Working together

Up until the last few months all my ceremonies have been solitary ones. Now I visit a friend and we celebrate with other friends at the time of each festival. I also celebrate the full moon with a couple of friends at home. It is so different doing this. The energy is different of course and some times the words we say have a very profound effect on us.

On Friday we used an older version of a solstice ritual that I found in my archives. The main theme of this ritual was peace, love and the land. It felt very appropriate for the current time and the words sounded very powerful. For me these three words, peace, love,and land are so important they are an integral part of me. My druid focus is always on these three things, not always in the same order but all three together at all times. They are three things I feel I must focus on every day and I hope that others feel this way. Our world has to change but there don’t seem enough of us to do this. Words and thoughts are energy. Can you use these three words to help change our world?

Summer Solstice!

At last the Solstice is here and so is the sun this morning. There has not been much sighting of the sun recently in the area in which I live so to see it this morning is a lovely surprise. I was up early, not for the sunrise but early enough to catch the dew on the grass and plants.

So today is the longest day when the sun reaches its highest in the sky. For me it is a time for a deep connection with the land and all that lives on it, the plants, the insects, the birds and the small mammals.

I recently visited a small wood where I have always enjoyed the beauty in the wood. It was tiny and quite young but always had a real feeling of connection with spirit. Last week when I visited I was  shocked to see brown earth and destruction between a huge part of this tiny wood. One side was still as it had been in the past with cow parsley and bluebells and birdsong. The rest was brown and silent. I retreated and went into the cafe on the site and asked for a pot of tea. I then made a comment about the state of the wood, asking if they had been cutting back the undergrowth. I was told it had been sprayed and that only the fact that there was a bird nesting in the other part had stopped the spraying of that part also. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was speechless and extremely sad that someone could do this, not understanding the deep connection between everything in the wood. (I have done something about this wood)

This deep connection with nature is so much a part of me and my druidry and I wish that every one had the same deep connection. If we all had this, then the world would be a different place. Nature is amazing and my photo this week is of a flower that I find very delicate but beautiful. Please think about your trees and garden and try to understand how it is all connected. Happy Solstice!

Appreciation and thanking

I’m quite sure I have written about this before. But yesterday I had the pleasure of leading a ceremony of thanks for someones birthday. Carol was 70 and had several children and grandchildren and they had got together to celebrate her birthday. Each one had something to say or write in a special book about Carol. Even the very young children gave her a hug and whispered in her ear how much they loved her and appreciated what she had done for them. It was a wonderful and emotional event.

I come from a family that did not say words of love or even hug and there were times as my mother got older that I tried to tell her how much I appreciated what she had done for me but she always changed the subject and would not listen. It is so important to tell those we love how much we appreciate their love and all they do for us. As parents we do things for our children because we love doing it and we do not expect thanks but getting those thanks makes us feel loved and cherished. If someone leaves us unexpectedly there is always a regret that we did not say how much we loved them.

Do you tell your friends and family how much you love them and how much you appreciate all they do for you? If not, then start now before it is too late.

I don’t have a photo of the party, it was a private family affair but here is a photo of something I am thankful for and appreciate every day.

June ramblings

Summer is here! But it is so late for the warmer weather that the birds are still needing to be fed every day. Some time ago we had a warm spell and there were abundant butterflies. Since the colder weather returned I have not seen any butterflies. Hopefully they will come again now it is warmer.

It is quite amusing watching the birds feed. The fledglings are getting thinner as they use energy to fly about. But they have not quite grasped the idea of feeding themselves on a perch and often over balance. There is also a lot of rivalry and yesterday I watched one youngster push another one off the perch. Someone I know commented that it must be boring watching the birds but I find it fascinating to watch them and see how they are growing and how their behaviour changes. I do wonder how the parents recognise their young as they all look the same but I have seen a parent feed one bird but not another next to it.

But the garden is coming to life, the flowers are starting to open and the leaves on the shrubs are spreading out. The garden looks green and healthy. For me, these signs of growth are good, they tell me that whatever we do to nature, it can come back and continue to grow. But I know there will be a limit to this and too much desecration of the land could make it unrenewable. We must take care of our planet before we die out through lack of care and sense. Here is one of last years butterflies. I hope they return soon.