderful lessons based on both experience and ancient wisdoms, but at the root of all these teachings there is always freedom of choice! Not for me the dogmatic approach of followers of certain faiths and belief systems, those who profess that their way is “The Way” or “The Truth”. Those who claim tolerance and yet attempt to persuade other people to adjust their ways and beliefs to match their’s cannot be said to exhibit tolerance, can they? The decision to compile this book (which was originally going to be a magazine) was taken in the Spring of 2014. I do not know how long it will take to complete, in fact, it may never reach completion in my lifetime. The idea is that it will be a living document detailing the various pathways that people have chosen to follow – all of those falling under the broad heading of Paganism. Please understand from the outset that the inclusion of a piece of writing, that is a documentation of someone’s personal journey, is not an indication of my belief in the things they believe in, but it is an expression of recognising that each person has their own journey, their own path to follow. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the making of this book by providing details of their own personal path so far. And so let it beginEEEEEEE.
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Dave Baxter / The Merlin CauldronFM - online Pagan Radio
Let us begin this book with a little bit about me or maybe the person you think of as being me. My name is Dave – but that is not my name. I live in a seaside town in North Devon, on the UK coast – but that is not my home. I work in the entertainment industry – but that is not my job. My male body is 60 + years old – but that is not my sex nor is it my age. So as you can see dear friend who I am and who I appear to be are not always the same things. Now this may have confused you and I make no apologies for that. It was an intentional thing because it simply illustrates that we are different things to different people depending on the time and place. In this existence I was born into a middle class Christian family but by the age of 14 or 15 that changed. I had been told by the Minister of the Chapel I had attended for years that although I had been christened in that very building and that my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles had all attended and taken a very active role in chapel life, I was “not a member of this church” I could not believe that a cleric could begin to think such a thing, let alone say it, and it confirmed my suspicions that I wanted none of it. There were different and possibly better paths that I could follow. I threw myself into the process of comparing different beliefs and for a while I became a Buddhist, an agnostic, an atheist – in fact, I wandered from belief to belief for many years and drifted directionless in a Sea of Holes (ref: Lennon / McCartney Yellow Submarine). Then all of a sudden I discovered the “New Age” and something inside of me just clicked. I had found something I could relate to, I had arrived 5
“home”, to a place I had never been although I had been there many times. That place was the Somerset town of Glastonbury. The vibration there resonated with my own personal vibrations. Never before had I experienced such a deep sense of belonging. I sat and talked with people about things that I had only heard of as passing comments, I discovered the magick of meditation, of being present, of working with crystals. I learned things about how colours can affect one’s moods and how sounds can be healing, about the sacred feminine, about being still and yet experiencing monumental movement. On reflection I have often wondered how I coped with this major influx of knowledge in such a short space of timeEE.from discovering the place to taking my first meditation group and joining the NFSH (the National Federation of Spiritual Healers) was approximately 6 months. I felt so fired up by what was happening I could not wait to share these things with other people. However, I learned one very important lesson out of that, one that has stayed with me to this day and that is – you cannot make people change, they must first want to change and then you can guide them through the process. After discovering all of the above I then went on to learn that a vast number (not everyone, I hasten to add) of my new found friends and associates followed Pagan paths. At first I found this very confusing because there was a sense of “knowing” that conflicted with the world that I knew and lived in. Mine was a world of business, grasping, a “dog eat dog” culture. A world forever chasing the “almighty dollar” and “keeping up with the Jones family”. But, this new world I had fallen into was so very different. It was full of people who looked like me, walked like me and spoke the English language but they were walking in a different place on the same street. It was as if some subculture was beckoning to me from afar and saying that it was ok to relax into it, that everything would be ok, simple existences were fine. The animal kingdom does not require cars or televisions and yet it has everything it needs or could ever want.
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Now please don't misunderstand me when I make this comparison with the animal kingdom. I am not saying that we can, or should do without the comforts that being human can bring us, I for one like my caravan, my car, my house, my ipad etc. etc. etc. but the difference is that now I realise I could survive without them. So after almost 25 years of being the “new me� where am I on my journey into me? I have learned a lot but now I know less than I did when I began to follow this path. I am now a life coach, a musician, a meditation tutor, a healer using both spiritual and crystal methods. I practice my own solitary style of The Craft, performing rituals as and when I feel it appropriate. I have officiated at several hand-fasting celebrations for friends. I revere the natural world in all her shapes and forms and would never knowingly harm a living thing (with the exception of flies which I cannot stand*). If asked what path through The Craft I tread, I would (and often do) respond - solitary, tending towards Hedge Witchery. I recognise that I am still learning and that the journey is a long and sometimes difficult one but it is worth every step. As a part of my learning experience I would love to study sound therapy with my good friend (from the very first days of my own Glastonbury Experience), Elaine Thompson who is one of the world's experts in the style of therapy I would love to explore. I have an interest in the Tarot as a working tool and have fairly recently been performing meditations with certain cards from the Major Arcana. Thanks Delphine! So that is a tiny part of my story. I thank the Goddess and all the other people whose lives have touched mine along this path. I hope that you, the reader, have found it of interest and will enjoy the rest of this book. Blessed Be, Merlin. * see I still acknowledge my imperfections 7
Rebecca Head The Witches Shop
Merry Meet, my name is Rebecca and this is the story of how I became a Witch. I was brought up as a Christian in the Salvation Army. I was quite a devoted Christian and was very keen on working my way up the ranks of the Salvation Army. I was a ‘Junior Soldier’, I sang in the choir, I played the tambourine, I went on the marches, I played in the band and I went to all the bible study groups. I was happy in this practice, life was simple and I was too young to understand or know any different. However, I always believed in magic, fairytales, mythical creatures, fairies, witches, ghosts, dragons and unicorns too, which I thought was normal for a little girl, but I didn’t grow out of this, instead my interest in the mystical and magical grew stronger. I was always accused of being a little aloof and daydreaming too much. As I got older, I started to question the bible and my beliefs and I couldn’t seem to get the answers I was looking for, my devotion to the Christian God waned, I stopped going to bible studies, I rarely attended service on a Sunday until eventually it stopped completely. I wondered what would happen next; surely I was not an atheist? I had to believe in something didn’t I? But it didn’t fit, it didn’t make sense, how could there possibly be this God? And why do so many people worship him? It was definitely over between me and Christianity. Now what was I going to do? Then at the age of 20 I went into a new age shop, this place was like an Aladdin’s cave, full of magic and mystery, fairies and dragons, witches and wizards. It was here that I discovered Paganism. I started to soak up all the information that I could from all the lovely people that went in this shop. They weren’t weird people, they weren’t funny looking with pointy noses, they didn’t have any children in cages and they weren’t at all scary. I bought every book on witchcraft and paganism, I bought every colour candle you can think of, Altar cloths, Athames, Pentagrams, Tarot cards and so much more and thenEtada! That was it; that was the answer to my questionEI, was a Witch! 8
How fabulous I thought. All these years I’ve been daydreaming of magic and being told to snap out of it, now I didn’t have to; it was real. I was overjoyed. Some members of my family still think I’m daydreaming, still think I should snap out of it but at the same time also think I’m going to burn in hell because of my betrayal, how can anyone be so blinkered? This question has plagued me for many years now, and I do not think there is an exact answer except that people will always need someone to blame and God fits that role perfectly. I bought myself a Book of Shadows and my journey began! I decided to follow a solitary path, whether this was due to no longer wanting to be in large groups like with the Salvation Army or because there were so many other paths it was difficult to choose just one to fit into I do not really know, but I do know that it was the right path for me. I am happy in my own company, I like to learn at my own pace and I like that I can add my own interpretations into everything that I do and also I can be flexible. I practice when I can and when the need arises and occasionally I attend open rituals with others as this is a good way to meet new people and learn new things as this journey is a continuous path of learning. Soon, I discovered the reasons why I felt the way I did about the earth, why the moon seemed to speak to me, a new reason for meditation which I’d been doing for years as part of my Martial Arts training, but now I looked at it in a different way as with Chi energy which I’d also used in Martial Arts now I use it as part of my craft. I learned to read the Tarot and to scry, and so many of my friends ask me to do this for them regularly. I love that I can help people with a simple pack of cards and they too can see the answers they are looking for. I found that there were many others like me around and I soon realised that I attracted like minded people into my life but I also found that unless I went to Glastonbury in Somerset, Burley in the New Forest or Cornwall then places for me to go and be with other like minded people were few and far between, as were the shops where I could buy the things I needed. As a result of this I decided to set up my own on line Pagan shop, this has been up and running for nearly a year now (Beltane 2014 1st year anniversary) and through this I have met and made acquaintances with some truly wonderful people (Dave included) and have found places to go where I can chat with similar people about Paganism. 9
I have now been on this path for 16 years and have remained a solitary. I have learned so many things. I use crystals, I use herbs, I use the phases of the Moon, I read the Tarot, I’ve also recently studied mediumship and have also decided to join a school of Witchcraft just so that I can learn a little bit more and I tell everyone proudly that I am a Witch. At the beginning I found that being a solitary was difficult at times. Not having anyone to ask for direction and answers, never really knowing if I was doing it right or not and sometimes just making a right mess of things. And also being in a coven gains you different degrees depending on your level and you can be a High Priestess or Priest which is something you miss out on when being a solitary, I found at the beginning that this seemed to give me less precedence, people seemed to want more, they wanted evidence or proof of some kind of training, this really used to bother me, but I have realised that none of this matters and that I know where I am in my journey, I know I still have a lot to learn and always will but it is the best thing that happened to me and I am so glad that I found it. I’m also really pleased to have taken on a student just this week, she is new to the craft and wants some direction and asked for me to be her teacher. I am sure that throughout this time, I will learn as much from her as she does from me and it will all be quite exciting. So my path continues on this long journeyE until next time Merry Part. )O(
Image by Howard Pinsky
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Kai Seidr WildWizardCrafts
Hi I am Kai from Scotland I first ventured on “The Path� as it is widely known and called, when i was around 15. As someone who spent most days in nature, often daily, I became very attracted to the various forms and textures and shapes of mother nature’s fauna and flora. I felt there must be some very high intelligence behind it all and somewhat magical presence which i felt underfoot as i walked the earth. This Awen (Inspiration) led me to study and read various books on nature, natural history, magic, shamanism, Witchcraft, magical arte, sacred geometry and more. Eventually my much attunement led me to join various Wiccan and Traditional witchcraft covens and attend spiritual conferences on various alternative/mystical sciences at the Edinburgh Uni. and Quaker House. At this time I felt a more deeper attunement to shamanism and earth traditions I began to meld these ways into my daily practice of meditation journeying and ritual and other spiritual devotions. I devoted 15 years to this daily work and learned more and more, that the more I read the more I realized that learning all that I wanted to learn would take lifetimes. Sometime in 1996 I began sharing my inner work through craft making spiritual tools, these I began to sell to the various spiritual communities here in the UK via my Wildwizardcrafts small business. I advertised in underground pagan / earth mystery magazines and had an overwhelming response from customers and admirers. This helped me to continue my spiritual daily practice for the years to come, working and spiritual practice is very hard to juggle!
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I had found my calling and a way to continue my work unhindered whilst at the same time being able to bring my inner wishes and blessings for humanity and mother earth into being through my art and my work. Thus bringing Inspiration, healing and assisting personal empowerment whilst showing people how amazing our mother earth is. Over the past 28 years I have met many wonderful people on many paths though I mostly work solitary apart from Goddess Creativity workshops and groups I hold when called by the Good Lady herself. If there is a need I get the call and I set to work and meld and try to inspire through ritual myth and magic and crafts. I am very attuned to the earth and The Maid, Mother and Crone aspects of old and of course the various trees and plants and minerals of these islands, I feel they have much to teach us and still as we stand in 2014 I do work with god and goddesses with special reverence to The Lord of the Forest however I do not feel it is necessary to follow man - made ideas of godhead, personifications I can really attune with and that is where I draw inspiration, once again - mother earth. I feel there is a fashion in paganism to which I do not relate at all. However, I see why and how it happens, and sometimes see that it can be a harmless entrance into the craft of the wise, so it can sit to the side as I walk along my own path. There are many strong opinions on what and what is not paganism and I feel that it is all a bit blurred, spoken often and done little, by very big egos who seem to get heard the most and even have great followings and readers. Still like with The Fashion! It has its place, sometimes a bad teacher is better than a good one, not all medicine is sweet. The term pagan does not sit with me either, I feel it has been abused and misused as has the word “witch�. We are either made fun of or feared but that is the way of the world. I must say however that I think most spiritual practices should be kept secret and not written about, but in this day and age I suppose it is easier to teach people by book through location and time limits. A lot of traditions and practices would not be copied and abused by those who insist on burning their fingers on the flames, still I must wake up after all it is 2014. 12
If it’s creating harmony within and around its Paganism if it’s not, then its not! I hope to continue my work with craft and the arte of letters and healing both myself and the world in years to come, I hope I continue to be inspired and married to her underfoot, my darling bride, my all, my Wild Love :-) Advice for anyone wanting to explore the world of paganism? - Go outside early in the morning, midday and evening and night, the betwixt times between the worlds see and feel and smell nature, look and listen to all the animals the rustle in the trees and grass, the stars and moon. Look! attune watch over time think deeply breathe deeply attune to it all, you are wild you are an animal in clothes, don’t lose sight of what you are and what you are part of. You are nature! and for me, paganism is nature there can be no separation, Bright Blessings Kai Seidr 2014
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Wayne Hughes Arch Druid, Phoenix Order of Druids
Walking in the path of the God & Goddess
I was born on Mothers Day 1968, 3 days after the spring equinox I was born with disabilities that as I got older would affect my life but has never held me back From a very early age I always knew deep inside that there as something more than the Jewish Christian and Muslim concept of the idea of 1 all being god who deals out love and punishment like a lone distant parent. My family were always in the Orange Order a protestant group in Liverpool and UK and from a child I was always told that was the right way but I always knew there was something much more. As I grew from childhood I saw many things that opened my eyes to the facts that we are spoon fed. My mother has always been into spiritualism which was frowned on by my dad but she had many sessions of the Ouija board and mediums would call around to our house and I saw that was 1 of the doors I would look into as I got older. As a teenager I would look around libraries trying to look for books and only found the very early basic books on magick and occult as even in the 80�s it was still frowned on. In the middle 1980s I started doing my bardic phase until then I just thought I was writing songs and poems and making music and as I grew older I came across many many colourful characters. As the yrs passed I still looked for that connection and in early 1990�s I saw on the TV a man who many thought was a proper nutter, but I knew one day I would cross paths with this man.
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His name was King Arthur Uther Pendragon. He was sitting outside Stonehenge fighting for the rights for the temple to be opened to public access on the sacred time of the Solstices. As we were getting into the 90”s I met people that I knew would help me and show me that the path I was on was the right one and before I knew it I was on my pagan path. I met many practising Wiccans and they showed me many things and I took my steps into the realm of the God and Goddess and I knew from the 1st few times I was walking on a path that I was meant for me. In 1999 I met a man who not only changed my life but told me that I was meant for more than the path I was on as he saw greater things for me. His name was Albert (Fintan the Druid) McCaig, aka my pops. We spoke on many many occasions and he told me things that I knew were real and we worked together in mediumistic circles and pagan circles and he knew something I didn’t he knew I was taking my Druidic grades before I knew it. In 2002 he told me I had 2 doors in front of me, the 1st door was the path that I was on, a good path and an honourable path, but a path that I knew was a safe path. Then there was door 2 the closed door the door that would open but I had to be willing to learn more do more and take more on than I ever thought I could. He told me that he thought that I was ready for door no2 the door was the path of the druid. I told him “yes I want to take the second door” and as he stood there I knew he was proud of me. In those early years I soaked up everything I could and to me to be a true druid you need to look and be able to help people on any path in the pagan community and those who do not follow our path. I stumbled a few times but I knew that we all fall over every now and then, but we get up, we shake ourselves off and get back on the path even when we are told we don’t belong.
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I had gathered around me a very close and merry band of friends who I trusted with my life. In 2004 I was asked to start the Phoenix Order of Druids which has its lineage with the Loyal Arthurian Warband & the Insular Order of Druids. In 2005 I met the man I saw on the TV who was standing for the opening to public access to Stonehenge King Arthur. I was Knighted as one of Arthur’s shield knights and in 2006 I was made Battle Chief of his order L.A.W One of the proudest moments for P.O.D was when we were made full members of the Council Of British Druid Orders. In 2007 I was asked to attend the Summer Solstice Gorsedd in Avebury where I was Raised to Full Arch Druid with many other Arch Druids from other orders in Attendance my pops Albert (Fintan the Druid) was there with us and I asked him had I made him proud with the things I had done since he showed me the 2nd door. His words I hold in my heart forever “you never knocked on the door or opened the door and walked in Son you smashed it in and dived in head 1st and I'm so, so proud of you “ Over the years I have done many handfastings naming and funeral rites. I am also pagan chaplain to many hospitals and I am called to see patients how are ill dying or who just need someone to talk to and I do all this for free. One case was where I was coming out of a chaplain meeting at the local maternity hospital and saw a lady and gent who were so stressed they had the look of hopelessness on there faces I asked them if they were ok and they told me there little one had been born at 28 weeks and they didn’t know if the little girl was going to make it or not and hadn’t been able to get the baby christened. I told them I was a druid and they asked if I would name their baby. I got everything sorted and I named the baby a day later. This little girl is now 7 yrs. old and a beautiful little girl.
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In the smiling and happy times we have had our saddest of times to because in 2008 we lost our member Myke Coxx; in 2012 my pops Albert passed to the Summerlands; and in December 2013 we lost the Battle Chief of P.O.D Howard “H� Irwin. I had the honour to do all the funeral rites for my dear and loving family members who I miss everyday, and I know that they sit in the Summerlands causing mischief. Now in 2014 P.O.D has reached its 10th birthday, we have had our ups and downs as many families do but we are still going strong and get emails and hits on our website everyday from all over the world. We have seedling groups and we are looking at opening more in the near future. I walk the path of the God and Goddess with my beautiful wife Kate & my children, grandchildren and recently my beautiful daughter Rhiannon Cerys who was born in 2012, proof that the God and Goddess walk with us always! Blessed Be. /|\ Wayne Hughes Arch Druid P.O.D.
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Sabrina Randall Equine Therapist
Hello, my name is Sabrina. I live in North Devon with my husband, two sons and a vast array of animals. Like many I started out in a Christian family, attending church weekly and even going on to teach the local Sunday school in my teen years. As I got older though I started to feel it just wasn’t the right faith for me. I don’t think I ever believed in a “one true faith”, I believed if there really was this one divine power they’d acknowledge the fact we lived lives where we didn’t hurt others, loved, cared and were morally just. After all, aren’t they the basis of most faith’s “rules”? Be it the Christian’s 10 commandments or the Witches’ creed. They all have the same foundations. After leaving home I began to read more into other faiths, purely out of interest. I was at a point in my life where I had no faith in particular, nor did I want one. I was studying, becoming a mum for the 1st time and working to pay the bills. I didn’t find time in my day to think about higher powers other than the bank manager! In 2006 I found myself reading about the Wiccan faith, I felt drawn to it in many ways. However after 2-3 years of trying to learn all the in’s and out’s I still didn’t feel on the right path. However I was a lot closer than before. I had come away with several skills for life, including meditation, natural ways of attending to physical and emotional illness and a calmer outlook on life. My stress levels were amazingly low despite a bad relationship break up that saw me a single mother, with no house, no job and standing on my parents door step with a 1 year old baby and my cat Salem (yes Sabrina with Salem the cat...very intentional and tongue in cheek!) Many people would have crumbled, instead I spent my evenings meditating and practicing my tarot cards to help me find my path. 18
I joined a local moot and met some amazing people; I found a greater variety of Pagan paths and learnt how flexible and individual the Pagan paths can be. Some people I met / followed were Druids or Wiccans, some, like I do now, simply said they were Pagan and left it there. They followed only their intuition on what to do and where to do it. This is where I began to feel I was on the right spiritual path at last. I was still constantly worried about making the wrong choice. Was I bringing the right flowers to put on the altar at Ostara? Was I wearing a colour that would offend anyone? Did I say the right words? Then after a few months of this, I realised it didn’t matter, this wasn’t a church where you had everything written down and would cause gasps of horror if you said the wrong thing by accident... (Although I once knew a great vicar who said “Good God!” and “bloody hell” so much I had to laugh). This was a group of people who came together from a variety of spiritual paths, with a common ground, and didn’t judge. It was like Baptist, Catholic, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Church of England all under one roof worshiping together. Yes, that diverse! However there was one common theme.....nature. The raw beauty around us. The miracle you only have to look outside your window to see. The buds that appear around Ostara from empty, cold-looking branches, the glistening frost on mornings around Yule, the family coming together to gather holly to decorate the house or at Samhain putting out hopes and dream for the year into our pumpkin and watching them float up in the smoke. That coming together and circle of life is the greatest miracle. All the things most other faiths experience in their own ways, but this path is the one that feels right for me. At Beltane 2011 I had my Hand Fasting to Sam, the previous year was the first time I allowed him to attend festivities with me, and the only boyfriend I’d ever “let into” my world. It has always been my favourite of all the celebrations. I wore the dress I had specially made, exactly what I’d imagined. Friends and family who, like me, had great respect for all faiths, came together to celebrate. I am proud to say despite the variety of beliefs among them they were greatly respectful and made our day so special. After a year or two my work load increased in daily life, I allowed the rat race of every day to take over and made less and less time for my spiritual growth. I found I was becoming depressed and overly stressed. 19
I suffered migraines and stomach cramps regularly, brought on by my emotional state. Friends and family have told me now that I rarely smiled and always looked unhappy; I was short tempered and always uptight. I look back now at myself and only see snapshot of what they mean, because I now live in the present and the future. I had a well established business with a healthy client list, however I knew it wasn’t where I wanted to be. Moving on though would be difficult, it paid the bills and at least I had work. I believe the term is “stuck in a rut”. Then in summer 2012 my life began to take a new path. It started with Anna. Anna came off the horse box with her head well above her owners, spinning round, showing the whites of her eyes and tail held high. She was terrified. To me though, she looked magnificent. Over the next 12 months Anna taught me so much about nature and animal ways of life. During illness she taught me nature had its own healing methods, during our times riding she taught me that a connection much deeper than the basic physical aids was needed to be at one with her. Anna is my greatest teacher. I booked a healer to come and help her during a bad winter and was brought to tears with what Anna revealed to her. My poor girl had been through so much, but through it all, she’d found love with me. The healer also knew I was in need to deeper healing. Something the doctor couldn’t give me. She offered me a chance to come and work with her using horses as a therapy tool for children. I jumped at the chance. At a meeting with her friend and colleague I could see her colleague wasn’t convinced. She recommended I attended several courses before I start, including self awareness and meditation. The courses were booked and I started to read up before hand, however they had to be cancelled, but I continued to read. I got back to meditating and found self worth again. I dug out my old box of candles, herbs and incense. I dusted off my pack of tarot cards. I began to feel relaxed again and at ease with myself. Then in 2013 a course came up giving me the opportunity to learn various holistic therapies, including Reiki, Aromatherapy and Crystal Healing. I knew where my path was leading me....to heal animals.
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My calling though was horses. For the first time in years I allowed my gut to tell me what to do. Suddenly my life had turned around. Friends and family began to comment on how I was smiling again, how I was holding my head up and confident in myself. The migraines went and all the ailments I’d had lessened or disappeared completely. By learning to heal others, I was healing myself. Before I knew it I had horses communicating to me, and I discovered the grounding skills I’d learnt back in 2006 were vital. I saw things like films and I felt the horse’s ailments myself. I remember asking a horse about his breathing difficulties once, his owner thought he had some but didn’t know what. He was silent, no words popped into my head, no images...then suddenly my chest went tight, so tight I could hardly breath and my throat got a stabbing pain. As suddenly as it’d come...it passed. Then the words came, “dust” was all he gave me. Since then his owner has soaked his hay and wets the yard before brushing it. His breathing has recovered well and he no longer showing her discomfort with it. He was another of my teachers. This brings me to 2014, the year I am writing this. I have taken back my Pagan path and healed myself through it. Don’t get me wrong, Reiki and holistic healing techniques are not a Pagan thing....they are methods used by our ancestors before penicillin and other discoveries. This is what I love about it, there are no boundaries. Some believe Jesus was a Reiki master, after all I remember this much, he laid his hands on people who were then healed. However it was the Buddhist monks who really brought Reiki to the masses. Reiki however is the big catalyst that has helped me regain my spiritual side and become at one with nature again. Through meditation I have seen where I should step next and what path I should take. When my energies are feeling low I go and put my arms around a tree, that’s what works for me. I can laugh with my friends when they call me a tree hugger...well yes I am...try it! A couple of years ago I would have become upset and offended, but not the “me” you see today. I still have so much more to learn, I have so much I want to pass onto others and my horses still have endless lessons to teach me. I have learnt one day a horse will come to you and the next they will run...purely because of how you feel in your spiritual self that day. I know if I have argued with someone my dear Anna will not want to be by my side; she’s had enough negative energy in her life and will not take 21
Catherine Green Wife, Mother and Author
Hello my name is Catherine Green. Like so many of our friends in this book, I come from a very traditional family background. My parents are both white Christian, and I grew up in a comfortable, happy, sheltered home. Since I had no reason to be unhappy, I never thought to seek other experiences until I grew older and became restless. As a child I was fascinated by ghost stories and tales of myth and magic. I never thought too much about it, although I dreamed about becoming an author just like my favourites of the time. Actually fulfilling that dream came about very suddenly after many years of procrastination. In fact, I know that I was guided by Spirit to embark upon my path as a professional writer. But I digress. By the time I left school I had begun to feel very disillusioned with my life. I would dream about learning to drive, getting a car of my own, and moving out of the small market town in North Staffordshire where I lived. To me it seemed a very old-fashioned place, and I just didn’t ‘fit in.’ My first step was to choose a college in a neighbouring town, where I could meet people with different experiences and beliefs. After that I discovered my future university, in rural Wales The funny thing is that my journey took me full circle. I met a practising witch when I took a summer job in a popular theme park near where I lived. He taught me a great deal about the wider world, but I was always sceptical because I had been raised to be mistrustful of people who spoke about magical powers and seeing ghosts. In truth I admired my friend for his strength. He was ridiculed by our peers, but he was firm in his beliefs and his lifestyle.
Eventually I found my way towards paganism, but it would be another few years before I begun to identify as a pagan. I met new people, learned about different religions, and finally discovered that there were shops where you could buy all of these mystical, magical items. I learned that I could study Tarot, Angel cards, mediumship and a whole host of other holistic therapies. I am still learning. There is a lot of work to do! 22
My first proper foray into the world of paganism came when I joined a group called North West Spirit Seekers back in 2006. They were one of a plethora of groups that formed after the popularity of the UK television show Most Haunted. I watched this programme avidly in its early days, and I would yearn to be one of those ghost hunters doing séances and communicating with the dead. After seeking out a local group that could offer this experience, I finally became a ghost hunter, and through that I met mediums, pagans and a whole new group of spiritual beings that I couldn’t begin to describe on paper. In 2011 I was inspired to begin offering Tarot readings at Mind, Body and Spirit fairs in the North West of England. I had lots of fun doing this, but I learned that it was not my proper career path. At around the same time I began to learn about shamanism. This was something I had always considered to be purely Native American, and nothing to do with me, but I was very wrong. Our earthly location in this life has nothing to do with our previous incarnations over centuries of lifetimes. I was very excited to learn more about my shaman heritage, as I had always identified very strongly with Celtic traditions, but had neglected to consider any other forms. During the past few years my spiritual learning has slowed down somewhat, mainly due to the fact that I now have two young children to nurture. I rarely find time to practise rituals, but I live in accordance to pagan traditions and beliefs. We take regular walks in the countryside, and on days when I feel exhausted by daily life, I gain strength from the river that runs near to our home. My husband is not pagan, and he is still reluctant to join me on my spiritual quest. I respect his feelings, and I am confident that he will return to me on a spiritual level in time. For now my focus is to raise my children in accordance with Spirit. By that I mean to teach them that they can do or be whatever they want, as long as they do not harm others. I want them to be confident, informed, and not afraid to assert themselves when the need arises. We continue this spiritual journey together, as I know that my children are wise beyond their human years. They are already teaching me a lot about what it means to be human, and where we come from. I continue to nurture my career as an author, and I intend to share my thoughts and experiences of being what I call an ‘everyday pagan’ through regular posts on my personal blog (http://www.spookymrsgreen.wordpress.com) and in other publications such as this book. See you around my friends! 23
Joan Farrell Watercrone
How does one remember something happening that was always deep inside? I suppose the way to go is to recall how out of kilter with the rest of the world I felt whilst growing up. My story I have seen mimicked time and time again in the lives of my pupils. Never quite felt you were the same ... always 'knowing'... or 'feeling'...or even 'seeing' things that others don't.... thus you are singled out as a little scary, a tad strange, on the fringe of the groups of friends, others either drawn to you, or repelled by you, making your life as difficult as they can. These traits often were not confined to siblings, many times the adults that you came into contact with held you at arms length as it were. Eventually, you realise that it isn't you, that there is nothing wrong with you....that it is the right thing to do, to love Mother Earth, to feel the pull of the shifting seasons, to gaze at the Moon and to begin to understand Her power and glory. When I was a budding young thing, WAAAAYYYY back in the last century... (makes me feel almost fossilised) there WERE no books to be picked from the shelves in bookstores, there WERE no Moots, no internet, no way to connect with those who thought as you did. You went to Spirit Fairs, you searched for anything with the word 'Occult' in, you most certainly risked the wrath of Parents, Aunts, Uncles and Siblings.... and eventually, you were warned of the imagined dangers of 'dabbling' in the occult, with prophesies of dire consequences. ALSO, there was a huge chance that someone close to you had 'found God'....- and then proceeded to make your life an utter misery, trying to save your soul from the fires of hell....How many other Damn fine Witches were squashed by the system I wonder? BUT you hung on in there. You KNEW that what they were trying to make you into was in some way fundamentally wrong for YOU. Some of us it was worse for than others, granted. Possibly, if I had kept my mouth shut a bit more often, probably if I had taken notice of the social climate round me, and kept my council, my life might not have been quite 24
quite as tumultuous... But I didn't, I was a loudmouth, and therefore filled up my own bed with thorns. There is a lovely old saying..... You can't find the Craft, the Craft finds you....and it does. It chooses it’s moment, and later on, you wonder why it took it's time, but eventually, you get there, and, after eclectically wading your way through a variety of spiritualities, (often including Christianity).... and you clear your own path and proudly hold up your head and call yourself PAGAN.... You learn, you read, you absorb, (and sieve through) as much information as you can find, to clarify who and what YOU are. Labels are a little thing that stifles you the moment you identify with one. it is almost as if, when you feel confident enough to wave your flag with a descriptive noun on, you waver, and continue your search to narrow it down, be more specific, to guarantee a clear podium on which to stand and declare to the world what and who you are. If You don't waver, if you cease to search, if you nail yourself down, you stop learning, disaster. So my friends, keep searching, keep learning, You HAVE to keep Yearning for that elusive nugget of information, you MUST keep or disregard everything you find out, only by constant re-evaluation and searching can you honestly say that you tried, you did your best and you stood up, and stood out for what and who you are... in my case... Witch and proud of it.... but always, ALWAYS with room for improvement. Joan Farrell. Watercrone.
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Gary Ray
I was born in a place named Manhasset and raised in a place called Hauppauge. I currently reside in Setauket, fish, clam, and oyster on the Nissequogue River and all of these places are located on an Island once called Paumanok by the people who settled this place. I have worked in Ronkonkoma and Copiague, and enjoy surfing and fishing at places like Montauk, Shinnecock, and Ponquoge. The beauty of my surroundings have always been an inspiration to me and not only do I play, fish for food in its waters, hunt the land and relax in its splendor, I also celebrate it in photographs and paintings. As the bounty and beauty of this land and water have always captured my imagination, so have the names of the places. What of the people who named this place? Save for the Shinnecock Nation on the eastern end of the Island, the 13 tribes of people are long gone. Alongside the native-named towns are such places as Smithtown, Brookhaven, and Huntington. The descendants of the people who named those towns are still here. Not so much the descendants of the original people. As a boy, walking on the ancient trails and treading quohogs on perennial beds always made me sense a connection to the people who named these places. I wanted to know who they were, what they were like, and what they thought and believed. If I loved the land and waters, if I reveled in the beauty, the similarities ended there. I knew I didn’t look like they would have. Everyone who lives here now has the look of people who have come from far off continents, the majority similar to what I looked like. Our family place of worship, the Lutheran church, was and still is at the edge of those woods where I felt most peaceful and most connected. Looking back, I am no longer certain that it was a place of worship so much as it was a place to go on Sundays if the family had time. I loved the music and the singing, the voice of the minister and the familiar cadence and rhythm of the liturgy. It felt good to go there, at least if we 26
But that church was still at the edge of the woods. A born-again family in our neighborhood had discovered a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains upstate. It was cheap and after several years, pretty much every kid aged 10 – 15 in our section of the neighborhood, Jewish, Christian, and whoever else, was in the mountains. I’m guessing the parents must have had a block party. We rode horses, shot rifles and arrows, played dodge ball, had first kisses, and everything else a summer camp could offer. We also had Bible study, silent time called “devotions” that was mandatory, and sermons around bonfires inviting us all to join the flock. We had songs to sing and one of them was, “ Out of the Wilderness”. This song was upbeat, catchy, and included hand clapping. I loved it. Still, I learned this song in the Adirondacks, America’s largest national park. I loved what was left of my Long Island wilderness, and I would come to question the notion of leaving the wilderness at all, whether physically or spiritually. This song is still in my head, but so is the wilderness. Throughout my college years I experienced a wide range of Christian church worship in both the North and South but never really felt a connection. These experiences made me feel disconnected from that familiar church of my childhood. The common denominator in these different denominational churches was supposed to be Jesus. After inviting Jesus into my heart so many times, I had had enough. Soon I would be married and have my first of two daughters. Clinging to family tradition, I initiated the baptism of my first daughter. This beautiful creation was perfection in my eyes and heart and even before the ceremony, I was disturbed by the general acceptance that this perfect little child’s blood was tainted by sin and so needed this ritual to cleanse her. It seemed so wrong, even offensive to me. Even more unnerving to me was the concept of communion. I began to question how I would explain to my children how we would regularly symbolically drink the blood and consume the flesh of Jesus. I wondered about what the effects of learning of a devil and hell would have on their sense of safety and divinity, and ultimately, wellness. At this point it was back to the woods, back to the water and back to the Gods and Goddesses of nature that I had always sensed were there. Home, finally home in the embrace of the gods of this place and of all of Creation. It felt right and it felt like home. 27
So now I primarily practice my spirituality and rituals solitarily and am only loosely connected to other like-minded people for group worship. I still miss the liturgical beauty of my childhood religious experience but would now never trade for it with my current Pagan path. My daughters are well aware of my path. I continue to live by example and have resisted proselytizing but rather hope that they choose the path that works for them. Whatever that turns out to be, I will embrace and respect it. I can say that I hope that they become self-actualized Pagans. That would be nice, at least as far as holidays go! I revel in watching them develop spiritually and love it when they seek me out for discussion. While we do not attend regularly scheduled worship services, I can say with contentment that we are at our core, a happy Pagan family. Blessings Gary Ray
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Delphine Sutherland Tarot Reader
Hi all. My name is Delphine and I'm here to tell you a little bit about the story that is my life. I'm not sure I ever 'became' a pagan or a healer to be honest. I think it's something that has always been in my bones. I just didn't realise it until a few years ago. You'll find out what I mean if you keep reading.. As a child I went to a Christian school and although neither of my parents were staunch Christians, I was brought up (as many people in the uk were) with Christian values. In some ways these values were good. They taught me right from wrong and helped keep me on the straight and narrow. However, something just didn't feel quite right. It was as though something was missing. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. A little too much inequality perhaps. A little to much of the masculine energy and not enough balance. To much God and not enough Goddess. Not enough room for creativity. Certainly to much pressure to conform. I could go on forever. Suffice it to say I felt stifled by societies expectations and it's left brain, logical way of being. I spent my early years consciously believing everything I was told... You go to hell if you don't believe in Jesus (I didn't, well at least not in the way we were taught at school, but I was never allowed to voice this opinion)... Women don't have souls... Animals were put on the planet purely for our benefit... We are the only beings really alive.. Witches are evil.. Anyone who believes in fairies and other worldly beings is weird... We need a relationship to be happy and whole (the Cinderella complex I think?)... A man will rescue you (from what? Myself??) ... The list is endless! No wonder I spent my youth and 20s being restless and confused. No wonder every relationship I had never worked! I was living a lie! But the little voice inside me was niggling away, telling me to search for the answer. To look closer. It was there somewhere. I think realisation started to dawn during my years of training to become a nurse. 29
One thing that helped bring it to my attention was the medical model of healing. Don't get me wrong, I have every respect for the medical profession. It's saved countless lives. But in my view it isn't holistic or intuitive enough (although I have to say things are beginning to improve.. Too slowly for my liking, but then I've always been a little impatient). Medicine seems to be more about treating the symptoms instead of the cause. It doesn't always get down to the nitty gritty. On top of that we live in a society where the food industry doesn't care about health and the health industry doesn't know enough about the effects of our diet on our health. A recipe for disaster really wouldn't you say? Anyway, I digress. But you can see how I began to become who I am today. I started to question and read and slowly over the next 20 years or so I began to change my view of the world. I became more interested and in tune with the cycles of nature and how they affect humanity. How humanity affects nature. How we are all interconnected. I became more in tune with my own nature which meant I began to be more real. I started to look at alternative ways of healing. Ways that didn't always involve the use of prescription drugs and i took diet into consideration much more. I also became more interested in esoterica, especially numerology and tarot, which has helped me connect to and own my shadow side. I've taken courses in reiki and shamanic healing and since i am able to detect subtle differences in energies that I often ignored before. It's an on-going process (we never stop learning do we?) but I feel as though I've re found myself. This is who I really am. It's what my life is all about and what I've been searching for. Learning to listen to my own inner voice and to help others do the same. I've been unhappy in nursing for many years but I've come to understand that I am a healer. I now realise that nursing isn't such a bad profession after all. A little misguided maybe, but the intentions are good. It’s just that i am more interested in different approaches to healing ( I am studying to become a Counsellor and a shamanic practitioner). I currently practice healing through my job as a nurse and my work as a tarot reader/reiki/shamanic healer. Nurse? Healer? It all comes from the same source, it's simply a different method of transmission. A rose is rose by any other name. So you see it's in my bones. I've gone searching and come back to the same place, but this time with new eyes. Eyes that are now wide open, and it's where I want to be. Delphine x 30
Avalon Whitefeather Teacher, Therapist, High Priestess
Wife, Mother,Daughter, Sister, Crone, High Priestess, Walker between Worlds, Shamanic, Sound, Reiki, Crystals, Herbal & Wiccan Teacher & Healer, Channeller, Medicine Card Reader, Past Life Therapist, Animal Healer & Communicator, Paranormal Investigator, Spiritual teacher, also meditation & development circles. Regression Therapist. Dream Interpretor . I also make sacred crafts and altar objects for the shamanic or wiccan or spiritual journey, inspirational artwork, am an author of 3 self published books and together with my husband SunEagle, we craft Hand drums in the Native American Medicine style from ethically sourced materials here in the UK. How did I become all these things? They say Shaman/Medidcine men and woman are chosen before birth, maybe I was maybe I wasn't, but the Thunderbeings have been every present in my life, they accompanied my entrance into the world, born 10 minutes to midnight on a Full Moon and during an horrendous thunderstorm apparently, they attended my marriage - we broke the drought of the summer of 1976 and the birth of my daughter along with many other significant milestones in my life. I played with spirit beings as a child and was rescued from drowning by unseen hands at age 7yrs. At 14 I lost my grandmother, followed weeks late by my boyfriend and three school friends to an horrific car crash I was meant to be in at the time. Then I was struck down with ME I went from busy mum, pre-school teacher, child-minder, crafts business and Avon rep to laying on a couch unable to hold a glass of water with out help. Then began the visions and spirit callings - at first I thought all attributed to the illness but soon realised I was being 'groomed' for a complete lifestyle change. On the road to recovery I finally accepted my calling and began the road to reawakening my own inner wisdom and truth of who and what my soul is. Through chance meetings and workshops during the 1980's I met with many people who helped to awaken the inner knowing of who I am. I was told I would never recover 31
fully from ME, I defied that logic and studied nutritional medicine and herbalism for nearly 3 years. Even the birth of my daughter and her subsequent health problems as a toddler lead deeper into a lifestyle that shunned conventional medicine and approaches to life and one that was steeped in Earth centredness, working the the mystical, magickal elements all around me. We had hoped for a large family, but Mother Nature decided we should be gifted with only one daughter. I devoured every piece of information I could on tribal and cultural beliefs and found few that seemed 'new' to me. Then during a healing session I experienced another 'shamanic death' where my guides led me through a total disintegration of my physical body until I became nothing but a glint of light in a vast universe - I still swell with tears of awe and wonder even now when I think of the special time, a time when there was no time, I was nothing yet I was everything all at once, I felt infinitely small yet infinitely large, I was all there is yet I was nothing but a thought form - in truth I have no real words to describe the experience, but several people of Indigenous heritage have assured me I experienced the ultimate Shamanic Death experience and for that I am forever humbled. I was led to various shamanic people, both Celtic and Native American and so began my studies. Eventually SunEagle and I ran a shop in town specializing in Shamanic, Wiccan and Druid arts and crafts, many handmade by ourselves, until a terrible accident where SunEagle fell from our roof, after spending all week on everyone elses, which left him with a serious head, spine and brain injury and since that time numerous other issues that are a result of how badly he shook up his body. He he survived a fall of over 30 feet. Shortly after he was also diagnosed with Marfan - a genetic disease of the soft tissues of the body which affects joints and valves, specifically the heart valve. Suddenly the world we had built was stripped away and although he tried, he couldn't return to work and became registered as disabled. The shop had to go and I am now his full time carer. Shortly after this and as a result of traumas in her own life, our beloved and only daughter, whom we had always been so close to, decided she didn't want us in her life. To this day, some 5 years on, we still do not know why she walked out of our lives. Then last year came the blow that SunEagle also had prostate cancer and we are working to heal him 32
with as little medical interference as possible. Yet through it all, the testing times, the heartbreak and uncertainties, and at times feeling like my spirit guides and comforts of the pagan path had deserted me, yet somehow my sacred path and those 'unseen' hands are still always around me, guiding me, keeping me strong, allowing me to still reach out to heal others, offer guidance and a comforting blanket to those who need it whilst opening doors for those who need a little push in life. And that's what its all about really. Recapturing that 'tribal' essence of community our modern world seems to have lost. And so my life continues. Always seeking new experiences and knowledge, always willing to share and pass on the wisdoms I come to know and eager to understand the ones i don’t. I work from home now, fitting in around SunEagle’s needs and it often amazes me just how much we can still achieve. The pagan path keeps me inspired and the Internet has been a God/Goddess sent gift for me, allowing me to still reach out to others through my daily oracle readings on social media and my own website. I believe we are all capable of many things, when we see others as being gifted, special or clever, it is merely that we have perceived in them the things we have yet to explore for ourselves. Throughout my life I endeavour to help others to become all of whom they truly are. Following the Path of the Old Ways, Walking my path for over 30 years now and still learning, loving and sharing. With Love and Rainbow Blessings,
Avalon Whitefeather )O(
www.earthtraditions.moonfruit.com
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Lianne Writer, Artist, Photographer
Merry Meet everyone! My name is Lianne and I have been practising the craft for about 14 years and still going strong. Although I identify myself as a Wiccan, I actually class myself as a Traditional Celtic Wiccan. I am Scottish and have a strong Celtic background which not only am I extremely proud of but I feel makes me who I am and influences my everyday life. I was raised by a Roman Catholic family who, in my younger years, were quite strict. As much as I tried to fit in with my familys beliefs I felt like I was always still constantly questioning what I was brought up to believe in. Other religions have always interested me, even from a young age but I always felt that what I was brought up to believe in was not for me. I remember asking myself "How can a higher being that claims to love us and let us be who we are, have so many rules for us and try to govern how we feel and who we should love at the same time?". I even got kicked out of Sunday school at one point for daring to ask questions that were not in their curriculum. It seems that having a curious nature was a crime. I never felt that being religious was a necessity yet without it I felt somewhat empty. In my search I naturally became more attuned with the spiritual world. I began by doing some independent ghost hunting which eventually led into me helping to look after local graveyards. I felt comfortable in cemeteries, even at a young age. I would write blogs on them and if they were not looked after properly, I would take the action into making sure they did. One day, when I was about 13, whilst sitting in a quiet field, I began to meditate properly for the first time. It was then that I heard a woman's voice say to me as clear as day "You are a child of the Earth". I was shocked but far from scared. It was comforting knowing that someone was looking out for me, that I was accepted into something. Not long after that I found Witchcraft and I have never looked back. My family strangely enough, took it very well. I was 34
mocked a few times but it was nothing I couldn't handle! I never told many people about my beliefs, not because I was ashamed of who I am but I knew that they wouldn't understand and I was not going to stand there and justify myself to anyone. I wanted to just enjoy it all to myself. It has only been in the last few years where I have fully embraced who I am. After being solitary for most of my life, I have now joined a local Moot, taken part in group rituals and made my home into somewhat of a shrine. After years of being on my own, I have now found peace in the fact that I have others around me who love me for who I am and have embraced me as a Sister. I am finally free. I look forward to learning new things both on my own and with others, bringing up my family in a world of love, light and free will and last but not least, living a "charmed" life! Blessed Be xx
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Tom Newman Record Producer, Musician, Composer and Poet
My move towards old spiritual values wasn’t so much of a conscious shift towards a movement, but instead took the form of a conscious shift away from what was becoming to me anyway, an increasingly illogical and somewhat duplicitous concept called Roman Catholicism . . . It was obvious after not much research, that all of the rituals and symbolism of most modern organised ‘religions’ were in fact just lifted bodily from the old ways and renamed and readjusted to fit the frame of whoever/whatever God substitute the particular outfit found worshippable! Not only that but I also began – in my thirties, to look at and question the whole world socioeconomic structure we find ourselves living under, and the conclusions I came to were another influence that brought me nearer to the realm of pagan logical thought. We have all, almost globally become under thethrall of either capitalism, socialism, communism or imperialism in one form or another, and usually at the point of the sword or the threat of violence and death. I’ll call these perpetrators, for want of a better word, ‘Robber Barons’ This greedy and over ambitious sub species, being not all that bright in the head department, found they needed excuses and justifications to rape and pillage around the place, and so the corruptible intellectuals were sought out and coerced into creating a Heaven and Hell scenario which greatly alleviated the need to bring morality and love into the picture . . . And so organised religion was born!
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Over the generations the various sects and heresies I’m sure have done some good merely by breaking away from the various accepted dogmas, but in the end it’s still patently all just a power trip, whether a small Amish settlement in the Midwest, or the might of Rome, or the fanaticism of the missinterpretersof the Koran . . . Left this for a while, I was starting to rant! Lol. I always, from my first memories, had a pagan consciousness. I remember being enthralled by the very strangeness of all around me that was nature. To me it is what being ‘pagan’ means, I want to understand – not just on a scientific level, but in my very essence, what is the nature of the thread of magic that connects me, the great and weird universe. I believe all humans are born with that inherent curiosity, but generally they are taught to fear it by superstitious parents, teachers or peers, so it becomes a kind of Voodoo, from whence emerges the nonsense of Satanic cults and devil worship. (The relationship of Lucifer, Son of the Morning, to us, is a lot more complex, interesting, and indeed necessary to human evolution than the Hammer Horror template –
but that’s another story . . .)
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Helen Sparshott Druid
Hallo to everybody interested enough to read this. I am Helen and a Druid. We are many faceted and do not all believe the same or walk the same path I do not think you can learn to be a druid or convert. You are born one and sometimes it just takes a while to know that. I have always had a link to the Earth, plants and animals. A bit of a rebel at school especially during religious classes and Sunday School!. Partly the fault of my parents( Mother a Christian, Father Agnostic) as they taught me to always ask questions and not take things at face value. I have never thought that an animal would hurt me as you can tell by the picture of me stroking a wild rhino- surprising soft and he was very gentle. I once went to get a car part from a company dealing in second had parts and whilst the guy went off to find what I needed a long haired Alsatian raced up to the counter and put his paws on it. I proceeded to stroke him. The guy came back shouting “don’t touch him, he's a guard dog and vicious”- yeah convince me! So how did I find my true path? Many years ago – with more being available in the media, internet etc, about pagans and witches, I decided to have a look into things. Met up and befriended several witches. One was the High Priestess of a coven and we became friends. After some time I knew that she was about to offer a learning position in her coven. Before this happened I went to a moot that I regularly attended and a speaker had been invited. He was a Druid. After his talk I confronted him and said- 'thank you. All these years I thought I was a bit odd when I'm actually a Druid'. He suggested that I look into OBOD -Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids who do an on-line course - which I did and completed 38 all 3 levels.
course - which I did and completed all 3 levels. I now do talks myself on Druidry, and I am not trying to convert but to get people to understand the importance of ALL life forms, plant, animal, insect and human. In fact I have done this to 4 covens and many moots. I have a wild patch in my garden that has been donated by the birds dropping seeds and I am thrilled that friends fine a great peace in my garden. The other picture is of an amazing enormous poppy head from my wild patch. I do not follow rigidly the paths that are often stated by other Druids. I have no strong draw to Stonehenge, nor do I feel the urgent need to celebrate the eight annual sacred ceremonies followed by so many Pagans. Although happy to join in when ever invited. I do not think we are all the same so must have different ways to live our lives. I read so many things from other Druids that are unbending, and having to do things in a fixed way. The long white robes that so many Druids wear seem to me to be a religious uniform? That is not my Druid way. If you think different to me that does not make you wrong. ( or me!) We are all different. I have a dress that I wear for my talks and rituals - it's dark purple (see always been a rebel!)
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If you would like the story of your path included in this book then please send it to the following email address
blueskycompany@europe.com
Blessed Be 41
42 Images Copyright © 2014 wytchwynd photography