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" Threre is a little Druid Magic in all of us "
By Aria McNeill
Have you ever wondered what Druidry was all about? Contrary to common misconception, they do not perform any form of ritual sacrafice, nor do they dance sky clad in the moonlight ,altough the latter is optional.
Druidry is the Celtic native spiritual tradition. The Awen is of the natural spirit from creation its self. It is symbolic to the Druids as three bars of light, a resonation universal sound ,in a sea of energy ,that flows eternally through the fabric of earth, and beyond......
The ancient Celts followed their Druidry in many different ways, marking their sacred places by earthen banks, or a grove of trees planted for this purpose. The Druid's powerful preisthood worked with rituals, steeped in magic ,and mysticism, and taught in a traditional and quasi-scientific language.
This was to be banished by the power of the Romans, and finally destroyed by Christianity, to the point that it was lost in the realms of antiquity. The medieval interdicts of the Christian church on popular beliefs, and rituals ,proved fatal to the Celtic Druids, their major festivals in the wheel of the year ,were replaced by the ones most of us practice through our Christian beliefs in this 21st Century ,for example the winter solstice became Christmass ,spring Equinox became Easter etc. etc...... The Druid magic was however never lost ,lying incarnate in ever part of nature, and in the ancient stories of the Celts. Stories of course often have to be summarised, but there shall be nothing in them ,that did not come from the Druid Celtic mind ,and does not exist today in some variety.
There is a little Druid magic in all of us ,it is awaiting the inquisitive mind to enlighten this magic..... Have you ever felt an overwhelming emotion ,or contentment, as you walk through a silent forest ,or near rushing waves on a shore. Have you ever placed a healing hand on your childs's skint knee, to make them feel better ,or have you ever had a natural intuition that things do not feel right...... This is the Druid magic within you........?
Druids today like their ancestors before them, mark these eight significant milestones in the year ,by celebrating festivals, four lunar, and four solar,
thereby creating a balance as depicted in the symbol of masculine, and feminine, darkness and light.
The solar observances are better known today as festivals of Druids ,for example the Summer Sostice ceremonies at Stonehenge. A little amount of study of the festivals will show how interwoven is the life of our psyche. that of our body, the planet, the sun and the moon. Each festival marks a potent conjunction of time and place ,once held sacred, in the hearts of our ancestors, and is still celebrated by the Druids of today. The importance of these festivals ,in relation to the wheel of the year ,and the changing seasons of the year ,are available to all who retain an open mind ,and who are occassionally prepared to reply in their natural instincts. Technology should not replace ,or remove the human psyche ,we must maintain our own time, and space ,allowing us to maintain, and sustain ,the balance of nature ,and mother earth, Let the Druid magic shine, and flow through us all ,even more now that man has ventured to explore the stars......
Why not look for the hidden magic within you..........?
This was written by me for an Argyll newspaper.
Love & Light Aria x x x
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