Listening and really listening As a priest and as a leader, we need to listen People come to us with their needs and we are there to serve. To serve them well, we need to listen and really hear them. In the former Super Druid program, Active Listening was a required course. When the Clergy Training Program superseded the Super Druid program, Active Listening was not carried over to the new program. Pity that. We all listen to people. How... Read more
Portable Hospitality Hospitality is about being a good guest and a good host. I open my home to others, and they will one day to me. In either case, I am gracious and thankful. Sometimes hospitality is not in my home, sometimes it is portable. Recently, I learned of a situation with an acquaintance when they were in need, on several fronts. I will not get into the specifics of the situation, but this person, this friend, required assistance. I... Read more
Welcome, Ancestors, Always There are more ancestors than you can imagine. There are a LOT more. It is much easier to see the Ancestors when we abandon the myopia of human superiority or human ascendancy over all the rest of nature. From the far corners of the world that we share with every other living thing, let the ancestors rise. Spirits in nature We exist in the natural world. We do not live outside of it. Therefore, legitimacy is not... Read more
The Autumnal Equinox passed today, and I paused to acknowledge the event. I did my rituals this prior weekend and the weekend before, and I feel well connected with the spirits and pathways of my practice. I always feel that the beginning of any practice should include the words “Welcome” and “Thank you.” My practice is based on the notion of building relationships and saying “give me this” or “give me that” right off the bat, is not the... Read more
Three New hrel for the Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia Part 2 I continued my discussion with the three new hrel of the Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia. I find these three individuals dedicated to the task ahead of them, with the good of the community first in their minds. Post-ordination I asked how the new hrel felt now post- ordination. Often, when someone goes through an elevation or ordination, there are subtle or not-so-subtle changes that appear. Brian stated... Read more
Three New hrel for Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia For Lughnasadh weekend this year, I ventured up to Nova Scotia to celebrate festival with the Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia on their new property, Rivergrove. I was in Nova Scotia August last for the Sunken Lake Retreat, but this year was special for several reasons. To begin, it was 30th anniversary of the first Avalon East Pagan Gathering. This gathering, organized by the Maritime Pagan Gathering Festival Association (MPGFA), continued... Read more
Hospitality in Unexpected Places I was sitting outside today eating a sandwich. It was a beautiful day, and it seemed fitting to eat my lunch outdoors. As I was eating my sandwich, I noticed a bird nearby. I was about to learn a lesson in hospitality and being a good host. And about having an equally good guest. This bird did not fly away/ It stayed nearby, and seemed unusually interested in me, while keeping a respectful distance. It caught... Read more
South Dakota Blessings I recently returned from my first post-Archdruid trip, this visit to South Dakota. I consider this a blessing trip because one part of the trip was to meet ADF’s (heretofore described as “our”) members in the state, and to do a baby blessing. Unexpectedly, I also came away with blessings of my own. I had not flown into Sioux Falls in almost twenty years. The airport was different, yet strangely the same. I always find opportunities for... Read more
Pilgrimage: Peoria and the Giant Oak Pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place. Many people make pilgrimages because of their religion, such as the hadj. I discovered the beauty of pilgrimage many years ago during a trip to Brittany. If a pilgrimage resonates with an individual, it encourages one to return to that place again. For a first-time pilgrim, it is difficult to imagine what one will see. When I first went to Brittany and saw so many amazing... Read more
Onward My time as Archdruid is at an end. It ended quietly in Europe, in France, in Brittany, and ultimately in the Meurthe-et-Moselle with me praying in the presence of my Ancestors. Our lives are full of cycles. This one, in ADF leadership, lasted 16 years, roughly a quarter of my life. How little do we know of the orbits into which we find ourselves? These orbits cast wide arcs and take us through vistas we could never have imagined.... Read more
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