The Druidic College

What a great day it is to be. The sun is shining radiantly, warming the damp crisp morning air and the dewdrops sparkle from his rays on every flower, blade of grass, bush and tree. Oh, listen the birds are singing and the bees are humming their songs, too.

Today is a marvelous day for me because now I am free. You see I started out from a tiny white egg no larger than a grain of sand. My mother attached my egg sack upon the stem of a milkweed. And there, inside my miniature world, I grew and grew until I burst my little orb.

May the bonfires of Beltane warm our hearts and light our future.

Firstly, I must congratulate those from both Groves who have recently advanced to the Order of the Birch. You know what was required of you to have come this far, and I am sure that you are equally aware of the responsibilities that you now take on as Bards. You have successfully passed the first milestone and there is a long, and yes sometimes winding, road ahead. But it is full of challenge, excitement and great satisfaction. Well done.

We have reached the time of year when the worst that Winter has to offer is well behind us. The wise, however, still keep an eye over their shoulder as Boreas can always surprise us with a parting icy blast. None the less, we now look forward to the growing light and the first of Spring’s flowers which always seem to pop up, no matter how hard the Winter!

If there is one thing I have learned in the dozen or so years that I have been leading this Order it is that little, if anything, is constant. That which we assume to be permanent will always finds a way to make us aware of the error of this illusion. Circumstances and people that we have come to rely on often change, take a diverging path or simply are found not to have been what they once appeared to be. While this can be disappointing and frustrating, not to say wearying, it is the very nature of life and we must accept it. After all, it would be a little boring if everything went according to plan, now, wouldn’t it. No challenge at all!

Greetings to all! Recent discussions have prompted me to write regarding the nature of self directed study and advancement in the Groves. Some really good questions have been raised and they have revealed deeper questions, which is often the case when we look closely at an idea.

In the Rule we state that one aspect of responsibility of membership is to pursue advancement. The Rule elaborates:

The bear is no longer indigenous to the British Isles, nor to Ireland. Neolithic man hunted the brown bear, and it was found in Scotland until about the end of the eleventh century. The Caledonian bear was a valuable export to Rome, due to its extraordinary ferocity. Many ancient cultures wore bearskins with the head still attached to try to become the Bear. Before going into battle with bearskins often being worn, the ferocious bear was invoked.