At the back of my mind I had another agenda too. I had wanted to find out whether I could really make use of The Fitzalan ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). that I had picked up from Clun Castle the week before (see previous post: Clun Castle and the ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). of the Warlock) – the spirit of a warlock with whom I had negotiated a bargain for knowledge sharing. Now was the time to test this out. Would the arrangement be up to anything at all, or was I wasting my time?

Guinivere’s Touch

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of this story, let me take you on an interesting diversion. As often happens in my unusual life when walking The Shining Path (I give this questing life many names) I go to places that have intuitively called to me. Afterwards when I do my research on the sites I find that they have some link to my spiritual progression that I had not expected. Such was the case with Old Oswestry. To me, it was that hill fort that I kept seeing and which called to me this year (even though I have been passing it for many years now). This year has seen a change in my Arthurian archetype. Last year I was completely bound up in quests for Merlin, culminating with his spirit merging with my own at Dinas Emrys.

This year I have been inextricably woven into the fabric of Arthur’s life – first at Tintagel, then at places such as Arthur’s Cave at Symond’s Yat, then Arthur’s Grave in Pembrokeshire. The sites have been never-ending, each linked to King Arthur and me seemingly destined to visit when my tasks and destinations have been dowsed and plotted on maps. Such has been the course of this year. How intriguing then that when I researched Oswestry Hill Fort I find that it too is strongly linked with the Arthurian myth. More weft for the rich tapestry.

Oswestry: The Welsh name means City of Gogyrfan. According to legend, Gogyrfan was father to Queen Guinevere and therefore father in law to King Arthur. This fort was said to be Guinevere’s birthplace. (source: Oswestry Town Talk)

Ariel view of Oswestry Hillfort

Now I will tell you all about my first usage of the Fitzalan Stone and whether it truly does have magickal properties.

Finding a suitable seat

The hill fort is accessed by a small road leading to a small car park. Luckily, out of season as I was, parking was no issue. Having said that, I wouldn’t want to be leaving anything on show around there, and you’d be wise to make sure you’re not spending too long away from your vehicle if you value it in any way. My motorbike seemed to attract the attention of a group of bored teenagers while I was away and they were in no mood to disperse just because I came back just as they were swarming towards it!

As I walked up the main entrance path I got my dowsing rods out to determine the best route to take. I was taken up onto one of the several rings of banked earthworks that provided the many layers of protection, like a lady’s petticoats. Several other people were also visiting the site, which I hadn’t expected. As I reached the top I got my first view of the size and scale of the fort – wow – it was absolutely massive! It’s on a par with some of the largest in Wiltshire.The view I had seen from the dual carriageway nearby was only one small part of the whole perimeter of the fort. Now I could see the whole expanse I realised that it would take about half an hour just to walk around it. So I started walking, using the rods to guide my way and with the instruction that they should swirl around once I had reached a place suitable for working with the Fitzalan Stone.

The many ramparts of Oswestry hillfort

I found an entry point into the fort’s inner sanctum at its eastern edge where the fence had been fitted with two kissing gates on either side of a path that came up from the base of the hill. The rods turned around at a spot off to one side of the massive interior field with its occasional cows. The space I sat in appeared to have what I call a faint “faerie ring” of grass. You begin to spot these once you have dowsed power centres on such grass formations for the hundredth or so time.

Fitzalan’s Water Magick

I decided that what I wanted to test Mr Fitzalan’s knowledge on was the subject of “water magick”, or how to use water in magickal practise. It was a topic that just came to me. I am an air sign, astrologically speaking, and I find it very easy to perform 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. in the element of air. Water is much neglected by me, however, so here was an opportunity for me to learn something that I might be able to put into practise soon. I closed off my rational mind and began to let myself loose into the water vapour that surrounded me, forming a connection with the stone in my hand and with the water vapours that was all around me. “Please tell me about water magick!” I asked of the Fitzalan Stone.

Water magick begins with emotion

In my mind the following concepts began to form as phrases, thoughts, fleeting images or whispered words:-

• Learnt that emotion is the key to water magick
• Your body must be well hydrated to make such magick happen effectively
• Once hydrated you can mentally summon the emotion that you wish to utilise
• Once the emotion fills you, then you can exude it from your pores like sweat and the pheromones will fly off you filling the surrounding space with the emotion

So it seems that Water Magick is related to emotions and to the modification of the environment, the atmosphere, or mood. I felt like I already knew part of this – some of this was information i had read in other places about the properties of water, but the Fitzalan Stone had managed to pull all that information together and present it all in a neat summary, and had given me some new information too, such as the method of exuding or releasing the emotional energy into the atmosphere in order to effect change. This was very interesting indeed, and I was excited about the way the information had arrived. I promise,d in return, that some interesting magickal work would be done at some very special sites I intended to visit in the near future. Our strange relationship was beginning to bear fruit! I can think of uses for this in my own work such as changing bad behaviour, altering the weather, and repairing the feel of a damaged environment. The potential filled me with hope and a desire to begin putting this knowledge into practise soon.

A Cow-Shaped Reminder

I thanked the spirit of Richard for his valuable lesson, and then disengaged, retracting the energetic threads I had used to connect to his shadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life). via the stone. What reminded me to do this was an inquisitive cow that was coming to enquire about what I was doing, which made me quickly pull my aura back in and disconnect from anything I was connected to, almost like a shock reaction.

When I left the cow went to smell the place I had been lying on, and then began to eat grass at that spot. This reminded me that I should remove my traces from places! You never know who or what is going to come along after you’ve left and feed on the energy fields that you have created. Best to clean up after yourself and disperse any remnant energy that you dont’ want to leave behind.

Gwas.

I have been noticing that other pagan blogs have also begun to falter in their regularity and their commitment. Could it be that we all expanded too quickly, and pushed ourselves too hard to produce content? Possibly, but I think the real reason is due to a difficulty in maintaining momentum when this year has been out of synchronisation with itself. Let me explain.

The Moon, The Sun and The Earth sources

Last year our blogs flourished. Mostly these are blogs that are talking about magickal work, mystical happenings and spiritual progress. What general effect has happened that could account for the difference between last year’s ease and this year’s difficulty? Simple. It is the synchronisation of the phase of the Moon with the Celtic Festival dates. Last year the high points in the solar cycle were matched by high points in the lunar cycle. In other words, at the major lunar festival dates the Moon was also usually in its Full Moon phase.

Celtic Wheel of the Year

The Celtic Wheel of the Year is a cycle that records the high points of the year’s energies. It tells the pagan watcher when the Earth itself is producing the most energy in its co-operative cycle with The Sun. In my experience, and I speak only for myself here, I do not use The Sun as my primary magickal power source. For me it is The Moon. Last year was therefore a “bumper year” in terms of the number of coincidences between the Solar and Lunar high points. Magick was abundant and easy. Motivation was plentiful, and so a great deal of work flowed, and many posts got produced. Blogs flourished that dealt with these subjects.

This year the story has been completely reversed, and how dispiriting must that have been to many of our pagan friends whose magickal sources are Moon-dependent? This year the Full Moon phases NEVER coincide with any of the Solar Festival dates in the Celtic Year. Only Spring Equinox came close. The result of this, goes my tenuous hypothesis, is that motivation has taken a battering. Magickal people must have found themselves either doing Sun OR Moon work, but never being able to being the two together.

Mis-aligned Full Moon phases in 2011

What you may have seen is that partnerships of couples where one was sun-based and the other moon-based have been put under strain, and may even have come apart. Take our case, for example. Last year Kal (Sun) and I (Moon) worked together on every Celtic Festival. This year? We have barely been able to force ourselves to come together for one or two. It has been a monumental effort to make it happen, and when it has happened it has never been as powerful as it was last, year. Never as easy. We have had to work very hard. I daren’t even tell you what happened to our friends on the Walking the Hedge blog. So sad.

Predictions for 2012

My friends, take heart. Next year things are looking better. We will again struggle at the beginning of the year all the way up to and beyond the Summer Solstice, where we will have either First Quarter or New Moon phases on our Earth Energy days. Our friends in the Southern Hemisphere will be fine with that, but here in the Northern half we will lack those useful reflected energies for longer than we would like.

Then in August, for Lammas, things begin to coincide again. We get Full Moon coincidences for Lammas, Samhain, before just missing the Winter Solstice, but coinciding with the ”dead days” before New Year. Therefore, I predict that 2012 is going to be a strange year, beginning with more mis-alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment., before coming right at the most important time of the year, at the culmination of our tasks, our quests and our desires. Who knows what energies will be available for the December 21st 2012 date? Let’s just wait and see what happens. So, when will you see the podcast again? Er…soon I hope!

Gwas.

My goal? Tonight, as I began to walk into the trees, I instructed the dowsing rods to direct me towards “something that will advance me on my spiritual quest“. Vague, yet promising. The rods twitched and I began to follow them ‘blindly’, trusting that some other forces understood the directive better than I did and would work on my behalf as they had done so many times before. As I walked I asked a quick question – “Would it be wise for me to put up some protection in the forest?” YES, said the rods. I was already doing it! Only positive helpful influences tonight, please!

I was brought into the forest by the usual path, even though I still don’t recognise it until I have reached the first high point! I was taken by yet another alternate route but the destination was familiar – a small rise covered in pine needles where the rods twirled around on a nondescript spot that I knew was probably full of powerful energies. Could I not sit on the nearby lovely mossy mound, I asked the rods. No, they chided, this was the spot to sit on. I sat.

At first I admired the view, wondering why I had been led to this place, and toying with the idea of ignoring this bit and carrying on. Three or four minutes later I was still wondering, when I realised that I could feel my “modern world” energies being stripped from me, and my senses attuning to the sounds and sights of the forest. I was hearing distant wildlife. I was sensing the movement of the gentle breezes as they played with the higher branches. I was feeling the flavour of the forest. I was attuned! Wonderful. NOW I could proceed.

View through Alderley Edge from a magickal spot

After being cleansed and attuned I felt … really good. I didn’t want to move, but I forced myself onwards with this evening’s work – where should I go next? The rods began to lead me down a familiar off-road track through the dense forest and I was walking on to my next intriguing encounter.

Meeting the Oak Spirit

I was taken off my usual path to walk at the edge of one of the pre-defined paths. Soon the rods were circling around next to a small oak tree no taller than I was. I sat down at the indicated spot and made myself comfortable on the thick carpet of lime-coloured moss. Despite the slight dampness it was incredibly pleasant. I faced the tree and began to tune into the essence of the small oak. As my eyes de-focused a familiar shape emerged from the moss that grew around the base of the tree – there was a set of eyes, a nose and a mouth! I was imagining the dryad of the tree, I felt. Now I was in connection with it I dared to ask a question, “Do you have any information that will help me on my spiritual quest?” I asked as politely as I could. Silence. I tried again. Nothing. Hmmm…I felt I was approaching this all wrong.

I switched tack with the spirit, instead asking it, “Is there something you wish to communicate to me?“. Now I got a response! In my mind I heard two words eliding into and out of each other – “Glyph“, “Ward“. I didn’t understand. “Why a ward?” I asked. “Protection.” came back the response. OK, well it was a lead, and something I could work with, I supposed. I confirmed the idea, “Do you want me to make a ward to protect you?” I asked while I still had the connection. “From Winter.” came the affirmative response. Now I understood, but of course I had no clue how I would do that! I’ve never made a ward before, well, not intentionally!

Wards explained

What is a ward? It is from a branch of magick called apotropaic magic. Yes, those were my thoughts too when I read that. “What?” Apotopaic magick is arguably one of THE MOST DISCREDITED and ridiculed aspects of magickal practise. And possibly one of the few items left in my “loony binA collection of concepts that we initially designated as unworthy of further investigation, for example "ghosts". However, as time has gone on and experience has grown we have had to "unpack" these concepts and remove them from the metaphorical bin.” where I keep a store of ideas that I have instructed myself never to get involved with. Oh dear….I was about to be challenged again! Aportopaic magick is concerned with putting charms and spells on items, or with writing glyphs to ward off evil spirits. Nowadays this is simply ridiculed as superstition, and the whole concept is seen as a bit of a joke by western minds. I was such a western mind at that moment when I was asked to make a ward – I wondered why I would even bother. But then, perhaps I might learn something useful?

After agreeing to the oak tree’s request I gathered my belongings and began walking through the forest in that attuned state of mind again. As I walked I found that I was bending down every now and again to pick up an item that literally insisted itself upon me - either because it was hopelessly and obviously out of place, or it was making itself known to me. Sometimes the object would just appear in my path, or the dowsing rods would spin around making me stop to assess what was around. Soon I had four items :

1. a white thin Rowan twig,
2. some fallen Rowan berries,
3. a sprig of oak snagged in a tree branch,
4. and a palm-sized piece of sandstone rock.

Four items representing the four elements

Looking at the four articles together I realised I had:

1. stone for earth,
2. red berries for fire,
3. oak for water,
4. and a white Rowan twig for air.

Well, it made sense to me at the time. I don’t think the correlation has to have any particular ‘recognised’ correspondence to be effective, because all magick is a product of intention, so it was only important that I personally understood and believed the association for the duration of the work.

Interestingly, reading the definition of apotropaic magic in Wikipedia later I would find this sentence:

“To further discourage witchcraft, rowan wood may have been chosen for [the purpose of creating a ward]“. (Source: Wikipedia)

I don’t like this rather glib statement that it protects against witchcraft. It’s such a Christian concept – God is good, the Devil is bad; Vicars are good; witches are bad. Petty dualism. I would have preferred if the author had re-worded that to say something like, “Rowan guards against unhelpful spirit forces.” as this other Wikipedia author states:

“The European rowan (S. aucuparia) has a long tradition in European mythology and folklore. It was thought to be a magical tree and protection against malevolent beings.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Semantics, semantics. I think we get the idea. Inadvertantly I had picked up two items renowned for their warding capabilities – a rowan twig and some rowan berries.

Tuned to the forest

I sat eating my tea and energising with an incense stick and the sounds of the forest. Of course I was sitting on a power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre.. Why woudl you sit in an ordinary place when you can power up on a power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre.? I never just sit somewhere these days. It has to be somewhere special. I was feeling really attuned to the forest as I munched an apple when suddenly there was a completely incongruous blast of air through the nearby tree-tops right above me. I knew this was an air sylph, and probably a warning that the weather was about to change. The air felt a bit damp now, and was cooling slightly. Ahead of me were bright blue pathces dappled with white could. Behind me there were darkening brooding rain clouds.

I continued to eat, but thanked the sylphs for their warning. I began to pack as I ate, getting ready to move soon. I got my coat ready to wear. Two minutes later there was a longer and louder, more violent thrust through the tree-tops and I stood up to acknowledge the warning, thanking the sylphs again. This time I packed everything away and put my coat on. As my zip reached my chin the first heavy droplets of rain hit my coat. Just in time! It was time to head back to the oak tree with my booty and fulfil a recent promise of protection.

A small oak tree asking for protection

Returning to the small oak tree I placed the four elemental items on the cardinal compass points around the tree in turn, dedicating them and requesting the help of the elemental spirits to protect the tree though the Winter months. As I placed each of the four elemental objects I made a brief but heartfelt intonation to whatever forces were listening:-

• From the sandstone rock I asked for stability from the earth to hold the roots of the small and vulnerable tree
• From the red Rowan berries I asked to keep the spirit of the tree alive in its withdrawn sap until the first rays of Spring rejuvenate it
• From the acorn sprig I asked that life-giving nourishment be given, not too little and not too much. Don’t flood the tree over Winter, I asked.
• From the white Rowan twig I asked the air elemental to pass over this tree and to ignore it when they wanted to play with the forest trees and their limbs. I asked them to be gentle to it, and I felt a little shield go up around it.

As I looked at the twig I realised it symbolised the small oak tree if it were stripped of all its leaves and branches. This stuck me quite forcefully. Then I stood back and put love and gratitude into the work, thanking the elementals for their co-operation in protecting this special little tree.

For making this ward I got a re-ward. I learned that I could create wards, had a method now for how to do it, and understood that they were useful to protect anything form the ravages of the elements providing I went through this exact process again – the finds must present themselves to me, and I must place the around the thing to be protected selflessly, without thought of reward.

The dowsing said that all was done, so I left the forest a happy druid. I was, however, left with another example of a difficult philosophical question: Should the spiritual practitioner learn from experiences, or continue to let themselves be guided along the path? Was I being guided to learn about wards, or shown that I could be helped to create one whenever I asked? I’ll leave that debate for the comments section.

Gwas.

Traditionally casting a circle has been seen as a method of creating a sacred protected space within which power can be contained. It serves the dual purpose of excluding energies from outside of the circle that the magician may not wish to allow to enter the space in which he or she is working. A magic circle is different in some ways from just putting up protection around oneself in that it has the additional benefit of being “geometrically efficient” – in other words, because it is a circle, any energy released within it is contained and not diminished. I would go further and say that the practitioner should be considering the use of a sphere, rather than a circle, and containing the energy in a three-dimensional (and perhaps more) space. This bubble provides a perfect containment for subtle or magickal energies, thus increasing the efficiency of the work within the ‘circle’ and reducing energy loss or dissipation. Magickal circles offer protection without energetic interruption, they create a “sacred space” within whose bounds you can ‘clear’ the space to be free of undue or unintended influence, and thereafter protect it from re-admittance to those other energies, effectively creating a sealed hermetic space within, sanitised for your work.

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. practitioners in particular should consider the use of such devices as magick circles because there are more unpredictable forces in the wilds of Nature than in the sanitised structures of modern man, and creating a safe space within which to work is more of a necessity than a nicety. Introductions over let’s go on to talk about how casting a circle is actually done.

Some preliminaries

I’m not one to go around telling people what to do, and it’s not often on this blog that I write a “how to” (other than our How To page, of course!). So this must rank up there on the scale of importance, right? What I’m presenting here is a method that I’ve found useful, and some recommendations for other druids concerning how to approach a site before casting a circle. You can go and do whatever you want to. Ignore or heed my words as you wish. Right – my preliminaries over, how should one approach a sacred site or other space within which one intends to create a circle in Nature?

I begin by asking for permission from the Spirit of the Place. Not all places have such a presiding spirit form, but many do. If you’re working at a sacred site it’s best to assume (unless you’re a dowser or psychic and can test this for yourself) that there is one about. If you start working with Nature’s energies and there wasn’t a spirit around before you started, there soon will be! I would recommend you entreat the Spirit of Place to ask if you might be allowed to create such a workspace is what is effectively its home, or at least a domain over which it feels protective. That’s just sensible. Oh, and by the way, if you get an answer – in your head, as a feeling, or as a sign – heed it. If you’re not welcome, then you go ahead at double the risk, wouldn’t you say?

Asking the Spirit of Place for permission before creating the sacred space for yourself is the only respectful thing to do at a place that you have never worked before. The space may not be yours to own. You may only be borrowing the space, and therefore it is only gracious and respectful to ask permission to create your own space within some other entity’s energy field. Very rarely will you be working outside of such a field, especially if you work at sacred places or ancient sites such as stone circles or barrows. It makes sense to at least build the element of respect into your ritual out of common courtesy, and with the desire to succeed (with as much assistance as you can obtain freely).

Implements and Tools

The only implement I use to cast a circle

Some people use tools or implements to demarcate their magick circles. I don’t – I use my imagination and intent. If you wish to make your circle more permanent by marking it, then I would recommend that you choose something that is soluble, such as salt. Choose something that you can easily clear up, or which will naturally get removed by the rain or wind. No hedge druid would sensibly make a mark that could be discovered later by someone, even an animal. The point is to arrive, do your work and the leave as though you were never there (apart from your energetic imprint upon the land). Finding a suitable substance is difficult, so it’s best not to bother with anything at all. You really don’t need any assistance with making a circle.

Occasionally, I have been known to draw a light trace of a circle with my staff’s blunt end. I only do this if I know that I can remove it afterwards, though, and recently I have begun not to make any mark at all. It’s quicker, safer and requires less clean-up.

A Method of Casting a Circle

1. My new method of casting a circle is to draw a ‘male’ (or ‘sun’) line clockwise (sunwise) around me, and then a ‘female’ (or ‘moon’) line anti-clockwise (widdershins) around me. For an idea of what I mean by a sun or moon line, a male or female line, then please refer to the glossary page, or to previous posts. Most of you by now will know what I’m talking about, hopefully.

A note about superstition and magick

If you haven’t read the description of these terms on Wikipedia, then I would encourage you to do so. Reading the definition of these directional terms made me laugh. To see how the “tradition” developed that turning in one particular direction was beneficial but turning in the other was counter-productive, even harmful, is ludicrous. To me, this kind of mentality – an out-of-balance mentality – seems to have arisen in response to occult practise, and we can see how the promotion of such superstitious ideas has in fact negated the effective engagement with magickal practise. If I believed that I was actually un-doing something by engaging with one particular energy form, whether that be male, female or neutral energy, then I would be severely limiting the magickal possibilities by that exclusion. In fact, in many cases, magickal acts would simply not be possible without the interaction of two or more energy forms. In this way, superstition can be seen as a means of destroying magickal potential.

2. Use a finger to trace the line. This brings focus to the edge of the space – a clear and intense definition to it which seems to help with the aspect of protecting the space, if only to clarify the exact dimensions to yourself. I don’t think it is by any means necessary to do this, but it is a helpful action if it does not draw too much unwanted attention to your work.

3. The width of the circle is determined by the space available, or even the space that you have been ‘allowed’, either by Nature of by the Spirit of Place, or simply because of the geography of the space that you are inhabiting. I have cast circles in cramped recesses in caves, in whole fields, in tiny holes only big enough to fit within, and in buildings whose walls have defined the boundaries. Really, you only need to be limited by the space you need to work. Why cast a huge circle if you don’t need one? Wasteful energy, I say.

4. Clear the space within. and then seal the edges to only allow in beneficial or invited influences. It is funny how we can ask for such a complicated entry procedure to be enforced for us and not have to state the many possible rules that we might attribute to such a conditional statement, yet it seems to work. The intention to protect the space and the simple act of asking for only beneficial energies to be allowed admittance is enough for whatever is guarding that space thereafter to be able to do its work on our behalf. Which brings me back again to having a good working relationship with the Spirit of Place. You see how important that becomes at this point? Co-operation, not coercion.

Why I only cast a circle outdoors

The reason that I only cast a circle outdoor is because the vast majority of my magickal work is done outdoors. Indoors, at home, I have protected my space already in many different ways that obviate the need to cast a circle. Outdoors I can employ the forces of Nature directly. Yes, I realise that the forces of Nature operate simultaneously everywhere, but calling the wind with the wind in your face provides me with a stronger bond and requires less imaginative effort, leaving me free to concentrate on the matter at hand. I understand that people use proxy objects to represent such forces -incense for fire, a feather as a symbol of the wind, and such like. I prefer the actual elements themselves because I am dealing directly with the spiritual forces inherent in those elements when I work.

If you can smell, see, touch the things you’re invoking that’s more immediate, and it involves the Spirit of the Place. If you take a token object or a representative object home with you then you’re one step away from the “spirit” of the thing you’re invoking, and literally out of contact with the spirit. For me it’s all about energy fields. If you want to extend your energy field from your home to wherever you want to work then that’s an extension, and therefore (I would argue) a dilution. If your energy field interacts directly with the energy field of a spirit of place then this is much more powerful because it’s a combination, not an extension.

We can connect to anything regardless of time and space, but we have to realise that we are reducing the inputs to the situation if we do that. Now, in some cases this might be desirable (when we have a single known task to perform) but if we are trying to gather information I think it is counter-productive, or limiting at best.

Termination or Dissolution

The final act of the magickal druid circle is its removal. Having created a field of energy, a force field if you will, and of your will, then comes the time to remove such an energetic imprint. Some aspects of your work will have become part of the fabric of the land through your work and by your work – and that is as it should be and you need not attempt to remove the very presence of yourself from it. Instead, the dissolution of a circle is merely the retraction, obliteration, or un-doing of its forces either by contracting the energy to a single point, or by pushing it out so far that it becomes absorbed by all that it passed over and through.

I dissolve a circle by asking Nature to reclaim the energies and neutralise the space. I ask the forces of Nature who may require the energy I have produced to absorb the energy and thus re-balance the energetic fields as they see fit. For those to whom it would be non-beneficial I ask that the energy pass on further until it has all been absorbed and diluted to nothingness.There is a Druid principle that I live by of leaving a space in the same condition as it was found (unless we have improved it, of course!). The concept of balance and non-interference. I always employ this when I can to keep the forces balanced and harmonised if the work was solely for me.

Finally I thank the Spirit of Place for allowing me to do this work in their presence, and I pay my respects in whatever way seems fit at the time. Sometimes this is nothing more than a courteous nod, but sometimes it can be the making of an artifact woven from natural materials that I leave as a crafted gift in a hidden place, usually on a power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre..

That, my friends, is how I have re-discovered the art of using the druid circle to work with Nature and her spirit forces out in the wonderful richness of the fields, mountains and forests in the land where I belong. Take what you need – discard that which has no value for you.

Gwas.

I used to agree with this position. I started out from that position and for years I withstood the urge to use props of any kind. Yet, in recent years I have relented slightly. Am I going soft? Probably. There’s a bit more to it than that though. I have learned that incense and crystals do help me to do meditation. Incense offers me protection and brings me to trance faster, and crystals can do almost anything I need – protection, focus, re-direction – they’re very useful tools.

Tools such as incense and crystals free my mind to concentrate on the matter at hand, and they mean that I don’t have to expend my energy on setting up protection or connection, and I can focus quickly on the task I need to do. Also, I feel that incense invites spirit forms to come closer. It’s like a smoke signal to them that something interesting is about to occur, and they seem to gather and be around when incense is lit outdoors.

So there are a couple of reason why I use these tools. True, you don’t NEED anything. True, again, you shouldn’t come to rely upon having these tools available. I agree. Yet, if they are available, and you like working with them, then why get snooty about it? So, in my travels I have worked out a handy guide to how many incense sticks you can use for what purpose. It’s my own list, but if it proves useful for you too, then that’s all good too, right?

1. One for a quick connection – preparing the ground
2. Two for meditation – one either side – you in the middle (between the worlds)
3. Three for protection – in a triangle around you
4. Four for marking the quarters – calling in the elemental forces
5. Five for a combination of three and two – a deep protected meditation
6. Six for a change – six sticks will usually need to be placed into a formation of some sort – a sigil – to connect to a source of change
7. Seven or more – for a total clearance of all blockages or existing energy patterns

As Bruce Lee said of learning martial arts – take what is useful for you and discard the rest. My dowsing shows me that this table of information is useful if you wish to adopt it as your own, but worthless otherwise, because you can create your own associations if you want to. Seems to be the way of many magical practises!

Gwas.

Some miles to the west of Marlborough I saw the signs for the village and turned into the lane slowly tracking along watching both sides for any signs of the barrow. None. Any stones? None. Any tourist information? None. Anything at all? Nothing. Damn – I have still been unable to locate the barrow, and so I have decided to print off a very low-scale OS map and keep it in the car with me at all times just in case I go that way again.

West Kennet on the horizon

In much higher spirits I headed to a place I did know how to find – the nearby West Kennet long barrow that I had visited several times in previous years. in fact, there isn’t a year goes by now when I don’t visit it at least once. Luckily, this being a week day, I had the place virtually to myself. I parked my car in the lay-by and walked down the well-made track with my ash staff and bag of goodies in hand.

As I walked towards the lone oak tree on the corner of the field I said hello. The tree seemed strangely lonely this visit – has a fence been removed, or a hedge perhaps? Something had changed – it all seemed much more open and exposed than usual. Everywhere seems bare! On the way up to the barrow I felt the urge to pick up a newly ploughed clod of earth. I began to break it apart in my free hand as I walked with my staff. I didn’t let it all crumble, but kept a handful and let it absorb the warmth of my palm, and let it receive the pulses of the beat of my heart and blood.

The front of West Kennet long barrow

As I strode up to the barrow the only other visitors in the area decided that they had probably finished kind of, er, milling about and recalling fragments of overheard history and they wandered off down the hill. I smiled at them and wished them a fond farewell, but they were in their own worlds and didn’t notice. I went on top of the mound by the path I had been shown on previous occasions, and up there I settled in. I sat on my power centreA place where a person of a particular alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. (see ‘AlignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.’) feels particularly comfortable and empowered. The place is an energetic centre where a particularly beneficial combination and formation of energies is formed into a pattern that is harmonic with the person for whom it can be called a power centre., lay down my staff, took some pictures, and generally chilled out for a second, letting the traffic nightmare unwind from my body and psyche. It doesn’t pay to enter into megalithic structures in a bad mood or wound up. Soon I was in a dowsing state of mind – a hazy dream state that suited the warm and windless day. I meditated briefly to check that I was ready to enter, and, still holding the warm fresh Wiltshire soil in my hand I walked down into the entrance hall of the barrow.

The view east from atop West Kennet

I went from chamber to chamber in the order I had learned from my last visit ending up in the largest and well-lit chamber where I deposited the earth as a gift and lit some incense. Not wanting to leave the incense I just wafted it into each chamber and then said my farewells as I backed out of the chamber graciously and with humility. I knew that the genius lociGenius Loci means 'spirit of the place' and refers to the geological/gaian spirit of place. It is transfixed to a place – being an embodiment of the collective intelligence of the place. of this place is very powerful and not at all keen on irreverent behaviour, and I was not going to antagonise it one bit today.

West Kennet's central passage

The leaving of the earth was done with a few words said about welcoming in the Spring, about wishing that this year would be bountiful and plentiful for all who cared about the planet, and that I would have a fruitful onward journey. Seems a bit wishy-washy and New-Agey when I type it, but at the time it felt like it came from the heart and there was an up-swell of emotion that accompanied the ritual that made me feel like I had done justice to the entry of the new season, even though I was a week or so away from the official date.

I was aware, too, that once again at this period of time I had done a spontaneous ritual involving the Earth element. I noted it, and moved on. By doing this ritual I felt I had welcomed in the Spring and the sun came out to shine joyously on the barrow where I rested a while before heading back down to the car to continue my quest to follow the energy leyA straight line of neutral energy linking two or more sacred sites or other energetic centres. This is often confused with Alfred Watkins’ concept of the Ley Line. Strictly speaking a ley line does not necessarily mean a neutral energy line, only a sight alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment. between notable places, whereas an energy ley is like a radial spoke in a wheel, with energy flowing outwards across the land in a straight line. It has sometimes been found that the energy ley can be diverted from its strict straight path by changes in the landscape or strong attractors that pull it away from its original course. Energy leys may have inter-twining streams of male and female energies weaving along them, as though the energy ley is an attractor, a pathway or a conduit for the male and female energies. southwards to Christchurch.

Gwas.

This opened an opportunity up for me that I hadn’t realised, though. It was widely reported in the Canadian media that there would be a lunar eclipse on the night of the 20th December, going into the 21st. This was an opportunity not the be missed, and despite the fact that I would be flying for 11 hours the next morning at 4:30am I decided I could sleep on the plane instead of miss this great celestial display.

Whilst my wife slept (sensibly) I stood alone outside the Delta Hotel at Calgary Airport at 11:30pm waiting for something to happen. As I stood there several things came to mind in that quiet (quiet? aircraft were taking off left, right and centre!) space as I waited…

1. It was the first total lunar eclipse on a Winter Solstice for over 450 years
2. It was the Winter Solstice when the eclipse would occur – a special day in my calendar and a day of special energies
3. The moon would be full when the eclipse occurred – a prefect time for a magickal encounter

I began to take pictures at ten minute intervals in order to capture the event in a sequence. Here are the pictures from that night:-

Sequence of solstice lunar eclipse

Click here for a time-lapse video of the event.

As the eclipse unfolded, one of the chefs from the hotel came out occasionally to join me. He introduced himself as Davide, a French ex-patriot who now lived in Canada and we chatted in the minus 20 degree night air. I explained the significance of the phenomenon to Davide, and he began to get increasingly excited as I explained the trinity of alignments: date, full moon, and eclipse.

When he couldn’t stand the coldness any longer (I was dressed for it – he was in his kitchen whites) I was once again alone to ponder the event as it reached its dark climax. I called upon my spirit guide to see whether anything could be revealed about what actions I should take in the next part of the year, fully expecting a message along the lines of “Take a rest now, consolidate the year’s work, and don’t do anything until Imbolc.” That wasn’t the message I got!

In my head I heard the phrase “Celebrate Death“. Perhaps this was in response to the “death” of Winter and the moon that night? On my return home this message would be hammered home in two significant ways.  Firstly there was a note form my father-in-law who had been minding our house during our absence: our dear old neighbour Dolly had passed away a few days before the solstice. I also noticed that the old beech tree that had been standing at the end of our neighbour’s drive and which gave us such resplendent view through the seasons had been cut down! Nothing now remained but a stump. I’ll tell you more about how that came about soon in another post, but needless to say, although we knew it might happen it was as shocking as any human death to me.

So I can see now how this Winter Solstice event was symbolic of Death – the death of The Moon and the death of the Year 2010. I was being asked not to mourn for the deaths that had occurred, but instead to celebrate them. This is what I did on my next visit to a sacred site, but I also found out that my quest was not what I thought it was, and that the celebration was to be a one-off, not part of the Wheel of the Year after all. More on that soon.

Gwas.

The Hedge Druid Podcast

This month’s subject is the elements of a ritual of 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.. I take you through the reasons why ritual may be useful, and go through the steps I take offering information about why those elements are included.

I hope you enjoy it, and if we get good feedback then we will look to do one every month for you.The podcasts can be found on the new Podcast page in the tabs at the top of the site. Or you can click here to listen straight away – you impatient clicker, you!

NEW – for your pleasure and delight we also ring you the Hedge Druid Diaries. A seires of quick snippets recorded while out and about on our travels. Available on the Podcast page now.

Over time I will be doing interviews with Kal, and vice versa, and possibly interviewing other interesting people that we encounter. We will be telling stories of our encounters, offering advice on the way we do things based on our experiences, and possibly playing some music that we like when we get into the swing of things. For now, the first podcast is simply me talking about the elements of how I set up and work 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..

I am aware that putting things in capitals on the web is considered to be SHOUTING, but I wanted to shout about the fact that I have created the first Hedge Druid podcast for you to listen to.

p.s. We’re also listed on iTunes for those who want to subscribe to the podcast. Just search for “hedge druid” and you can find us that way.

The HD podcast listed in iTunes

Gwas Myrddyn.

When I ask the powers that be (the ones that reveal knowledge previously lost or hidden from me through the medium of my dowsing rods) I can often begin down a road whose destination is so far over the horizon, and along so many potential paths, that I initially believe I can never reach the end in my lifetime. Then The Other places helpful signposts along the way, and coupled with my intuition and reason I begin to unveil some of the mystery and begin to walk the paths with more confidence. One such path presented to me was the mystery of The Lunar Eleven. In the following series  of posts I will be discussing my current theory that the numbers Five, Seven and Eleven share a mystical resonance, and that this resonance has particular usefulness for those of us who have identified ourselves as having a “lunar alignmentAlignment relates to the concept that humans have their own energy fields that are oriented or formed in a specific way such that the person is either suited better to one energy source of another. Some people have their energy fields empowered by the direct subtle energy force of The Sun, whilst others are empowered by the indirect subtle energy of The Moon. Due to the historical associations and symbolisation of The Sun with masculinity and The Moon with femininity we designate these alignments as either being ‘male’ or ‘female’ alignments accordingly. We interchangeable refer to people as being ‘sun-aligned’ or ‘male-aligned’ and similarly with the female alignment.”, i.e. those of us who feel related to or spiritually guided by the powers of The Moon.

However, to get to The Eleven I first had to go through two other numbers – The Five and The Seven. Whilst following my spiritual path I came across a directive that asked me to consider the meaning of The Five and The Seven. I took this to mean that the two numbers had some form of relationship and that one I found the nature of this relationship then I would know what to do : something would make itself known to me that involved five and seven. That was true, I did manage to find the relationship, but as with so many of these riddles one question led to another. No sooner had I discovered the meaning of The Five and The Seven than the next riddle was offered to me to solve – what was The Eleven to me?

The first thing you will notice is that I have turned those numbers into proper nouns. They were clearly identified to me as representing all possible forms of their real numerical values, yet the implication in the riddle was that the numbers would mean something in particular for me, and that I had to find out what that was. Here in this series of three posts I will try to explain what each of those numbers meant to me, and to hopefully inform you of some interesting tidbits of knowledge about those numbers along the way. Don’t worry – this is not a mathematical treatise! I began this journey into these numbers knowing only the most basic of mathematical knowledge, and I haven’t needed to move far from there to find my answers, and I don’t believe you will need to either.

In the first of the posts I will deal with The Five.

The Number Five

From the shape of leaves and petals, to the internal form of fruit, to the proportions of the human skeleton, Nature is defined by the form of five. There is a relationship between the form of five and the number twelve because twelve pentagons put together will form a dodecahedron – a twelve-sided shape which is supposed to be the inherent form of the earth’s geometry.

Human Pentagram

If a five-pointed star is drawn by lines then the form contains a pentagon at its core. If the points of that pentagon are joined then another five-pointed star shape is drawn. This regression can go on infinitely, and so five-sided shapes contain the concept of fractal geometry – the repetition of self-similarity within an infinitely regressing design. It is said that the Pentad – the five – underlies the form of the spiral via the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci series is created by zero and one (nothing and everything) adding to itself successively. For example, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc… The series is a self-accumulating sequence that grows from within itself and it takes nothing from outside the sequence in order to grow. Growth is the essence to the Pentad’s principle of regeneration – self-replicating growth – which begins from nothing and becomes all.

Interesting, but not where we’re heading right now. Let’s get back to how we use the number five. Mankind has developed systems involving the number five. Specifically I am thinking of the Chinese five elements, but five also relates to the druidic system of elements too: air, fire, water, earth and the fifth element of aether.

The Fifth Element

When we think of The Elements as discussed in traditions such as druidry we think of the four elements that we usually assign to the cardinal points, particularly as described in Wiccan ritual. My five is the druidic elements slightly altered: water, fire, air, earth and wood. The wood comes from my staff, which I take with me to sites and which stands with me in power centres – it has a central role. I have the co-operation of four other ethericSomething tangible to the heightened senses, but invisible and beyond the normal range of everyday human senses. We use the term to describe the subtle energies that surround the human body. We also use the term “etheric” to describe the energy forms of Nature’s sentient spirit energies that can be detected through dowsing, or through deep meditation or states of heightened awareness. spirits – one for air, water, earth and fire.

The fifth element that I associate with wood, wood being the physical representation of that element, is aether. Aether is essentially synonymous with spirit in the sense of “essence”. I differentiate essence from other  manifestations of spirit, such as death energy, energetic shroudAs coined by Kal after reading the definitions of C.W.Leadbeater – the early 20th Century mystic. Leadbeater considered that man, when he died, could become stuck in a “ShadeA shade is the energy body of a human being that has become transfixed at a geographical location. The shade retains many of the qualities of the human that it was attached to (memories, character traits, a level of sentience, movement between places known in life).” – an energetic shell that would retain many of the characteristics of the human in his physical life. It is frequently taken to be what is termed a ‘ghost’ but although it has a certain amount of sentience, it would seem to be limited in terms of its ability to move from the space within which it has anchored itself. It must be stated – it is NOT the person who has died – it is a remainder copy that contains the memories and characteristics of the original energetic fields of the human, but now has no physical organism to work with., apparition, earth light, UFO, poltergeist, or any host of other names for spirit. When I say spirit I mean the essence of an energy form that contains a sentience, and awareness, an intelligence. Jaq D Hawkins defines it as the medium through which sentience is permeated, a kind of spiritual dark matter. I mean it as a discretely identifiable sentience, often which can be identified by a name. Classically these may have been thought of as the pantheon of spirit energies from gods and goddesses reigning over a civilisation, down through to lowly nature spirits watching over the growth of a small cluster of plants.

As an interesting aside I had an encounter with the force of the aether spirit in such a small way the other day, but which made such a direct choice in my life. I was simply looking for the next book to read that would help me on my way down The Path. I closed my eyes in front of four long shelves of books and asked my spirit guide Theodora to guide me hand to the book that was most useful for me next. My fingers came into contact with a book and I lifted it out off the shelf without looking. I opened my eyes, “The Spirits of Aether” by Jaq D.Hawkins. The one in the series that I hadn’t fully finished reading. Clearly, now was the time!

Everybody say "MOOlti-pass"

“The Fifth Element” is also a futuristic sci-fi romp starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, and happens to be one of my favourite films. It’s the only film I’ve watched more than three times, and I never get tired of it. Ideally, I suppose, I should watch it FIVE times.

The Geometry of Five

Five petals like five fingers

The geometry of five became important to me in a series of revelations that formed a connected pattern over the space of a few months in 2009. Firstly I was shown Venus in the night sky, and traced a sigil that I then associated with that planet. [see post]. Then I visited Moel-Ty-Uchaf and discovered that the circle was aligned to Venus, and that it drew its power from that planet’s influence. [see post]. Finally, I read about the orbit of Venus and how it forms a five-pointed star as it moves around in the night sky relative to the Earth. Finally, I dowsed that Moel-Ty-Uchaf stone circle is based upon the sacred geometry of the number five and the pentagon. Together, this information showed me the importance of Venus and the sacred geometry of the number five.

Five is the “number of life”, so-called because it is the form through which Nature expresses the life force. Much growth in Nature is performed through the five shape – the pentagon, the pentagram, and it is the number associated with making the life force transform into magical force – through the pentacle.

When it comes to my own work with Nature, five is number of external power shaping my consciousness, and assisting me in my weaving of the elemental forces into natural magickal form. The five powers that I employ – air, earth, water, fire and aether or spirit are the natural powers of Nature that I align myself with, and ally myself to, and the ones with which I have the most empathy, sympathy and resonance.

The Fifth Chakra

The fifth chakra is the Throat Chakra (not the Solar Plexus, as previously published in error). During my work with chakras I had to do a lot of work using my fifth chakra. Traditionally, this chakra is associated with communication:

“The Throat chakra would seem to rule the faculty of speech, being midway between the heart and the tongue.  It is also associated with clairaudience (hearing spiritual voices), and with hearing sounds, words, and music, and with taste, smell.  Another function associated with this chakra is taking in and assimilating of physical and emotional nourishment.  On the gross level this manifests as sensuous desire and enjoyment for food.  This chakra could be associated with the astrological sign of Taurus, which in current astrology is said to ruled by the planet Venus.

In Tibetan Buddhism, this chakra is associated with the dream state of consciousness.  Both Tibetans and Taoists use this chakra to access the dream state and develop the faculty of lucid dreaming.” (source: Kheper.net)

C.W.Leadbeater talks about the five channels of the chakra energy entering the human body. These five energies then get channeled to the seven chakra points in the body (possibly more in some systems). For me, there seemed to be a transition from learning about five into learning about the relationship between five and seven.

That seems like a natural segway into investigating the number seven in the next post.

Gwas.

Ways that I have been shown to do this are:-

1. Perform some healing
2. Energise some water
3. Create a stronger nemeton using a magick circle
4. Heal earth energy sites

This is similar to the request at the start of the year in which I had to go around waking up the earth energies at various sacred sites. This time, however, the edict is more personal. I need to learn how to make the energies that I can now draw from nature – from the earth, from space and from the sun and moon, and to practise how to manifest those energies in a form that is useful for me and for others.

The Lammas Gift

That seems to make this part of the year fairly, “open”, in terms of what I need to do, and yet finding the time to practise these skills will be the challenge. I will also now spend a bit of time refining what levels of skill I need to acquire exactly. I know that I can do each of the tasks that I may be asked to do, but to what level of skill do they need to be performed in order to satisfy the requirements for this part of the year? How will I know that I have done enough and done enough well that I will have fulfilled the task?

This is one of the problems of working alone as a Hedge Druid and without a formal system. Only the dowsing rods give me a guide to confirm or deny these things. I feel I should be working towards learning how to detect these things intuitively. Perhaps I will begin to work more with that side of myself too, in order to feel whether I have done enough to progress.

In preparation for these tasks I bought some fire agate crystals. I have no idea why, except that they seemed relevant. Reading about the crystals after buying them I find that they are for protection. well, that has been a recurring theme recently so I am very happy to have this kind of assistance!

Kal now seems to find himself in the same predicament, having been “given” some tasks to perform before the end of the year. Welcome to my world!!

Gwas.

p.s. You can chart my progress throughout the Wheel of the Year by selecting that new category from the drop-down list in the right-hand sidebar if you want to filter the posts for only those pertaining to the sacred times of the year and what I have been doing for each part.