Aontacht - Volume 7 Issue 3

Volume 7, Issue 3Summer/Winter Solstice 2015

AontachtWHAT’S NEW AT DRUIDICDAWN9 by RenardFEATURED ARTICLES11 “Celtic Druid TempleRecognized as Ireland’sIndigenous ReligiousTradition”by Ard Druí Con Connor13 “Palace of Memory”by John Edward Cassano19 “The Realms of the Síabhra”by Síthearan NicLeoid24 “'Lorem Ipsum'”by R. A. Priddle45 “'Views of the Inner Planes… and theOuter Ones'”by Fata Betulla50 “'Vision”by Bear Rollins56 “The Inner Realms”by Lisa CrandallSACRED GEOMETRY15 “The Shimmering Window”by David RankineINTERVIEW WITHJOANNA VAN DER HOEVEN26 by RenardTHE MIND OF THE MUSE34 Poems bySarah FuhroAnjeMaggie MoonRenardREFLECTIONS39 “Priestess of the Fire Temple ”by Ellen Every HopmanBook Review by Lisa CrandallTHE WOODENCUPBOARDRecipes42 by Sarah Fuhro44 by J. E. CassanoFROM THE DESK47 by RenardEARTH MYSTERIES51 “Herbs for Communicating withthe Inner Planes”by David C. (TheDruid-3X3)CorrinTHE FOX’S TALE33 by RenardTHE TURNING OF THEWHEEL23 by Druidic DawnAontacht • 2

AontachtSummer/Winter Solstice 2015Editor-in-ChiefRichard FoxAssistant EditorLucie Marie-Mai DuFresne PhDProduction Editorharmonyeris foxAcquisition EditorLisa Du FresnePublisherDruidic DawnGeneral InquiriesAll general inquiriescan be sent to thefollowing address:DruidicDawn@EarthLink.netCommentsYou can ALSO deliver yourcomments to us right NOWvia this direct link to our“Comments Forum”on the Druidic Dawn website.AdvertisingPlease emailDruidicDawn@EarthLink.net.is published four timesa year by Druidic Dawn. ,Volume 7, Issue 3 © 2015 DruidicDawn, all rights reserved. Allcontained content is copyright toits respective owners, including artand photos. The contents of thispublication may not be reproducedin whole or in part without theconsent of the copyright owner.Environmental Benefitsmagazine is onlyavailable online as a free PDFdownload; thereby saving trees,water, solid waste, andgreenhouse gases.Original Banner Collagesby Airabella Eris Altairis a FireDruid, the Editor-in-Chief ofMagazine and awarrior poet who lived mostlyoutdoors in the forests of theU.S. for over 18 years. Duringthat time, he planted more than700,000 trees while he lived anddeveloped his Nature Magickin the deep forests.Today, Renard managesconservation projects in seven countries and developsrenewable energy projects with 32 NativeAmerican tribes across the western United States and has a homeamong the Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.A cultural anthropologist, she hasfocused on the links between thesymbolic and the lived in people’slives. This has led her to contributeto the development of Indigenousmuseum initiatives in the FarNorth of Canada and in YunanProvince in China and to facilitate10 years of Cultural Awareness Training to members of the CanadianArmed Forces. As a specialist in Religious Studies, she teachesuniversity courses in Shamanic Traditions, Native Spiritualities,Western Occult Traditions, Religion and Sexuality, and Religionand Art. She is currently participating in bringing theinstallation to Ottawa, Canada for the Fall of 2015. Shehas been an active member of the Canadian Pagan Community sincethe early 1980's.Opinions and views expressedare not necessarily those of theeditors, publisher, nor staff.Aontacht • 3

an urban Metis artist, shehas been a Canada Council and Ontario ArtsCouncil grant recipient. Her exhibitionat Moon Rain (Event of the Year & Prize forDistinction, info@moonrain.ca) was featuredin fiberQUARTERLY e-zine.She is a professional Animal Communicatorand a Reiki master teacher.As s she is onthe hunt for the de-light-ful and the quirky. IfLife is a Collage, she is looking for Artists. If Life is a mirage, she is lookingfor Magick Dancers. She is looking for YOU. Contact her here!is aflurry of opposite energies accreting togetherto form a gravity of electrical energy. Fromgrowing up mostly outdoors where her firstmemory is helping her parents plant thousandsof trees, to a degree from the NationalGeospatial Intelligence School of the Army,and then a degree in Creative Writing andEconomics from The University of Denver, shestrives to find balance through her work withas a modern Druid. The balance oflife and modernity is constantly a new frontieras time develops, yet she believes that thenecessity in our relationship with the Earth andall the Elements remains vital throughout theages.MA, is a Canadianreligious studies scholar whoseinterests include textual analysiswithin the areas of contemporarypaganism, First Nations and worldmythology (especially fairy tales andchildhood literature). She is an avidgardener who counts on herexperiments in the dirt to keep hergrounded.Volume 7, Issue 4“Healing the Body, Mind,and Soul”Exploring the Nature of healingat many levels. Practically,emotionally and spiritually.Deadline Aug. 1 st , 2015Volume 8, Issue 1“Engaging the Underworld”What is death? Can we talkwith the dead? How can weremember our ancesters?Deadline October 15 th , 2015Volume 8, Issue 2“Trees, Nature, andSustainability”Communicating with Trees;ways to protect and honor theEarth. Explore how we canexplore and protect the Earthand ourselves.Deadline January 15th, 2016You do not have to be amember of the DruidicDawn community tosubmit to the newsletter,but we strongly recommendbecoming a member to gainfull access to the greatestonline source of Druidknowledge.www.DruidicDawn.orgAontacht • 4

Is Comanche, Cherokee, Norse, Irish,and Saxony. Born in Texas, trained in Martial Artssince age 3, he grew up in Kansas in a LawEnforcement and Military Family. At 15, during alife threatening police beating he saw a Blue PaintedWoman standing next to a Bear. She told him thatif he embraced the ways of his ancestors, he wouldbe strong enough to survive... Rollins is FoundingMember of both Wild Hunt Order and CelticHeathen Federation. Click here for his website!(Birch Fairy), lives in Rome.She is a writer of fantasy books, an OBODDruid, an organizer of games of sharedimagination, and recently therepresentative of the OBOD ItalianMagazine :Titles of her books are:(Amazon)and a children’sbook which she also illustrated:, (by Acar). Also,soon to be published: aprequel.Aontacht • 5

I am a misplaced in time Celtic Viking solitaire with Druidic roots, dancingwhat little I know for others if they wish to follow. I am a protector of our GarryOaks (I have my own secret grove), rescuer of drowning earthworms, recent mum toMisty, a 13 year young rescue cat. Both of us are beloved by my long suffering husbandof some 30 plus years of marital bliss, who doesn’t mind wearing odd socks. ThoughI still do the website design, my focus is now on digital art, my andcombining words with images: music to the eyes.brings over 30 years as an artist, musician, healerand educator to a new understanding of Sacred Expression throughArt, Music and Geometry. As a university lecturer and workshopleader, he facilitate experiential workshops focused on Sacred Art,Sacred Geometry and Community Building at Retreats andnational and international Festivals and Events. David has 10original CD recordings to his credit.He writes for and performs in three bands. David lives and worksand plays music in rural Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Visithis website by clicking here!is a student of DruiditicArts studying the Philosophies of our Ancient Celtic Ancestors.His Patron Deity is the sacred Hiroshima SurvivorKuroganemochi Tree which is in the courtyard of the Hiroshima'sRai Sanyo Shizeki. He likes studying and writing aboutHerbalism, Tarot Card Divinations and Paganistic Philosophy.He works in Landscape Gardening and is a devotee of Emma(Bobcat) Restall-Orr. He is a member of The Druid Network andthe Druids of Albion, as well as a member of Druidic Dawn.Articles on Herbology and copies of his 3X3 Triads of Wisdomshave been published in .Aontacht • 6

is a Magickal Priestess whose practicesinclude worshipping the old Norse gods. Her practices includeAsatru and Traditional Wicca. Maggie is the High Priestessof Hidden Moon Coven, located in the Ottawa, Ontario area.Her coven offers training, New Moon Study groups, as wellas a series of Magickal tool crafting workshops held by BlackCaldron which is an open group separate from the coven thatis taught by the covens Maiden.Maggie is also a Mother and an Earth and Animal RightsAdvocate. She loves to read old lore, paint, write poetry, knit,make jewelry and cook delicious plant based delights. Whenshe is not orchestrating all of the above, Maggie can be foundworshiping the old gods, singing, drumming, and sometimesdancing by a fire.is a Druid member of the Order of Bards Ovates andDruids, which she joined in 1990, and a founding member of the. A professional astrologer and flower essence practitioner,Sarah loves to teach and write about what she practices, the Wisdom ofthe West. Her other work is pottery, and reflects her deep love and concernfor the natural world. You can see her pottery on Facebook at.Sarah writes a new and full Moon blog each lunar cycle . Her articleshave been published in professional astrology magazines. Some of themcan be found on her website: Her poetry is always featured in the.She has a Facebook page for her astrology,She lives near Boston, Massachusetts and walks in the woods and meadowswhere she lives.M. A. From the University of Ottawa, M. I.From the University of Toronto is a bookbinder, rare bookcataloguer, and horticulturalist from Williamstown Ontario.His thesisanalyses the technological determinism thatforms the foundation of British Occultism and the VictorianOccult revival. He is currently working on a PhD proposal toexamine the transmission of the western magical traditionsin East Asian pop culture. In his spare time he works towardsthe goal of reviving ancient crafts and sustainable living.Aontacht • 7

was born in Canada, but moved to theUK in 1998. She is a former Trustee of The Druid Network andhas studied with Emma Restall Orr and the Order of Bards,Ovates and Druids. She still serves the Druid Network as theirMedia Coordinator and is the author and contributor of severalbooks on Paganism and Druidry. In 2015, she joined with RobinHerne to create the Druid College UK. She is a wanderer who isnot lost and a courageous Druid in a world with great need for newmillennium of Priests of Nature.B.Ed.; M.A. is a freelancewriter, solo practitioner and proponent of HolisticAesthetic Education, working to redeem the honour ofthe name “warlock” and empower male wiccans aroundthe globe. He can be reached for dialogue here.is a Canadian writer, teacher andGaelic singer of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh ancestry, and a directdescendant of ‘Fairy Clan’ MacLeod (long held in oral tradition to haveconnections with, and blood of, the ). She trained in Celtic Studiesthrough Harvard University and has studied Old Irish, Scottish Gaelic,Welsh, Cornish and Breton languages. Ms. MacLeod has taught Celticmythology and folklore at the university level, and has presented researchthrough the Harvard Graduate Study Group on Ancient Magic andReligion, the University of Edinburgh, University College Cork, and theFord Foundation Humanities Lectures. Ms. MacLeod is the author of(McFarland),(McFarland), and(Weiser), as well as numerousacademic journal articles. She has received several international grants toresearch ancient Celtic music and ritual, and is a druid-priestess, ,and long-time shamanic practitioner. A Celtic musician, she playsnumerous instruments and sings in the most of the Celtic languages, andwas the lead singer for the legendary Celtic-medieval-trance group,. She is the Director of the Research Project whichseeks to study, preserve and transmit indigenous Celtic knowledge, beliefsand practices, and the Founder of , a research project focused onthe study of authentic Celtic shamanism. Ms. MacLeod is currently working on translations of thousand year oldIrish wisdom texts never before translated, as well as the retrieval and transmission of authentic native Celtic ritual,song, chant and prayer. (Profiles available on Academia.edu, Facebook, and Amazon.com.)Aontacht • 8

Not every difficult situation has a positiveside or a silver lining, but it canhappen. Our Druidic Dawn Website is amonster, with an incredible depth ofmaterial collected by Druidic Dawn’sFounder, and others. Nigelnot only found interesting and unusualmaterial, he even saved entire websites offolks who had disbanded, but who hadaccumulated a wealth of knowledge.Indeed, you can find some amazing andfascinating material in the Celtic and DruidArchive section of the Druidic Dawnwebsite including:Draeconin's Lair's Database of CelticSymbols and ImagesBardic Poetry DatabaseA Treasury of Druidic TriadsMabinogi Discussions and Study GroupEntire saved websites include -Earthworks Grove, Merlin's Wisdom, andAstrocelt's Cyber Grove.And this is just a very small slice of whathas been accumulated on the Druidic Dawnwebsite.The original website design was solid andhad top notch software running it. But astime went on, new sections and amassive amount of information andmaterials were added. As a result, thewebsite has become harder to navigate asthe software has slowly becomeconcurrently outdated. In general, thewebsite is no longer all it could be and ourglobal community deserves better.So we have begun the process of redesigninga brand new website, that will include mostof our data, but will once again be runningon a new and solid platform and it will haveall the modern features and security aspectsthat a great website needs to have thesedays. This will take us a while, but theprocess has begun and we deserve it andneed it also.There are many people stepping away fromthe mainstream religions and looking for anAontacht • 9

approach to life that is moreloving, less based on fear andsin, in accordance with Druidand Earth-Based values andbased on respect, caring for andprotection of Nature.We need a place where people,just starting on a, can find awelcome and a wealth ofmaterial to help inform theirchoices as they create their ownJourney.We also need a place whereDruids and Earth-Based folkscan drill down into the past, and find areservoir of material about what once wasand still lingers in our minds and souls.And equally important, we also need a placewhere those on their Path can findvoices of Druidry. Where ideas areencouraged and expressed. Where ourmodern Druid and Pagan leaders in Thought,Word and Song can be found and questionsasked of them and answers freely given.And we look forward to a newunfolding, we need to provide aplace where and voices feelinvited and welcome and where we havenumerous ways to reach and stimulate ourglobal audience, friends and family.We seek no less, but we need financialsupport, knowledge and wisdom, as well asyour willingness to serve this planet in verypractical and real ways. So please, give whatyou can of your many resources. Become asubmitter, a contributor, or even a specialtystaff person for . And send anoccasional gift our way to help keep the lightson or even become a Druidic Dawn Patronif you can and speed up our ability to have agreater impact in the world.Click herePhoto By Renardsupport allows us to publish thebest Druidic minds from across the world.Click HereIn truth, we must become, and provide, thechanges we want to see in the world, and itall comes down to the choices andall of us make in this world and what wedecide to support.May the Wind Always Be at Your Back!Aontacht • 10

- Thewas recognized by the Irish Government asIreland’s indigenous religious tradition withNature as the Supreme Being. Nature basedspirituality has once again achieved fullrecognition in Ireland after a lapse of manycenturies. Men and women, young and oldseeking to express their Celtic Spirit canopenly declare their own direct link to Natureas Supreme Being and seek guidance from theSpirits of the Ancestors.Ritual ceremonies are being held at the ancienttemples on the Full Moon and for theEightfolds of the Sun year across Ireland. Thistradition of ceremony at our sacred sites helpsus all to re-connect to the cycles of Nature andto our Celtic Spirit so that each of us can makeand develop our own unique direct connectionto the Gods and Goddesses.The Celtic Druid Temple is a full member ofthe World Druid Order and now has legal andformal recognition in Ireland as a religiouscharity. Their Druí have jury serviceexemption status and An Garda Siochanahave on four occasions provided protection fortheir public ritual ceremonies at Tara and atNewgrange.BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN securestheir freedom to practice their religion, theHSE also recognises Druidry as a religionand recent European legislation furtherprotects the rights of Druids and Pagans.The European Convention on Human Rightsprovides a right to freedom of thought,conscience and religion and to manifest areligion or belief in worship, teaching, practiceand observance. The Irish EducationalSystem recognised Ard Druí Con Connorhosting a spiritual Imbolg ceremony at Tarain their 2004 school book “Religion: The IrishExperience”. Many thousands of people havejoined in and contributed at the Celtic DruidTemple’s public ritual Sun and Moonceremonies since 2003. Celtic Pagans fromIreland and overseas have availed of theirprivate Rites of Passage ceremonies atTemple Crom and at their own chosenlocations all over Ireland.All Irish men, women and children can nowchoose to openly practice the indigenousspiritual traditions of this island, “You cannow openly show reverence to Nature as theSupreme Being and acknowledge the Spiritof our Celtic Ancestors without fear ofcensure. The dignity and inherent divinity ofall men and all women can be honoured andnurtured to its fullest expression.” said ArdDruí Con Connor.The Celtic Druid Temple has continuouslyhosted public Full Moon ceremonies on Tarain Co Meath since the Spring Equinox 2003.At Temple Crom, near Castlerea in northRoscommon, ritual ceremonies to honour theFull Moon and the Eightfold Sun Year haveAontacht • 11

een held since 2008. These ceremonies arefree of charge and open to all who chooseEarth based spirituality.This is an opportunity to stand equal in circleconnecting to the fullness of the Moon justas our Ancestors did. Celtic Pagan 'Rites ofPassage' such as Welcoming and Naming,Coming of Age, Handfasting, Life PathGuidance and Last Rites are offered atTemple Crom and by request at your chosenlocation. Training courses are available forthose who seek to offer service to the growingCeltic Pagan community.People wishing to join in a ceremony atTemple Crom or at Tara can just turn upbefore 8pm on the night of the Full Moon.There are no special training or requirementsto join in ceremony. Children are welcomewith adult supervision and we recommendyou arrive early, dress in layers and bring anopen heart and a smile.Contact Details - Celtic Druid Temple,Rathniamh, Candlefield, Trien,Castlerea, Co Roscommon.celticdruidtemple@gmail.comFurther information on their activities,services and courses can be found online atcelticdruidtemple.com druidschool.com andon Facebook at 'Celtic Druid Temple -Ireland's Druidschool'.Ard Druí Con ConnorAontacht • 12

Construct your own toassist you in your exploration of the innerplanes of dreams, ideas, consciousness andimagination.Many means and methods exist allowing oneto explore and tap the inner realm in acquiringinspiration, clarity, ideas and insight.Irrespective of the channel used for access,whether through crystalline or scrying surfaces,entering the trance state or dreaming lucidly,the experience requires tremendousconcentration and energy. For some, suchinterior travels come easily and can result infascinating voyages of discovery into the realmof the mind and spirit. For others, it is moredifficult and can turn out to be a fruitless questor a daunting ordeal in the dark and wild forestof sub-conscious emotion and imagery.In either event, one of the most intriguing,powerful and open-ended tools to add to one’srepertoire, is the construction of a MemoryPalace.The Memory Palace Technique, also knownas the “Method of Loci” ( > Latin ="places"), is a mnemonic device elucidated inancient Roman and Greek rhetorical texts,such as the anonymous, Cicero's , andQuintilian's. Essentially,it is a method of memory enhancement whichuses visualization to organize and recallinformation, using regions of the brain thathave to do with spatial learning andmovement. However it may assist in recall,the practitioner may find it additionallyuseful to have a familiar inner fortress orinstallation enabling the unlimited (only bythe elaboration of the structure of the innermental edifice one creates) storage ofdiscoveries; a location for an inner grimoire,or place to receive audience with the muses,familiars, or one’s oracular or guiding being(s).As described by Yates (1966) in her bookto use the technique, onememorizes the layout of some building, or thearrangement of shops on a street, or anygeographical entity (real or imagined) whichis composed of a number of discrete locationsor “loci”. When desiring to remember a set ofitems or deposit contents, the subject 'walks'through these locations in the inner realm ofimagination and inner vision, committingitems to each place by forming an imagebetween the item and a distinguishing featureof that location.For example, to access the contents of mymemory palace once composed and ready tojourney, I might recite “…my Book ofShadows lays on a Doric style, white marblepedestal in front of the painting of the“Slaughter of the Innocents” in the main floorThomson gallery annex of thein Toronto, Ontario – which is alocation in real space and time that I knowwell. I might continue “… in the samelocation in front of the fabulous collection ofChinese snuff bottles my spirit guide andAontacht • 13

Aontacht • 14familiar “Isadore Felis” awaits to accompanyme… “.Retrieval of items is achieved by 'walking'through the locations mentally, allowing oneto activate the desired items, the items to berecalled in this mnemonic system beingmentally associated with specific physicallocations and the details one knows of theirappearance. The method relies on memorizedspatial relationships to establish, order, storeand recollect memorial content.The memory Palace technique of innervoyaging is appealing since it is consistentwith the principle of “So above, so below” inthat one consciously constructs the “below”,in their inner realm of mind, consistent in everydetail with an edifice which actually exists“above” in the material physical plane of realityand experience. In addition, this method ofvoyaging can assist in giving structure to theinner experience and potentially serve as a baseof operations and repository for discoveriesderived from the inner wilds.Select a real location and acquire itsarchitectural plan or geographical layout. Whatworks best is a building, installation or placeof significance to the Memory Palace builder,since association is the mechanic achieving theinner visual mnemonic effect. Experiencedpractitioners, or those wishing the challengeand pleasure of originality, may wish to designtheir own, original Memory Palace blueprint.In either case, it is wise to start small and overtime, once familiar and confident with one’sfurnishings and surroundings, constructadditional rooms, structures and their decorto elaborate the inner edifice.Visit the real building or location (if youcan) with the goal of committing the floorplan or layout to memory. This of course canbe done physically or virtually, but a physicalvisit is best. Pay attention to thearchitectural, design or decorative detailswhich appeal to you or which havesignificance. Record these using digitalequipment, by sketching or in a MemoryPalace journal or blueprint to anchor themthrough an active literary, visual or artsprocess.Commit the existing familiar contents ofeach room in the floor plan to memory, whichshould not be difficult given that one can orhas physically visited or experienced thelocation having thus installed the impressionthrough one’s sensorium of experience.Once you are composed and ready to beginvoyaging, use your inner sight to “see”yourself approaching, entering and navigatingthe detailed interior of your Memory Palace.From the security and familiarity of thefastness of your Memory Palace, whether youchoose to make it elegantly austere or abaroque labyrinth, you may find newcertainty, stability and resolve in makingforays into the inner realm of discovery andenlightenment and be delighted and surprisedat the result.

Mandalas and Accessing the InnerPlanesRecently while leading a workshop onmandalas I had to compress whatnormally takes 2-3 hrs into a 1 hourformat. I needed to sum up theexperience of the mandala quickly.When presenting a lecture on themandala or leading mandalaworkshops, perhaps for me, the hardestthing is finding an all-encompassingmetaphor that will describe just whata mandala really is. I am never contentto call it a "meditative tool" - althoughTHAT is one of its purposes, but themystic in me needs to couch it in termsthat speak on many levels at once.At the same time, I know that whenpresenting something as unfamiliar asthe Mandala to people, it is importantto use language that is nonthreateningand familiar. Personalcomputers have become a large part ofour lives and the language of thecomputer has penetrated to all levelsof our culture. "Interface" is one ofthose oft-used computer terms and itis one that is fitting when discussingAontacht • 15

the Mandala.In this same workshop I referred to theMandala as an "interface" betweenconscious and subconscious mind,between the outer world and the innerplanes of experience and perception orbetween Self and the outside world."Portal" is another term I used to supportthis analogy. The act of drawing themandala opens the and allows the"interface" to occur. Interface is a goodterm because it can be used as a noun or averb and the Mandala is exactly that- itis the process (action) and the thing (orobject) through which we see a differentreality - a different view of Self.This is where the Mandala enters into the"Quantum Zone" - it is action and object,container and contained material. It is theaction by which we newelements of reality and it is also theevidence of that process. In essence itslines, colours and forms create a newreality and expunge old ones. TheMandala IS "creative destruction" ItWe LOVE bringing all these originalarticles and features, but we sure could useyour help to keep it going! Please click thebutton below to Donate through PayPal andhelp Druidic Dawn grow!Click heredestroys the old and provides the new.The creation of a mandala is evidencethat we DO create our own realitysecond by second.The mystic in me though, does not sitcomfortably with the Mandala as objectthemandala as "pretty picture" (althoughthey ALWAYS are beautiful). For me, amandala is an ACTION - a process,and behind every action is an intent.So....really, the Mandala is pureINTENT. Intentions are thoughts,therefore a Mandala is a THOUGHT.When we spin it out in the otherdirection, all we do that is creative- paint,dance, sing, write and yes THINK - isa Mandala. We stand at the centre pointasSelf and the circle around us is our everexpanding consciousness and also theexpression of Self.In a graphic mandala (the most familiarform) the lines, colours and forms are thegraphic evidence of a deeper universallanguage - EMOTION. Indeed muchof the research into the Quantum Worldhas indicated that emotion is the way inwhich we communicate with that world.It is the way we communicate with Selftoo and how we best communicate withothers.So, if emotion is the language we arespeaking, then the Mandala really occursAontacht • 16

when we say to ourselves “I will speak ofemotions and with emotion". Themandala is the intent and as soon it isthought- thus it is so! It is now theportal, the interface through which WEflow and communicate using thelanguage of emotion to do so.“Hold on!" you may say. “Whathappened to that beautiful graphicmandala I just created? Is it not theMandala?” It is and it is not. The intentis the Mandala, the source and theopening of the interface. It is thewillingness to open it that is theMandala, while the opening of it - the actof creating it is also the Mandala. Theimage is the evidence of that flow andcommunication. The thoughts behind theflow are the Mandala. The flow is theMandala. The change in consciousnessand resulting increase in awareness is theMandala!.. I know- it is all a paradoxwheelswithin wheels and worlds withinworlds.It helps if we think of the Mandala (inwhatever form it takes- as thought,graphic image, sound etc.) as a"shimmering window" - a plate of glassthat we do not really see - it is like the airbetween where we are and what we arelooking at -where we are now and whatwe are becoming. So, I guess it is anotherway of saying - do not get hung up on theimage, or the Mandala as object- considerit the window- the open space that WEopen ourselves simply by intending to doso. It IS the, oncedone, easily forgotten as what we reallybecome aware of is how we have changedin that process and THAT is all that weneed - the experience and thetransformation, the increase inawareness and the expansion ofconsciousness- the awareness ofourselves as ever changing divine beings.Event: 3 day Shamanistic HealingEvent at Arathusa Healing Arts Centre,41651 Brandon Rd, Brussels ON–N0G 1H0, in lovely Huron CountyA Healing Event using sound, Mandalas,visioning and Sacred Geometry. Localsacred sites will be utilized. Foodincluded. Limited space for overnightstay.July 10, 11, 12, 2015. Cost: $345.00Contact Dave here.Aontacht • 17

Mandala: Potentiality Fieldby David Rankine

The Realms of the :Ancient Irish Texts and AncestralOtherworld WisdomFor the early Irish, the sacred realms werenuminous and ever-present, not justsomething to be experienced at the end ofphysical existence. They were perceived ofas existing primarily in the Lower Worldthat exists beneath our world, under theearth or under the waters. There is evidencethat in earlier times, the Celts alsoperceived of deities who inhabited theUpper World or celestial realms, but inmuch of ancient Europe that perceptionshifted during the late Bronze Age to afocus that seems to have primarily beendirected at Lower World deities. While thereasons for this are not entirely clear, it hasbeen theorized that this shift may havebeen due to climate change at the time.By the time we encounter vestiges of paganIrish belief and cosmology in early medievalIrish manuscripts, the Gods are firmlysituated in the Lower World realms. Theearliest word we have for the Irish gods andgoddesses is , which means‘supernatural being.’ The root of that wordis reflected in another Old Irish word –- which was used to refer to three things:The Otherworld realms, whoseentrance was in many cases marked bypre-Celtic Neolithic burial mounds whichwere perceived to be sacred sites and saidto be entryways into the abodes of thegods. These are sometimes called ‘fairymounds’ but in early Irish tradition thatword was unknown and they were calledmounds. The word comes from anIndo-European root word meaning ‘seat,’as in the Seat or Abode of the Gods.also referred to the inhabitants ofthe Otherworld, originally , andalso the , the ‘People of thethose who lived in the sacredOtherworld. When people in early talesencounter a supernatural being human oranimal) that they have not encounteredbefore, and whose origin and nature is atfirst unknown to them, they later realizethey have been in the presence of theDivine and say, ‘Thatman/woman/animal was of the(pronounced ‘sheethe,’ rhymes with‘breathe’).Thirdly, the word referred to ‘Peace.’This was not a guaranteed conditionbetween the inhabitants of this world andAontacht • 19

the Otherworld, but an ideal state thatcould result from mutual respect andreciprocity between the worlds. This is thekey to understanding many of the Celticmythic tales.There are amazing descriptions of thesesacred realms preserved in early Irishmanuscripts. Many of the translationseasily available in old book reprints or onlineare quite inaccurate or out-of-date, orreflect Victorian perceptions (and theinfancy of Celtic Studies at that time). Iwork in a spiritual pathway that seeks todeeply study, analyze, interpret,understand, recreate and transmitindigenous Celtic religion as it waspracticed in the Iron Age and as some of itcontinued after the introduction ofChristianity. In addition to meditation,prayer, chant and ritual, this includes thestudy of Old Irish and Middle Welsh inorder to access the many layers of meaninginherent in the Celtic mystic texts, ratherthan relying on inaccurate translations toform the basis for deeply felt and held beliefs.The reason for this is simple: I seek tounderstand the beliefs of the Ancestors andto walk in their footsteps, as best as I amable in this modern time. I wish to showgreatest respect to the Ancestors, and the, by setting aside personalpreconceptions, and opening my heart, mindand spirit to this remarkable indigenoustradition. I do not wish to project upon itmodern ideas, concepts, fantasies anddesires, which can only serve to furtherobscure this ancient knowledge. Enoughhas been lost already.More than fifteen years ago, during a timeof my life in which there was much loss anddisintegration of previous structures andpathways, the Gods saw fit to open a door(quite magically!) for me to undertakeCeltic Studies through HarvardUniversity. This doorway has enabled meto study, re-evaluate completely, and sharewith those who are similarly interested, aremarkable amount of informationconcerning the ancient Celts and theirreligious beliefs. This is counter to manymodern claims that ‘we don’t really knowmuch’ and so must utilize other-than-Celtic ritual elements and prayers andpractices in order to walk a Celtic path.In Harvard’s Widener Library alone thereis a room dedicated to Celtic culture,history, language, literature and folklore,containing thousands of books. Theproblem is not that we don’t have anyinformation, the challenge is that thatthere has not yet been enough time to fullyevaluate, collate, interpret and translatethis information for the use of those whoare spiritually inclined!For those who also deeply wish to see thispathway clearly and walk with respect inthis very specific tradition, I would like tooffer to readers of – in the spiritof service and unity – some newAontacht • 20

translations of descriptions of the CelticOtherworld.These are not only beautiful and sacred intheir own right, but can serve as powerfulportals into viewing, entering andexperiencing those sacred realms. [Pleasenote: these translations also appear in mybook,(McFarland), and assuch are under copyright. Please do notrepost or reprint without permission andproper attribution. However, all areA herd of horses with speckled manes,And another chestnut herd.In the doorway to the eastare three sacred trees of bright purple,From which a gentle, everlasting flock ofbirdscalls to the offspring of the royalfortress.There is a tree in the doorway of thecourtnot unseemly the nuts from itA tree of silver that shines as the sunwith a brightness like that of gold.There is a vat of intoxicating meadthat pours out for the folk thereIt exists yet, enduring is the custom,so that it continues, ever-full.(English translation from Old Irish,copyright 2012, S.P. MacLeod)welcome to use these in personal or grouppractice!]Here is my translation of an Old Irishdescription of the Otherworld, as it exists‘under the earth’ (i.e. in the spiritual LowerWorld, accessed through portals leadingbelow our world). This can be usedeffectively in meditation or ritual.There are, in the doorway to the west,In the place in which the sun sets,Here is a description of the Otherworldwhich exists below the waters, spoken bya woman of the :A branch of the place of sacred appletrees I bring, like those one knows.Twigs of white-silver on it, brightlyfringed with blossoms.There is an island in the distance,radiant around the path of sea-horses, aradiant course towards bright-sidedwaves; four feet maintain them.Aontacht • 21

Feet of white bronze underneath,gleaming throughout the exquisiteworlds, a fair land throughout the ages ofthe seas, on which many blossoms fall.Glistening is the appearance of everycolour, throughout the gentle winds ofthe plain, from its view, a shiningtranquility, of no comparison is existenceout of the mist.(English translation from Old Irish,copyright 2012, S.P. MacLeod)These ancient texts can be used bymodern practitioners to access thetimeless inner planes of the IrishOtherworld, by using the actual words,beliefs and symbolism of the Celtsthemselves. May they illuminate thepathway and the sacred realms, bothwithin and without!

y Airabella Eris Altair- For the Northern hemisphere this falls on or around October 31 st and May 1 st for the Southernhemisphere. This is the celebration of the dead, a time for remembering and honouring those that havemade the journey into death. During Samhain is when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. AllFaeirie, human, animal, and the dead are brought into the most direct contact as the veil thins.During this time Cailleach (the Crone) comes forth and takes the leaves from the trees so that the oldlife of the past year will hasten away and in its place new life may thus come. Though this time of yearharkens the ultimate of all mortal beings it is not without the distant cries of new life being born. Withthe Winter solstice not far away the wheel will turn.- For the Northern hemisphere this falls on or around February 1 st and August 1 st for the Southernhemisphere. Though Winter’s breath still clings to the grass, if you look the shoots of Spring are rising.The Sun’s light rays begin to warm the mornings and life starts to stir within the Earth. Celebration ofImbolc can be on the 1 st or 2 nd of the month, or also when the gentle Snowdrops cover the ground.For the Northern hemisphere this falls on or around May 1 st and November 1 st for the Southernhemisphere. This festival is alive with the fiery heartbeat of life. As the flower blooms open and the Earthis warm and rich with fertility the trees reach forth and new leaves cover the canopies of the forest as theshaking of their bushy heads. It is now that the Lady of the Lake takes the hand of the Horned God andlife is aglow. This festival is often celebrated on the days mentioned, but can also be celebrated with theflowers of the May tree.For the Northern hemisphere this falls on or around August 1 st and February 1 st for theSouthern hemisphere. In the fields John Barleycorn, who laid with the Lady in the woods at Beltane, hasgrown old, and now stands bent and bearded with a crooked cane. He looks to the Sun as he has changedfrom green to gold, and he knows that his time has come. His life will feed the people, and it is this sacrificethat we honour at Lughnasadh.Aontacht • 23

How to Defend The InnerPlanes of the Mind From the Ravages of Time andthe Digital Age to Attain Immortality.One of the greatest challenges that humanity faces is how are we to beunderstood and remembered by others? We sought to overcome thechallenge of translating the darkness behind the eyes (the inner planewhere the little voice is) in the complexity of reality with langue. Forcountless generations we have improved upon this feat of extelligence(cultural capital in external media) by encoding langue into a writtenform that attempts to exist beyond our fragile frames. Collectively wemay refer to this encoding as 'books'.A book may sit for decades on a shelf or in a box, forgotten to all untilsome curious intelligence (the sum total of the inner plane of the mind)seeks to process the vastness of extelligence encoded within its cunningdesign. It is only then that another's mind becomes known. UmbertoEco, the world famous semiotician who authoredonce remarked that books are "a living thing, a receptacle of powers notto be ruled by a human mind, a treasure of secrets emanated by manyminds, surviving the death of those who had produced them or had beentheir conveyors.” Even now, dear reader, my mind seeks to enter yoursthrough my words, an act of magic one might say. There is neither goodnor evil in this act, even if the intention is to write terrible things. Evilgoes where evil is welcomed, and it is this one writer's hope that thesewords provide some small shield to defend against it.But a shield is not enough for the coming war and we must rely on theold adage about pens and

swords that I need not write but should resound in your mind nevertheless.Write, my dear reader, write as if your immortality depends on it. It mayvery well. But do not rely on the effortless but ephemeral digital wastelandthat cares not for tradition. The technologies of paper and stylus shaped outevolution, our minds reach out to them like lovers. It is only in the intimacybetween you and the limitless potential of paper impressed and caressed byink or stone that our minds can truly be expressed. Yes, dear reader, I seethe irony of my words in this medium, but I must use these tool to impartmy message to the masses. Even now as I write my words are shaped andredacted by the mindless processing of the digital age. The title of this articlestands as testament to this process. 'Lorem Ipsum' is the title of anintentionally garbled by Cicero, used byweb designers as filler text.If I truly wish my inner plane of existence, that is the sum total of myhopes and dreams, fears and nightmares, and all the banalities of life tobe understood and remembered, there is only one tried and trueconveyance, a manuscript codex. So take these words as your shield andthink about what you read then take up your sword and write, not type,them down. Facebook, blogging, and the host of digital tools at yourdisposal cannot provide you the guarantee that it will not dispose of youone day. Even those close to you, the human mind, and oral history willfall prey to the deep cuts of scythe of time. A manuscript codex, atestament of your life, your words encoded by your hand may never reachanother's mind and lay forgotten for hundreds of years. However, in thisseemingly bleak outlook is the glimmer of the promise of true immortality,that you one day may be understood and remembered by others.

Joanna van der HoevenFeature InterviewDD: Thank you Joanna for agreeing to spend sometime with the Druidic Dawn community.JvdH: It's a pleasure.DD: In your blog Brighid and the Oran Mor, youspeak about Oran Mor as the song of harmony, lifeand existence. Can you tell us more about that andits importance for you and all Druids to listen for andhear this song?JvdH: Well, I've only just recently discovered whatthe Oran Mor is, or, more exactly, find the name forit through the writing of fellow Druid and author,Alison Leigh Lilly. I'd heard the song all my life, butjust didn't have a name for it. And it's not hearing inthe traditional sense - it's heard deep in your bonesas well as through your ears. It's a deep and ancienthum, thrumming from the earth, with all the songs oflife overlaid in a beautiful symphony.It's a very special thing, when you hear it. I wouldn'tgo as far as to say that all Druids should hear it, as Ireally can only speak from my own experience andwouldn't want to lay down any dogma about whatDruids should and shouldn't do, per se. What I thinkis really important is finding silence, finding peaceand in doing so, being able to hear the songs of others.Listening was an important part of my Druid training,and continues to be. Only when we have silenced ourc h a t t e r i n gminds can webegin to hearthe songs ofothers. I findmeditation tobe deeplyhelpful in thisrespect, alongside prayer which helps me to find thepeace wherein I am able to hear the song, my heartfilled with compassion and awe at the beauty ofexistence.DD: In a recent talk at the Leaping Hare PaganConference in Colchester, you state that "Authorityis found in nature, rather than in human constructsand society." Can you elaborate on this and speakto our role as humans and being a part of the greaterworld?JvdH: My former teacher, Bobcat (Emma RestallOrr) covers this very subject more eloquently thanI ever could, and in much greater depth in her latestbook "The Wakeful World: Animism, Mind and theSelf in Nature". I was her student back in 2007, andeven then she was constantly reminding us that inorder to have sacred and honourable relationshipwith the world, we must look to nature forinspiration. Nature is our greatest teacher. It iswritten in nature, nature is the author, thereforenature is the authority. As part of a sacred whole,it is our duty to find our place and to live our livesin tune with the world, to cause the least amount ofdamage as possible and to find true, sustainablerelationship. If we look to nature for guidance, wewill find out how to do it, we will be inspired bylooking at ecosystems, how they work, how theyfunction and how they keep going without basicallyscrewing it all up.DD: This Colchester talk was on Nemetona:Goddess of Boundaries and Edges and in it youaddress how all of nature’s parts work in harmonyand the importance of edges, where different typesof elements meet and mingle. You also speak of ourpersonal nemeton as the space around us –sometimescalled ouraura. Canyou tell usmore aboutthis?“it is our duty to find our place andto live our lives in tune with the world”JvdH: Theedge is a very powerful place. It is where changehappens, where there is the most potential. If welook at where a forest meets a wildflower meadow,Aontacht • 27

we will see that where those two edges meet we findthe most diversity in wildlife. It's the same thingwhen two human beings meet, and their own edgestouch. It can be the source of true inspiration, in goodrelationship where there is an openness and honestyand where there is no hidden agenda. We have thecapacity to work together on such a beautiful level,like the forest and meadow, but we just have to seethat and work on it a little more consciously in ourlives.DD: In a ritual and ceremonial context, you speakabout how we can sometimes extend our personalnemeton and combine it with others in ritual andceremony to create a Sacred Circle or Sacred Space.Can you tell us more about this process of sharingand trust?JvdH: There are many levels of trust when there ishuman to human interaction. We are much morewilling to trust and be open with a tree, or a cat, oran infant than we are with another adult human being.We have all suffered somehow in the past, and thatsuffering causes us to be wary, to put up boundaries.This in itself in not a bad thing: it protects us fromthose who would willingly cause us bodily harm, forinstance. It is when we project past suffering ontopeople we meet with no good reason that we areunable to work with trust.Many people find it hard, especially in group ritualto open up their nemeton, their personal sacred spaceand share it with others. Sometimes it is just notappropriate to do so. We have to be able to make theconscious decision to be open, and not to project ourfears and past suffering on others in order for us tobe able to experience true relationship. Otherwise weare simply living in the past. Every time we speakwith someone, interact with someone, in any form itis an opportunity to be real, to be open and honestand kind, supporting each other on this crazy journeythrough life. Where there just isn't trust, where it isnot possible through conflict then there really isn'tthe opportunity for real, deep communication, andthen we have to walk away with respect.Opening our souls out in ritual with others can be themost wonderful experience. Often solo ritual iswhere the most transformation occurs. It is up tous to work co-operatively with others to find that ingroup ritual. When we do so, the awen, thecommunal awen is so great that we find the trueheart of compassion.DD: In your blog on Toxic Consumption(http://downtheforestpath.com/2015/04/08/toxicconsumption),you address the issue of being moreaware of what we consume. Beyond material goodsand food, you talk about what we consume with oursoul and hearts in the form of speech, gossip,television and news and how we “take in a toxicitythat affects our very being”. Can you elaborate onthis?JvdH: If you have a television, and watchprogrammes that are intended to belittle others, ormock them, or are filled with violence, then you areconsuming that. If you speak to others aboutsomeone, gossiping about this or that, speaking toput them down, then you and those you are speakingto are consuming that. When you think hurtful,negative thoughts, you are consuming those.I don't live an airy-fairy, filled with light life. I liveon the basis of honourable interaction, seeing thedark as well as the light. However, I make aconscious decision as to what I am consuming inregards to bitchcraft, violence, negativity. I amhappier and more at peace because of it. I am notclosing my eyes to the suffering of the world, but Itry to work from a conscious place of notparticipating in causing any further suffering.Lao Tzu said it best when he said "Be careful withyour thoughts, for your thoughts become words. Becareful with your words, for your words becomeyour actions. Be careful with your actions, for youractions become your habits. Be careful with yourhabits, for your habits become your character. Becareful with your character, for your characterbecomes your destiny."DD: In your blog The Solitary Path, you addressthe need to spend more time with yourself. Why isAontacht • 28

that so important and what benefits come fromlearning to know and love yourself?JvdH: We have so many distractions available to usin today's world. I am thankful that we did not havemobile phones when I was young. Video games werejust coming out, and it was usually always moreenticing to go outside and play than sit and play on theAtari. Today's mobile phones allow people to "beconnected" with everyone all the time, when really allthey are doing are causing us to be more and moreisolated, experiencing the world only through virtualrelationships.Technology is wonderful, but it is a tool. Too manyare using it as a crutch, being passively needful of it,rather than actively using it as a tool. Every time I goout to the pub or out for dinner with my husband weare amazed at how everyone is sitting together at atable, but no one is even looking at each other, muchless talking to each other. They're all heads down, ontheir phones.The situation is perhaps even worse in that somepeople just don't know how to be alone anymore. Ican't even begin to count how many people I see incheckout lines, unable to even spend one minutestanding in line on their own without looking at theirphones. At the pub, when their friend goes to the loo,they're straight on their phones. What is so frighteningabout spending a few minutes alone?When we are alone, we have time to process. We don'tget that opportunity when we are with others, for weare interacting with them, receiving and transmittinginformation, feelings and emotions. Only when westep back can we regroup, have a chance to process itall, and see how it reflects in our own lives.Again, it also comes down to silencing the chatteringmind. Only when we are still and quiet will we be ableto hear the songs of the wider world. If we aredistracted by checking others' Facebook statuses, we'llnever actually be in the real world, hearing the musicof life. We'll live like ghosts, empty wandering ghostswith little substance, never really able to become real,corporeal, alive.DD: Working with your sister college in Maine(USA) you and Robin Herne established the DruidCollege UK this last February. While other Druidgroups and Orders have taken a different approach,the sole intent of the Druid College is to preparePriests of Nature. Can you provide the thinkingbehind such an approach and why it is so importantnow, in these current days?JvdH: Druid College really is the brainchild of mycolleague, Kevin Emmons from Maine. It was hisinspiration to prepare priests of nature. His approachwas that there are too many followers in Paganism,as opposed to leaders, or at least those willing to workintentionally rather than passively. It today's societywe are still working with the legacy of a church-goingbackground, where all you did was turn up and bepart of the congregation. For some, perhaps that isenough. But with Druid College, for those who wantmore, who are questing active relationship withnature, that is what we hope to provide a pathtowards.DD: According to the College, the role of the priestis not to act as an intermediary, but to “live a life inservice, crafting a sacred relationship with the land,the ancestors and the gods. It requires service to thecommunity as well as the land.” Can you tell us moreabout your views on the role and value of service toa Druid?JvdH: For me, being a Druid is all about service.Relationship is a two-way street. It is give and take,in a cyclical, sustainable way. Druidry is all aboutquesting the awen, finding inspiration. If we keep itto ourselves, how does that make it Druidry? Druidryreveres nature, and nature does not keep to itself. Thetrees give us oxygen and take our carbon dioxide.The sun gives its life-giving light and warmth. Therain falls and allows the green thing to grow. Theydo this without discrimination. They work as a unit,knowing how to function best. Some might dismissthis as simply "chemical reactions" but to an animistthere is more there; there is an inherent sacredness,a deep consciousness to everything that we hold areverence for. This is our inspiration to continue thecycle of giving as well as receiving.Aontacht • 29

DD: I understand the first year at the Druid CollegeUK is open to people of all walks and intents and thatit focuses on the core principals of Druidry as well as“reweaving our personal connection to Earth and toour ancestors and heritage.” Can you provide moredetails on what the curriculum will include?JvdH: The first year is really teaching the nuts andbolts of Druidry, what we do, how we do it and whywe do it. It is the establishing year where we gothrough the basics and elements of the Druid traditionas it is practiced today. We teach how to connect tothe earth, how to listen, and also how to connect withour ancestors of blood, of place and of tradition. Indoing so, we've got a good base platform from whichto jump off of into the further training offered in yearstwo and three.Many people feel adisconnection fromnature, from the land,from their families. It isour aim to reweave thatconnection throughinspiring relationship,through the sacredness ofa holistic point of viewrather than an abstracted,isolated and dualisticview that is so prevalentin today's society.DD: For year two and three students, the training atthe Druid College is reserved for only those whodesire to become Priests of Nature. Can you give ussome insight into the work during these two years andspecifically about students declaring their “Chair” andmanifesting it locally?JvdH: Continuing on to years two and three meandedicating yourself to a life of service in sacredrelationship. It's a big step for many to take, to becomeactive rather than passive. Year two will go throughin minute detail every aspect of ritual, of ceremony,of interaction between human and human, human andanimal, human and the ecosystem. Year three is aboutdeclaring your Chair and manifesting it locally. Whatthat means is you put your intention from years oneand two into reality, and state just how, why and whatpart of the community you intend to serve as a priestof nature. Year three I envision being less aboutclassroom work, and more akin to apprenticeship toRobin or I in what we do, how we do it. We hope toinspire others to be active in their community,through whatever means they are best suiteddependent upon their talent and abilities. It's not justleading ritual, but going deeper into the relationshipwith the land, with your local area.Druidry is a very locality-based path. The area inwhich we live is equally, if not more important thatsuch ancient sacred sites such as Avebury orNewgrange. We have to really listen to our localarea first, find out why the deer congregate in certainareas, which trees singfirst in the spring, why thewaters flow where theydo. We have to workwith our local area inorder to be inspired by it.We have to see whatneeds to be in the humanrealm as well, and if weare able to work cooperativelyin that regard.It won't happen just byreading about it, but onlythrough experiencing it.In the latter years ofDruid College we providethe opportunity to inspire students to deepen thatconnection and work with it, intentionally,harmoniously, providing a service to the land andthe community.DD: I understand you and your dance company,Gypsy Dream Belly Dance were at the Beltane Picnicin Essex last month and will be at the Corn LammasGathering on 21-23 August. Can you tell us aboutthe role of dancing in your life and if there isanywhere else folks might be able to see the troupeperforming later this year?JvdH: Dance is such an integral part of my life. Ilove to dance. I always have, and always will. Thefreedom of expression without words is exquisite,Aontacht • 30

especially when words can sometimes feel like theyrule your life like the sometimes feel in my work as aDruid author. Working with other artistic outlets andmediums allow me to express myself in different waysthat words sometimes just cannot reach. As a troupe,when we are dancing together there is such a beautifulthing happening between us dancers; it iscommunication without words. Most of ourperformance is done improvisationally, where wecommunicate with cues and body language and thenmove together as one, like a flock of starlings.This year I have purposefully taken on less gigs thanin previous years, as my schedule has become busierwith three books now out and Druid College beginningin October. We just did a performance with SprigganMist the day before the Beltane Picnic, which wasgreat fun. Summer is such abusy time for me, and theother dancers. I also have apart-time job with a musiccompany that puts on a threeweekfestival in June, andProms throughout the monthof August, so for those timesI am "on call" as well. Ialways look forward toautumn and winter!DD: I see on July 29th to August 2nd you will be atthe Druid Camp this year. Located close to Westburyon-Severn,near Gloucester, UK and just a ways northof Glastonbury, this is one of the world’s premierevents for Druids to attend, meet fellow travelers andhave some fun. What can you tell fellow Druids,especially our many solitary Druids, and those with alimited budget, about the value of going to Druidbased festivals and events?JvdH: I do hope to be at Druid Camp this year - itis my intention, if my schedule allows it. I'm hopingto be there for the Saturday at the very least. DruidCamp is an amazing place, run by lovely people andwhere you can meet some really interesting folk. It'sopen, honest, and without pretence. The closing ritualon the Sunday, where everyone can be involved if theywish, is always, without doubt, a most inspiring andmoving event. There will be wonderful talksthroughout the weekend in the various locations, aswell as a healing centre, a library, live music venue,great vegetarian food and more. You pay theentrance fee and that's it - all workshops, healing etcis done by volunteers. It's an inspiring place to be.DD: You have surely read many diverse books overyour life. Are there five though that you wouldspecifically recommend to our readers?JvdH: It's always hard to choose just five. At themoment, my favourites are Emma Restall Orr'sLiving Druidry, Thich Nhat Hanh's The World WeHave: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology,Gordon McLellan and Susan Cross' The WantonGreen, Graeme K. Talboy's The Way of the Druidand Charlotte Joko Beck's Nothing Special: LivingZen.“Intentionally,harmoniously, providing aservice to the land and thecommunity.”DD: How can our readerskeep in touch with you andyour activities and find outmore about the DruidCollege UK?JvdH: I have a website andmy personal blog. I alsowrite for SageWomanmagazine in my own blog channel called DruidHeart. I have a public Facebook page called Joannavan der Hoeven/Autumn Song and can be found onTwitter. Druid College also has a website andFacebook/Twitter sites. You can find my dancewebsite here, and we also have a Facebook page andYouTube channel.DD: Any last comments or parting words you wantto impart upon our global audience of Druids andEarth-Based folks?JvdH: I would just like to thank everyone for theirsupport over the last few years. My first two books,Zen Druidry and Dancing with Nemetona werewell-received, and my latest book The Awen Alone:Walking the Path of the Solitary Druid has exceededall expectations. I am so grateful to everyone whohas supported me, written reviews, shared theirinsights and followed my writing on my blogs. ToAontacht • 31

all those lovely, wonderful people out there, knownand unknown, thank you from the depths of my heart.DD: Thank you for your time today Joanna. We reallyappreciate the great work you are doing on many frontsand look forward to working with you more in thefuture!Books by Joanna van der HoevenThe Stillness Within: A collection of writings on Zen,meditation and compassion (2015)The Awen Alone: Walking the Path of the SolitaryDruid (Moon Books, 2014) see promotional videoHEREDancing With Nemetona: A Druid’s exploration ofsanctuary and sacred space (Moon Books, 2014) seepromotional video HEREZen Druidry: Living a Natural Life, With FullAwareness (Moon Books, 2013) see promotionalvideo HEREFalconwing (2007, out of print)Instinct and Inspiration (2006, out of print)To order any of these titles in North America, pleasevisit Amazon, Chapters or Barnes and Noble.Published Essays/ArticlesInterview with Emma Restall Orr on Sacred Spacesfor Pagan Dawn Magazine, Beltane Issue 2015“Ethics and Pantheism” for Pagan Dawn Magazine,Samhain Issue 2014“Hymn To Nemetona” for Pagan Dawn Magazine,Lammas Issue 2014“The Nature of Pagans” for Pagan 101: AnIntroduction to Paganism by 101 Pagans (MoonBooks 2013)“All the Goddesses Who Are Independent: Exploringthe Singular Female Deities” for Naming theGoddess, (Moon Books 2014)“Ancestors of the Future” for Circle Magazine, Issue115 – Family and Tradition, Winter 2013Contemplative Druidry - Joanna was also aparticipant in this book, sharing ideas about herDruidic pathBlogsDown the Forest Path (personal blog)Druid Heart (for SageWoman Magazine’s channelat Witches and Pagans)The Druid Herbalist (an ongoing journey workingwith the healing power of plants)Works in Progress"Peace" a commissioned article for the Order ofBards, Ovates and Druids' 50th anniversay book, TheGolden Seed, May 2015The Isle of Apples (work in progress)Druid: Priest of Nature (work in progress)Aontacht • 32

We all used to have a tail that grasped branches.We constantly used our hands and feet to touchthe world and climb trees.And through these fingers, hands and toes,Flowed a constant stream of information,About the world, but also much more than that.For GAIA expresses her love, the knowledge ofbeing part of her,Through every tree and bush, through the waterand air.Every part of nature tells you about itself,While also broadcasting - GAIA'svoice.Over time though we began to walk upright.And the constant touch of nature was changed.Later, we began to wear shoes,And in doing so, the direct current that ranupward from Mother Earth was furtherdiminished.Our species began to stay more stationary, firstgathering and then planting food,And generally doing this thing called .Now less than 1 % of people are still farmers,and for many, our daily contactWith animals and other species is greatlydiminished, the constant flow from MotherEarth barely felt.As Druids though, we remain connected toMother Earth in ways most people are not.And it is increasingly our role to help peopleremember how to connect and communicatewith GAIA.To remember the old ways - of growing food,living on Earth and tuning in to all the lifearound us.And listening to her voice.Ahhhh yes, especially that..listening for andhearing the voice of creation, still broadcastingto us all.Aontacht • 33

The Inner Planes Traveler: Photage by Anje.The Kinsol Trestle (2008), photo by Anje, The shadowcloaked figure is me, photo taken by my husband in the UK 1999, I am standing on the ArchDruid’s Barrow nexto the King Stone, just on the other side of the road where the Rollright Stone circle is located, NASA ‘Celestial Fireworks’, Public domainAontacht • 34

Hail All Father!You who hung for Nine days and nights,You who gave so much for knowledge.Mighty and Wise,god of gods,Fierce warrior,Loving husband,Gentle Father,Skilled Magician,Master of Mysteries,He who won the Secrets!He who calls out!Like a drum beating from withinGuiding me home!Back to my heritageBack to the old waysBack to the truth.Awakening the knowledge that flows within my veinsQuickening the cell memory of my ancestorsEach having a story to share,A lesson learned!A pearl wisdom earned!Into the spiral round and roundTo the Wheel of Life all are boundEach incarnation is part of the planBorn again into the bloodline of my Sacred Clan!Veiled by immortal Spirit,My own secrets to score,Guided in the dark wanting to know more.By that curious inner spark My Spirit was Forged.Hail to thee oh Mighty Odin!Mighty AllFather!Allseeing,Allknowing!Loving!Strong!Fierce!Protective guide!I go,Down my spiraling roots,By way of the sacred chute,I embrace the luminescenceIn the Ancient eternity of my own essence!I AM.Hail Odin! Hail Ancestors!Awaken within me the memory of my ancestors!Awaken within me the power of my bloodline!By the call of blood from bloodI claim the right to this: My heritage!From the hair on my head to the marrow of my bonesI feel the presence of my Ancestral CronesWhispering to me all the secrets of my lineAll that is entwined Within my own being,Explains all that I have been seeing,Within Me There is a Key,That gives Access to the worldtree.A multiverse that awaitsFor it has been written in the Fates!I must Open the door answer the callEnter the doorway that leads past the Hall“Odin on my Altar” Photo by: Maggie MoonAontacht • 35

Before we go,into the green mist,beyond the lake,which cannot be crossedwithout the black leather boat,we must put a few itemsinto the bag we carry.Before we go,into the grey mistwhich covers the lake,our heart must be strong,and ready to rememberthose we will meet,the companions who wait.Before we go,into the brightnesswhich blinds our eyes,and keeps us from sight,we must be readyto attend to the voicewho sings till our heart breaks.Aontacht • 36

We each walk between two worlds.The world of sorrows and the world of joy.Some are able to hold their peace. Hold theirjoy and always walk with a smile.Some are lost in the darkness. Beset upon byshadows and doubts and fear.Most of us though walk each day a slightlydifferent path.Sometimes drifting into the happy side andother times finding ourselves wandering in thedarkness.I use what I as a way to keep me comingback from the harsh side. As a beacon in thedarkness. A port where I am offered shelter.I try to see the torments of friends andassociates as a reminder of how much worse itbe.It usually works.Sometimes though, the best I can do is tohuddle inside myself as the storm rages allaround me.My fears spawning dark spirits that cloud themind and breath a thick despair onto me.I try not to breathe, but it persists and theviscous darkness slips inside and coats myvery being.I wait and endure. I wait and endure... andawait my friends the wind spirits who I hopewill come looking for me.And they do. Searching in the darkness,creating a breath of life as they stir the deepshades that conceal me.I await knowing I am not abandoned.The fire spirits call my name in the silenceand shred the darkness with a million sparksof light.The earth spirits shake the ground and sendme their message that they are seeking me.That they are coming for me.The water spirits flow around every obstacleand bring with me a hope that my thirst forgoodness will be quenched once again.So far they have always found me and forthat I am grateful.They untie and dissipate that which I havemade and allowed to bind me.They open the sky above. They allow me todrink deeply of them all and the shadows fallapart.And I find myself on another path on anotherday as I walk between two worlds.But though beaten and left gasping andtrembling, I will not be subduedAontacht • 37

Photo by Harmonyeris Fox of Renard the Fire Druid“The fire spirits call my name in thesilence and shred the darkness witha million sparks of light.”Aontacht • 38

Priestess of the Fire Templeby2012, Llewellyn PublicationsThis is a relatively short novel at 234 pagesmaking it an easy pleasant read, perfect forthe young adult reader. The heart of thetale is the maturing and spiritualawakening of a young Celtic girl of royalblood. Her father’s village and theimmediate household (a rath) features acomplicated and uneasy mix of the oldDruidic and new Christian faiths ofIreland and this conflict colors all aspectsof the story.Aislinn is resistant to her social status andprefers to run wild in nature, exploringfirsthand the teachings of her Druidteachers. Without warning she is marriedoff at the age of 14 to cement a politicalalliance which is intended to end theBOOK REVIEW from Lisa CrandallAontacht • 39border skirmishes between her tribe/clanand their neighbors. In her new home shediscovers what the world looks like whenthe Christaidi have the upper hand overthe Pagani and where a different kind ofleadership results in despair and hardshipfor the general populous. Takingadvantage of yet another tribal skirmishshe flees into the wilderness determinedto return to her own people. Capturedinto slavery as she travels throughunfamiliar territory she discovers her ownworth as a healer among her fellow slavesand falls in love. Escaping after yetanother battle during which she believesshe sees her lover killed, she finally makesit home. Welcomed by her father she isallowed to seek her destiny by following

a vision that sends her to a secret Druidlearning center hidden in plain sight underthe guise of an ordinary village. Here shelearns to become a part of a ritualcommunity as well as completing hertraining as a healer. She also learns thetruth about her parents and their tragic lovestory.In a final dramatic confrontation betweenthe old and new religions Aislinn is reunitedwith her lover, imprisoned by the vindictiveChristaidi leadership of her former homeand ultimately saved by her new Druidcommunity. Using their ancient knowledgeof planetary movements, claiming it asdivine intervention, the leader of theDruidic community takes advantage of afortuitous solar eclipse and the Christaidiare temporarily cowed allowing Aislinnand her companions to escape withoutanyone on either side coming to harm.Although though this novel is identifiedas the third of a trilogy it easily stands onits own. The characters are lively andvibrant despite being uncomplicated andone dimensional. Sprinkled throughoutthe pages are bits of herbal lore and Celticritual prayers. I found certain elements ofthe book very hard to accept, such assending a newly married fourteen year oldgirl off to a new and strange home withoutany kind of retinue, not even a singlepersonal companion. The trope of herbeing a redhead and sending her to the FireTemple as well as making her a rebelliousspirit seemed a trifle overdone, especiallyAontacht • 40

Aontacht • 41The map created by Jared Blando appears on pages xxiii-xxiv of the novel.since there is no other reference to socialconnotations of being a redhead.There are several ‘extras’ included in thisbook: a map of the territories involved, alengthy glossary and pronunciation guide,several historical notes and an appendixrelating to the historical presence of femaleDruids. There is also a bibliography andfootnotes that provide useful informationnot typically found in a novel.haspublished several books including twonovels and a number of non-fiction worksrelating to herbalism, Paganism andwizardry. Inside the cover of her novel shedescribes herself as a master herbalist, alay homeopath with a master’s degree inmental health counseling, a certifiedwriting instructor, the former vicepresident of the Henge of Keltria (aninternational Druid fellowship), thefounder of the Whiteoak Internet mailinglist and the co-founder and former co-chiefof the Order of the Whiteoak (Ord NaDarach Gile). Ellen Evert Hopman hasbeen a contributor to .

Recipe for the InnerWorldsby Sarah FuhroA recipe to enter the InnerPlanes:Walk around a quiet pond or river.Watch for the sight of a Heron.Sit down or stand completely still,like the great bird who guardsthe gate to the Otherworld.The Heron will take youwhere there is no timein minutes and hours.The Heron will return youwhen your time has run out.The Heron is unique among birdsshe does not move, bob or weave.Her stillness is perfection,and for this reasonshe is the Way to the gates of Fae.Photo by Bob FuhroAontacht • 42

Stinging Nettle PestoCut nettles before they flower. I used to usegloves to avoid the sting, but the last few years, Ihave cut them without and they enliven myhands. The old people who lived here used themas a cure for arthritis. Steam them very quicklyand add them to a mixture of olive oil, salt, peppergarlic in a blender. Add pine nuts or walnuts. Adelicious spring treat!Later stinging nettles become the home for thecaterpillar of the Red Admiral butterfly. If youcarefully bring them home on the plant, and continueto feed them nettles, they will make a chrysaliswhich looks exactly like the nettle leavescurled up. Keep them in a window exposed togentle light and then release the butterflies whenthey hatch!Aontacht • 43by Sarah Fuhro

A Miso Soup Recipe by J. E. CassanoMy favourite Miso soup recipe which is a calming and satisfying way to prepare forvoyaging.2 litres fresh, filtered cold water1 Tsp Sesame Oil1 Green Onion1 Clove of Garlic1 Tsp Sesame Seeds2 Large white mushrooms, or small bunch ofEnoki mushrooms1 Panel Toasted Nori Seaweed1 – 2 Tbsp Red or White Miso Soybean Paste½ Cup extra firm Tofu1 Tsp Fresh Chopped GingerFill a pot with clear water; add sesame oil andbring to a rolling boilFinely slice or chop the garlic and gingerTurn down the water to a simmer and stir inthe miso, garlic and gingerSlice the tofu into small cubes and finely slicethe green onionThinly slice the white mushrooms, or bunchof trimmed EnokiAdd the mushrooms, onion and tofu to thesimmering brothStir mixture gently and let it simmer on low8. Cut in small squares of Nori9. Serve and add fresh a sprinkling of sesameseedsAontacht • 44This very easy and quick to prepare vegetarianrecipe results in a fragrant, refreshing andcalming dish. It can be served as a side withother items related to Japanese cuisine such asseaweed salad, sticky rice with Oshinko radishpickle or vegetarian Maki sushi. It also standsalone as a meal when served in a larger quantitywith heftier amounts of ingredients, as to taste.In either case, it provides fortifying, non-activesustenance that satisfies and composes thebody whether preparing for external or inwardvoyaging.

Views of the Inner Planes…and the Outer OnesbyDruidry is a word. I have often thought, itwould be a sound that comes back in time todefine a 'way of feeling' Life absolutelyinherent in the human being, in its depths aswell as in its more superficial (in the true senseof the word) feelings. I believe that this 'way'is as old as human-nature, two words thatactually define together its essence, but thatis too often lost sight for long periods and thenits re-discovery seems the beginning of a newtrail. I believe instead that it is always thesame path, which awaits us with true patiencethat only nature possesses: the one that waitsfor the right time for everything, the time toopen our eyes when we are ready to act.I fear that to talk about it in detail may be verylong. A strong and predominant religion oftenhides the natural inclinations of the spirit andthe freedom of mind but many people, more orless consciously, feel they are part ofsomething misunderstood and that a ‘creatorgod’ of a sad world lonely in space and time,is not enough. This we can experience verystrong here in Italy.At the moment I am fascinated by thetheoretical physics that increasinglyapproaches the 'innate' concepts (which willthen be declared fantasies) of differentpossible spaces and different, not visiblematerials and especially of the mutability oftime.The current Druidic thought (roots plusevolutionary enrichment in years, like anyliving thing) gives us the natural image of theflow of time in the Wheel of the Year with itssowing and the soothing returning harvests.It is able to give a human measure to thepossibilities of changing, but can 'be centred'also through the opening of our consciousnessto all the infinite possibilities.In this way the fact that the 'visible' matteris actually a space energy of attractionbetween invisible particles, has importance ifwe feel that Energy, Nwyfre, is within us and'between' us(as the ancient network of Wyrd).So compassion (cum-patio from Latin: feeltogether) becomes more a real matter of itselfand 'Peace', as non-fracture and feeling ofwell being, becomes even essential. It seemsto me that these are fundamental ideals forboth, Druidism and physics!We created a simple box: for our needs ofcertainty and answers we established formalideas as reality, useful to live without askingtoo many questions and not scare ourselvesfor the lack of limits; maybe we even suspectthat they are false but we need to giveourselves a safe outline. We do not think, forexample, that the word Nature comes from...a Latin form indicating the-things-that-aregoing to be born (so it is not present yet, butin a state of planning).Aontacht • 45

In our logic instead, everything which is living'really', is based on the present, and Natureis that Present: so, Time is the first grid ofmental security.But Time is unthinkably 'variable': Cyclicalin its continuity as all motion of the knownUniverse, but much closer, in its mutability,to a long dream or to the Other-world of ourmental images, or even to Multiverses of thecurrent physics. Personally, I often have theimpression that what we call synchronicity,sometimes is the signal of an overlappingrealities and of important crossroads betweenparallel worlds in which we have madedifferent choices or...we ‘otherwise’ exist.I think the waves of time flow and flow backand that everything made, every thought,feeds the energy to Exist, in a joyful sense or,unfortunately, the contrary. That Time actsjust like a great ocean...everything moveseverything, from water drop to water drop.'anxiety ' because it is a gateway to anotherreality outside the predictable and knownrules! This reality is always present andavailable for everyone of us but...usually lesscrowded!I believe that in a 'pure' world withoutsuperstructures, human mind has created forthe comfort of a space-time within the limitsof their 'understanding', the All would bemuch more evident and 'universes' would bevisibly overlapping and intertwined. Onelast look to etymology: the word Universe isfrom unus...versus that is collected(multiplicity) in one!Feeling this 'multiplicity' is becoming morecommon, even if we don't understand it.Especially for people with open senses!That is the time that we live in, for example,when we participate together in a ritual:Sacred Space is real but outof the 'matter', it is in anOther-world- sharing by allparticipants and therefore, assuch, 'real'. In those momentsyou live a Time whichcombines the rhythm of thephysical breath with eternity,we move together: we'll havea memory of this reality,related to ourselves or toothers. More real than adream and sometimes evenconnected with a bit of

Embracing your ImmortalityEach person is on their own Path, each uniqueand valuable. Along your Path, youconstantly have to make choices, which resultin experiences. You are also constantlyrunning into the results of your many pastchoices and experiences, many that come fromdeep within your many lives over a long periodof time.Today, you are a culmination of all thoseexperiences and your thinking, while alwaysopen to further experiences and changes, isconstantly influenced and impacted by theaccumulated impressions you have of how theworld and universe is constructed.Many people in the world today though, arequestioning the constructs of the universe andof society. People want to be free and haveless restraints. They want less judgmentsfrom their families, the police, theirgovernment, and perhaps most importantly,their God, gods and goddesses. Many peopleare awakening to a new person within theirbody. One that is not satisfied with the wayAontacht • 47things are...and the way it has been forhundreds or even thousands of years.Our theme for this issue of Aontacht isViews of the Inner Planes, and that willsurely mean many things to many people.While every person's experiences are unique,important and valuable, I want to share someof my lifelong journey of traveling betweenthe worlds, of exploring the inner planes andhow they had the unexpected result ofproviding me with a personal experientialbased confidence in, and knowledge of, myown immortality.Early in my life, I had out of body experiencesthat I found wonderful and exhilarating andvery positive. As I grew a bit older though,my conversations with other people aboutthose experiences caused me problems. Mymother helped me to contain my enthusiasm,and quietly took me to visit the metaphysicalfolks she could find in midst of the postWWII harshness that was northern NewJersey in the 1950's. And a tough place it was

- one they later based The Sopranos TV showon many years later.Fortune tellers led us to others...teachers whohelped me to understand what I wasexperiencing and they helped me find abalance and see that what was happening tome was a powerful, personal and unusual gift.There were not a lot of ways forward to walka spiritual path in those days, so by 7th grade,I had decided and announced my intention toenter the Presbyterian Seminary. Which Idid in 1967 - entering Seminary even as thewild sixties were really getting rolling. Antiwaractivities were big in those days amongcollege kids and millions of socially consciousactivists. And it was also the time forstanding up for civil rights and for women'srights and more generally for standing up forwhat was right...which often meantprotesting the government and challengingentrenched behaviors. Indeed it was apowerful time of social reform, and it all tookplace against a background of widespreadexperimentation with psychotropic plantsand other newly discovered psychedelics.I became immersed in all of this and muchmore. Concurrently, my Spiritualist teacherstaught me how to walk between the worldswith more confidence and finesse and Ibecame both a medium and one whoconducted what were commonly calledséances. It gave me a wider perspective onleaving my body and some insights into whatelse co-existed with us on this planet.Oddly, it was almost always still a verypositive and exhilarating experience.While some may dismiss the use ofpsychedelics as artificial andcounterproductive, for me it was an entryinto using and understanding psychotropicplants. Through them I learned aboutcommunion with some of the non-humanentities that exist in nature. Peyote,mushrooms, mescaline, morning glory seeds,wood rose and many other plants wereexplored under many different set andsettings. Always I entered with the respectand all that I met along my way took goodcare of me and taught me much.Eventually, as the Vietnam War closed, ahuge fireball in the world's stomach beganto dissipate and this special time of fightingfor social justice morphed into a quieter timeof reflection and healing with an emphasison social experimenting as thousands ofalternative communities ebbed and flowedin and out of existence.For me, I had an irresistible craving for adeeper experience of nature and knowledgeof the natural world and I moved into aremote mountainous village in northernNew Mexico. After a year of hiking andriding horse throughout northern NewMexico, a friend and I created CottageIndustries, the Forestry Cooperative whichallowed me, and many others, to live andwork outdoors in 17 states for most of thenext 18 years.Aontacht • 48

And the more ways I found to leave my body,or experience the inner worlds and all thatdwells there, I came to the unbridled realizationthat I could and did exist outside of my body.That I was not only my body. That my meness,did not require that I be in a body. ThatI experienced the inner planes about 1/3 of mylife, while sleeping...and eventually I realizedthat I was a spiritual immortal. It was surelyless a philosophical conclusion as anexperiential conclusion arrived at by leavingmy body in a wide variety of different ways.Ohhh...my body will die, and I will perhapsfight for every last second and breath of thislife. But beyond this body is...everything else.My past...my future, a vast array of otherpossible life experiences.It was a time of a lot of hard physical work, butalso more exploring sacred plants and learningabout all the life forms that lived in the greatforests of the United States. We made a lot ofmoney in those days and created and managedan organic farm and a Holistic HealthFoundation. We brought in some of the bestteachers in the country and put on manyworkshops throughout the western UnitedStates.I studied past life regression, various forms ofhealing, astral projection, lucid dreaming, tookand taught many magick classes and had yearsof personal instruction from many wonderfulteachers. And I did so while living and workingmost days in the deep forest, often far fromcivilization, amidst a solid matrix of life - allintelligent and capable of communicating.Each of our Paths are our own and equallyvaluable. But as a Druid...as a Protector ofthis planet and all her inhabitants, it is goodto not get too caught up in all the drama of life.For me, the personal experiential knowledgeof the inner planes has been life-altering in agood way. Walking between the worlds hashelped me to be relatively fearless, for whatdoes an immortal have to fear? There are noentities out there that I give the right ofdominion over me. Not society, nor thegovernment or the police. Not any dark innerworld spirit or entity nor any monster orthought pattern.Every hour of every day, I am a Druid, a Priestof Nature, a Friend to the Wind, and a servantof GAIA. And the View of the Inner Planeshas never been so magnificent.Guardian of FireAontacht • 49

VisionWhen I gave up Christianity at 15, the morallystrongest of them supported me. They wereconfused about Pagan and Heathen beliefs,but they supported me. My Grandmother, mystep father's mother, said "" she did not care. She is theMatriarch of that branch of the family.When I was 15, I was living with my birthfather who found out that I asked a girl to adance.He found out she was not white.He threw me head first into the kitchencabinets.I touched the back ofmy head and lickedthe blood from myfingers.I got up and I hit him.He called the cops.I was arrested. WhenI asked what I wasbeing arrested for,they hit me with aMaglite.I started to resist.My father said, "Hithim harder, hedeserves it, hismother is not fullblooded white".On the way to a Juvenile Facility, I waspulled out of the back of the police car. Theyrepeatedly hit me with Maglite andnightsticks. They said they were doing itbecause my mother was mixed, I could not bea Christian.My mother is part Cherokee Indian.They beat me so badly, I saw a woman withblue markings.She was tall and strong.Not thin, not a waif. She stood with her headup.She had the build of a warrior, in a way thatwas beautiful. Her hair was dark with redtints. It was like there was blood in her hair.Her skin was pale like it was kissed by theMoon. The markings were like blue warpaint. Some of the markings were obviouslyCeltic, others were Germanic.She told me that if Iembraced the ways ofmy ancestors that Iwould survive.She smelled likehoney, fire, mayweedand blood. Before thispoint, I had neversmelled mayweed.She had a spear in herhand and a roundshield in the other.And…there wasa Bear next to her...Original photage by Druidic Dawn member,

Herbs forCommunicatingWith the Inner PlanesWhen it comes to Communications with the InnerPlanes as well as other things, I found that theColour Orange is the Sacred Colour ofCommunications. So with the Colour Orange inmind, I came up with what Herbs are related tothe Colour Orange. Also a Color of Energy,Orange Stimulates Mental Enlightenment. It isused to Increase Immunity, Sexual potency andAid Digestive Ailments. Stimulates Digestion.Orange can be used to help Heal Conditions ofthe Kidney, Bladder and Lungs. Orange governsthe Spleen Chakra.from the Flowers and were used as a PleasantScent during the 16th century.Oranges aswell as itsB l o s s o m scontain a widerange of ActiveI n g r e d i e n t s .They are rich inF l a v o n o i d s ,and VolatileOils. Theycontain something called a Bergapten, whichhelps to sensitize the Skin to Sunlight. Thus,Bergapten is sometimes added to TanningLotions, Creams and Preparations since itpromotes Pigmentation in the Skin.Here are some Herbs that Feature the ColourOrange:Originally, the Orange probably originated fromSouth East Asia. Then by the Middle Ages theOrange was a favorite in many lands and itsHerbal Qualities were highly regarded by ArabianPhysicians. Its Essential Oils were first ExtractedAontacht • 51Oranges have beenfound to be sourcesof Anti-Oxidantsand ChemicalExfoliants inS p e c i a l i z e dCosmetics.Its Essential Oilsare Antifungal and

Antibacterial. The Essential Oil is used inAromatherapy in Treating Depression, Tensionand Skin Problems. The Essential Oils are usedas a Flavouring Agent and are a Non-Irritant tothe Kidneys. Its Essential Oils are also usefulin encouraging Sleepiness in people sufferingfrom Insomnia. The Diluted Essential Oil isoften applied to the Skin as a Relaxing Massage.Oranges also contain Pyrone Citrantin, whichhas an Antifertility Activity and was once usedas a component of some Contraceptives in thedays before the advent of the Birth Control Pill.Both the Leaves and Flowers areAntispasmodic, good for the Digestion andmakes a good Sedative. Thus, Infusions ofLeaves and Flowers make a good Treatment ofStomach and Digestion Problems. It also usedto aid in bringing prompt relief from Flatulence.Its Infusions also help to ease Headaches, CalmHeart Palpitations, and Lower Fevers.The Health of the Cardiovascular System isalso promoted effectively by eating an Orangeper day. A Daily Glass of Orange Juice havebeen found to reduce the risk of Stroke by 25%.Orange Juice has also been shown to be capableof elevating the so called "good" HDLCholesterol and at the same time reducing levelsof the LDL "bad" Cholesterol.Oranges make good Antiemetics, Antitussives,Carminatives, Diaphoretics, Digestives andExpectorant. Immature Fruit actually have aStronger Herbological Action. They are used inthe Treatment of Dyspepsia, Constipation,Abdominal Distension, Stuffy Sensation in theChest, Weakening of the Uterus, Rectum andStomach's Position in the Body.The potential of Oranges playing a verysignificant role in the prevention of Cancer isanother area which has been recently researched.The Folic Acid of Orange Juice also has a rolein the prevention of Cancer of the Colon and theCervix, while it is believed that Breast Cancermay also be linked to Folic Acid Deficiency.The Orange Peel is good for the Digestion andthe Stomach. The Seeds and as well as the Peelare used in the treatment of Anorexia, ChestPains, Colds, and Coughs. Orange Juice is alsohelpful in hastening the elimination of WasteProducts from the Body and curingConstipation.It does have some Contraindications, asOranges has been known to cause Dermatitisor Allergic Responses in some people. Also, theAcidic Nature of Orange Juice can exacerbatethe symptoms of Arthritis.Its seems thatOrange PekoeTea is anOriental BlackTea that wasfirst importedinto Europe in about 1873 where I figure that itsHigh Caffeine Content was what caused it tobecome so popular amongst the British as wellas the rest of Europe in less than a decade. Thisfavored Tea choice features a Deep ReddishAontacht • 52

Brown Hue and full-bodied taste that resultsfrom an extensive oxidation process once theleaves of the Tea Plant, "Camellia Sinensis", areHarvested. There is actually No Orange inOrange Pekoe Tea. It refers to the Dutch thatoriginally started importing it, whose RoyalHouse was "The House Of Orange". "Pekoe" wasan Anglicized Version of the Chinese Word forTea. This Black Tea comes in Grades like FineWines.Though all Teas comefrom the same Plant,each variety is processeddifferently. The TeaPlant is actually a Treeand grows only inCertain Climates. TheWorld's Major Tea-Growing areas are in theHigher Elevations (up to6,500 feet) of China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka andEast Africa.After the Evergreen Shoots of this Tea are picked,they are Withered, Rolled, Fermented and Dried.An important ingredient in Black Tea isCaffeine. Unlike the high levels of Caffeinefound in Coffee, the lower amounts in this TeaPromote Blood flow in the Brain without OverStimulating the Heart. Black Tea also containsabundant Tannins, Astringent Chemicals foundin many Herbs that have Soothing Anti-Inflammatory effects on the Digestive Tract. Italso seems to help the Nervous System ininstilling a new sense of Well Being in the Drinker.There has been Research done that found thatPeople who Drink 1 to 2 cups of Orange PekoeBlack Tea per day reduces risk of Heart Attackby 46%, 4 cups a day reduces risk by 69%. It issuspected that the Tea's Flavonoids, PowerfulAntioxidants, help improve the Blood Vessels'ability to Relax. Flavonoids also prevent theso-called Bad Cholesterol, or "LDL," fromOxidizing, which experts believe may promotehardening of the Arteries. The substances mayalso keep Blood from Clotting too much.There is reference to a Study done that showedthat adding Milk to Tea will block the normal,Healthful Effects that Tea has in protectingagainst Cardiovascular Disease. It was claimedto do this because casein from the Milk binds tothe Molecules in Tea that cause the Arteries toRelax, especially a Catechin Molecule calledEGCG.The Cowslip Herbis a Perennial Herbwith Oblong OvalFinely HairyLeaves forming aBasal Rosette,European Cowsliphas pleasantlySweet SmellingYellow Flowers marked with Orange Dots. TheFlowers Grow in a Hanging Cluster atop anunbranched Leafless Flower Stalk. Cowslips arean Underused but Valuable Medicinal Herb.They have a Very Long History of MedicinalUse. The Cowslip are Harvested in the Springand can be used Fresh or Dried for later use. It'sRoot can be Dried and Crushed into a Powderthen used as a Sternutatory.Cowslip have been Employed in TreatingConditions Involving Spasms, Cramps,Paralysis and Rheumatic Pains. The CowslipHerbal Plant have Salicylates which are theAontacht • 53

Main Ingredient of Aspirin and have Anodyne,Anti-Inflammatory and Febrifuge Effects.The Flowers and the Leaves are an anodyne,Diaphoretic, Diuretic and an Expectorant. TheYellow Corolla of the Flower is Antispasmodic,Painkiller, and Sedative. They are Recommendedfor Treating Over-Activity and Sleeplessness,especially in Children. The Flowers and Leavesare Potentially Valuable in the Treatment ofAsthma and other Allergic Conditions. CowslipFlowers Strengthen the Nerves and the Brain,and Relieving Restlessness and Insomnia.The Cowslip Root are Strongly Expectorant,stimulating a more Liquid Mucous and so easingthe Clearance of Phlegm . The Root is alsoMildly Diuretic, Antirheumatic and Slows theClotting of Blood. It is used in the Treatment ofChronic Coughs, Flu and other FebrileConditions. The Root can be Harvested in theSpring or Autumn and is Dried for later use.At one time an Essential Oil was produced byMaceration of the Cowslip Flowers and this Oilhelps to Treat Bruising.A Homeopathic remedy is made from the Plant.It is used in the Treatment of Kidney Complaintsand Catarrh.Of the Cowslip, Nicholas Culpeper wrote:"Our city dames know well enough the ointmentor distilled water of it adds beauty, or at leastrestores it when it is lost. The flowers are held tobe more effectual than the leaves, and the rootsof little use. An ointment being made with them,taketh away spots and wrinkles of the skin,sun-burning, and freckles, and adds beautyexceedingly; they remedy all infirmities of thehead coming of heat and wind, as vertigo,ephialtes, false apparitions, phrenzies, fallingsickness,palsies, convulsions, cramps, and painin the nerves; the roots ease pains in the back andbladder, and open the passage of urine. The leavesare good in wounds, and the flowers take awaytrembling. If the flowers be not well dried andkept in a warm place, they will soon putrify andlook green; have a special eye over them. If you letthem see the sun once a month, it will do them noharm."The Cowslip does have a SmallContraindication as this Remedy should not betaken by Pregnant Women, and People who areSensitive to Aspirin, or those taking Anti-Coagulant Drugs such as Warfarin. Some peopleare Allergic to the Stamens of this Plant's Flower.With the Colour Orange in your Life, you mayhave Good Health as well as goodCommunications with your Inner Planes. Withthe Good Sedative Affect of Orange Blossoms,you will be able to Relax and become Meditativein order to Communicate with others. OrangePekoe Tea has similar affect with its beneficialaffect on the Nervous System and in order toCommunicate Clearly, you have to have a ClearAirway which is kept clear in times when one hasColds or Flus which Cowslip helps to Heal.We LOVE bringing all theseoriginal articles and features, but we surecould use your help to keep it going!Please click the button below to Donatethrough PayPal and help Druidic Dawngrow!Click hereAontacht • 54

PlantConsciousnesshttp://www.plantconsciousness.comSeptember 26 and 27Regent's UniversityLondon, UKAn Event that will Revolutionize YourRelationship with PlantsOur disconnect from the natural world has led to thedisastrous situation that we now find ourselves in onplanet Earth, yet our deep feelings for nature form partof our spiritual longing.This Plant Consciousness event will demonstrate indynamic ways, how at both the microcosm andmacrocosm levels we can re-establish that connection to nature and why it is essential for the development of consciousnessand the well-being of our planet.Learn from the inherent qualities of the plant kingdom and the intelligence that lies behind it.Bringing together the values of plant neurobiology, permaculture, deep-ecology, eco-psychology, sacred plant medicine,shamanism and herbalism, discover a deeper understanding and a new harmony with plants and with your place in thebiosphere of life on this planet.Dennis McKennaEthnopharmacologistPlant Human Coevolution Origins of the Imagination (Day 1)Perspectives on the Past & Future of Ayahuasca (Day 2)Satish KumarEarth Pilgrim, Editor & Founder - Resurgence :Heal the Earth, Heal Ourselves; Heal Ourselves, Heal the EarthDavid Bruce LeonardFounder - Earth Medicine Institute Hawai'i, HealerPlant Gathering Practices & the Human Nervous SystemDr. Patrick MacManawayGeobiologistPlants, Devas & Landscape Elementals - An Integrated Approach to Holistic AgriculturePam MontgomeryPlant Spirit HealerPlant Spirit Healing: The Triple Spiral Path of the Original TrinityDr. David LukeSenior Lecturer, Co-Founder Breaking ConventionEcodelia: Psychedelic Plants and Transpersonal Ecopsychology

The Inner Realmsas Considered from the Depths of my ArmchairI was just a teenager when I began to exploremy spirituality and to experiment with astraltravel. This is a kind of Inner Realm achievedthrough a technique that requires going sodeeply inside oneself, one enters into a realmof vast expanse, and is able to cross time anddistance at will. Other terms for it includeastral plane, pathworking and visualization.The concept of the Inner Realms and the useof visualization has long been a part ofspiritual practice. There are even some thatargue evidence of grave goods in Neolithicburials indicates a belief in some sort ofafterlife and thus are suggestive of very veryearly human awareness of altered states ofbeing. Where and when such practicesbecame institutionalized is a discussion foranother venue I think. Certainly it has longbeen an element of the belief system ofWiccan practitioners.In her book An ABC of Witchcraft DoreenValiente described the astral plane as partof the shared heritage of witches andceremonial magicians (18). Her descriptionof the astral plane is as straightforward asanything I can come up with so I will quoteher:“(…) the astral plane is part of the superphysicalworld, a world composed of fineressence or of energy at a higher rate ofvibration than that of the physical world. Itis not higher in the sense of being above inheaven. On the contrary, everything in thevisible world of matter is surrounded andpermeated by its astral counterpart.Occultists see the universe as a great scaleof vibrations, of which our physical plan isonly one; the one to which our physicalsenses respond. (...) One of the chief claimsmade by occultists about the substance ofthe astral plane is that it is responsive tothoughts and emotions. (...) The astral bodyis the means by which man functions uponthe astral plane, and which survives thedeath of the physical form. He can, however,visit the astral plane, and perceive visions inthe astral light, while still incarnate uponthis earth. This clairvoyant travel is one ofthe attainments sought by the witches. It isthe reality behind the wild stories of witchesflying through the air. The flying witch is notin her physical but her astral form. (...) Thehigher gradations of the astral plane areregions of beauty transcending that of earth;they are the ‘Summerland’ of theSpiritualist. The lowest regions of the astral,on the contrary, are the dwellings of spiritualdarkness; but this darkness proceeds fromthe debased and vicious souls of theirdwellers. The mind creates its ownsurroundings; this is even true of the physicalworld. And still more so of the astral. Likeattracts like; and the soul after death isdrawn to that region which is its naturalaffinity.” (An ABC of Witchcraft, 18-20).Dion Fortune, founder of “The Society ofInner Light”, espoused it as a major elementof her spiritual practice. In fact, when theAontacht • 56

subject of the Inner Realms first crossed mydesk, hers was the first name that came tomind. Following the grand tradition of hidingthings in plain sight she used fiction novelsas vehicles for instructing her followersregarding her believes and techniques on thissubject. Over a 27 year period she was theauthor of 12 books, many of them non-fiction,but also several novels that illustrated hervision of the world.Written between 1935 and 1946 the novels(footnote) illustrate this element of herspiritual practice and in The Winged Bull(1935) she implicitly acknowledges her debt toIgnatius of Loyola for this technique ofvisualization, having one character(Brangwyn) explain it to another (Murchison)as follows:“It is the way Ignatius Loyola trained hisJesuits. Only we apply it to other ends. TheJesuits visualize New Testament Scenes, andwork up an extraordinary religious pressure.We visualize the old myths, and work uppressures of quite a different kind.” (Chapter15, no page number available in the onlineversion of the book.)Fortune’s own training came to her throughher experiences with theosophy and the Orderof the Golden Dawn. She was also interestedin Freemasonry but at that time theorganization was still closed to women.Intriguingly, even the Masons have madepowerful use of imagery and visualization aspart of their rituals. Her choice to use thenovels as part of the training for her initiateswas very deliberate. In the front pages of hernovel, Moon Magic she wrote:“(...) I want my students to take themseriously. The ‘Mystical Qabalah’ gives thetheory, but the novels give the practice. Thosewho read the novels without having studiedthe ‘Qabalah’ will get hints and a stimulusto their subconscious. Those who study theQabalah without reading the novels will getan interesting intellectual jig-saw puzzle toplay with: but those who study the ‘MysticalQabalah’ with the help of the novels get thekeys of the Temple put into their hands. AsOur Lord said: “Know ye not that your bodyis the temple of the Holy Ghost?”Brangwyn’s reference to Ignatius of Loyolawas to a 16 th century Spanish theologian whofound the Jesuit Order. He formalized asystem of spiritual training that includedmeditation and visualization exercises. It isa 28 to 30 day regime of prayers, mediationsand mental exercise that has becomerenowned and adapted to many spiritualtraditions beyond the Jesuits.Meditative visualization is, of course, mucholder than just the 16 th century and crossescultural boundaries as well. It is, for example,also a powerful element of that most ancientof cultural practices, shamanism. One of myfavorite stories about shamanic visualizationinvolves the sea goddess Sedna. Accordingto Inuit myth her fingers were cut off andbecame all the creatures of the sea – the seals,fish and whales. Because she has no fingersshe cannot comb her hair and when her hairis tangled she becomes irritable and the seasbecome wild and unruly. To calm the sea forthe hunters of his village a Shaman willprepare himself for a hazardous journey underthe sea to visit with the Sea Goddess. HeAontacht • 57

will enter a deep meditation and leave hisphysical body behind in the village, divingdeep under the water with his astral body.His goal is to locate and placate the goddessSedna. To do this he will comb her long hairuntil it becomes smooth and calm, just like theseas above. This is a very ancient myth fromthe northern cultures and it is a clearillustration of Valiente’s point about the innerworld being reflected in the outer.These concepts and tools are also deeplyembedded in contemporary North Americanculture. Our homes are referred to assanctuaries, meditation is utilized as a tool forpersonal challenges like weight loss andsmoking cessation, visualization techniquesare becoming part of the healing process forsome medical conditions. And then there isTV, personally I think that the Inner Realmsand astral travel are at the heart of thatubiquitous blue box known as The Tardis. Forthose who do not follow Dr. Who, the Tardisis his time machine. On the outside a plainblue British ‘Bobby’s callbox’, on the inside amagnificent and spacious vehicle in which TheDoctor travels through time, and space andacross realms on his adventures. I wonder ifan argument could be made, or perhaps hasbeen made already somewhere, that Dr. Whois actually about a spiritual quest. As for me,I am still on that spiritual quest and thesedays I do most of my traveling by train orautomobile.This (article) came out very differently then itstarted and one of the books I quoted (ABCof Witchcraft) was not even in my possessionuntil a few days ago. I found it at ValueVillage.Dion Fortune’s novels – The Demon Lover(1927), The Winged Bull (1935), The Goat FootGod (1936), The Sea Priestess (1938), MoonMagic (published posthumously in 1956).~Clifton, Chas. “A Goddess Arrives: TheNovels of Dion Fortune and theDevelopment of Gardnerian Witchcraft”originally published Gnosis #9, Fall 1988.Viewed online here~Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan’s MasonicRitual and Monitor, 3 rd edition. New York:Dick and Fitzgerald,1866. View here~Fortune, Dion. Moon Magic. MoonMagic. New York: Samuel Weiser, Inc.,1956. Viewed online at ScribdFortune, Dion. The Winged Bull. London:The Inner Light Publishing Company, 1935.Viewed online at Scribd.~Sumner, Alex. ”The Occult Novels ofDion Fortune.” Journal of the WesternMystery Tradition. No. 0, Vernal Equinox2001. Viewed online here.~Valiente, Doreen. An ABC ofWitchcraft. Custer: Phoenix Publishing Inc.1973/1988 editionAontacht • 58

By Sarah Fuhro ©take place onthe While we can argue overpossible ‘historical’ Arthurs, this is not wherehe dwells. When we look at him as teacher fromthe stars, we understand the stories on anotherlevel in which time does not exist.‘Idylls of the King—TennysonAs a practicing Druid, the Arthurian traditionof the British Isles has been one source of mytraining and study over the last twenty-fiveyears. These stories were told to me by myfather, long before I could read them. They areintertwined with the stars because Arthur isimmortal, fixed, like the patterns of theconstellations, yet always human. He movesthrough seasonal changes of the sky much likethe planets..wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Idylls_of_the_King_1.jpgThis is an illustration from Doré of Arthurand Merlin under the night sky. Merlin asDruid and astrologer is teaching Arthur thetales of the stars. Poetry and song storeknowledge for cultures all over the world,while the night sky holds ancestral memory ina visual rather than a verbal form. The skywith its starry maps remains a predictableplace even as it constantly changes during thenight and over the seasons. Stories, which tellof the tribe’s origin and history, are associated

with the stellar wheel overhead. The journey ofthe Sun, Moon and the planets along the starryroad of the ecliptic become a reenactment of theadventures and love affairs of the ancestors.Constellations beyond the belt of the eclipticare a rich source of cultural history, a memoryguide to the story teller-historian. The sky is alibrary filled with epic tales of the men andwomen who tangled with the gods. As astrologerswith a 5,000-year old tradition of psychologyand divination based upon the movement ofthe stars and planets, these stories of the cosmosenrich our understanding of our art andknowledge, and connect us with the poeticwealth of the people and cultures who have gonebefore us.In Britain these stories were remembered in thesongs and poetry of the Bardic tradition. Bardswere the poets of Celtic culture, trained to learnthe history and genealogy of the tribe frommemory, and forbidden to write down theirsongs. The power of their words was so deeplyrespected and sometimes feared that as poets,Bards were known as magicians and healers.Most were Druids or trained by Druids. Thetradition of the Bards included knowledge ofthe cosmos. As Taliesin, the great Welsh bardsays about himself:We could look at the story of Arthur’s RoundTable as an earthly reflection of the Zodiac.Arthur’s name means The Bear. We could saythat the constellation we call the Big Dipper orthe Great Bear is Arthur as he journeys throughthe yearly cycle of the constellations around theecliptic.The Mabinogi, trans. Patrick FordIn this light I have tried to find the stories ofArthur in the stars and planets, the Sun andMoon.‘Taliesin from Robert Graves the WhiteGodess’http://passionforfreshideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/pzodiac-e1407361165861.jpgIn a highly literate society we have little faithin memory, and our way of life dims the stars,

yet they remain to communicate with uswhenever we take the time and find the placewhere we can attune to them. It’s not surprisingthat observatories and temples are located onmountain peaks; they have a similar purpose, aconversation with the sky. At the top of CadairIdris, a mountain in Wales is a seat, a great stoneIt’s not surprising that a mountain observatoryfilled with poetry and magic is the site of anArthurian adventure. Arthur’s presence is interwoveninto many of the sacred sites of theBritish Isles. On the slopes of this sacredmountain Arthur went on a hunt with the kingof the fair folk, and his pack ofhounds the (dogs of the underworld).The hunt continues and if you areswept up in it, you might find yourself in, the underworld, or perhaps taken up to(Corona Borealis).As in many cultures, Annwn, ‘the underworld,’refers to a place of otherness. It may be simultaneouslylocated on the inner plane, deep inthe earth, an alternate visionary dimension to afamiliar landscape such as Arthur’s hunt withhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Cadair_Idris_wide_view.jpgcouch where the giant, Idris, the firstastronomer/astrologer watched the night sky.Idris was skilled in poetry and philosophy as wellas star lore, and it is said that whoever spendsthe night in Cadair Idris, the giant’s chair, willmeet death, madness or poetic inspiration bymorning.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Aasgaardreien_peter_nicolai_arbo_mindre.jpgArianrhod She of The Silver Wheelhttps://inanna.virtualave.net/bouletgoddess.jpgGwyn ap Nudd and his hounds, or a locationin the sky. The celestial site for Annwn was animportant constellation to the British people,This is the Welsh name forCorona Borealis. The literal meaning for CaerArianrhod is ‘ the castle, or fortress, or hill ofArianrhod.’ This constellation, which looks likea coronet or a cauldron is where the MoonAontacht • 61

and the Moon’s cycle. The crescent Moon isrepresented by the boar’s tusk and the fullMoon signified by the mirror. Venus may alsoplay a role here since her glyph is a mirror!Arthur in the hunt for the Wild Boar, TrwrchTrwyth, illus Margaret JonesCorona Borealis the constellation of Arianrhod, the Crown andthe Cauldrongoddess, Arianrhod- instructsthe soul as it rests between lives in her cauldron,her heavenly abode, Caer Arianrhod.When Arthur hunted on the mountainside ofCadair Idris with Gwyn ap Nudd, he was payinghomage to Arianrhod, the Moon lady, somethinga hero must do in order to move into widerterritory. Their quarry was, thewild boar, sacred to the Moon goddess becauseof his crescent shaped tusks. Arthur’s battlewith the boar gavehim the status of aninitiated warrior.From this story ofArthur’s hunt forthe boar with Gwynap Nudd, weunderstand thatthe young king could enter and leave the underworldAnnwn, at will. He, like Orpheus andPersephone entered the dimension of the deadwhile still alive and returned to bring its treasuresback to the living. The treasures of TwrchTrwyth, the boar, were a comb, a razor andscissors! In an ancient rock carving found inScotland, the boar’s tusk and a mirror are carvedin rock, a clue to the very old connection betweenthe warrior initiation, which the boar represents,Aontacht • 62Like the hero, Orion, who hunts the night skywith his dog, Sirius, Arthur also had a faithfulcanine companion, Cabal. The dog is often acompanion into the otherworld or, like Cerberus,the three-headed dog of the Greeks, heis a guardian of that world. Cabal’s footprintis found in Wales at Buelt where Arthur builta cairn for him, known as. One ofthe stones has the imprint of the dog’s paw. Itis one of the ‘’ that when astone is removed from the pile, it returns withina day or two. When you look up at thefamiliar figure of Orion with his blue star dog,Sirius in the winter sky, you can imagine theyoung warrior Arthur with his beloved hound,Cabal.http://www.welshstories.com/aattt/long_boar_2.jpgThis is part 1 of The Astrology of Arthur. Itwas previously published in slightly differentforms in Touchstone Magazine, and on my blog.

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The Wondrous Wanderingsof Three Very Small andDelightful Druidic BearsMeanwhile in Canada…Follow the escapades of theDruidic Dawn bearsBetter yet, buy your own and submitpictures as they travel in life with you!Photo by Lisa Du FresneClick hereAontacht • 64

Would like to ADOPTa D.D. Bear, or two or all three?This issue shows theDD Bears wandering aroundCanada!Thanks for the photos and we lookforward to seeing where theDD Bears will show up next!Our VERY limited edition of DD Bears, createduniquely for by our amazing UKartisan, is now made available to YOU!Each DD Bear is just old enough to be ready to beadopted into a GOOD HOME.The adoption will be recorded inWondrous Wanderings page. We encourage you toacquaint your newly adopted DD Bear(s) to a sacredplace (at least sacred to you) near your home orabroad and let them take a selfie.of your DD Bear(s) atdruidicdawn@earthlink.net. Remember to identifythe sacred place from anywhere on the globe. (NOPhotoshopping please).Send us the next chapter in the story from thisedition (50 to 100 words) about how the adventurecontinues and we might publish it! (There is NOlimit to how MANY different sacred places or howmany photos you can submit) OR just send yourphoto and an idea and let our DD authors fill in thedetails!Will YOUR DD Bear(s) be the NEXT featured inupcoming issues of ?The DD Bard Bear is Blue, Ovate is Green and theDruid Bear is White & Gold. So take a momentand Adopt a DD Bear for a friend, a child, oryourself. They'll remind you of your Path, be acompanion, while bringing you some cuteness andhappiness along the way!One DD Bear $25.00, two for $50.00, and three for$70.00. (Shipping based on location)Aontacht • 65

Join and Expand theConversationOur next issue of Aontacht will have the theme “Healing the Body, Mind, and Soul”. Exploringthe Nature of healing at many levels. Healing the body, the emotions, the Spirit. Healing acommunity or relations between different cultures.We are working on a very special interview which we will reveal on our website in July! Keep aneye out for it because we always enjoy getting your questions!This is a unique opportunity for you to become part of this interview. All questions YOU submitto us at druidicdawn@earthlink.net by Aug. 1st, 2015, will be considered for inclusion.We also hope you become part of the Aontacht family by sending your original News, Events,Reviews, Poems, Articles, Essays, Stories, Rituals, Recipes, Devotional Pieces, Photos and Art andalso your comments and suggestions to druidicdawn@earthlink.net.Please submit original work only. Essays & articles should be between 1,000-2,000 words. Thereis not a word limit for poetry, however, please do not submit epic verse. Only electronic submissionsare accepted. You will have the pleasant experience of working with our talented and enthusiasticAcquisition Editor, Lisa Du Fresne, who will help answer questions you might have and help youto prepare your submission, including any accompanying pictures, artwork and graphics. Clickhere to contact her. Photos and artwork should be submitted as .jpg or .pngs and be at least 300dpi. You will also need to submit a short bio, maximum 50 words and a photo of yourself.As always, all submissions should be of interest to the global Druid community. This does notmean you need to BE a Druid. Aontacht encourages submissions from everyone in the greaterEarth-Based community - from all of you committed to serving and protecting our planet and allliving beings who call this their home.Most articles are selected because they relate to the theme of the Issue. Aontacht posts in everyissue the themes for the following three issues (See side bar).While we sometimes edit the content of accepted submissions in minor ways, we will expect correctspelling and coherent thoughts, so please run a grammar and spell check before submittal and takethe time to present something new and exciting to a very diverse, educated and experiencedreadership.As Aontacht is a free publication, we are unable to pay you for your submissions nor for your timein preparing your submission. No racism, bigotry or hatred will be allowed or accepted. We dothough encourage submissions from different cultural perspectives and with different styles ofthinking, writing and expression.The Druidic Dawn is based on building Unity in the Community. We do not promote any particularPath or approach to Druidry, nor believe any one Path or approach has all the answers or providesfor everyone's needs. Druidry is in its second Ascendency, growing from what it once was intosomething new and exciting. Our goal is to provide a global platform for many of the different anddiverse faces and voices of Druidry. We hope you will join and help us expand the conversationof what Druidry is and who we are as 21st century Druids.You do not have to be amember of the DruidicDawn community to submitto the newsletter, but westrongly recommendbecoming a member to gainfull access to the greatestonline source of Druidknowledge in the world.www.DruidicDawn.orgbefore you submit contributionsor inquiries. Below are our upcomingissues in case you'd liketo get ahead on submissions. Besure to specify which issue youare submitting to.Volume 7, Issue 4“Healing the Body, Mind, andSoul”Exploring the Nature of healingat many levels. Practically,emotionally and spiritually.Deadline Aug. 1st th , 2015Volume 8, Issue 1“Engaging the Underworld”What is death? Can we talk withthe dead? How can weremember our ancesters?Deadline October 15 th , 2015Volume 8, Issue 2“Trees, Nature, andSustainability”Communicating with Trees;ways to protect and honor theEarth. Explore how we canexplore and protect the Earth andourselves.Deadline January 15th, 2016Aontacht • 66