rise and root

***

~*~*~*~



The Flame Haired Solstice Dreamer

Cold winter brings the Everfrost and jewels every tree
In a forest new as birth and old as old can be
A flame~haired dreamer wanders there and shelters from the wind
And spins her dreams around the trees to break the ties that bind
She takes her thread and spins anew and how the Greenwood smiles
As she spins a spell for freedom and for her spirit Wylde

The dreamer finds an ancient oak and shelters in his lee
In a forest new as birth and old as old can be
Tis summer now and birdsong weaves its magick through her spells
And humming bees drum drowsily in the foxglove's bells
The dreamer sits beneath the oak with yarn upon her knee
And spins and knits and weaves her dreams and sets her spirit free

***
"When birds fall from the sky and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people...shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. they will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow"

Hopi Prophecy



I am now at what I know to be the final fork in my path.

Being brought up with no faith/religion, being left to choose my path has made it easy.

What some people call a ‘green spirituality’.

But it is not only the spiritual side of things. It’s a feeling deep inside me that connects with the ancestors of this land I live in. a land that existed here before the Romans brought their world to this land. A land of tribes and round houses, a respect for nature, living alongside and with nature.

Now here is that fork in the road, a road I have been living for some while to something much more profound and significant.

The dividing of the path came recently when I realised that things I truly believed were at odds with what I thought I was.
I had placed a label upon myself and tried to live with that label and now I know the label has been holding me back from my path.

The divination I have done has been directing me true but still I tried to label myself…what a dreadful thing it is to label oneself and try to mould an unwilling soul into that shape.

My path workings have also been true to my soul and shown me things that were once real.

So what were I things I was feeling so very much at odds with?

The path I was following had rules and practices from a place that said there were no rules and practices.
It felt that there was more focus on the practices than actual spirituality.
This did not feel to me an ancient path but something taken from more recent sources, sources away from this ancient land.
I felt that casting circles and creating a sacred space was wrong, wrong for me, it did not sit well with what I believed and my ‘practices’.
My sacred space is outside in nature, surrounded by living things, with my feet on the earth, this is where I connect.
What I believe is not just inside of me, I feel a connection with the land…I look up at the moon and stars feel the wind and rain, smell the earth and feel at home and part of it, not separate from it.
This gives me such joy

Now I can move onwards and embrace what I am and what I believe without the old label I placed upon myself

6 comments:

Rowan said...

You have arrived at where I am - it's why there is nothing other than 'earth-based spirituality' in my profile - I'm not an anything nor do I follow any rules or set practices, I just am constantly aware of and connected with the natural world and the passing seasons and the people who have lived in this land centuries ago. I wish you well on your path.

Miss Robyn said...

the round house, seems very familiar even though I had never seen one before I 'met' you.

I cannot believe our ancestors would have felt a need to cast circle or even like you say, have a sacred space... my sacred space is outside too.. when I walk in the bush or sit under my ancient pine tree where faery circles sometimes spring up but I also have a place inside my home where I can retreat when I need to.. I have made it sacred or special...so my soul knows that I can sit and ponder without the worries of the world coming int. Casting a circle, does nothing at all for me, I feel stupid when ever I try to...

laoi gaul~williams said...

thank you both for your comments. its nice to have those who understand responding!

Leanne said...

I am the same as you Lee, and Rowan and Robyn. I rarely label myself as anything other than pagan, because i do not really fit into any label. My sacred space has always been the woods, I rarely cast a formal circle, preferring to connect in a less formal way. I think a lot of us feel we have to adhere to certain practices when we are young on the path, only realising later on that we we feel inside is far more powerful than anything else. I wish you well too, you are not alone in your feelings.

leanne x

Miss Robyn said...

one thing though, I do have altars around my home with different 'deities' and goddesses and also a few christian & buddha statues..feathers from the angels along with rocks, leaves, seed pods and other things of nature to remind me of the wisdom that is available to me from everywhere..

Sue Simpson said...

Oh yes! haven't we all been there at some point. I hate lables too. Ecclectic sounds too much like I'm not on any path. The Druid Bardic course is the closest I've ever got to having a lable...Hmmmm not sure I'm a Bard, but come VERY close to being a Druid I think.
As for rituals, circles and anything else....my thoughts are, if it feels right do it, if not, then leave it behind. We come into this world unique, who wants to leave it a clone! lol.

Love Sue xxx

All things share the same breath~the beast, the tree, the man, the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports.



Chief Seattle






Johney Gaul~1915

Johney Gaul~1915
1890-17 september 1918~France