Lughnasadh was celebrated today in Gribbit Grove. For the first time in many months, someone besides me and Sammy the cat were there. That was both a blessing and an ego curse.
Normally when others are around, I get myself WAY too wrapped up in the presentation to remember why we are doing things in the first place. My need to scrub the base boards can get in the way of my ability to focus on the ritual itself. Today was different. The house and the grove made it all the way to passable. The ritual was not memorized, but it included my guests in meaningful ways. All and all I prefered it to the angst that I normally go through.
The Druid rituals out of the Druidry Hanbook are simple and elegant. The opening and closing are right to the point. You open, do what you are going to do and then return the energy to the Earth in closing. It is very different than anything I have done in CM. This is a recognition of a place on the wheel and a giving and receiving of thanks for blessings. It is not the creative forces being shaped. It is recognizing their existance and grounding back into where we came from.
Sometimes in CM we get so excited over the aspiration for the Divine that we forget that it is all around us. There is no need to shuffle off this mortal coil to touch the face of Divinity. I have a garden and do so every day.
" Who makes the garden grow?"
"The answer to that I know."
I have spoken with angels, demons and many things in between. They are no less real to me than my rose bushes. They are however just as functional.
Qabbalists are fond of saying that Kether is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether but in a different fashion. That point is never more obvious than today standing in the grove. All of the pieces of Divinity are there, if we just chose to remove our blinders to the obvious and look. For some it requires an almost surgical procedure.
Off to feast :)
2 comments:
Howdy - I was link surfing today and came across your blog via Doing Magick, so I hope you don't mind me just jumping in with a comment.
I was very excited to see that you are both a Thelemite and a practicing Druid. I am a rather new Thelemite (been intellectually studying the material for about 10 years, but didn't actually get off my ass to do daily work until a year or so ago - HUGE difference), but have often considered joining the AODA.
I've been nervous about it only because I'd be mixing systems. I have a base goal of discovering my True Will via my HGA, and don't want to get off that path no matter how long it is going to take me.
However, I have often thought that working the rituals found in the Druidry Workbook or in the corresponding Magic book might allow me to experience things from a different angle. I figure that even though they seem different, they ought to be reconcilable in some way. Perhaps the Druid pantheon can be mapped onto the Tree of Life?
Ultimately, I'm just glad to see that someone out there has chosen to do this and that I might be able to gain some insight from your adventures.
Thank you Michael for your kind words. I hope that indeed we can learn from each other on this twisting path of life :)
Personally, I have found that both frameworks are very flexible. I have been a Thelemite since I started my magickal path. My alchemical studies lead me ultimately to Druidry. I find that my True Will is found in the middle of both. Since I am a member of the EGC, I already have a religion and Druidry does not require me to alter or altar :) that.
My hamster ( please see previous posts for HGA hamster explanation) has been able to integrate the two seamlessly. I recommend doing some divination and then going for it.
I will try to ponder and address the question of the Tree of Life and Druidry pantheon in a future post. I will have to think about that :)
Enjoy!
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