A Meditation on the Mother of All

In the process of staring at the next phase of work on the Nine Moons, I have decided to write a series of short things focusing on the possible 'mystical' potentials of the elements of the Druidic Order of Ritual. By mystical, I will continue to mean concerned with the relationship between the personal psyche and transpersonal awareness. The first step in our Order, of course, is honoring the Earth Mother. Rather than write an article, I thought I would create a simple meditation/offering practice. the intent here is to bring the operator's mind into more direct contact with the Mother of all, through symbolic interaction. Let me know what you think.

A Meditation on the Mother of All
Come to your Shrine, open as usual and enter a basic trance. If you wish to open the Gate, do so, then envision the Earth Mother in the Gate:
• See the Mother of All, the Mountain Woman, before you. She is huge as a hill, seated with her back against the World Tree, naked, sitting with her knees drawn up, displaying her cunny and her round belly. Her breasts are great and round, hips and thighs mighty. She holds one hand raised, palm turned toward you, and the other she extends, palm up, as if in offering or receiving. Her face is beautiful, eyes kind and wise, and she smiles lovingly.
• Around her head shines a nimbus of light, gold and silver like sun and moon. Vines and trees are her gown, flowers and fruits her ornaments. Her womb shines and flickers with a light like moonlight on moving water. Every beast and bird, serpent and crawling thing are her court as the green of the world grows all around her. To gaze upon her is to feel the unconditional offer of her bounty, and also her challenge to the strong and to the weak.
Make simple offerings of grain or oil, or as you can, nine times as you recite this hymn three times:
Mighty Mother of All
Womb of Life
Source of Plenty
Soul of the Land
I make due offering to you
(offering given)
Because you uphold the World
Because you freely give your Bounty
Because you grant every Blessing
I make due offering to you
(offering given)
Queen of Sovereignty
I worship your Power
Mother of the Earth
I worship your Bounty
Giver of Every Life
I worship your Spirit
Earth Mother, uphold my work as you do the world
Earth Mother, accept my sacrifice!
(offering given)
Renew your vision of the Mother, and abide for a while in that vision. Then proceed, thus:
• Contemplate the wonderful being of the Earth Mother for a time. When her presence feels real to you, envision your own body, seated where you are, as lying within Her Womb. Become aware of your own body, naked beneath your garments. Feel the Mother appear around you, vast, your form an egg among countless eggs, kept safe and warm, filled with potential. Abide for a while in this vision.
• When you are ready, allow the whole vision, both the Mother and your own form, to shrink down and be enthroned in your own heart. Let the love and power and all-flowing generosity, the safety and strength and warmth be concentrated in you. Feel the presence of the Mother shining in you, within the boundaries of your seated form. Abide for a while in this vision.
• Finally, allow the image to grow again, until the seed-self is reunited with your material presence. Allow the form of the Mother to grow larger and larger, attenuating to become one with the land around you.
Renew your center, balancing all once again within you, and recite a simple ending charm, such as:
The blessings of the Holy Ones be on me and mine
My blessings on all beings, with peace on thee and thine
The Fire, the Well, the Sacred Tree
Flow and Flame and Grow in me
Thus do I remember the work of the Wise.

Published!

As of today my book, Sacred Fire, Holy Well; A Druid's Grimoire, is available only from ADF Publishing (though it isn't listed there, yet...), and through various retail outlets, including Amazon.com. The Amazon price is actually lower than the Lulu price, and shipping is cheaper too, so I have no regrets. ADF Publishing did a fine job moving this along, and we're still using on-demand printing, so it will be easy to make small changes if needed. Look for the cool new hardback spellbook that will be a companion to SFHW to be up on Lulu in a day or two.

Progress Report...

Back from Summerland festival, the last of my wacky two-month festival extravaganza. Now I must return to work on the Book of Nine Moons. My goal is still to have the first 3 months of the complete instruction done in the next few weeks, and I think I’m in reach of that.
For my own sake, and for those of you who care, here’s my progress report and still-to-do list for the first three months of Druidic magical training:
• The First Moon is complete
• The Second Moon is complete, though I feel there may be an article needed on the self-awareness work in this month.
• The Third Moon seems to require only the rite for consecrating the Cauldron of Blessing. I should be able to get that done toot sweet!
• The Fourth Moon requires instructions on working with the Inner Grove, and using the Two Powers for health and healing, and the actual trance script and rite for both.
Beyond that I haven’t even done detail outlines yet – that’s next for the fifth and sixth months.
Actually, I guess that’s why I haven’t been too worried about my deadline – I actually had a lot of the first three months done before Starwood!
So, in the first three Moons of the nine-month retreat the student will:
• Begin learning the cosmological meditative practice that is the ‘mystical’ element in this program. The first three phases will take her to the Three Cauldrons phase.
• Practice divination regularly, performing at least a half-dozen readings for himself and others.
• Begin journal work with a self-introduction and other self-awareness exercises.
• Begun the work of trance-vision, learning to step into vision and to begin finding and making the Inner Grove.
• Perform rites for personal blessing, to introduce herself to the spirits, to consecrate a talisman of protection, to create a shrine-idol for the Dead, and to create his own Cauldron of Blessing for magical rites.
Still sounds dense, but then I’ve always meant this approach to be a concentrated ‘retreat’ of the sort used by other training systems. For those who want to work diligently much can be accomplished in a short time. Even those who need to work more slowly will be able to move along one section at a time, with a clear outline.
On we go – let’s try to have the next three months done by Yuletide, shall we? Hmmmmm?

A Charm Upon Rising

OK, so I like writing in iambic quadrameter. I must, because I notice that I'm doing it a lot. I'm getting back to work on the Nine Moons, and noticed that while I prescribed a morning gaelic-style water-pouring, I had no text for it. Here is one, vaguely based on themes from Scots morning charms, but set firmly in rhythm and meter, as I think Druidic charms ought to be. It's ultra-simple, but that seems proper for this equally simple custom, and since it's followed by actual shrine work.

A Charm Upon Rising
To gain the blessing of the day, take fresh water to the eastern door of your home, and pour it outside the doorstep, saying:
Thou Shining Ones of Moon and Sun
Oh Mighty Ones who guide our way
Oh Noble Spirits, every one
Guide and ward me on this day

Let me walk in wisdom’s light
By virtue, strength and love’s own way
My word and deed be true and right
Keep and teach me on this day

Oh Fire and Water shine and flow
By Sun and Earth I greet the day
Take you this gift now, as I go
Along my road, my path, my way.

A Charm for Lughnassadh

Late but still here, for archival purposes...

The Lughnassadh Charm
Feast of the Bright One, Rising!
Corn Growing,

Peace Reigning
Oath Taking,

Comes Reaping
I keep the

Feast of Lughnassadh!
Lugh Samildanach,

you I call
Master of All Arts, Wanderer and Trickster
Hound-God, Raven God
Take now this offering here at my Fire
Lugh Lamhfada, you I call
Spear Bearer, Young Hero
Throne Winner, Giant Slayer
Take now this offering here at my Fire
Thou Lugh the Champion
Lugh the Crowned One, Lugh the Skilled One
Beneath the circle of your Shield,
I give you this due offering
Land grow ripe and full and gold
Beneath the Sun and the Thunder
Peace among folk,
Wisdom, strength and hospitality
Join my heart with the Folk and the Land
In the Blessing of Lugh of the Spear!
So, all you Powers, I give you welcome at my Fire. Let your light be reflected in my spirit, let your ale flow in my veins. I raise this glass to you, and drink to your divine power. Let me know the health, wealth and wisdom of the Gods and Spirits on this holy feast of Lughnassadh! So be it!

Work on a high place if you can, perhaps a green meadow. Offerings of ale, bread fruit and oil are proper.

The Coolest Thing I've Seen This Week - Yet

I *am* nearly out the door for that Brigadoon with Nipples - Starwood. But I was looking for a copy of Zappa's "200 Motels" to show my kid the classic rock head. It isn't on DVD! as far as I can tell, but I ran into this on you tube. It's nearly nine minutes long, but just soooo cool.

Please join me in lighting some incense and pouring That Elixir for the spirit of the Hero Zappa

July Is Starwood Season, Not Blog Season

OK, obviously I won't get anywhere near the 4 posts I've been trying to do minimum during this month. I could write some musing about Starwood, and the 30 years of work we've done to keep it rolling, and the groovy thing is has become, and it's groovy offspring, too.

I don't have time for that any more than I do for more cogent posts on the Nine Moons project or any other cool stuff. I just spent a number of days typesetting the 64 page program booklet, doing copying, packing my own stuff, etc, and it's Starwood on my mind. So I'll take a minute and list some non-ACE websites about Starwood.

This is cool - ultimate Starwood camping list - all I'd add is a 10x20 Hercules Canopy. There's really a lot on Youtube - and Stang's Jesus Stain vid keeps getting hits. Incidentally, we keep looking over our shoulder at the giant chain of hotels and resorts that use the name Starwood - but I'd assert we had it first, way back in 19-hunnert-and-81. Good to get mentions from musicians, especially after the fact. I've just learned about 'nings', and there's one for Starwood, too.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to cool occult discussions with the gang at the fest, and maybe cornering Isaac and Skip to work toward the next step in the Initiate's thing. I'll be out of touch for days now, so enjoy your Summer here in North America, and deal with winter if you;re not.