A Samhain Charm

Dear Gods and Poet's Fire! have I neglected this blog for an entire month?? Please forgive me, dear readers. Review my previous excuses for discussions of just how busy my life continues to be - October has been no more slow. Much of that is my fault, of course. Likewise it's my fault that I've just been easily distracted.

I'm slowly grinding my way out of my writer's block, and stuff will be coming in the next weeks. Thanks for still reading - newer readers should find plenty of old stuff while I get my poo together.

Fair notice, the current offer of the Leabhar Mor will stay up until Sunday night or Monday morning, then vanish for an unknown (but not brief) length of time.

The Host of the Bitter Dead

Among spirit-worshipping peoples, the care of the Dead is vital to the maintenance of a tribe or family's luck.

Mortal spirits are mighty, and each deserves the offerings and reverence of their folk. Fate being what it is, many humans die without those comforts. In older times one might be slain along the road, and lie unknown in the green. One might fall as one of hundreds in battle, bones left for crows. In our day one may die under a bridge, without resources or love. One may die in a natural disaster, corpse swept away from all care. Tradition teaches us that a bad death makes a bitter spirit, as surely as does a bad life. Each year's turning creates a new crowd of bitter Dead. Throughout the Indo-European world the notion of the host of the unshriven dead was a source of spiritual and possibly material danger. In Gaelic lore the 'host of the unshriven dead' is sometimes called the sluagh sidhe. 'sluagh' means 'host' in the sense of crowd, and the sluagh arises in swamps and mires (a common place to die unknown) to haunt and harm the living.

Last year this charm came to my mind late - only in time for Yuletide. I want to repost it at a more proper season. It is useful at this time of year to aid us in directing offerings to these beings, to calm their hearts and bring them back to the Fire. It could also be useful in some cases of 'haunting', but I haven't tried that yet.

Let an offering of bread, honey and ale or wine be prepared, along with a small fire, or candle to be lit even if the rite is worked at a more formal ritual fire.

Begin with whatever prayers and offerings to the gods and spirits are proper to your work, and then prepare the fire so that the food offerings can be placed before it.

• Let the blood of the Dead water the root of the Tree.

Let the Hazels of Wisdom grow from deep roots.

Let wisdom, strength and love nourish every being, by the rising of the light.

• Often do we honor the Ancestors, blessed and beloved.

With them we share warmth at the Shrine of the Hearth.

Many are those who die who we know not,

Yet human kinship does not stop at the garth’s wall.

• All our allies among the Dead, help us to speak to the Lost.

Elder Wise, Grandparents of our lines,

Join your voices with ours in love and mercy

For all the Host of the Dead.

• Hear me now, all you lost spirits

All who died suddenly, without warning;

All who died unjustly, or by the hand of another;

All who died alone, in unknown places, or in deep waters;

All who died without the embrace of kin.

• We make these offerings to you, for your rest and peace

That you no longer be lost

That you no longer be angry

That you no longer be vengeful

But be welcomed at the Fire.

(Lay the bread offering, and pour honey upon it)

We honor you with this gift of bread and ale

(Lay the Ale or wine offering)

Though we may not name you,

We have not forgotten you

(Light the small fire or candle)

• This small fire we light for you,

As the small sun of Yule morning will rise.

Let it be as a hearth of warming

Where peace prevails

And all feast as friends

With the Blessing of the Gods.

Host of the Dead, accept my sacrifice!

Tredara.Org Website Launch

I'm pleased to announce that we're trying to cling desperately to the coat-tails of the 20th century by launching a website for our nascent 'facility'.
Tredara.org - bookmark it today  (please...)

With the expansion of our acreage and our coming retirement from wage life, we are preparing to launch our land as a formal Pagan sanctuary and center. This web-site is a step in that direction.

This is a placeholder site, but I'll be adding to it over the winter. While it will be of interest to local Pagans, I hope to make the site of interest to the general Pagan and occult reader, as I do with this blog.

For now I'm not centralizing my web-presence at this site. My stores at Lulu and Cafe Press will still be up, and I'll figure out how I want to link them.
Watch that space!

Leabhar Mór Offer

Last spring I offered this relatively complete collection of my work-to-date. Here’s the blurb:

A mega-grimoire of rituals and teaching in an artful style. The text combines

material from Ian's books Sacred Fire, Holy Well, The Book of Summoning, The Book of Vision and Draiocht with a measure of new material. The core rites and works of the Court of Brigid are also included, making this my most complete Druid Grimoire to date. While the bulk of the work is composed of ritual scripts and texts there are many chapters of teaching as well, from the basics of Irish polytheist symbolism to the secrets to gathering and using magical power. 

 With fifteen full-page illustrations and dozens of symbolic drawings, magical diagrams and sigils, the Great Book is a rich and inspiring trove of magic – a tome fit for a wizard’s oratory! 

The book was fairly well-received, and I sold enough copies to be happy with the project. I also reserved a few copies that were donated to various event-fundraising auctions this summer. I have gotten a steady stream of requests for another chance to buy the book, and so I am offering it again, only until Samhain of this year.

Here’s the link for my Lulu store. 

If there are folks who were enjoying the extreme rarity of the title, I doubt this offer will be a huge dent in that factor. While the on-demand nature of the publication prevents me from providing signed copies by mail without an additional $20 or so in shipping costs, I do promise that though I may re-offer this very occasionally, I will never sell more than 81 copies of this edition. Of course if you find me at events I'll be happy to sign them.

Apologetic Update

Man, I can’t find the mental time to write squat this month.

I could, and can, justify some of that with the work I’ve been doing outdoors, prepping and polishing the barn and new grounds. We had a very successful Starwood thank-you party last weekend – a major site-manager hurdle for my season. As the winter arrives I’m sure I’ll be back to work at the keyboard.

Proof-of-life wise, here are some photos…

The bonfire at the Starwood Party, Built by Jason I hisself,
and lots of other folks, of course. Nice chimney-log...

Yr Humbl, and Kim, off for a ride on the golf-cart.

Here's the new barn fully in business. Painting that sucker took a while...

The Nemeton after the Fall Equinox rite,
fire still blazing. May we all reap a good harvest!

Invocation Teaching in Sept.

A Voice From The Shrine

Practical Methods of Invocation of the Gods

Sept 28 , 2pm

Aradia’s Garden 

Eastlake Ohio

In the Old Ways the gods and spirits lived among the folk, present in the shrines and sacred spaces inherited from tradition, or in new ones made by worshipers. In our efforts to restore the Old Ways for modern times, we must rely on ourselves and our own skills to open the ways to communion with the divine in the persons of the Old Gods.

In this instruction and workshop, Ian will discuss the methods known to ancient and traditional ritualists, and how they can be adapted for modern use. Beginning with just a small dose of history and theory, we will approach invocation for solitary work, for family and small-group rites and for Pagan group worship.   We will discuss the use of images and talismans, how to make an effective shrine, developing personal devotions, and the place of trance and vision in invocation. The program will conclude with a small exercise or ceremony, demonstrating some of the day’s principles.

$25; Pre-registration is preferred, phone registrations are welcome at Aradia’s Garden.

To Limit the Divine

An excellent shrine from Pagan artist Marcel Gomes

OK, am I little cranky this morning? Perhaps. This is one of those general statements of things-I-think, whorth exactly what its worth...

I tend to doubt cliché wisdom. Much of what passes for common-or-garden, bar-stool spirituality isn’t worth a crap, really. “All is One” So fucking what – hammer that nail with this cheese. “The Universe is mental – my mind makes reality”. Look out for that bus... One oft-recited nostrum is that one cannot or must not “limit the divine”. Allow me to dissect…

My first assertion is that limitation is absolutely required for real existence. Limitation is identical with definition. It is the edges that define – the limits. That might be band-width limits, conceptual limits or material limits, but all things, material or ideational are describable and definable because they are limited. If there could be things not describable or definable, we don’t (couldn’t) know of them.

My second assertion is that the divine, or spirit-world, is a part of the natural system, a segment of the whole cosmos. I expect the spiritual to reflect the material, and vice versa – as above, so below, etc. Thus I expect real divine things to have limitation, boundary and definition. Since I dismiss the notion of ‘one God’ I can dismiss several philosophical quandaries that come with it. As a polytheist it makes sense to me that the divine part of nature contains many persons, many beings, each defined by their limitation (or limited by their definition, as ya like). Odin isn’t Aphrodite isn’t Orpheus – the gods are the gods.

Let’s look at limitation in another way. One of the most reliable means of increasing power is through limitation. If you want that water to turn a wheel you must limit it to a channel cut in the earth. If you want those electrons to flip a switch you must limit them in a properly-connected wire. Even were one to posit some oceanic all-consciousness-style godhead, it would have to take more limited form in order to be at all present in the world. Even in monistic religions (not in monotheistic ones) the divine manifests as the many persons of the gods. 

So, when a modern Pagan undertakes to make real contact with the divine in the person of one of the gods it is reasonable for us to approach the god in a clearly delimited and focused way. This is the merit of using a formal shrine, of making a throne, a specific locale in which you ask and expect the power of the god to manifest. This is why it is valuable to make sacred space – to say “this space is different, separate, and specific”. The essential mechanism of formal theurgy is the manifestation of divine power in the idols and tools of the magician’s shrine. This is made possible by the creation of a narrow channel – by the skillful application of limitation. The proper image, properly-colored gear, proper offerings and incense, all create a narrow symbolic channel through which the divine power enters the material world.

So I would say that the work of limiting the divine is central to really knowing the divine. Like any real knowledge, some knowledge of the spiritual world must be acquired a piece at a time, one being at a time. To know the forest is to know each of the trees. We set ourselves to meet the god and spirits through our efforts, counting on their good will and our good method to allow the meeting. By providing a limited channel for the divine, we make it real in the real world, and greatly increase our chances of generating real blessing.

In Praise of the Court of Brigid.

I just received word from one of our ADF students, Davin Mac Lugh, about results he obtained

working with one of the Court of Brigid spirits. It’s going slowly, but a few more magicians each season are taking up the work.

Do head over to his blog, The Druid of Fisher Street, for the whole story. I liked his closing:

As in this experience, my hard science mind told me that he would most likely not survive, and yet he did! So something must have intervened, and that something was most likely the spirit I called upon.  So long as the hard sciences cannot in some way measure magic they will not accept it.  Honestly, I am ok with that.  I hope they never can measure it.  I hope there will always be forces in this world that can’t be understood with measurement; forces that must be felt and experienced and always leaving us a bit lost as to how it worked.  This is the re-enchanting of the world.  This is how it is done; one magical working at a time.  

May the Blessings of the Goddess Brigid continue to flow into the world through her Courtiers!

Summer Journal

Yes! I walk by day… at least some days… days when I haven’t walked with whiskey until some unwholesome and unholy hour with equally whiskey-soaked Druids and Pagans. Then I only walked by afternoon.

Yes, fellow kids, it’s been such a looong exposition. I did finally get my new little book out, and have a next project in the pipe, but for now I think I shall just rant on a while.

Summer Travel

• Starwood - Our round of non-stop action began with Starwood, the 33^rd year of the fest I helped to found and organize. It was a good year, a little under-attended but very juicy for me. We upped our game at the midnight ADF ritual by making and burning a shrine-house just for the occasion. The OTO was back at Starwood for the first time in decades, with a performance of the Gnostic Mass. The team busted their hump to bring in a full temple and team, and it was an excellent performance. L. and I worked the Dagda Audience, and did two concert performances. We were especially honored to be part of the opening act for the Thursday night Celtic Band, Dulahan. Starwood rocks on – be there next year!

Making the sacrifices in the Trout Lake Nemeton

• Portland, & Eight Winds – We decided to make gathering of ADF’s western Region, the Eight Winds Festival. This year it was held at the home of our Archdruid, Kirk Thomas, at Trout Lake Abbey. The Abbey is the shared premises of both Kirk’s Druid Sanctuary and of his partner’s Buddhist monastery and temple, so it’s a very cool vibe, set near the Columbia river gorge in southern Washington state. The event was delightful – intimate, focused and renewing.

We also arrived in the region a couple of days early, on Monday evening, to do some tourism in Portland/Seattle. Arriving on Monday probably wasn’t the smartest choice, since we wouldn’t be in the region for either weekend, and there just isn’t much to do on Tuesday night, even in Seattle. We did manage a whirlwind bookstore tour of Seattle, being especially impressed with Edge of the Circle Books. I was sorry to miss meeting the boss – bad scheduling again.

In Portland we did manage to get to the Lovecraft Bar, just in time for the dance lights to go on so that I couldn’t really scope or snap the décor. Cool joint though – giant arra-agga-bandar on the ceiling, skull-totems, and walls covered with classic movie stills and pulp illos. Once again, I missed the boss, though even the barman was a fan. 

Next day we went to Powell’s Books, called “The World’s Largest Booksore”. I believe it. Three stories of a full city block, with a satellite building. The ‘occult’ section was better than most modern Pagan boutiques (who can’t really make a buck on books anyway). Only the airline luggage limitations preserved my self-control.

Fortunately one touristy thing did start on Wednesday afternoon – the Oregon Brewers’ Festival. Eighty one, yes 81 taps, each representing a local or national microbrew (one from Ohio). Live music, summer heat and a copacetic crowd – my idea of summer fun.

• Lughnassadh - While we didn’t actually travel beyond our back-yard for this, it came so soon after the last travel, and we spent so little time at the house that it felt like another event. We host a weekend of light-weight games, music, crafts etc. This year was a bit underattended in the Saturday phase, but we had a nice crowd for the rite on Sunday afternoon.

Working Our Burros Off.

Recent readers will know that we have acquired new acreage here at Tredara. Despite our travels, we wanted to get a few things done for our Lughnassadh Gathering. Especially, we wanted to finish a road from behind our barn, through the swampy part of the woods, and up into the new areas.

It’s been a wet summer here, though cooler than the last couple, but we began the work on the road in nearly 90 degrees, the day after a punishing rain. The woods were quite flooded, which did have the advantage of telling us just how high we had the build the road. In a couple of sessions with friends, and some other days of humping it along with just L and I, we moved some eighteen tones of gravel and built maybe eighty feet of hard road. All in-between the above travels; I’m not so much bragging as whining…

On the morning of Lughnassadh weekend our local mechanic (who seems likely to be a treasure) got our new ancient tractor started, and we were able to begin serious mowing. The brush-hog does it all, and AJs mower-mania meant that a lot got done fast. We were ready to camp folks at ‘the top’ (the new patch is significantly higher and dryer…) by Friday evening, which had been our goal.

Likewise, the shower on the back of the barn is done! A few sturdy folks used the shower over the weekend though, so it’s tried and proven. Now for the on-demand hot water.

We don’t quite know what it’ll all be yet, but we’re building it! 

Coming Up

• Summerland Gathering Down in the lovely Yellow Springs area of Ohio. One of our Fave events; we’ll be working the Audience With the Dagda for the third time. I think a Court working for the Big Fella is going to be in order.

• Midnight FlameFestival way up in the tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula. This will be our first trip to see the mead-hall of Grove of the Midnight Sun. I’ll probably be teaching, but don’t know what yet.

• Genius LocusWork: L. and I will be working the next phase of the work during this waxing cycle. I’ll try to write something up.

Things should liven up here on the old bloggo as we move into fall. One more general Cthulhu background article, then reviews. More occult journaling. Thanks for reading!
On we go!