The Druidic College

To move on with the ancient scrying techniques, we will look at the ancient practice of scrying flames. Fire gazing can still the mind and free the ego. It can also alter ones state of consciousness. In ancient times the lady of the house, (in most cases), would kindle the fire by lifting the peats so that the flame smothered the night before might spring into life, she prayed that the fire would be blessed to her and to the household. And to the glory of the God, And Goddess who gave it.

Ah, autumn - a time of transition as we savor the overlap between the fruits of summer and the bounty of fall. A time to prepare for the coldness of winter while trying to hang onto the warmth of the sun.

Tomatoes are still available locally until the first major frost, as are basil and that ever-abundant zucchini. How many of us have friends and neighbors with gardens who are trying to give away weapons-grade squash? The larger squash, the ones the size of small baseball bats, can be shredded up and made into a yummy zucchini bread, or they can be chopped up and tossed into any veggie soup. The smaller ones can be thin-sliced with a food processor or a spiral slicer, and topped with a pesto dressing or a yummy marinara sauce. These are great to bring to potlucks because the colors and flavors will impress many a veggie nay-sayer.

We Druids are keenly aware of the Plant Allies of our tradition: our calendar is based on the trees, and the word “druid” itself is derived from the Indo-European root meaning Oak. From the Roman historian Pliny, we learn of the ancient Druidic ritual of the harvest of the mistletoe, and there are various magickal interpretations of this most holy rite. The importance of plant allies in the pagan path is undeniable.

Alban Elued, Fall Equinox, Mabon, Mea'n Fo'mhair, Higan-e, Winter Finding, Cornucopia: Call it what you will, the time of balance is upon us once again. The days are visibly shortening now, and all of Nature has begun to settle in for the approaching winter.

Hail fellows and well met!

As we approach the Autumn Equinox, Alban Elued, the Light of the Waters, we again think of balance, as we did at Alban Eiler. And when we contemplate balance we think of the scales, perhaps the scales of justice.

We stand together, here on the shoreline, feeling the cool, moist sand crunch under our bare feet, comforted by one another’s presence; the restless sky above and the worried sea below. Feathery billows sail weightless and luminous as they scud along beneath a shadowy rough hewn stone ceiling. Darker, though not as dim as that which your eyes see. The clouds flare in occasional brilliant sunbursts, the kind that warm your face on the coldest of days and dazzle the seeing eye.

The sky is filled with life: swaying trees, a swirling dragon, an old maid’s face.

The Sky is infinite-never ending. It meets the earth upon which we stand. Wave your arms you are touching the Sky. The wind is the Sky in movement. You can feel it on your skin. Sometimes the Sky is cool and sometimes it is warm, quiet and light. When the Sky is balmy the Sun has warmed it. During the day the Sun is visible to us sighted ones. The Sun is a large ball of fire thousands of miles from the Earth out in the Sky. The Sun is fiery orange yellow. Orange Yellow can be described as hot, sizzling, or warm. The Sky is light.

Discordianism has been described as either an elaborate joke disguised as a religion, or a religion disguised as an elaborate joke. While Discordians are known for their humor and refusal to take themselves too seriously, there are certainly deep truths wrapped in the Zen-like riddles and literal contradictions contained in their primary text, The Principia Discordia (available at here).

Hail and welcome to Lughnassadh, the “dog” days of summer. It is a time when we tend to sit back and rest on our laurels, musing on our first harvests and the good times yet to come.

This is all well and good, but while we rest our backs, we can continue to exercise our minds. Many a good thought was born resting in the cool shade of a leafy tree. Just ask Newton.

Numerous awe-inpspiring events transpire over a period of time, ranging from weeks to months. The gestation of a child takes nine months, birds a few weeks, other mammals a month to several months, herbs, vegetables and fruits are fully mature within a few weeks to several months. The crusaders understood this concept when they took to the road. They would fill a flask with St.