Haven’t the first three months of 2021 flown! With England gradually moving out of lockdown and murmurs that the lockdown in Scotland is easing, we can all be thankful for the speedy rollout of the vaccine. I won’t hedge any bets on whether this is the final lockdown or outbreak of the virus.
One year since the virus began, I have warm memories of the last night out, the previous trip to the head office and the last meal out. What do you remember of that last month before lockdown?
I’ve found it a captivating and challenging time, and have learned a lot and have been affected in many different ways.
Progression along my Bardic Path
I enrolled in classes in Storytelling with Roundhouse School (mainly centred on Scotland, but occasionally featuring stories from other places). It’s beautiful how a well-timed story can help someone! I fondly recall my mum telling us a range of different stories when I was a child. As adults, we don’t often get told stories and lose the healing ability of a good tale! Some people have never had a story recited to them!
I attended the Taibhsear Collective’s Winter’s Last festival. We were enthralled by stories, short films, and lectures before concluding with an intriguing discussion about the use of the word “hag”. Hag is supposed to have antisemitic roots and is often depicted in a negative context.
I have not progressed much further along my Bardic Path other than analysing and discovering the elements I identify with.
Progression with my Ogham Course
I am progressing slowly with my Ogham Course. I wanted to learn about the healing properties of trees, what medicines can be created (although I would have to study this further), and to advance to a Celtic Reiki course.
I connected to the most beautiful tree in the Hermitage of Braid. You can find trees using the treemap. I found a spellbinding talking post in Prestonfield Park on a quest to find Rowan trees!
Prestonfield was first recorded in the 11th century, when it was gifted to some Northumberland monks, and it was the site of a dairy at Cameron House. Jumping forward, Prestonfield House Hotel was rebuilt in 1687, as detailed on the Prestonfield blog. Flats were built here in 1928. They were hailed as a paradise by council tenants who moved there because these were the first flats in Edinburgh to have indoor bathrooms and heating systems. We assumed that the bathroom had been a bedroom! We have been lucky enough to learn about the original tenants after finding their wedding records. In a stroke of luck, we discovered their grandchildren and passed them the photos!
I linked with some beautiful Rowan trees in Prestonfield Park, surrounded by colourful rows of daffodils and crocuses. They are a sight to behold in spring and a beautiful place to meditate. It’s spectacular how much of the neighbourhood you can see from that point in the park while connected to the trees.
Along the Inch Park stream, I discovered a trio of mature silver birch trees, each 30 years old. There is a well-placed bench, seated between male and female mature maple trees, where you can meditate and look over the park. It feels like the trees are the protectors of the park!
Making the Ogham staves for these has been a trial. I will write up a post later about my process for this!
Tower Time
One of the Druid blogs I follow is Under the Ancient Oaks by John Beckett. I discovered the concept of Tower Time in one of his blog posts. You can find a lot of information on the subject, but to quote directly from the blog:
About ten years ago, some people who follow the Morrigan started getting a message: “a storm is coming. Get ready.”
John Becket: Navigating Tower Time – Magic for an Era of Change
I decided to join the course. It interested me because, since 2014, I’ve noticed a vacuum of ideas, leadership, and skills in driving the country forward. I wondered if anyone else had noticed this?
Studying the course has been provocative. John is an engineer, and his style appeals to me. Everything is analysed scientifically. He notes that he may be wrong. Many of the students in the course are American, and I’ve been fascinated by how Americans think and feel.
The course outlines the heavy times of change facing the world. Everything seems unstable. There appears to be a decline in most of the world’s significant powers. Various factors contribute to this, but the conclusion is that old ways of thinking may not be helpful in these times. He highlights that it is essential to learn how to survive and adapt rather than focus on old arguments. Expect the unexpected!
John analyses the magickal and spirit world to understand what is happening. Many of the ideas fascinated and challenged me. This is the first time I have had to do homework for 10 or more years!
John challenges you to write about / blog about your spiritual experiences and share them. I will do this in a future blog post.
Conclusions
Reviewing where I am, halfway through my Bardic Grade, part of the way through my Ogham course, halfway through my Tower Time Course and starting the journey to become a storyteller.
Personal circumstances make maintaining regular output very challenging, but rewarding when I can produce something.
The next few topics and ideas that I will cover are:
- How I created my Ogham Staves
- Spirits and me
- My Woodland Allotment
- Story Telling
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading!