And Just like that We are back in the World.

Covid was not kind to anyone. It made us scared and being frightened is not something that we in the western world are used to. We have small scares, not being able to cope, anxiety and other small things that normally we can deal with but this was a BIG scare. People were dyng, people were ill and we all shut ourselves away to make sure that we were safe.

But now it seems its time to reemerge. But how to we want to come back into the world

I find that the character of the world has sadly not changed but in that there is hope.

Most people I know are living smaller, taking joy in the smaller things and serving their community as much as they can.

I have just Organised the Welsh Occult Conference in Welshpool and one of the overiding themes from all of the speakers was the theme of Service.

I take great Joy in that and hope that we can move from the capitalist, self focused culture that we currently have to a more community focused, world and environmentally focussed community.

Lets walk lightly with each other because no one actually knows what another person is feeling or coping with.

Lets join forces more often instead of focussing on our differences lets look at our strengths and work together to acheive something wonderful.

Lets push people to rise up and shine, instead of leaning on them when the try to rise and taking joy in their failure.

Lets be the community we want

Now is the time for action

Now is the time for community.

Look at the joy on the faces in the photo just from being Together.

More of that please

Ok so I am a lazy blogger

Well here we are on the cusp of Autumn and I have not written in my blog since the spring. Dear god where did the time go.

Time is something of a bugbear of mine, does it exist - no entropy exists but the measurement of that entropy is a very human thing. Other animals are controlled by the seasonal passage but only we Homo Sapiens are the measurers of time. Does it control us - yes and I beleive that the more precisely you measure it the more control you give over to it. Chronos is a terrible maste, if you let him get his hands on your heart. He causes us to worry about time instead of enjoying time. He makes us think we have obligations and does not allow us to realise that there are no obligations other than those you chose. We dont have to go to tescos, we dont have to watch a programme on TV, we can choose to slow down and enjoy the moments in between the breaths.

The other thing about time is that the older you get the faster it goes. I can remember the 6 weeks holiday as a child and they were endless, boring in fact, after all there are only so many times you can watch Champion the Wonderhorse and the Flashing blade before you have to naw off your left leg with the poinlessness of it all. Days were weeks and weeks seemed to stretch into infinity. Albert Einstein was a god!

But now a holiday is almost a teleport device from the friday you finish to the Monday you start again.

My daughter, now 27, has recently left home to live in Cardiff and start her life as a teacher but only 1 day ago she was 5 and on my lap. Where did it go!!!!

This year has been an amazing one for DragonOak and for myself.

The workshops we run have been really sucessful and I think everyone who has attended them has enjoyed. We are closing after September for the year and having a bit of a rest until March of next year where we kick off with Julian Vaynes amazing Shamanic Workshop. And I am very excited that we are having a Camp for Hekate in May at the amazing Lammas earth center in Pembrokeshire. T

his will be a fantastic oppurtunity not only to share our practise but to gain insights into other peoples work.

DragonOak itself has grown and we have enjoyed a really busy year of studying things like working with the plant spirits, astrology, planetary workings, festivals and full moons.

We have had a handfasting in the group which was a wonderful thing to be part of, we have had new students enter into the study programme. and we have spent time together laughing, studying and general making a nuisance of ourselves.

I have spent some time updating the library here so that there is more study material for those who havent got it and am going to try to do that more regularly.

I have spoken in several different conferences on subjects such as Hekate and working with Mugwort and during that time Ihave met some Incredible people.

So Autumn

Well I am at the moment making Jam, but the fruits have been VERY quick coming through this year so I nearly missed them. My grannie would say that the devil pisses on blackberrys if you pick them after Setp 21st but I will warn you that the Divil is pissing early this year!!!

Equinox on the 21st is a wonderful ritual and then its Samhain, bloody hell thats come around quick.

Autumn for me is a time of introspection, its when I look things and think about what I need to get rid of in my life. Its actually a good time for me to start things off as well. Its an academic year thing, a hangover from getting that new satchel in the new school year. Its also a time of Candles and conkers and wet misty days.

One thing we do have to do is fix the temple that we work in. Years of damp and wet winters and summers, well lets face it its Wales have made the roof rot to the point where its is irrepairable so we have booked a builder and are getting it redone. Sadly this means moving all of the accrued temple detritus out so that it does not look too weird for the builder. A good time for a throw out methinks.

So what are you doing this Autumn?

And Spring is coming in

I can smell the smell.

You know the one I mean

The one that speaks of life growing through the veil of death.

Of babies being born. Of the growing heat of the sun

My heart quickens to a new more urgent beat.

Life wants OUT!!

In DragonOak we celebrate this time of year by honouring the Maiden Bride.

During our ritual we use a poem This is a very old poem found in its Christianised form in he Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmicheal[1900]. This is available on Sacred Texts if you want to see it.

We use this version.

The genealogy of the Holy Maiden Bride

Radiant flame of gold

Bride, daughter of Dougall the Brown

son of Aodh

son of Art

son of Conn

son of Crearar

son of Cis

son of Cormac

son of Carruin

Every day and every night

that I say the Genealogy of Bride,

I shall not be slain,

I shall not be sworded,

I shall not be put in cell,

I shall not be wounded,

I shall not be ravaged,

I shall not be blinded,

I shall not be made naked,

I shall not be left bare,

Nor will the Ancestors

Leave me forgotten.

No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me.

No loch, no water, no sea shall drown me.

No seed of fairy host shall lift me,

No seed of airy host shall lift me,

Nor earthly being destroy me.

I am under the shielding

of good Bride each day.

I am under the shielding

of good Bride each night.

I am under the keeping of the Triple Bride,

Each early and late

Every dark, every light.

Bride is my comrade-woman,

Bride is my maker of song,

Bride is my helping-woman,

My choicest of women, my guide.

At this time of year we purify ourselves and our temple. We melt down all of last years beeswax candles and make new ones.

We Bless our candles and we also have a special bee blessing which we use to honour the source of our sacred candles.

We spend the day together, making crosses. making candles eating and just spending time together.

Then when all the candles are made we do ritual to honour Bride.

This ritual first purifies the body and soul and then honours all of the growing things including the growing things within ourselves.

Its a time to set Goals, to unleash our own creativity. To stoke the fires of study and to start to feel driven again.

The dark of the sleep is driven away by the light of the candles.

I hope that your own celebrations are wonderful, full of laughter and light and the blessings of company.

May the Light grow both within yourself and within the sky.

I can smell the Smell

That lightness in the air

That driving driven need to rise

From deep within the earth

The maiden Bride rises

Lighting the flame of the spring

She drives forward the lives of the creatures of earth

Singing her song of their birth

Her green girded body, her crown shining bright

The red of her hair flowing free in the night

The song of the birds rises

The trees split the bud

and within me the light emerges

strong and unfettered, my soul taking flight