Stalled, but Good News

Having been All Excited about finishing the third month of the Nine Moons program, I’ve officially stalled the fourth month for one cycle. My mom passed just at Imbolc, which also happened to be just before new moon this month – that was enough to make the more challenging work of month 4 difficult. We had arrived at the end of month three barely prepared, physically, for the Full Moon work of that month, and were behind on prep for month four, so I declared a suspension, and we’ll take up the work again at the coming new moon.
This tells me several things. First, the program begins a serious jump in intensity and preparation for the second three months. There’s a multi-day meditation and trance exercise, and the rituals require more actual thought and personal prep than had been the case in the first third. I’ll need to put advance warnings in the final version of the book, to help students be ready for the increasing pace, or we’ll see more students stall at this point. On the other hand, if a student needs to stall, the message should be that the program hasn’t ended, and can be picked back up. I wouldn’t want more than a one month stall, just to keep momentum.
The good news is that I have been able to keep up and catch up on writing. I should be finishing month six before we get back to it, and I’ve finished the spirit arte piece. I mean to test that material soonish, but since I promised to make it available to readers here, which I’ll post as soon as I can get lulu to work, where it will be downloadable for a very short time (maybe a week, maybe a little longer). It will then end up in a new publication, available for festival season this coming spring and summer.
The new publication marks a change in my self-publishing strategy. I’ve been fiddling around with presenting some druidic info in a concise, grimoire-style format, with plenty of evocative art, etc, essentially various sorts of spellbook. While a few folks have bought them, (bless ‘em) it hasn’t been many. The spirit arte material makes a nice body of mostly-new work, and I have some backlog of items, especially small spells and charms. I’ve been throwing those in, here, and in these b-tier pubs for a year or so.
So all those older-format items will disappear from the Lulu store in favor of this new publication; a nice 200 page spellbook, with mostly new material. I just have to present some Druidic basics for those who buy the book because the cover’s cool. But most of the material is published only in these experimental pubs that have sat still.
So, if you’ve bought stuff with my High Day invocations, or the Virtues Prayers in it, or the Nine Invocations to the Tuatha De, that’s some pages you’d be re-buying… sorry. But the spirit-arte material is fresh, and so are most of the practical spells, a couple even brandy-new (though tested) from the Nine Moons. I’m putting it together in a popular format, but with a romantic or evocative typescript, indulging my enjoyment of fantasy books. There are folks out there doing what they call ‘talismanic publishing’ of occult books. While I won’t be able to offer craft bindings, I do see this as an effort in that direction. Maybe I’ll do a limited-run ‘signed and sigilized’ talismanic hardback. Too silly? Feels a little silly… cool though…

Candlemas Reading

The Work of Phil Rickman
Especially:
Candlenight
The Man In the Moss
The Chalice
A Wine of Angels
A Crown of Lights

I’m always looking for some really good ‘occult’ fiction, or ‘spiritual adventure’ books. The best books of this sort combine realistic settings and characters with at least moderately realistic depictions of the occult, or magical practices, or the nature of the spirit worlds. Of course in a novel the magic tends to get amped up for effect, but seeing the forms depicted well is a bonus for me. A little ritual (or more), a nice sense of dread mingled with wonder, and as a bonus some nice writing on personal psychological and character issues make the sort of book I’m looking for.
I’ve been reading the work of Phil Rickman for years, and it’s consistently rewarding. His settings in modern Celtic Britain carry perfect authenticity, and his ear for both dialogue and dialect is excellent. He makes use a number of modern Pagan and New Age ideas, often depicting practitioners and normal folks newly involved in ancient mysteries. He seldom lets Pagan stereotypes, good or ill, stand unchallenged. Sure there may be quiet continuations of long-time folk societies in little villages, and yes, they may be both kind and, at need ruthless. These are, more or less, horror novels, though they are also whodunits and regional studies. The author is widely knowledgable (or does great research…). He brings us into the worlds of music production, sleaze TV, archeology and Celtic folklore and, pretty often, Welsh border politics.
The first three books mentioned above are part of Rickman’s early work, now sometimes hard to find, though cheap. My favorite is really Man in the Moss – a very cool exploration of the British Celts of the Pennines and NW England. His later novels have all focused around one ‘detective’ - Rev. Merrily Watkins, Anglican priest, occasional psychic and reluctant exorcist for the diocese. These supernatural mystery novels are set in Herefordshire, UK, near the Welsh Border, and the multi-novel development of her character is a fine achievement. Once again, bits of authentic lore are set to turn rancid in dark corners of a rural backwater, and our heroine must deal with the nasty things that are generated.
I just finished A Crown of Lights. It has one of the most telling and well-done depictions of the Wiccan/Pagan scene (albeit from 2001ish) I’ve ever read. The ordinary folks, the artists, the Pagan politicos are all nicely drawn, not without sympathy, but not prettied up either. They do fare better than the crazy preacher… or most of them do.
Looking at Rickman’s site, I find that I am behind on his output by some years. I mean to catch up, and will certainly be having a look at his forthcoming book on the Welsh Wizard, Dr. John Dee!
If you’re looking for something spooky to read that will actually make you feel smarter when you’re done, give Phil Rickman a try.

A Difficult Season

On the 28th of January my mother Dora passed away. It's taken me a while to decide that I should mention that here - Mom made every effort to know as little as she could about my Pagan ways, while being as open-hearted and accepting as she was of everything else about her family. In the end, I think it good to say her name, and remember her in public, which, I guess, includes here.

One evidence of her strength is that the family she left behind is pretty much sane, and we got through the attendant rituals and customs of her middle-American Christian culture with nary a raised voice. I spoke at her funeral, with only a bit of choking, and found her minister a good-natured guy who I'd enjoy having a beer with. The memorial was well-attended, bespeaking my parent's life-long tenure in their home town.

So, that's been keeping me away from blogging, a bit, though not from other writing. My projects have actually advanced, and have provided welcome escapism, in fact. The spirit-arte item is actually nearly done, look for some news this month. The Nine Moons proceeds, with the end of the 5th Moon in sight, and 6th underway.

I must thank my mom (and dad) for an upbringing that while never approving of my occult leanings, always encouraged books, ideas, learning and play. Despite her best efforts, I wouldn't be the weirdo I am today without her.

So, back to it...

The Duile and the Spirits

European lore preserves a motif that seems to reach back into the earliest strata of Indo-European cosmological thought – the idea that the cosmos, and, by reflection, the human self, is composed of the elements of the body of the First Being, who is sacrificed or murdered in the creation of the cosmos. Across the old world we find lists of these elements, in which components of the natural world are corresponded with components of the human self. In my own work I have adopted a conventionalized list of nine components, or elements – ‘duile’ in Irish:
Stone = bone
Soil = flesh
Vegetation = hair
Sea = blood
Wind = breath
Cloud = brains (thoughts)
Moon = mind
Sun = face
Stars = spirit

It has long been customary to attempt to classify the spirits according to the divisions of the natural world. The most common of these in the occultism of the last 1000 years have been the four ‘classical’ elements and the seven planets. In an effort to understand the spirits from a more broadly Indo-European perspective, and move back past the heavily Christianized magic of the renaissance magicians, we might consider using the duile as a way of examining the spirits. Initial work suggest a good fit for Indo-European ‘nature spirits’

So in this short piece I will attempt to fit some of the well-known types of Indo-European land-wights, or nature-spirits, or Sidhe-folk, into the Nine Elements of Druidic symbolism. In many cases this is a simple matter, and it sheds light on the nature of the spirits and how they fit into the cosmos. It also opens up some surprising vistas, and reminds us why the third Kindred isn’t just ‘everybody else’.

The Nine Duile are easily assigned to the Three Worlds:
The Land
• Stone – Trolls, Giants, Mountain Wights: Wights of Stone are among the eldest and strongest of beings. Mountain spirits are vast if sleepy powers, who can shake off human effort like leaves on a dogs back. Lesser spirits of stone may still be trolls – unwholsesome beings who like nothing better than to crack skulls. Some kinds of miners and delvers may also be of Stone, but they may also be of the next type.
• Soil – Dwarves and goblins, spirits of fertility and rot. Many of the kinds of spirits called bogles, or goblins, or various ‘brown men’ of the wood seem likely to correspond to the Soil. They see to the power of growth for root and seed, but they also are consumers, eaters of corpses and clearers-away of messes. Most ‘house bogies’ and their ilk come from this type, or perhaps from the next.
• Vegetation – Dryads, green-jacks, grain-men and women, willow-devils, etc. Perhaps the most common of the Land wights are vegetation spirits, present almost everywhere humans go. Folklore is full of flower-spirits and thorn-spirits, and the spirit of the grain that is honored every year might be a ‘god’ in the conventional sense, but he or she is also the spirit of the grain itself, as a vegetation spirit.
The Sea
• Sea – The Sea is full of spirits in the world of the insular Celts, from the selkies of the north to the merrows (mer-maids and men), to various talking fish and enchanted beings. The Sea is alien to mortals, and always dangerous and strange, though potentially a source of riches, and a road of quests. Out on the wide Sea the marvels of the weather, of nearby sky, become apparent, leading to the other two elements in this world.
• Wind – The kinds of beings called ‘trooping sidhe’, who riot through the air in their rade, carrying that which they pick up, are beings of the Wind, as are messenger spirits, the winged ones who bear the word across the worlds. The Gaels had detailed lore about the winds, and we could focus on very specific spirits for the twelve winds, but even considering four classes of winged wind-beings for the Gaelic airts is interesting.
• Clouds – What are cloud-spirits? They are bearers of weather, surely, often the great forces of the lower airs that carry the waters of the world across its face. More giants, perhaps, of the storm variety, grey and filled with lightning, or low and daylight-quenching. Another system well outside the little reach of our senses, for the most part, though perhaps they hear us when we ask well.
The Sky
• Moon – the Moon is given to the cool, clear light of the quiet mind, unenflamed by the passions, still and shining. The spirits who dwell in the moonbeams are the night people, a part of what we might call the Noble Court or the High Sidhe. Along with the other Sky beings they carry the offerings and prayers of mortals to the Gods, and bring back their Blessings, in turn.
• Sun – The Shining Court are great but perhaps remote, walking bright and proud over the land, bringing warmth to soil, stirring wind and sea. These great powers, of Moon and Sun, may not be ‘gods’ per se in various IE systems, but the spirits, the daimones, of these elements are always present, always powerful beings in the order of the worlds. When we see them in later folklore, I believe they appear as ‘angels’, and probably appeared as ‘gods’ to Pagan folks before that. Perhaps they do, in fact, do the business of the gods.
• Stars – to speak of the ‘nature spirits’ of the starry heavens is to open the whole question of the meaning of the seven planets and the many powerful fixed stars of European tradition. We have little indication of an important tradition of planetary symbolism among the Celts and Germans, yet it seems unlikely that the widely-learned Druids wouldn’t have picked up the basics from the Greeks. In any case, besides those traditional bodies of lore, we can only contemplate what a spirit of the light of the stars on a summer night might be, or do.

One immediate question in this arrangement might be “where are the animal spirits?” It seems to me that beasts are like us – they are beings of bone and blood and breath, none of which are shared by the vegetative form of life. So when we encounter animal spirits, perhaps they are in fact the ‘ancestors’ or ‘the dead’ of another species, choosing to help humans. Often I think they are guises worn by a god or spirit, often a spirit of soil or the green wearing the forms that live upon their power. Spirits of sun or moon, may come s beasts to better address our human mind and personality. The ancients seem to have seen the spirits using animal forms – especially wondrous or monstrous hybrid forms – and in these cases the characteristic animals of the element become symbols of the spirits’ power. It is entirely reasonable in IE lore to envision such spirits as human forms with wings or horns or hooves or fishtails.

This classification system offers us some handles on approaches to conjuring the spirits. We can construct sigils based on the simple Irish root-word for each element, perhaps clarifying them slightly with a general sign for Land, Sea or Sky. Using those sigils we could then ‘prospect’ for contact with a spirit using the scrying method. If the greater Convocation is used then this classification system might help the Druid to understand the nature of the spirits she meets.

A quick consideration of the possible practical magic associations of the duile might produce:
Stone – works of permanence and protection. Difficult spirits, but strong. Be careful of your protections.
Soil – works of fertility or of decay. Good spirits for service and productivity.
Vegetation – Works of sustenance, healing and vision. Important to maintain reciprocity with these spirits (as with all).
Sea – Not many practical works for land-dwellers among the strange beings of the Sea. Shore dwellers may know more than I.
Wind – Works of communication and distant vision. Messengers and raiders.
Cloud – Weather-working in an immediate sense, but many clans of spirits are involved there.
Moon – Works of vision and mystery, initiation and meditation, secret rites and night-sacrifices. Sun - Works of growth, strength and mastery, weather-work together with wind and cloud, spiritual perspective and memory.
Stars – Works of spiritual power. If one is willing to consider astrology, the whole realm of stellar and planetary powers might be present in this final, highest and strangest world.

In the process of developing a Druidic spirit-arte the problem of classifying and identifying the spirits is central to any new system. We have made little attempt to describe our third Kindred - usually they are just called ‘nature spirits’. However these beings seem to me to be related directly to the daimones of the Hellenic world, and to many other non-deific spirits throughout the IE range. By beginning to understand the nature of the kinds of Spirits we can more clearly honor them, and more clearly know which of them to ask for aid in what ways.

Working the Nine Moons – Report 1

So, L. and I have been working the Nine Moons system for 2 months now (See the Nine Moons category in the topics column at right to allow me to avoid posting specific links to a half-dozen former posts...). I’m learning a lot about practical application of what I wrote, and we’re enjoying the work a lot. I’m keeping my own journal of the work, but I’m not going to blog the individual entries. Instead I’ll post occasional summaries here along with any notable reports from later work.

I’m pleased to find that the level of work is far from crushing, even in a work-week setting. Each month requires four Retreat Days, timed with the phases of the moon. (Review the basic order of a Retreat Day here.) Especially in these early weeks the morning work has been short enough to easily do before leaving for work, and the other offerings can be done during meal-time, with the evening main rite or exercise taking no more than a couple of hours to set up and perform (assuming one has actually read the work and gotten the stuff…). All of that makes me comfortable giving it to students. I know that I’ll have to recommend more than four real working days per month in future months, though… we’ll see how intense it gets. The good news on the increasing complexity is that it has an end, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The first months are review and preparation. The morning meditations emphasize Dedicant-level skills – Open Meditation and Two Powers energy work – aiming for greater facility and ease of use. The Dead and Sidhe offerings are quite short and simple, we’ve been able to do them from our back porch – that will change some as we make the later contact-points for the spirits. Since we’re experienced ritualists the evening workings have been pretty easy so far – we have a good home shrine that we can just adjust and use for the rites, and that makes it easy to get them done.

The first month feels like it’s addressed to the Three Kindreds, beginning the process of alignment and relationship that carries through the first half of the system. We began with the Self-Blessing from the new DP (having never worked it ourselves…). The Sixth Night rite is a Rite of Uncrossing. While this system is intended to meet the requirements of ADF’s Initiate’s Program, more directly it intends to make a Druidic Magician of the student. To do that it is always wise to begin with plenty of cleansing, protection and opening of ways, and these first two moons provide that. The Uncrossing Rite combines Gaelic symbolism with a little bit of hoodoo method, and we (certainly I) found it quite juicy – my hands were shining with the effects for a day after. That rite is also worked under the Three Kindreds generally, and the Full Moon rite for the first month brings all that to a head with a formal ‘introduction’ rite of the student to the Kins. This is the first big round of multiple sacrifices for each Kindred. By the end of the first month it felt as if we must have the Spirits’ attention. Incidentally, I can honestly say that ways have opened for me in other parts of my life that had stayed stubbornly closed before now. That sort of Uncrossing is hard to quantify, but I’m satisfied.

The second month gets more down to business. The early stages of the new Moon trance progression are all very familiar to L and I, so the first ‘stand up out of your body’ exercise was review. The Sixth Night rite is the consecration of a talisman of protection. This brings us right into spellbinding very quickly in the system, though it is low-stress in that one needn’t risk watching over one’s shoulder for results. It is also the first more complex rite, using Fionn’s Window sigils, multiple material symbols and recited charms. We liked the form of the rite, but felt like a little more ‘power raising’ (or excitement-building) would be welcome. Multiple repetitions of the charm will probably do it.

The Full Moon rite of the second month is a formal sacrifice to the Earth Mother and Gatekeeper. Having agonized rather a lot over how to move students toward finding a personal patron, I once again ducked the issue by choosing to make the E-mom and GK the patrons of this system and its work. Fact is, anyone who wants to use Our Druidic ritual methods will need a solid relationship with those two deities anyway. This rite is, then, the first phase of three months of formal establishment of more detailed work with the Three Kindreds – Gods first. The rite is the first formal rite of invocation of specific deities in the system, combining Visualized images, physical offerings and spoken hymns. While it still felt like review to us, it also felt well-structured and effective. Once again, we felt we saw and were seen.

Our Dark Moon Retreats have been haphazard. The truth is, it’s good to have a week off from mandatory ritual nights, but we have already fallen behind the recommended pace for divinations and journal exercises. Fortunately the IP standards call for a five month combined journal for trance, divination and liturgy, so we have plenty of time to catch up.

So, on we go. Next come basics of the Inner Grove work, the formal consecration of our personal Blessing Cauldrons, and the creation of the Shrine-fetish for the Dead. I suspect a newish student would reach this stage with a head full of images and energies from this pace of work – I know I have them, but I have a nicely structured mind for such things by now. Testing the work this way on ourselves is good, but soon I’ll be looking for a first round of students.

Starting the New Year

...with a blessing to all of us. Been resting from bloggery for a minute, but there's more coming, as I work on writing the 5th and 6th moon of the system and performing the 3rd and 4th moons, soon. I'll have a general comment on what doing the system has been like soon, and plenty of other stuff. Thanks again to all who are reading... On we go...

The Imbolc Charm

In the Belly, Growing!
Hearth Keeping, Earth Stirring
Light Rising, Bread Baking
I keep the Feast of Imbolc!
Bride of the Hearth-Fire, you I call
Lady of the Sacred Well,
Bannock Mother, Font of Sustenance
Take now this offering, here at my Fire.
Bride of the Skills, to you I call
Queen of Poetry, Queen of Artifice
Queen of Healing, Goddess of Inspirations
Take now this offering here at my Fire.
Foster Mother, Cattle Mother
Fire Mother, Well Mother
Beneath your Mantle of Stars
I give you this sacrifice, Mother of Blessing.
Milk of the Mother, Come fill the Cauldron
Let the Land grow soft with your warmth
Let your milk come into the world,
Let me gain every good in the growth of the season
By the Blessing of the lady of Fire and Water!
So, Brigid and 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 Imbolc! So be it!

Offerings: oat-cakes and milk. Work the rite at your own hearth or home.