The Druidic College

Alban Elued

As the Great Wheel turns, the Sun once again enters the cardinal Air sign of Libra, the sign of balance. It is the elusive moment of equal day and night; the Autumn Equinox, the festival of Alban Elued, Light of the Water, when, as the Celts believed, the year descends into the rejuvenating depths of the ocean. We enter the dark half of the year where the mysteries have domain and we may seek their answers. In Celtic lore, the Lady Cerridwen stirs her cauldron of knowledge in preparation for the great feast of Samhain, the occasion of death and rebirth.

Memories are those minute nuggets of the past that hide away in the dark caverns of our minds. They may commonly be sorted into two types; those we term ‘good’ memories, and those we label ‘bad.’ The bad memories serve to remind us of occurrences that we do not as a rule want to repeat; a finger burned, an opportunity missed, a lover lost. So, in their way, they provide warnings and protection. If we are mindful, little red flags pop up and bells sound loudly. Then we may choose to heed the signs, or foolishly, have another go. Results seldom vary.

The Sun sits low in the sky. As we gaze into his fiery center, a crimson sphere becomes visible in our mind's eye. Now is the time of love, of transformation, and the time of the lunatic! Let us now celebrate the Moon of the apple.

The Quert is feminine; it's element water. Her powers are of love, healing, and immortality. Her fruit and limbs are used in love rituals, handfastings and garden magick. In the Celtic mythology of our ancestors, the apple was regarded as the fruit of immortality.

Eisteddfod /eye-steth-fod/: Free Bardic Contest

ATTENTION ALL BARDS – Sharpen your pencils, quills (and keyboards)! The Order of the Sacred Oaks, Sacred Oak Grove and Silver Birch Grove are sponsoring the 8th Annual Eisteddfod. This is a traditional Bardic contest (with wonderful prizes) for original works in the categories of poetry, short stories and song/music. This Bardic contest is FREE to enter and FREE to attend. All entries must be on a pagan, Celtic, Wiccan or Druidic theme and must be performed (DH’s allowed) at the Eisteddfod. The contest will be held Sunday, 28th September, 2008, 2 pm at the Rose and Thistle, a fine Public House, 2314 NE Broadway, Portland (on the terrace, weather gods permitting). Children are welcome. Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, Sunday, 20th September, 2008 or hand delivered to the address below by 6 pm Tuesday, 22nd. Full details and entry forms available at Moonshadow, 3352 SE Hawthorne, or call 503-235-5774, or at our website, sacred-oak-grove.org.

For best viewing of this site, please install the "Celtic Gaelige" font from http://www.angelfire.com/la/bryde/fonts.html.

These fonts are also great for any Celtic project your working on.

I must say I have been so hugely saddened lately by two headlines. In Africa recently 17 women were murdered on the accusations of practicing Witch Craft, or being a Witch. There were children sobbing, old people mourning the loss of their young ones, and husbands shedding tears for their wives. All of their loved ones were brutally murdered. I'm convinced they were women of the Earth and did what ever they could to make themselves and others better people, and their friends and family more comfortable in life. Also I recently acquired a copy of American Tarot Association Quarterly Journal, and the headlines read:

Statement from the American Tarot Association Reguarding the Rejection of Reigning Miss Canada Plus Pageant Judge Because They Read Tarot Cards.

Trames Druid Lapidem Miliarium

Milestones on the Druidic Path

Once one has decided to explore the path to Druidry, the view to the horizon and beyond can be a daunting one. As one begins to realize that it continues over the horizon and ends, if ever, we know not where, it becomes even more overwhelming. On any journey, especially one so long and demanding, it is natural to attempt to gage one’s progress, usually by the use of markers passed en route. The milestones for the Druid’s journey are many, possibly countless.

Many magick users are more comfortable working with energy than money. Unfortunately, it's something we all have to deal with. But how many of us have really thought about what money is? Where does it come from? How is it created? Once you start asking these questions, you might soon realize that money is in actuality no different than any other kind of energy that we work with in rituals and manipulate with magick. Like many types of energy, "Dollar Energy" can be represented on the chromatic spectrum as a color...

Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger, Linn.) a member of the Solanaceae family, to which belong the Potato, Tobacco and Tomato, and Belladonna. This herb is called "Black Henbane" because its flowers have heavy purple veining. This herb is also known by its scientific name 'Hyoscyamos', which translates as 'Hogbean'. Some think this may possibly be an altered form of ‘Dioscyamos’ that translates as 'Divine Bean' or ‘God’s Bean’. According to Dioscorides, the Celts too considered the plant sacred to their God of prophecy. They called it 'Belenuntia', herb of Bel, which still echoes in 'Beleño', the Spanish name for Henbane.

It would at first seem superfluous to proclaim that we live in a very different world than did our ancestors. We have all the “benefits” of modern technology, of modern medicine (if one can afford it!), and even for all but the humblest of us, a lifestyle that would be the envy of the ancients. We have all the gadgets and gizmos we could want to make or life and leisure time as comfortable as we could desire. Just how did mankind survive before the advent of the microwave?