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Post by alathiel on Dec 20, 2014 10:22:13 GMT -5
Month 1: Week 1.
First, let me introduce myself. My name is Alathiel, and I am new to druidry and forums, so if I make a mistake, I apologize in advance. I live in South Carolina, and I go to the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
1. What places in nature inspire you? Parks, but abandoned parks, or parks with less people inspire me more. I have a strong connection with running water and waterfalls, and I love places where trees grow close to water and there is a rock for me to sit on. I am terrified of caves, that is the only place in nature where I don't like to go and will avoid if I can.
2. Do you have a favorite outdoor place? Why? My favorite outdoor place is in the memorial garden behind our church. I like to sit there on a Sunday morning and crochet. I love the feeling of the sunlight warming my back and soaking into the stone seat. I can hear the small animals in the forest behind me. Once, my son took me into the forest to show me an imaginary city along the nature trail. I was amazed by what he saw that I couldn't. I am working to overcome the cynicism that blurs my vision of the supernatural.
3. How does nature inspire you? With its constancy. No matter what the weather, or even if there is an earthquake, the earth is always there. I can feel the heartbeat of the earth in the soles of my feet, or in my lungs sometimes when I breathe in especially cold air. Nature inspires me with its love, with the feeling of love being constantly there.
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Post by Sencha on Dec 20, 2014 12:18:01 GMT -5
Hail and welcome! If you're going to the Winter Solstice celebration at GUUF tonight, I'll see you there! LOL...perfectly understandable. Interestingly enough, when you get to the Meditations section of the Dedicant Path materials, the meditation on overcoming fear is 'The Cave.' I personally think that a cynic is an idealist who's been disappointed one too many times. I've been accused of cynicism myself on occasion. Spending time in nature tends to re-boot my cynicism. I enjoy the garden as well, although I wish the labyrinth was made of earth instead of concrete. I like to feel the earth's energies under my feet when I walk. Children are very perceptive. I used to dream of creating a secondary school that is Druid-oriented so that we don't 'educate' them out of their sense of natural wonder. Sounds like you've already experienced the connectedness of the Web of Life in all of its manifestations. I think you'll do well on the Druid path.
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Post by Sencha on Dec 20, 2014 12:24:20 GMT -5
The most difficult lesson to learn when dealing with people who've had a history of addiction: You can't be responsible for their recovery. They have to walk that path themselves. Insisting that they stay clean could be the very excuse they use to relapse.
On the 'black and white' thing, Damh the Bard has a great song called 'Green and Gray.'
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Post by alathiel on Dec 27, 2014 10:22:11 GMT -5
Month 1, Week 2
My favorite season is fall, I think that's pretty common for pagans . I love the smell of the air and the crisp feel of leaves under my feet. To me, it always feels like the earth is having a party, and the leaves are a party favor. My favorite High Day is definitely Samhain, because of how real everything spiritual feels to me. My favorite part of Samhain is talking to ancestors and leaving out a plate of food for them. My second favorite High Day is probably the spring solstice, because I love the idea of a young goddess. The high days have taught me that there is a cycle to life, and even though there are ups and downs (a lot of downs for me right now, lol), there's a sort of plan through them all. There's symmetry in the wheel of the year that I find comforting.
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Post by Sencha on Dec 29, 2014 11:41:05 GMT -5
One of the things I like about Druidry is that it recognizes the balance between light and dark. Anyone who's spent any time in nature recognizes that it's not all 'love and light.' Failing to acknowledge that dark things sometimes happen to people sometimes comes off as patronizing to people who have experienced real tragedy in their lives. By acknowledging the darkness, we learn to appreciate the light all the more.
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Post by alathiel on Jan 3, 2015 10:39:22 GMT -5
Month 1, Week 3: Seeking Awen
I have to admit that I have not done any meditating this week. I read over the assignment and thought about it, but a lot of things happened this week and I've been distracted. I'm suffering from severe depression and have been trying all week to get to see a doctor so I can get medication for it. Anyway, that's not really an excuse, so I will try to redo this assignment next week. I think a mindfulness exercise will be good for me and help alleviate my symptoms. I did try it today, and my first impressions are that I feel blank, but it's nice to be able to step away from the dark pit of sadness sometimes, even for blankness.
--Alathiel
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Post by Sencha on Jan 3, 2015 12:20:08 GMT -5
That's fine...there's no time limit on the exercises. The 'year and a day' format is just a suggested minimum time frame.
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Post by rlt123 on Jan 6, 2015 16:39:48 GMT -5
Month 5 week 1 Having a meek nature, I have never tried to control anyone (unless you count my younger brother, but all older siblings try to boss their sibs around), but I did graduate from a Christian High School, which did control me and others. They told us what music to listen to, what books to read (I was not allowed to read the "Fear Street" series by R.L. Stine. Although, I did get away with reading the first Harry Potter novel, lol). They even told us that dating was banned! (this rule did not work, as a lot of students dated). As I got older in High School, I quit caring and read and listened to whatever I wanted. My parents trusted me then, and they trust me now. I don't believe that imposing exclusively Christian beliefs on the entire country would be effective. Everyone has different spiritual beliefs and there are many non-Christians living here. ( Besides the Constitution states that it wouldn't favor one religion over another or establish an official religion, although Americans can worship whoever they want). If someone was imposing their beliefs on me: at work, I would report them to my boss. If it is my boss, I would either report him to corporate headquarters or quit my job. It the person was a neighbor, I would just avoid them whenever i can.
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Post by rlt123 on Jan 6, 2015 17:15:20 GMT -5
Month 5 week 2 I lessen my impact on animals by not eating endangered and threatened species. (For example, while visiting relatives in Florida, I ate at a restaurant that served alligator meat. I refrained from eating alligator and had something else. I also recycle whenever I can, and don't hunt for sport. Druids can be meat eaters and still revere nature. Again, by not eating threatened/endangered species, and just eat meat in moderation.
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Post by rlt123 on Jan 6, 2015 18:19:50 GMT -5
Month 5 week 3 I would like to start off by stating that I still attend an episcopal church. My priest, a woman, does not know that I'm aspiring to be a druid and I don't plan on telling her. I serve as an acolyte at least once a month, and that is the only time I go to church. (Don't get me wrong, my priest is socially liberal, she isn't narrow minded). Every year around Christmas time, my church hosts S.O.C.K.S. SOCKS is a charity, in which we buy toys and give them to the poor. We give enough toys for 200 to 300 people. I helped distribute the toys. I feel great that I am able to give people a great Christmas for their children. I do this seasonal charity almost every year. I can be one of the 10% by volunteering whenever I can.
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Post by rlt123 on Jan 6, 2015 18:26:29 GMT -5
Month 5 week 4 I would like to grow in wisdom by trying new things. As of now, I am looking into taking an college art class. I would like to learn to draw. I am not really sure how to grow emotionally. I would like to grow spiritually, by reading more books on druidry and attending a ritual by other druids. I suppose my purpose is to be a writer.
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Post by Sencha on Jan 12, 2015 10:57:56 GMT -5
The Black Mountain Druid Order is a middle path between Celtic Reconstructionism and Celtic Revivalism. Both of these paths can become dogmatic if taken to extremes (as can any path). The purpose of this week's exercise is to use Christian dogma as a metaphor to help BMDO members avoid the temptation to become too dogmatic about Reconstructionism and/or Revivalism. As long as we are able to keep focused on our own journeys instead of trying to 'improve' the journeys of others, we will have avoided that danger. Sounds like you've had quite a bit of experience of what happens when dogma takes hold!
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Post by Sencha on Jan 12, 2015 11:01:45 GMT -5
Yes, I myself am a meat eater, but I try to practice 'ethical eating' by buying meat that is free range and cruelty-free. I have seen some studies that suggest that cruelty free meat eating is actually safer for the environment than going vegan. The rationale there is twofold: If everyone on the planet was vegan, how much natural animal habitat would have to be cleared to grow vegetables? And if we released all the food animals we currently have into the wild, they would be devoured by predators. Being eaten by a predator is probably a lot more cruel than being slaughtered humanely for human consumption. At any rate, veganism is a personal choice, but some want to treat it as a religion.
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Post by Sencha on Jan 12, 2015 11:04:41 GMT -5
I was a chalice bearer and a lay reader in the Episcopal Church for a while. They're a bit more liberal than most. In England, there was an Anglican Bishop who later became a Druid. I think it's interesting how many similarities there are between the Episcopal church and the Druids. Almost as if they might have borrowed a few things from us.
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Post by Sencha on Jan 12, 2015 11:06:59 GMT -5
If you do take that art class, and would like to have some of your artwork considered for the BMDO newsletter, please let me know! To me, 'growing emotionally' meant moving beyond an occasional tendency to indulge in negative emotions (although I still do it from time to time...in honor of the 'dark side' ).
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