The Hedge Druid

In his introduction to the book “Sun, Moon & Earth” Robin Heath states:

“In an uncoordinated attempt to better understand and control the material universe, our present culture has strayed so far from simplicity and beauty that we are often startled and afraid when it reveals itself.”

The Logos IS that startling material universe that reveals itself. According to Wikipedia,

“Heraclitus (ca. 535–475 BCE) established the term in Western philosophy as meaning both the source and fundamental order of the cosmos…. The Stoic philosophers identified the term with the divine animating principle pervading the universe.”

Dealing with The Logos, the Other (the greater intelligence, Nature, the Divine, however you wish to term it) used to be commonplace, and incapable of being dissociated from people’s thoughts - Greek writers record many such stories where the “voices in the mind” were considered to be the intervention of a divine being. Rational science has always been equally cursed and blessed with angelic beings or gifts from God that guide the finest minds to previously incomprehensible new discoveries and theories. Many of the recognised great thinkers of human history attribute their inventions or theories to divine revelations (e.g. Descrates, Newton and Einstein, for instance).

The concept of the “other” in druidry is usually conceived of as some aspect of Nature. In this post I will contract that concept down to its essence and call it The Logos. This is the term used by Terence McKenna to describe this infinite and ineffable ‘otherness’. However, is it totally ineffable, or unknowable? I think it is knowable in terms of establishing a relationship. I think it is possible to know a great deal about the way it operates (or wants us to operate), even to the point of being able to define The Rules of The Game. I think this because there are certain things that it is possible to do with Nature, and other things that are simply impossible at a particular time. Also, the communication link is also governed by rules of behaviour, courtesy  or etiquette.

In this next section I list some of the elements of dealing with The Logos. I do not attempt to describe what The Logos is, or state whether these rules apply to all. They are the rules I have drawn out of my own dealings, and some of the rules I have found are also in place for other people too. I therefore present them to you for your consideration – please test them out for yourself.

In no particular order…..

The Rules:

1.“Have no expectations.”

Approach with respect and not expecting anything particular to occur. Failure to comply results in antithetical contrary responses – you get the opposite of what you expect, or nothing at all. This also applies to dowsing – the rods will move whichever way you want them to, so if you want an objective response that can be trusted you must remove all assumptions and expectations to leave a clear and connected mind, not an intentional mind.

2.“It will not be commanded.”

The Logos won’t be instructed, directed, or expected to perform on demand. You are dealing with a relationship of equals working in partnership to achieve enlightenment, wisdom and understanding. If you ask it to perform parlour tricks it is most likely to confuse you and act up. This is the Trickster element of the Logos. Imagine a four year old child attempting to command a Professor to do things for him on demand. Some witty trickery is likely to ensue, resulting in a life lesson for sure.

It cannot be bent to your will. Answers are most forthcoming when there is no intention of trying to elicit an particular response. Willing an action in dowsing brings about unsatisfactory, misleading and confusing responses. In druidry it leads to self-deception which is invariably discovered to be unfounded or just plain ineffective if attempted.

As Kal points out, however, there is a form of energy work in which the energies are harnessed for selfish or egotistically-driven purposes, and this proves to be an exception to the rule. In our experience this form of energy work is predicated upon the enslaving of cosmic energies and the creation of human energies for manifestation and direction. In this mode, energies are commanded for the duration of the ‘spell’, or until it is broken or diminished by opposing energy frequencies (e.g black streams composed of male and neutral energy can be diminished and eventually dissoluted by the input of strong female energy). This form is not a path we follow or encourage, although we acknowledge its existence and are respectful of it.

3.“Don’t take it too seriously.”

The Logos likes a laugh, so if you want to be serious about your work you need to establish that fact by adopting a sober state of mind that is clear and focused (ironically, because at the same time you need to be empty of thought and alter your consciousness level – a state most assume to be a fuzzy and moronic state). Not necessarily so. Make time to have a laugh. There’s nothing like laughter for building the relationship up through mutual enjoyment and developing trust. This is a similar concept to McKenna’s “Cosmic Giggle” theorem.

4. “Trust must be at the foundation of the relationship.”

Trust has to be won and earned, but also given by you. If you establish an agreement on how you will deal with each other at the outset of the relationship then you are making solid ground to work on. In this agreement it may be wise to establish that you will not be asking frivilous, inane questions for the sake of it; that you may ask for clarification or confirmation, but that you will do so in the spirit of rational enquiry; that you will not attempt to “trick” the Logos; and that you wish to receive the same treatment. Once established you can trust the answers you receive, although I would still recommend the occasional test question for confirmation, but ultimately this is a placebo, because you can never actually 100% trust any form of knowledge. However, if it feels like a trusted response then go with it. It will get you far.

5. “Love and gratitude facilitate progress.”

Be prepared to exchange emotional energies. You have the ability to generate these at will. Exchanging emotional energy is a powerful act, so I suggest it is done in good faith and only when necessary to progress in your work. I haven’t found that physical gifts are necessary. It seems to me that it is the emotion invested in the gift that is important, and the idea that the energy is released over a longer time period than a spur-of-the-moment act of gratitude in your relationship with nature. It need only be proportional to the amount of exchange going on. If you get a fantastic revelation, a vision, learn something new, change your life after the event – these things merit some reciprocal investment of kind energies, wouldn’t you think? It’s only polite, and seems to ensure a warmer reception on your next visit. I have never found it to be essential, however, nor need it be ritualistic. Empathic expression is all that is required on most occasions. Love and gratitude are the keys that unlock the communication channels with other intelligence forms.

Like all good trade there has to be something in it for the other party too. If you only want to take, take, take in that relationship then the bond won’t last long, and it will never get very deep. You have to learn to give a little too – even if it costs you your dignity (a garish pontification of the ego), time, or a gift. Strangely, that works. It seems so superficial, but I guess that the charitable act of giving goes a long way to cement a relationship.

Giving out love energy must be done with an unfettered mind, unconditionally. It can be spread like roots and branches, feeling its way across the landscape in search of contact.

6. “Results cannot be forced.”

If you’re told an answer to a question, even if you don’t like it, it will be correct. For example, I used to ask whether I would be successful at such and such, told no, and would try it anyway. Whatever experiment it was always failed. However, sometimes I learned what not to do, and how best to do it when I got the go ahead at some future point, when either I was ready or when the energies were. But don’t bang your head continuously against the same brick wall. Take it as a sign that something needs to change, and ask what that change needs to be. Then you may know what needs to be done and your approach will be better informed next time.

7. “Learn to accommodate paradox.”

Coincidentia Oppositorum: the Union of Opposites. This is an alchemical term describing the necessity of bringing together two seemingly opposed ideas (or materials) to effect their co-operative union. When dealing with ideas or images it required a state of mind where two opposites can be held in mind simultaneously and reconciled as being joined, combined, or even wholly one. This kind of thinking is essential to working natural magickThis is a system of belief that is often defined as being the appropriation and re-use of naturally occurring forces for the purposes of healing, transformation, communication, or a host of other subtle effects. The natural elements of the magick can also be seen by the under-pinning concept that the use of these forces should be co-operative rather than coercive.. Resolving paradox, accepting the impossible, are entry requirements for dealing with The Logos, as it constantly challenges you to make progress by adopting new concepts and envisioning new possibilities. It makes the impossible possible.

8. “Know your limitations.”

Very Clint Eastwood!. I’m not encouraging you to not extend yourself in this work, merely to be aware of the extent to which you can go at any particular time. We have talked several times on this blog about The Trickster. It is an aspect of The Logos that arises occasionally if you are working at the very edges or boundaries of your knowledge and intelligence. If you are asking questions that are beyond your ability to conceive or control the answer then you are likely to encounter a Trickster response: a response that confounds and confuses you. This response demonstrates that you have gone too far for your abilities at that time. If you continue to push it you will receive a response that results in you having to take on a certain humility.

McKenna says: “Nature loves courage.” and that nature rewards courage by the removal of obstacles to the impossible. Courage often makes progress possible and speeds up the learning process. McKenna also states that there is a sense of FAIR PLAY ruling over the relationship that is established with The Logos. I interpret this as, if you follow the rules you get rewards proportionate to your abilities. If you try to take too much at once, you get slapped back into place. You will get contrary results, results that confound you completely, that make no sense, that may put you in an embarrassing situation. The end result will be that you will be highly aware of your place in this relationship – a humble human.

Truth, respect and fairness should be the basis of all your dealings. If you are unfaithful in your approach then you invoke Pan, the Trickster spirit that will do his utmost to humble you at every opportunity, especially if you invite him to do so with expressions of pride or arrogance.

You are always limited in terms of what is possible by your ability to deal with the result. In other words, if you’re not physically, spiritually or intellectually prepared to deal with an answer, then the answer becomes a challenge, a test or a quest. You are given information in the way that you can conceive of it, given as much information as you can deal with, and even if you don’t understand the answer you know that the response has been crafted in such a way as it only has meaning and importance to you. This can be a humbling and frustrating response, but it is always the correct one for you at that time. Once you get to the point of understanding the information, you usually realise that this was the case.

9. “The energy going in equates to the energy coming out.”

Dealing with The Logos uses visualisation at more energetic levels to focus towards a desired effect. The more energy is put into the visualisation the more profitable and effective is the work. If you use visualisation during dowsing work it can often reveal many hidden correlations, but it can also lead you astray by suggesting energy forms that are almost impossible to confirm physically.

This rule also covers another aspect of energy work. i.e. that Nature abhors a vacuum, such that if you remove energies from a place then the place will be filled with something else. If you add something to a place, then you are pushing some other energy out of that place. It seems to follow the laws of physics as we currently understand them in this respect. I have read recently that psychic energy may be likened in behavioural terms to plasma energy. I can’t comment on that, really, except to say that it flows and pools in a similar way to water, and is affected by gravity.

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This is my current working list of The Rules. Every interaction informs me further. I will update this post whenever I discover anything different or additional. I hope they help you steer a truer course.

Gwas Myrddyn.