The Hedge Druid

Posts Tagged ‘ritual’

As the nights draw in here for the Northern Hemisphere countries our lives begin to change in subtle ways. We lose the lightning power of The Sun in the mornings and evenings. As this power is depleted the changes may even be mirrored in our body chemistry, and consequently in our thought processes. For many people “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD) is a fact of life – they get more depressed in the Winter months. Luckily, I don’t suffer from this, however that doesn’t mean that I am not prone to dark influences. Here is my very personal story about how my psychic shield got breached, and I became a victim of my own dark shadow. If ever there was a horror story to accompany a Winter evening, this is one that will chill your bones!

I can’t tell you how difficult this is to write. I am a strong independent person with what I often believe is a will of iron. Once my mind is set I generally achieve what I set out to do. In addition, I am very healthy. Physically I am in peak condition, my immune system is very strong, and I pride myself in keeping myself in good condition mentally, physically and spiritually. That is, after all, my whole reason for being – to keep my soul’s cage in the best of working conditions. So, it is with some level of embarrassment that I found myself getting ill in a number of ways recently, most particularly not being in total control of myself. I was being influenced by a shadow self.

Jung and The Shadow

In Jungian terms I was encountering what the great psychologist termed The Shadow. This concept is so prevalent in film, television, fairytale and mythology that it hardly needs an explanation. We know it as the often sublimated and suppressed urges arising from our usually latent desires and instincts. Almost every horror film is a depiction of the struggle with The Shadow. When it is let loose it has the capability to put the ‘light’ self in a tricky situation, because it does not obey the rules and the established norms of society. In my quest to be a “good person” I may have pushed these instincts too far under the surface, and now they had chosen to re-emerge at a time when I was physically and energetically weak.

I have an inkling now about what triggered it to become dominant, but only because I have managed to dowse it after the fact. The Shadow creeps up on you from behind. What I did know at the time was that I was acting out of character with how I perceived myself, and out of step with my spiritual goals. I first noticed The Shadow emerge in the dream world, where my dreams began to include unusually violent or sexual situations. I put it down to any one of a hundred reasons, and carried on. It would go away.

Next it began to make itself mentally present during the day. My thoughts began to turn to matters that I didn’t usually allow. Forbidden subjects. Deviant topics. If you’ve had these thoughts yourself you know what I’m talking about. I began to wonder what was going on now. How could I be having these thoughts? I hadn’t had thoughts like this since my early teens, the years when my mind was struggling to define itself in its emergence into the world of adulthood, when laws and ethics were being created and challenged with equal rapidity, when I was defining the boundaries of my self.

The final straw came after a few days of The Shadow manifesting itself within me physically. I was now doing things, making things happen in the physical world that my poor helpless moral self was appalled at! Finally, it rebelled with sufficient force as to cause me to stand up and summon the forces of my will power to re-assert control, if only for long enough to decide to do something about it. This had to stop, or my world was going to come crashing down around me and I would be left in the middle of it, alone, wondering what the hell had happened! Hell indeed. Time for action!

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Every so often I come around The Spiral of Life and find that I am re-joining a path that I have taken before, except that this time the path is at a higher level and offers more challenges and rewards than the previous time. That’s a rather grandiose way of saying that I have recently re-discovered an interest in casting a circle when doing 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. out in the big wide world. What use are invisible circles, you may ask? I certainly did. I’m not one to pick up on magickal practises and mimic them for the hell of it. They better have a demonstrable purpose and prove themselves in the field before I’ll consider incorporating them into my work.

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.

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Earlier in the month I was asked to go on a training course with work. The course was down near London, so this meant that I would have to travel for several hours to get there, yet I didn’t have to arrive until 1:30pm. By my quick reckoning if I started my journey early enough I would be able to go visit a megalithic site on the way to the course – bonus! Which one, though? Given my route there was only one that I wanted to consider – the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire.

As I neared the site a thought struck me – I didn’t have a purpose to go with! I racked my brains – then I remembered my liaison with a water spirit in Cumbria and how I had made a connection with this element quite strongly. I felt like I had not made the same connection with the other three elements yet. Perhaps this site was the place to do that? It was a sunny day (fire), the stones were buried in the earth, and there was a slight breeze (air)….I would have to see whether it would work when I arrived.

View of the Rollright Circle

I was practically alone in the circle except for the occasional visiting party of one, two or three people, but as is usually the case they only stayed for the merest time. I barely had long enough to register most of the people who visited, so brief was their stay! I would love to survey people about why they visit these places and then do nothing when they get there!

Ritual for three elements

When I started druidry I wasn’t “into” ritual. I didn’t see that it was necessary, but I was being too narrow-minded. What isn’t necessary is a prescriptive ritual. You know the type of thing – in “The Heathen’s Book if Rituals”, page 24, it says that if you want to summon a fire elemental you will need a red candle, to face south, hold a crystal of Tiger’s Eye in your left hand, then say the words, “O Element of Fire, come to me in my hour of need….” blah blah. Whose ritual is that? Is it YOURS? Certainly not. It’s somebody else’s. So I follow a path whereby the ritual is completely impromptu. If I have certain things with me at the time then I might use them, such as candles, incense or crystals. Even my staff can be involved. But none of these things are necessary, and so I could just as easily face in a particular direction and simply imagine a connection with some elemental force and that will work just as well. In our world it can take a strong mind to ignore the “teachings” of other spellworkers and vote for your own method because we are so often seeking to know the “right ” thing to do. The right thing to do is do what feels right!

Now to discuss the ritual part of the visit.

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I have a few more posts about my adventures on the trail of the southern 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. from Arbor Low to Christchurch. In this tale I begin by getting diverted from my intended destination of the village of Rockley due to the crap signs and bizarre diversions caused by the inevitable roadworks in the town of Marborough. Add to that the consequential terrible traffic and the feeling of wasting a perfectly good sunny day, and you can see why I decided to divert myself to go in search of the barrow at East Kennet. I would just have to forego Rockley for this trip – it was impossible to get to!

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.

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The time of year has come around again when the seasons are changing from Summer to Autumn. I have to admit, like a father with his children I try not to have favourites when it comes to the times of the year because I strive for a balanced approach, but I do like the winds, the colours, the power and the beauty of the Autumn season. I think I have had some of my most profound experiences and fondest memories in the Autumn months.

In this post I want to report some of the ways in which other druids mark this time of the year, the associations they make, the rituals they do, but most importantly I want to report on how I have found that I can mark this passing from one season to the next. It was something that I learned very recently, the smallest merest thing, but it was so profound that I think it will probably become my way of noting this change every year from now on. Before I come to that, though, here are some ideas on what Autumn Equinox means.

Autumn in Cheshire

What is Autumn Equinox?

These lovely people from all sorts of different areas of the druid craft have got their own ideas about what makes Autumn special. Here are some of the ideas I collected from a quick search on the subject:

“The turning point in this Lughnasadh season of the harvest, the autumn equinox is again a time when the day and night are of equal length. Occurring at some point between 20 – 23 September, it is known commonly by the Welsh/Brythonic Alban Elfed, pronounced elved, meaning ‘light of autumn’. Celebrating the end of the grain harvest, it is the festival of Harvest Home.” (Excerpt from Ritual by Emma Restall Orr)

“There is a distinct relationship between the Autumn Equinox and Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael. This Archangel is the sword or spear wielding dragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. slayer and his day is held on the 29th of September each year, this is one week after the Sidereal Equinox actually occurs. The new religion of the Catholic Church absorbed the existing traditions and their symbols. Archangel Michael replaced the Pagan God of Wotan in upper Europe, the temples of Wotan were on hilltops and there are churches on many of these hilltops today. There is a major earth energy lineThe direction energy takes when moving. It may be straight or curved, in several dimensions and be composed of one or more different types of energies, i.e. negative, positive or neutral. Energy lines can be found at standing stones and ancient sites but are a general feature in all energy fields. across northern France, southern England and the southwest of Ireland that is known today as the Michael and Mary Line and in Ireland off the coast of Kerry is the island hilltop temple called Skellig Michael or the Rock of Michael. The dragonDragons are spirit or energetic beings that reside in sacred sites and have a particular location in them and also move throughout the day (and or season). They also leave the sacred site on occasion, which again differentiates them from Genius Loci which don’t. being pinned by the spear / sword is the Earth Energy currents. “ (source: Celtic Druid’s School)

“To honour the dead, it was also traditional at Mabon to place apples on burial cairns, as symbolism of rebirth and thanks. This also symbolizes the wish for the living to one day be reunited with their loved ones. Mabon is also known as the Feast of Avalon, deriving from the meaning of Avalon being, ‘the land of the apples’. (source: New Age)

(all my epmhasis)

Welcome in the Autumn

A single brown oak leaf

I have some suggestions as to what hedge druids might do in relation to the Autumn Equinox. The idea was given to me, quite literally dropped in my lap, so to speak, when I was meditating in Alderley Edge forest recently. I had in mind the question about what I should do to mark the changeover of seasons at Autumn. As I sat there a brown oak leaf fell onto the back of my hand and balanced there. No other leaf fell during the whole of my visit, but this one did. It was a sign. I interpreted the sign like this: to celebrate autumn, enact autumnal processes. I took the leaf with me and later stood on a cliff and dropped the leaf off it, expecting it to float serenely down to the floor. Actually, it floated some ten feet or more then landed on another oak leaf, just as it had done on my own hand an hour earlier. Again, I felt this was significant.

So, you want to celebrate autumn? Do something autumnal- drop leaves like a tree would, make cider from fallen apples, pick brambles and other fruits that only come to fruition at this time of year – I’m sure there are many things in your area that can only be done at this time of year. Find one. Do something with it in the name of welcoming in the new season. From my example you can see how simple that can be – I dropped a leaf. That’s it! Whilst doing it, though, I welcomed in the new season.

Looking back in anger

I am certainly better prepared for Autumn Equinox this year than I was last year. Last year I was angry to have been called away by work to have to be away from home and down in the south of England. However, it turned out alright. I drove for a couple of hours to reach Silbury Hill and, again angry at having to sneak around the hill because it is officially sealed off from the public, I did a little meditation on the top and was blown away by its powerful effects. No wonder it’s sealed off! Looking back at my summary of the year on the blog I noticed that I had reported being at Uffington for the 19th/20th August. True, but clearly that wasn’t the Autumn Equinox! How odd. Little mistakes. I do aim to rectify anything I find that’s reported incorrectly, and it’s why I like to write things up as quickly as possible to avoid such problems.

The lovely mix of brown and green shades relfect on water

Looking forward in hope

For me, this year, the Autumn Equinox also means a change of “task”. You may remember that every eighth part of the year so far I have been assigned some directive or tasks to perform which will guide me further along my spiritual path. Some have been onerous, some physically challenging, some embarrassing, some were things I never anticipated ever doing. All have been hugely beneficial to me, and I thank whoever is directing this course of study, because I have come on faster this year than all previous years combined having this structure to work within.

In the next few weeks I will be able to reveal my next task or direction, and I am looking forward to that. Bring on the Autumn!

Gwas.

Yes, folks, we are delving into the murky waters of podcasting. It wasn’t enough to be spellcasting, or runecasting, we had to podcast too.

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.

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After spending a significant amount of time last year trying to determine the most energetic points of the year we think we have worked out what those are now. It was interesting to try to link those to the 8-fold year of the pagan calendar, for there was undoubtedly some remnant of knowledge retained in one or two of the festivals, but the majority of the dates of the 8-fold year are simply calendrical, and bear little relation to the quality of the planet’s subtle energies. The exceptions were Imbolc, Summer Solstice, Samhain and Winter Solstice. Most of the cross-quarter days were simply a marker point in the calendar, useful to human society but no indication of energetic quality.

How does this relate to the ancient sacred sites we have visited? Almost without exception the sites contained a positional system of measurement that indicated which energies they were engineered to take advantage of, utilise or enhance. Only recently have we begun to piece together the combination of factors that contributes to the bigger subtle energyA form of energy that has so far eluded scientific definition. It is neither electric, magenetic, nor electro-magnetic, so far as our current technical equipment can measure. It does, however, exhibit many of the characteristics of magnetism and electricity in terms of its effects and properties. It may be a form of either or both of those energies that we have not yet identified. picture, involving factors such as:-  

• the site’s 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. with The Moon
• the site’s 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. with The Sun
• the site’s 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. with specific planets
• the type of rock used in the construction
• the size of the stones, the site and the number of stones used
• the underlying geology and water systems of the site
• the living energy of nearby trees
• the time of day
• the time of year

As you can see there’s a lot to take account of, and producing a scientific analysis of a site’s subtle energyA form of energy that has so far eluded scientific definition. It is neither electric, magenetic, nor electro-magnetic, so far as our current technical equipment can measure. It does, however, exhibit many of the characteristics of magnetism and electricity in terms of its effects and properties. It may be a form of either or both of those energies that we have not yet identified. systems is an absurd venture – it’s much more about intuitive feel backed up by some dowsing to confirm suspicions or to disprove suggestions, all performed against a background of the unfolding inevitability of the year and the astral bodies that surround us.

Imbolc ushered in by Bride

So, this is how we are approaching the first major venture of this year: Imbolc – February 1st. It falls on a Monday this year, and happens to coincide with a full moon. How fortunate! The dowsing should be strong for the female energies, and we should begin to see the return of the male energies if the sun is out around midday. The day is dedicated to Bridget/Brige/Bride – the threefold goddess of magic, craft and fertility – a winning combination in my book! Therefore we intend to take account of this in the ritualistic elements of our energy work that day.

LAST YEAR:

We visited St Bridget’s Church in Dyserth village. This was the start of a small pilgrimage (although we weren’t calling it that back then) that took us all around the area, from the village, the waterfall, to Gop Hill, Dyserth castle, and then up to the Golden Grove (which we failed to find). Later in the year I revisited that site and found both St.Elmo’s Summer House and The Golden Grove and was overwhelmed by cows and totem animal signs.

View from Gop Hill at Imbolc

Link to posts: Imbolc – The Return of the Male Energies, Dyserth 1, Dyserth 2, Golden Grove & St.Elmo’s Summer House

THIS YEAR:

We will be heading out to Anglesey, to follow the Bridget trail of sites in the south-western quarter of the island. I will tell you more about how this came to be our itinerary, and what actually happened in a few weeks time.

ENERGIES:

This year Kal and I have planned out the times when we will be able to make the best use of the anticipated male and female energy high points of the year. When are they? Well, if you haven’t been following all our conclusions so far let us give you two golden rules that should allow you to work them out for yourself:

The male energies (radiant and earth) are at their strongest when The Sun is at its strongest – growing in strength over the year until reaching a peak at the Summer Solstice.

Then the radiant energy begins to fade. The strength of any specific day is dependent upon the amount of sun visible on that day, and is strongest around midday. Therefore, the ultimate peak would be midday of the Summer Solstice on a sunny day.

The female energies (reflected and earth) are at their strongest when The Moon is at its fullest and closest. Therefore, in the next year, this will actually be at the end of the year on the Winter Solstice.

If you want to find out which other days are important to those who revel in the female energy flow then I recommend you purchase the Findhorn book “In Tune With The Moon 2010“, which is a calendar that indicates not only the days of a full moon but also indicate whether the moon is at apogee or perigee, or somewhere in between (i.e. how near it is to Earth, and therefore how big it appears). You also have to take account of the fact that clouds may obscure the view, although this only diminishes the effect, it doesn’t nullify it.

Imbolc in a nutshell

RITUALS:

This year we have determined to go out on these special days with an intention. At Imbolc we will definitely make this the first of such ventures, and although I do not want to plan it too much, I think it is safe to say that there will be some incense burned, some candles lit, possibly some milk left as an offering if we are requested to do so along the way, and perhaps we will have a thought or two about the three aspects of the triple goddess as we work with the energies of the sites we visit on that day. Nothing is ever certain, but this year it is more deliberate than last year, as we have been encouraged to be so. One thing is for sure – we will both have a definite outcome that we will be working to achieve with the magical energies available to us on February 1st.

Gwas Myrddyn – Servant of Merlin.

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Link: Useful Pagan Calendar dates for 2010