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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE PAGAN ASSOCIATION OF RED DEER AND THE GROVE OF DANU PAGAN CHURCH OF ALBERTA��

Volume 5, Issue 2� Imbolc 2003

A Message from the Editor Greetings We have some very exciting submissions in this issue. We are starting a series of excellent articles written by students of the grove. Our first entry is an illuminating article on Druids written by Cat Annis. Thanks to Fhiona, we now have a printable Calendar of events. These are located at the end of the newsletter. They will also be posted to the website in PDF format and are suitable for displaying in a prominent position. Rhianna enthralls us with the second installment of her “Journeys in the Motherland”. Be sure to take the “Are you a Druid” quiz. You will not want to miss a thing in this titillating issue. PAR-ty 2003 planning is well under way. Some exciting developments are announced in this issue along with registration forms. Sign up early! Most workshops have limited enrollment and you will not want to miss these. Imbolc is a time of new awakenings and new beginnings and this is ever so much the case in my life. With the thesis work behind me, our son now grown and the responsibility of the Canadian Forces, I feel as though another chapter of my life has come to a close. We are certainly experiencing a time of new beginnings. Our house was on the market for three days; we had three showings and received an offer on the third day. We have just accepted the offer on our house and are preparing for our move to Alberta. We should arrive shortly after Beltaine. One by one the barriers are removed and the path laid clear. Throughout life’s journey, we accumulate a plethora of baggage, both material and emotional. As we turn the page and begin a new chapter we rid ourselves of the excess baggage and concentrate on what is really important; family and friends. We are truly looking forward to our new beginning and the next adventure in Alberta. Bright Blessings, Crimson Ivy /|\ Editor-in-Chief

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ANNOUNCEMENT PAR and the Grove of Danu will be moving to a new website! For the present time, the old websites and email address will continue to be used, until the new combined user friendly website is up and running. Please bear with us as we make this transition, and watch the newsletter for our new address and contact information. Thank you.

Grove Rings are in! Please ensure you have paid for your ring in full by Jan 21. We would like to have the rings blessed at Imbolc. Please contact Fhiona regarding your order!

All Workshops For all workshops that you wish to attend: Type the appropriate phrase in the email subject heading, to ensure quicker processing. Email pre-registrations to: pagans@angelfire.com AND Mail a copy of the pre-registration with your cheque or money order to: PAR: Pagan Association of Red Deer 202- 4819C 48th Ave Red Deer AB T4N 3T2 Confirmation and workshop details (such as location) will be emailed to you when your cheque/money order has been received. Or in the case of “pay at the door” scenarios, details will be emailed when your pre-registration is received.

Sacred Dance Workshop: Red Deer Mar 29 and 30 1-4 pm . See notice in this newsletter for more information regarding Sacred Dance. Cost $30 (member) $35 (non-member) Unlimited registration Please pre-register by Feb 21. If you are from out of town, and would like to attend this workshop, we can assist with billeting.

Sacred Dance Seminar Registration Form Name: ____________________________________ Telephone: ____________________________________ Email: ____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ Number in party x $30 Total enclosed $__________ Billeting required for _______ people

PAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Cat Annis Vice Pres: Eriu Rowanoak Membership Director: Laloba Secretary: Willow Treasurer: Cleo Comptroller: Rhianna Grove Liason Officer: Fhiona MacGhilleRhuadh Librarian: Imbraven Newsletter Editor in Chief: Crimson Ivy

Pagan Association of Red Deer

Grove of Danu Pagan Church of Alberta

PO Box 202, 4819 48th Ave., Red Deer AB, T4N 3T2

Email: Pagans@angelfire.com

Website:

http://www.pagansofredder.cjb.net

The newsletter is published eight times per year, two weeks prior to each Sabbat and Cross Quarter Festival, and is

available to all members.

Please send all submissions to your Regional Coordinator/Correspondent. Submissions sent after the

deadline will not be published. Submissions must be received by the third Monday prior to the next festival. Attachments may be sent in .txt or .doc format. Limited editing is performed on submissions so please send copy ready submissions.

The next deadline for submissions is: March 3, 2002

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Working with Willow: Create a Willow Triskele or Pentagram-Ponoka

If you attended the handfasting at Mabon last year, some of you might have noticed the lovely willow triskeles and pentagrams that were used to decorate the hall. This workshop allows you to create your own triskele or pentagram (your choice of either). The size of the completed project will vary, but is roughly 2-3 ft x 2-3 ft. I have both hanging in my living room, and they look great! Bring along some potluck refreshments. All tools needed for construction are supplied by the instructor, who makes willow furniture for a living. If you wish to decorate your creation, bring ribbon, and whatever else you plan to put on the pentagram or triskele, a glue gun and glue. Date: Sat Mar 8, 1-5 pm Cost: $30 Max.# of participants- 6 Pre-register by Feb 15. “Attention Willow” in subject heading. Fees due: March 1st

Willow Workshop Registration Form Name: ____________________________________ Telephone: ____________________________________ Email: ____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ Number in party x $30 Total enclosed $__________

Blade -smithing Workshop-PAR-ty 2003 Red Deer Create your own athame from scratch, with Master Blade-smith, Sam Bull, whose work in traditional First Nations tools, arms, armor, and crafts, has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute. This is an intensive long weekend workshop (Aug 29- Sept 1 at PAR-ty 2003). Learn how to grind and set your blade. * Note: due to time constraints if you take this workshop, it will be the only workshop you will have time for all weekend, but you will have a blade, infused with your energies, created by you from start to finish! Maximum # of registrants: 8 Cost: $150.00 per person (members)

$200.00 (non-members.) Deposit $75 (members) or $100 (non-members) All materials supplied. Pre-registration: non-refundable deposit due by May 1st. Balance due by July 31st. Attention: “bladesmithing” in the subject heading. Monies will be returned to those who are not in the first 8 received. As space is extremely limited, the first 8 deposit cheques received will be the workshop participants.

Blade smithing Seminar Registration Form Name: ____________________________________ Telephone: ____________________________________ Email: ____________________________________ Address: ____________________________________ Non refundable Deposit:

Number in party x $75 (members) or $100 (non-members) Total amt of non-refundable deposit $_______

Total enclosed $__________

Tools needed for Bladesmithing workshop:

We need to scrounge up the following for the bladesmithing workshop at PAR-ty. Please contact Fhiona at pagans@angelfire.com if you have these items and would be happy to let us borrow them for the weekend. (Otherwise we may have to buy some, and rent others, which can get costly)

4 – ½ horse power grinders 2 – 8 inch bench grinders 8 C-clamps 4 – 9” aluminum grinding wheels 4 heavy duty vice grips 4 – 8 hack saws with sharp blades (for antler and hardwood) 8 pieces of hockey stick or 1”x 2” about 2 feet long each

A good fully stocked first aid kit.

Please let me know ASAP or at the very latest, by Bealtainne. Thanks!

Upcoming events

Pagan Songfest-Calgary Tired of not knowing the words to the songs we use at our Celebrations? Come on out and spend an afternoon listening and learning them! Participants will receive a booklet of lyric sheets and a free CD. Fee covers photocopying costs, and hall rental. Potluck snacks, Feb 23 1-4pm Location: TBA Cost: $15 Max # participants- 8-10 Please pre-register by Feb 15 by emailing pagans@angelfire.com Pay at the door.

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Imbolc Celebrations

Brooks: Jan 28 Please contact Storm at pagans@angelfire.com for more information

Red Deer: Jan 31 7pm at the Downtown House 5414-43 St off Taylor Dr S.

Calgary: Feb 1 7:30 pm at the Center for Positive Living 103 17th Ave SE

Children are welcome to attend the Red Deer and Calgary Rites.

We remind parents that they are responsible for their children while in Circle. At no time shall a child

be permitted to disrupt the Rites. Our general rule of thumb is that children must have an adult, preferably a parent or guardian, on

either side of them, at all times. At no time are children permitted free run of the facility. Parents are responsible to supervise their

children, and are also financially responsible for any damages their children may inadvertently cause to rented facilities. If your

children are problematic, or continually disruptive, you may be asked to leave them at home. Our Rites are a religious observance,

and we ask that parents of children respect the rights of others. It should be noted here, that there are two celebrations in the year in

which we do not permit children under any circumstances: Bealtainne and Samhain.

For Imbolc, each person please bring the following:

- a small strip of cloth, about 2 inches wide and about 8 inches long ,

- a white taper candle,

- a very small bottle or jar to hold some water from the Sacred Well for your household for blessing children, pets and the home

- an offering of silver for the Sacred Well (an American dime works well for this. Canadian money has more nickel and less silver content.)

- a cash donation for the hall

- Something for the feast appropriate to the season.

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I invoke Brighid Who rules over this season in my heart If not this season in my life. High Summer where I am, There, the first stirrings of Spring Where I yearn to be My spiritual home.

At these quickenings of new life Help me lay the foundations for mine. My Grove, my Kin My family of choice. Send me safely in the folds of the Lady’s mantle That I may do Her work and walk in Her light. With my sisters Fhiona and Arianrhod, Let me be the priestess I was born to be. by Wren

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La Fheile Bride: The Feast of Brighid

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Radiant flame of gold, foster mother of the God re-born

Bride, daughter of Dugall the Brown Son of Aodh, Son of Art, Son of Conn

Son of Crear, Son of Cis, Son of Carmac, son of Carruin.

Each day and night Each night and day

That I sing the genealogy of Bride Shall I not be killed nor harried

Nor shall I be put in a cell, nor wounded Neither shall the Mighty Ones leave me in forgetfulness.

No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me

No lake, no water, no sea shall drown me No arrow of faery, nor dart of fey shall wound me.

And I shall be under the protection of the Holy Three

And my beloved foster mother, Holy Bride.

Source: Carmina Gadelica [70] Alexander Carmichael http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/corpus/Carmina/

(At the end of this article, you will find the original version in Gaelic with English translation. I have made some slight changes to the text, in an attempt at pagan “back engineering”. Such changes are minimal, and are in no way intended to offend the reader, the Gods or the Ancestors, nor alter the fundamental meaning of the original text. F/|\) Within this article, we will be discussing La Fheile Bride, or Brighid’s Feast (Imbolg/Imbolc) from the Veracity Tradition perspective. It is hoped that our eclectic, neo-pagan and Wiccan friends find this article educational and informative. However, before we can enter into such a discussion, it is necessary to provide some background information, for one cannot fully understand the Goddess Brighid, without understanding her connection to the Cailleach Beare, or the Old Woman of Winter. In the Highlands and the Islands, there is a Goddess called the Cailleach Beare (Kallie-beara, or Kallie verra). She is ancient beyond memory, and it is likely that She pre-dates the coming of the Gaels to Ireland and Scotland, and may have been assimilated into their culture from an earlier Meso or

Neolithic people. She is the Primal Mother of all that is, and is said to be the mother of all the Gods and Goddesses. She made the mountains, the lakes, and the rivers. It is she who creates the weather. She has called herself the “Beginning and the End”. Some of Her sons are giants, who hurl boulders at each other; other sons are the “Merry Dancers”, or the Northern Lights as we would call them. Her daughters are the Green Ladies, who dance with the Merry Dancers, and she also is attended by eight other hags, who help her prevent spring from coming, and toss boulders out of their baskets to help her build the mountains and islands. This supports the idea of Her as a Deity that is noinential (nine faces) rather than a triplicity. She is born old at Samhain, and is said to mate with the Daghda (does this sound familiar?). She grows young as the year ages. She shakes her apron in winter and it snows. She washes her shawl in the whirlpool called the “Corryvrecken”off the coast of Jura, heralding the winter storms. As spring approaches, some legends say that she does battle with Brighid, and in exasperation tosses her stave, under a holly, blighting the grass beneath the tree. This is why grass does not grow under hollies. In another legend, she kidnaps Brighid, and blights the land with winter until the fair Bride is rescued by the God of Love, none other than Oenghus mac ind Oc/Angus mac Og. Yet in another legend, and one that seems more ancient than the others, and certainly more in keeping with tradition, She travels to the Isle of Mull, and goes to Loch Ba (Lake of Youth) to bathe in its water at sunrise before any bird sings or dog barks, and so she renews herself and emerges from the Loch young and beautiful. She is Sovereignity, Creatrix, Challenger, Storm Bringer, Weather Maker. She is quite a complex deity, this Great Mother. And so, as aforementioned, she emerges from Loch Ba, having shed her old self, and become a beautiful maiden. Now, before we go further, I need to stress caution in using the word “maiden” in describing the Cailleach in her guise of Brighid. For neither of these entities should ever be conceived as a demure, naïve, pure young girl, innocently tripping across the meadows, tossing flowers here and there from a basket, singing a lovely song, and creating spring!

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Both are far too powerful to be painted in that image, and to do so would run you the risk of bringing your self to their attention- a situation to be avoided at all costs! Thus it is that we try to avoid referring to Brighid as a maiden. Brighid herself is known by many names, and it is more likely that Brighid is an epithet rather than a proper name. Like many indigenous peoples, the Gaels did not call their Gods by their proper names outright, but rather called them in descriptive terms. For example, Daghda means “The Good God”, good in the sense that he provides well, and possesses those qualities that are deemed “good” by the tribes, hospitality, the ability to heal, tending to the land so that it will sustain the people, being an excellent harper and warrior. Brighid is called : Brighid nam Bratta Mother of Songs and Music Breo-Saighit, Bright Flame of Ireland, The Fiery Arrow Brighid-Muirghin-na-tuinne, Brighid Conception of the Waves; Brighid-Sluagh (or Sloigh), Brighid of the Immortal host; Brighid-nan-sitheachseang, Brighid of the Slim Fairy Folk; Brighid-Binne-Bheule-lhuchd-nan-trusganan-uaine, Song-sweet, melodious mouthed Brighid of the Tribe of the Green Mantles. Brighid of the Harp, Brighid of the Sorrowful, Brighid of Prophecy, Brighid of Pure Love, Brighid of the Isles, Bride of Joy Banmorair-na-mara, Brighid the White Lady of the Sea, In Tir-na-h'oige, The Land of Eternal Youth, her name is Suibhal-bheann; TheWhite Woman of the Sidhe who travels beyond the mountains, in Tir-fo-thuinn, the Country of the Waves, it is Cú-gorm; the Greyhound and in Tir-na-h'oise , The Country of Ancient Years, it is Sireadh-thall., which means Seek beyond. The name Brighid means, in one sense, bright shining/fiery one, and in another sense, exalted one, and is pronounced “breed”, the “gh” being aspirated, and the “d” more properly a soft “t” sound- sort of a cross between a “d and a t”. Depending on the dialect, the “gh” may be softly pronounced as a very very soft “j” sound, with no comparative in English. In one legend, she is sister to Manannan mac Lir, and searches the seas for her lost brother, creating storms. Peace returns to the sea when she finds him and brings him home again. She is the daughter/wife/lover of the Daghda, wife of Bres, the half Fomorian tyrant, and mother of Ruadan, who was slain at the First Battle of Moytura. She composed and sang the first caoine (keen) in Ireland, for her dead son. Up until fairly recent times, women who were professional keeners, were still hired to caoine the dead at wakes.

She is the Patron and Goddess of poets, and brings the Fire in the Head, the divine inspiration of a true master. All things to do with fire, water, words and music are Her realm. She is also Patroness of smiths, those who create metal from stone, and forge it into useful things such as swords, axes ploughshares, chains, jewelry and the like. She is associated with water, and one finds many sacred wells throughout Ireland and Scotland, that are dedicated to her. Many of these wells are associated with healing, and so is Brighid. She is the master Healer, Blacksmith and Poet. As all of these skills are considered highly specialized Druidic arts, I find it amusing to think of her just as a Goddess of Spring. Brighid is also Goddess of Fertility, especially the herds of cattle, who are considered sacred to her, linking her to Boann, whose totemic animal is also the cow, and who, in some legends is said to be mother to Brighid. Brighid also cares for and tends mothers, and children, pregnant women and the hearth. Goddess of the Three Realms (earth, sea and sky) she is also a primal creatrix ( fire). It is said by some, because of her strong fertility and earth connections, that she is also Sovereignity. But, by now, it should be fairly obvious that she is far more than a Goddess of Spring. Her associations with spring come from the old Gaelic custom of marking the changing of the seasons at the Greater Celebratory Days of Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtainne, and Lughnassadh, as opposed to recognizing the equinoxes and solstices as the first days of changing seasons. In this way, Brighid is associated with the coming of spring and the return of light. Early on the morning of her festival, the man of the household would go to the fields and cut new rushes. These would be ceremoniously passed over the threshold of the home, to his wife or daughter and spread under the table upon which the family took their meals. It is assumed that a ritual accompanied this practice, but the words and Rite itself have been lost to us. In the evening, the family would feast at the table, or at least have as good a meal as they could have. At this time of year, stores would be running low. Fresh meat was a luxury, and in later times at least, we know that many of the dishes contained potatoes, milk and butter. (For the churn is also sacred to Brighid for its ability to take milk and transform it into butter, not to mention the phallic symbolism involved in the design of the churn/quern and the act of churning itself.) Water taken from one of the sacred wells would be sprinkled in all of the corners of the house and byre, and both would have been cleaned spotless inside and out. The rushes were then woven into three armed Brighid’s crosses, and hung over the hearth, and the door(s) to the dwellings and barns. It should be noted here, that as 4 is a number which does not

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figure prominently in our tradition, it is likely that a four armed Brighid’s Cross entered into her tradition with the coming of Christianity. Bundles of rushes were lit from a sacred fire, and passed over the livestock in an act of purification, and sometimes, small three armed Brighid’s crosses were tied to the tails of cattle to ward off the fey. For, it is also believed that on the nights of the Greater Celebrations, the fairy hosts also celebrate in their own way, and ride forth from their sidhe mounds. Offerings of cream, butter and milk were left outside for them, in the hopes of gaining their favor. No person would willing be abroad on these nights. Pilgrimages to Brighids wells were also common. Here, folk would tie “clooties”, strips of cloth to the tree, which always grows nearby the well. Clooties are the Gaelic equivalent of prayer ties. The person would circumambulate the well, deosil, while saying their prayer(s) to the Goddess and beseeching her favor. Then, they would tie their clootie to the tree. Pilgrims would quite often take away some of the well water with which to purify themselves, their herds and dwellings with. Other customs included throwing silver, coins, bundles of herbs and other offerings into the well, and also hammering coins into the tree or sticking them into the bark securely. One of the most common trees found near these wells is the hawthorn. It is believed by some, that because it grew near sacred pagan wells, it became associated with the fey and became thought of as evil, through its associations with Brighid the pagan Goddess as her sacred tree. Sacred wells were “dressed” in honor of the Goddess. They were hung with garlands of fresh flowers and herbs, bits of ribbon and the like. It was also customary to take a bit of cloth or ribbon, and hang it on the tree near the well overnight. These bits of cloth/ribbon were then worn on the clothing for the rest of the year as talismanic protection, for it was believed that the Goddess herself had blessed them. Brighid, was always invited into the home, usually by a daughter within the household. The smooring of the hearth, (banking of the peats) was done ritually by the woman of the house. The ashes in the morning would be anxiously examined for signs that Brighid had visited during the night. If the Goddess’s footprint was seen in the ash, it was a good omen; if not, special prayers and offerings were given in order to regain her favor. Likewise, the lighting of the fire was also ritually done, again by the wife and mother. One custom was to make a corn dolly, place a crystal over her heart, and dress her in white and lay a hazel wand beside her. This figure was sometimes carried in procession, or laid in a bed near the household fire. Again, in the morning, signs would be looked for which would indicate that the Goddess had indeed visited the household. In some locals, the Bride’s Doll was carried from home to home over each threshold, so that it could indeed be said that Brighid had visited the

household. The doll and its carrier would be feted with fresh cream, oatcakes, honey, butter, cheese and the like, and the doll would be left so that householder could carry it to the next home. In this way, the Goddess would visit everyone in the area. This is a custom we have practiced in within our clan here in Red Deer, timing it so that the Bride’s Doll returns home to the Grove in time for her Feast Day. There are many similar customs, such as dressing the quern, and the Biddy boys also associated with Brighid’s feast. At Kildare, in Ireland, a church sits where in times past, an oak grove and pagan temple stood in honor of this Goddess. Within the temple was a huge fire, whose flame burned perpetually, and coincidentally, the wood ash found on excavation was that of the hawthorn tree. This fire was tended by nineteen priestesses, each taking their turn of tending the flame for nineteen nights, with the Goddess herself being said to take her own turn at tending her own flame on the twentieth night. Like many pagan sites, this place was appropriated. Archeological excavations have located the site of the ancient fire pit. The nuns who served within this church were members of the Brighidian order, (founded by St Brighid, who most likely lived circa 500 CE or thereabouts, rumored to be the daughter of a druid or so it states in her hagiography). They too tended the flame, again, appropriated to the new God and religion. It is believed that this flame burned in perpetuity for hundreds of years, until sometime in the 16th century, when it was extinguished by Henry VIII. Most recently, it was symbolically re-lit by a nun of the Brighidian order in 1996, and now burns world wide as flame keepers, both Christian and pagan symbolically light the flame by lighting a candle and tending it in world-wide shifts within their individual homes. Kind of a nice idea, don’t you think? Also, at the site at Kildare is a sacred Brighid’s well, which also was most likely extant in pagan times. It should also be noted that the excavated and restored firepit which housed the sacred fire in both pagan and Christian times, has had a gas line installed so that the flame may burn in perpetuity once again, but this has never been re-lit. The symbolic re-lighting done by the nun, occurred at another site. One other custom, stemming from the early church is that of Candlemas on Feb 1 or 2. As Brighid is a fire goddess and is also associated with the returning light of the sun, it was customary for the Church to bless all of the candles that it would use throughout the year on this day. Thus candles, have also become associated with Imbolc, symbolizing not only the Goddess’s sacred flame, but also the returning sun. Of all the Gods and Goddesses in Gaelic tradition, it is Brighid who is closest to her people, and still holds a prominent place in their modern hearts as foster mother of Christ, and “Mary of the Gael”. Remember in our tradition, the foster parent is more important and often better loved than the biological parent, so for her to be called “foster parent” indicates her importance in the cultural psyche. She was such an important part of the culture and spiritual beliefs,

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that she is also one of the few Goddesses to have made the transition into Christian sainthood- which, in my mind, is just another one of her faces. Foster mother/ mother of the Gael, Goddess of fertility, the hearth, the home, fire, smithcraft, healing, bardic arts, churning, water, the herds, the family, women and children, warriors…the Cailleach in her age growing young…and this is Her Mystery. Yes, I think, that the Holy Mother Brighid, is far, far more than just another Goddess of spring. SLOINNTIREACHD BHRIDE [70] Lasair dhealrach oir, muime chorr Chriosda. Bride nighinn Dughaill duinn, Mhic Aoidh, mhic Airt, mhic Cuinn, Mhic Crearair, mhic Cis, mhic Carmaig, mhic Carruinn. Gach la agus gach oidhche Ni mi sloinntireachd air Bride, Cha mharbhar mi, cha spuillear mi, Cha charcar mi, cha chiurar mi, Cha mhu dh' fhagas Criosd an dearmad mi. Cha 1oisg teine, grian, no gealach mi, Cha bhath luin, li, no sala mi, Cha reub saighid sithich, no sibhich mi, Is mi fo chomaraig mo Naomh Muire Is i mo chaomh mhuime Bride. GENEALOGY OF BRIDE Radiant flame of gold, noble foster-mother of Christ. Bride the daughter of Dugall the brown, Son of Aodh, son of Art, son of Conn, Son of Crearar, son of Cis, son of Carmac, son of Carruin. Every day and every night That I say the genealogy of Bride, I shall not be killed, I shall not be harried, I shall not be put in cell, I shall not be wounded, Neither shall Christ leave me in forgetfulness. No fire, no sun, no moon shall burn me, No lake, no water, nor sea shall drown me, No arrow of fairy nor dart of fay shall wound me, And I under the protection of my Holy Mary, And my gentle foster-mother is my beloved Bride.

Further Suggested Reading:

1) Carmina Gadelica, by Alexander Carmichael 2) Celtic Women by Peter Berresford Ellis ISBN

0-8028-3808-1 3) Dal Riada Celtic Heritage Trust, Registered

Scottish Charity, Isle of Arran, Lorraine Macdonald.

4) Dánta Ban: Poems of Irish Women Early and Modern - A Collection

5) Email from "Donncha, Dennis King. 6) Fire Worship in Britain by T. F. G. Dexter 7) The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands by

Anne Ross, ISBN 0-87471-836-8 8) Irish Druids and Old Irish Religions by James

Bonwick 9) Winged Destiny by Fiona MacLeod

Sources: http://inanna.virtualave.net/brighid.html http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/corpus/Carmina/ http://www.ordbrighideach.org/ http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/7080/brideswell.html http://keryth.angelcities.com/html/temple.html http://inanna.virtualave.net/brighid.html http://www.geocities.com/celticwell/ejournal/imbolc/

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Message from the Arch High Priestess

“and restore us to memory” At Yule, in giving a gift, I received a gift. The gift I gave, was that of a computer router. It was a gift to the family, and especially my two teenagers. This gift allowed me to reclaim my own computer, as my patience was wearing thin with having to argue, threaten and cajole my children into letting me use my own computer! The router also allowed me to reclaim peace and quiet in my inner sanctum, and get rid of teenage testosterone overload in my bedroom, where my computer is set up, allowing me to keep odd hours so that when inspiration strikes, I can work in private for as long as it takes me to get the job done. (Priestess doing the dance of joy.) One other added benefit, is that I can actually find my hard copy documents and notes when I need them, because now, they are where I have left them, and in the order I have left them in! Such a novel concept. Over the Yuletide holidays, I received another gift. Time- and I took advantage of it, using it to surf the dozens of sites that I have had book marked on the computer for the last 8 months or so. Between Priestessing and administrative duties, mothering and fighting with kids to gain access to my computer, I very seldom if ever get a chance to surf the net, and when I do, its just a cursory glance, and a “hmmm, that might be useful in future” with a quick click “add to favorites”- and there they sit…I have managed to sort some of them into folders, which I think is quite an advancement! As some of you might be aware, I hold a diploma in astrology. Consequently, I have more than a passing interest in the related field of astronomy, and more specifically, paleo-astronomy. When I lift my eyes to the night heavens, I cannot help but wonder what the ancients called the constellations, and what the sky looked like in their time. Paleo-astronomy is a relatively new field, and scholars are now beginning to understand that there is more truth than fiction in myths from many different cultures, in which the heavens figure strongly. As above, so below.

So, it was with some excitement, and with more than a passing interest, that I granted myself the luxury of several hours perusing some excellent sites regarding this very topic. And that is when I saw it, a comment made by a well known pagan author, whom I shall not name here, but I will quote:

"Most of us are not indigenous. We've lost that deep connection to place; we've even lost any real understanding of what that kind of bond might mean. We're drawn to an earth-based spirituality out of a longing for some true, intimate connection with the earth.”

I beg to differ. If your name begins with a Mac, Mc, Fitz, or O’, or if you claim a Gaelic heritage, you are a direct descendant of indigenous people, and that makes you, indigenous too. My own family came to this country a little over 200 years ago, having backed the Prince and not the King, and thus became political statistics in wartime. Rebels, in other words, and criminals- we lost one branch of the family for the same 200 years, because that individual was shipped off to Australia. My own direct branch, lost titles and lands, and were given the option of going to Canada- the homestead is now part of the Ontario Historical Society, complete with the loom that old Hugh made for his wife, and a shawl she wove upon it. Hugh, spoke only Gaelic, refusing to speak the language of the conqueror, as he so aptly put it. And here we are…not exactly by choice. Don’t get me wrong, I am a proud Canadian, to quote a cliché, but I am a proud SCOTS-Canadian, and that makes me, indigenous, not to this country, but to what I consider to be my country of origin, the Hebrides of Scotland. The Irish side of the family, had one survivor of the Famines, and he managed to come here in the early 1800’s. It was not by free will that he came, but a matter of survival. Many people do not realize that Ireland was producing and exporting enough food during the famine years to feed its people five times over. The denial of government aid to the Irish INDIGENOUS Gaelic speaking people, was, a calculated and legislated form of cultural genocide and a crime against humanity in gigantic proportions.

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And let’s not even consider the laws and legislation preventing native born Irish Gaelic speakers from owning land, or a horse worth more than 5 lbs, holding public office, having decent housing and even blocking them from certain professions. Or, the disbanding of the Scottish clan system, and forbidding the use of native Gaelic in schools and the Clearances. (Scottish parliament is currently in the process of introducing a Bill that will make Gaelige a national second language, in an effort to save the demise of the language.) All of these actions by British parliament were designed to get rid of the “Irish problem”- and a hundred years earlier, the Scottish problem, which boils down to “the Gaelic problem”…and so the indigenous people left by the thousands, and spread across the globe. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people left their native land, for many died en route from disease, malnourishment, or were lost at sea, because another famous government trick was to ensure that the emigrant ships were barely seaworthy. Current statistics suggest, that during the famine years, about 1 million people left the old country, and their descendents now number (both Scottish and Irish) roughly in the neighbourhood of about 23 million. The grand plan of cultural genocide, seems to have backfired badly. So while many of us are not indigenous, some of us are and we lay claim to our own cultural heritage, customs, spiritual beliefs and language. This is what forms the basis of our Grove tradition. (*authors note: I do not maliciously or erroneously exclude the Welsh, who also have suffered greatly under British rule. I exclude them here, only because I am ignorant of most of their history in their relationship with England.) Now, you might be wondering what this rant has to do with surfing the net, looking at the stars, being indigenous, and Imbolc. You might even be saying to yourself, there she goes again, off on a tangent! In my internet journey, I found some fascinating sites in paleo-astronomy, and astro-archeology, which led me to look at myths, and the great megaliths, and ultimately how they

are all inter-connected. I discovered how old it is believed that our race is, and also, how old some of our myths and their fragments may be. (see article further in this newsletter). I was awed and stimulated by what I found. Some of you might recognize the phrase, in the title of this address “restore us to memory”, from an invocatory prayer that we often recite at Imbolc, La Fheile Brid (the Feast of Brighid), but I wonder if any of us, have ever stopped to consider what it means? One interpretation could be that it is a petition to the Goddess Brighid to remember us, her children, and to turn her gaze to us. However, it could also have another meaning, that of restoring our ancestral memory to us. Ancestral memory in this case means “ancient memory,” and it is that remembering that connects a people, a culture and a race. They remember each hill, and lake, and the stories that go with that place. They remember the names of the standing stones, and how they got those names. They remember the names of the places where the Gods fought and loved, and where the Fianna hunted. They remember the names of the stars and the stories connected with them. When they can draw on these memories, many of which are hidden in the myths and in the indigenous language, then they can know, and remember who they are. “No people can flourish who do not know their own past. The past is a good foundation for the present, and an inspiration for the future." (Rigoberta Menchú Tum : Mayan human rights leader, Nobel Peace Laureate, and official spokesperson for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples 1993-2003))

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Druid’s Trivia Quiz What kind of druid are you? Test your knowledge! No peaking at the answers! All cheaters will lose face and be reduced to small smoldering piles of ash….go, on, I dare you, go ahead…peak at the answers….

1) A “rosc” is a: a) valuable gemstone b) magickal chant c) another name for chieftain d) a chariot

2) The city of London is named for:

a) the rare metal ‘londinium” b) a river c) the god Lugh d) a fort or “dun”

3) The River Clyde is named for:

a) a breed of large horses b) some guy c) the goddess Clodna or Cliodna d) a gangster

4) What are the 5 noble streams? a) the Boyne, the Shannon, the Dee, the Forth,

the Ness b) the five forms of noble poetry c) the five senses d) the Thames, the Severn, the Dee, the

Boyne, the Clyde

5) Who were the first invaders of Ireland? a) the Nemedians b) the Milesians c) the Tuatha de Danaan d) the Partholonians

6) Who was Caractacus?

a) Chieftain of the Iceni b) Cuchullain’s charioteer c) Cormac’s fosterbrother d) The first and only chieftain to unite the

tribes against the invasion of Rome.

7) What are the Seven Cows? a) The cattle stolen by Maeve which became

the cause of the Tain Bo Culaigne. b) Seven sacred cities c) Magical faery cattle d) The Pleiades

8) The Daghda is the son of: a) Donn

b) Bile c) Lugh d) Danu

9) Which came first ?

a) the Druids b) the Gods c) neither d) both

10) A bodhran is a: a) weapon b) type of knife c) shoes d) a drum

11) To “rain a cloud of blood” is a:

a) blessing b) binding c) a storm warning d) curse

12) Cartimandua means

a) a handy cart b) sleek pony c) great queen d) one who betrays

13) Uisce beatha refers to:

a) bad breath b) a birch tree c) the sacred waters of life d) whiskey

14) Red ears on a white animal means:

a) the animal is purebred b) the animal is fey c) the animal has rabies d) the animal belongs to the Campbells and

should be stolen promptly, its ears dyed black, and put in with the MacDonald herds.

15) Faery cattle are also known as:

a) Highland cattle b) Kerry cattle c) Deer d) Irish elk

16) An “anruth” is a :

a) dish used at a feast b) one of the higher druid grades c) a judge d) a type of blade

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17) The Daghda’s Cauldron, Undri is found at:

a) Brugh na Boinne b) Loughcrew c) Knowth d) Dowth

18) Donn is:

a) a Fomorian god b) the first Milesian killed by the three

Goddesses of Ireland c) husband of Danu d) another name for Danu

19) The three noble strains are:

a) straining in your art, in your work and in striving to better yourself

b) types of traditional harp music c) three types of musical composition d) three types of musical movements

20) Which of the answers below is the most ancient name for Ireland?

a) Avallach b) Hibernia c) Hy Brasil d) Isle of Pigs

Answers can be found on page 37

Scoring: 20 correct- You are an Ollamh of the finest kind…wait a minute…Druids aren’t supposed to peak at the answers! If you didn’t cheat, you are an Ollamh. If you cheated, and are not being honest with yourself, you are unseated as a druid, for a Druid cannot lie. If you honestly got a perfect score, then you win! You can have Fhiona’s job! Lucky you! 19-15 correct- F’ili -You probably spend most of your time reading Celtica and have a photographic memory. You are a credit to your teacher! If you didn’t cheat by peaking at the answers, you can challenge the one who claims to have got a perfect score to a “wizard’s duel” and probably take the Druid’s seat from him or her…now let’s see, is it paint self blue, take up sword and then drink mead? Or is it the other way around? 14-10 correct- Bard- not bad, but I wouldn’t be challenging anyone to a battle of words. 9-5 correct- did you say you were a druid? 5-0 correct- perhaps you may want to consider another path? On the other hand, give yourself a perfect score for not cheating!

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Clan Eachaid (Calgary) News and Views

Clan Eachaid News and Views Clan Eachaid wishes to thank Lady Susan Alabaster for all she has done for the Grove. We wish her well in her “retirement” and hope to be able to welcome her back to the community sometime in the future. We hope she enjoys this precious time with the Wee Bairn. May your family grow in the love of the Lord and Lady, with our Blessings. F/|\ Life, death, re-birth. The microcosm in the macrocosm. As pagans, perhaps we notice these cycles more than many, and acknowledge them greater than most. It would seem, that both PAR and the Grove are not immune to constant change. Most people, by their very natures, resist change, even pagans-mostly because, as mentioned, it is human nature, but also because with change comes uncertainty. In organizations, change makes people nervous, and can cause anxiety levels to escalate dramatically-especially in times of re-structuring. (Just ask any corporate employee or manager!) But in order to keep the organization dynamic, and responding to the needs of the people it serves, change is necessary on occasion. (As opposed to constant change, which can be disorientating, and chaotic, creating an atmosphere of nail-biting instability.) Change need to be neither stressful nor negative, and as pagans, we should realize that, instead of allowing ourselves to automatically go into “knee-jerk” reaction mode. When faced with change it is necessary to realize that the change will come whether one wants it to or not; consequently, when faced with inevitable changes, one needs to switch mindsets; rather than putting energy toward resisting what will be anyway, it would be better to put energy toward making the change effective and positive. After all, the mark of a true magician is the ability to take a situation and maximize its potential, or in other words, taking a situation, turning it around and making it work for you. This is known as “going with the flow,” as opposed to going against the flow. Remember the salmon that goes upstream against the current

to spawn? He goes against the flow. Have you ever seen a salmon after they have spawned? It’s nasty! All of their energy spent, they die. And then, they drift downstream, going with the flow. Change is just part of the natural order of Creation. It is a constant flux and flow, a waxing and waning of energy. Without change there is no growth, and without growth, there is stagnation. The water in a pond does not move, and it usually ends up growing green slimy stuff that no one wants to touch. A stream on the other hand, is in constant motion, and its water remains clear. Growth means change, and change means movement. Done right, it means forward movement. Yes, it is true. Our much beloved Lady Susan has retired from both PAR and the Grove, due to the demands of new parenthood. It is a courageous and honest decision, yet also a difficult one, to admit and realize that one cannot maintain the level of self-sacrifice and service to a community, and be a full time new mother as well. It is not true that PAR or the Grove are pulling up stakes and moving out of Calgary. The sudden cancellation of Yule was just one of those odd synchronicities in life that just sometimes happen! But it was not necessarily a bad synchronicity, for it gave people time to realize that they looked forward to the Grove Rites! While Clan Eachaid is presently without a “clan Chieftain” (Righ Comhairle) this does not mean that Clan Eachaid ceases to exist. But it does mean that the Clan and its structure is currently undergoing some changes, which are intended to facilitate managerial roles and administrative duties from a distance until such time that the position and other support positions are filled. These changes are neither good nor bad, they just are. There may be a few bumps and wobbles initially, but we have every confidence that as we embrace the opportunities these changes bring, that eventually things will straighten out and fly straight.

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The PAR+C members have made it very clear that there is a need for PAR and the Grove in Calgary. Yule was our first year anniversary in Calgary, and Imbolc is that of the Grove as a registered Church. La Fheile Brighid, then, is a most appropriate and auspicious time to review where we have been as a fledgling community, assess and honestly appraise how we have done, and take a very serious look at where we need to be going, and how we plan to get there. What could we have done better? What needs to be improved? What needs to be scrapped? How can we expand our services- and what does the community think it needs or wants? Is the community willing to begin to pull together as a team? Do they value what they have? What are they willing to do to make it better? More cohesive? Stronger? So, you see, change is not necessarily a bad thing. It is exciting and dynamic- and it is most wonderful when change can be facilitated by those who share a common vision.

For the time being, the affairs of Clan Eachaid will be handled by the Mother Grove, Clan Damh Ruadh, Red Deer. Barring poor weather, there will be no interruption of services to the Clan. The most exciting part of change, is being able to take part in it, entering into dialogue, brainstorming, exchanging ideas- then coming to some sort of reasonable determination of what change needs to take place, and how these can be facilitated and delivered. Change will come whether we want it to or not. It is how we embrace it, and shape it that will determine whether or not it is a positive and dynamic experience full of exciting new growth opportunities, or whether it is a negative experience requiring more thought or perhaps even abandonment in favor of another venue. But in any case, it is all change. Everything She touches, She changes-everything She changes She touches. The microcosm in the macrocosm. Life, death, re-birth. Its all part of the cycle and the Sacred. FmacG/|\

GREETINGS FROM CLAN SIONNACH (BROOKS)

Blessings Everyone, Well here we are in January 2003. What happened to 2002? It seems to be a total blur. Many things have happened and I am looking forward to a much brighter year. I find myself trying very hard, at this time, to come up with any new information to share with you. Our classes are back into swing and this Saturday we will be having a coffee in Medicine Hat. Our topic is, "Have you had a Ghostly experience." I am a told by the owner of the room, that quite a few people have expressed interest. We shall see how many people do show. Unfortunately this is all I have to report on. Do take care of yourselves and those you love. Mighty Blessings, Storm 3rd Degree VT HPs Clan Sionnach P.S. Once again I would like to thank the PAR community for the lovely poinsettia. Your condolences on the resent loss of my mother in law are in mine and my husband’s deepest gratitude. Thank you. Fhiona, thank you for just being there

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Norse code taps back 9000 years to life in Highlands MARTYN McLAUGHLIN ARCHEOLOGISTS have discovered the remains of a 9000-year-old community that shows Scotland's earliest settlers may have been of Nordic origins. The site, halfway up the 4000ft Ben Lawers in Perthshire, has uncovered a range of flints and tools almost identical to those originally created in Norway. However, it came as a surprise. Dr John Atkinson, of Glasgow University, was leading a five-year project to excavate the area and was working on another site at the time. "We were looking at structures relating to the 1570s when we dug a bit deeper and stumbled upon the site," he said. "It is the earliest inland site and certainly the first highland settlement to have been found in Scotland." He believes the discovery shows settlers were living on the mountain range some 10,000 years ago after the glaciers receded. More than 9000 pieces of material have been found, and the head of Glasgow University's archeological research division believes historians will be forced to reconsider what was previously taken for granted. "We found flints, blades and lots of quartz debris from where they had obviously tried to repair their tools," said Dr Atkinson. "We believe they came inland from the coast -

which was the only place they could have found the flint - to hunt deer through the valley. The similarities between their tools with those found in Norway is very exciting." The comparisons point to the theory that Scots fled east to Norway at the onset of the ice age, but came back in surges to repopulate the country once the glaciers had melted. Archeologists have only discovered scattered settlements before the Ben Lawers find, most of them based around the coastline and lowlands. However, the new site has led historians to believe the first settlers may well have been far more advanced than was once thought, able to adapt to the inhospitable climate of the Highlands. The discovery comes after a recent increase in funding to protect the natural landscape of Ben Lawers. The Heritage Lottery Fund awarded an additional £1m to the National Trust for Scotland in June to assist a five-year programme of repairs on Ben Lawers, Glencoe and other mountains. The project is designed to improve public walkways, and at the same time, preserve the land. The five-year Ben Lawers historic landscape project started in 2002, aiming to coordinate wide-ranging studies into human influence on the landscape of North Lochtayside. Information in the field is being collected through detailed topographic and underwater surveys, excavations, and environmental and scientific studies. - Dec 23rd http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/23-12-19102-23-53-44.html

Scots Urge Gaelic Language Bill: London (from Calgary Herald, Monday Nov. 25, 2002) Large swathes of Scotland could soon display bilingual road signs, as in Wales, in an attempt to help save one of Europe's oldest languages. The Times of London has learned Scottish Labour (Party) favours introducing a Gaelic Language Act. The language is spoken by about 60,000 Scots.

As well as having road signs in Gaelic, public bodies, such as local authorities and health boards in Scotland, would be forced to spend tens of thousands of pounds to ensure Gaelic was used alongside English in official correspondence and routine business. Labour sources say if the plan goes ahead, a bill offering official status would be introduced by a Labour-dominated Scottish Executive soon after next May's Holyrood elections.

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PAR-ty 2003 UpdateLast year, everyone had a very enjoyable time at PAR-ty, but it did have its moments- like when those nice Christian folks took our overflow camping, and we had to go up to the office to straighten it out because we had already paid for those spaces, and they weren’t going to move; or when the nice Christian kids belonging to the nice Christian folks, who tried to take our camping spots spied on our Ritual and created a ruckus because we had “swords” and they thought we might be sacrificing something, or someone.(actually we had A sword, and yes, sacrifice did cross our minds, especially after management, again elderly staunch Christians who were subbing in for the usual younger and more liberal minded managers, felt the need to come and talk to us, to find out what we were up to because other campers had concerns; and then there was the nice (yup you guessed it) Christian parents who let their child point a rifle at us ( a toy one we hope) through the shrubs, going up along the road, as we stood in Circle; and last but not least, the nice Christian fellow campers who actually had the audacity to come and peek in the windows during one of our drumming circles, and then spread rumors that we were trying to raise the dead, in the hall we had rented to get some @#!@$$!!! Privacy! Well, dear PAR-ty campers. This year will be different. We have found a new site, which will suit our needs quite well. It is the Edwell Community Hall. Take the Penhold/Pinelake turnoff from #2 north or south, and then east on #42 for 6 miles. It is pavement all the way; the road is nice and straight, and the hall is on the left hand side right across from Snow Lake Farms. It’s about a 20-30 minute drive from Red Deer-certainly no longer than it takes to drive to Burbank. The hall is a white renovated old one-room schoolhouse up on a hill. You can’t miss it. Just think how easy the directions are! None of this, watch for the green sign, the road winds, watch out for the train, hard right bear left nonsense…! Its simply north or south on # 2, and then east on 42…it doesn’t get any simpler than this. And here is the very best part. There will be no one there but us. Yup-you read correctly. We have rented it, and the whole place is ours for the weekend. There will be no other campers, or any other group or individual using the facility and campgrounds except us. The site is completely fenced and gated which locks for added security. (We will be locking the gates at 10pm in the evening, until 8 am.) There is a lovely hall, with full kitchen facilities and bathrooms –(no showers, but we decided to make the sacrifice-and besides, we can rig one up easy enough). The site is well treed, and neither the campsites nor ritual site are visible from the highway. It is very, very private. There is a nice playground area, and fire pit, as well as a baseball diamond and field for the obvious purpose, but which will also double nicely for a rousing game of Druid’s Croquet.

(What is Druid’s Croquet you ask? Ah, well, you will just have to come to PAR-ty to find out!) There is also enough space to put family camping up near the hall close to the wash- rooms, and to put the party animals closer to the ritual area. The family camping area has its own fire pit, and we will bring a portable fire pit for the ritual area. As well, motor homes have their own section (no hook ups, sorry, but we didn’t use hookups last year-another sacrifice) The hall has two floors. The upper floor has the bathrooms, kitchen, and dining hall, which will do nicely as workshop space for the blade-smithing, ritual space, and meals if we so choose. The basement is also ours to use, and is carpeted. So, if weather is nasty as it was last year, those who are tenting can billet indoors; it can be used for a play space for kids (supervised of course, again only if weather is not co-operating) and it can also double as additional indoor workshop space if need be. But, the very, very best part is, its private and its all ours! There aren’t even farms too close by. PAR-ty 2003 will certainly not be plagued with any ‘nosey parkers”. We will have absolute privacy and security. We were so impressed with the accessibility of this site, its amenities and privacy that we plan to rent it for some of our seasonal celebrations as well, especially those where the weather might be “iffy”. The site/facility is cost effective, and so this year there will be member discounted prices for camping, day passes and workshop fees, while non-members pay full rate. We have certainly enjoyed the years we spent at Burbank Hall, and Park. But, we did have an unreasonable amount of difficulty last year, which was extremely annoying, considering the amount of business we have given the Park, not only through our use of the facilities, but spin off business as well for handfastings and other events. With the blade-smithing workshop this year, the cost of renting the Burbank hall was extremely prohibitive. And some of us were not too keen to have to undergo the same kind of inconsideration put upon us by other campers again. The Gods have certainly provided well for us. There will be strict enforcement of the no drugs policy and the “leave no trace” policy. The first is self-explanatory. The second means: when you leave your campsite, there should be no visible sign that you were ever there. There should be no cigarette butts lying around, plastic wrappers, liquor bottles, water bottles and the like: like I said, no sign that you were ever there. Last year, after everyone had gone, we filled one large garbage barrel with all sorts of bottles that had been left behind. Organizers spent several hours cleaning up the campsites, which should have been done by those who had used the sites…after all, isn’t stewardship of the land part of our faith path? (not to mention personal responsibility and mutual obligation between guests and hosts)

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This year, camp sites will be assigned, (you will know what number your campsite is upon registration for the event) and your site will be inspected by PAR-ty personnel who will be wearing special designated tee-shirts bearing the Par logo, before you leave. We spend 8-10 months planning and organizing this event. It is not fair that we get stuck cleaning up the mess made by campers and guests too. There will be a designated clean up crew, to do a sweep of the grounds, and one for the hall. There may also be assigned daily duties. For example, one job might be to ensure there is enough fire-wood for the ritual. Another job might be to ensure the ritual site is kept clean and free of debris. There will be NO flicking of cigarette butts. Ash cans will be liberally provided for those who smoke. We will be looking for two teams of cooks, 4 people on each team, to help cook pancakes for breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning, as well as cooks and clean up personnel for Sunday night’s feast. It all comes down to team-work. The more helping hands there are, the less work there is and the more fun everyone can have! I would like to point out that last year I did not even camp, but yet, helped with the clean up. For you see, if we use a site, and leave it looking less than

perfect, we will be less welcome to use it again, if at all. As pagans, because we already have so many strikes against us in the minds of muggles, we should leave these facilities better than what we found them. That way, in future, we will have no problem renting that place again, because the managers notice who leaves their facility looking great, and who doesn’t. That is why we have a “leave no trace” policy. As per usual in the past, we will be asking for pre-registration, and all fees to be paid prior to the event. Some of the workshops this year will require us to provide specialized equipment and materials as in the bladesmithing workshop. But as usual, there is something for everyone! We will also be offering some family oriented activities, and several free workshops suitable to parents and children. There is some information available in this edition of the newsletter, but be sure to watch upcoming editions for the final details and registration forms, fees etc. We look forward to providing you and yours with a fun filled, educational and spiritually uplifting weekend, shared in the true PAR-ty spirit and carrying on our PAR-ty traditions. FmacG/|\

Mead Making Contest for PAR-ty 2003 Rules: 1) Basic mead only, no fruits, spices, flower petals and the

like, just basic honey mead. 2) Provide a detailed copy of your recipe (type of yeast,

dates racked off, clearing agents etc) and technique, as well as date bottled. Note type of water used and breed of honey (alfalfa, apple, mixed, etc.)

3) You will have to enter two bottles, one to be uncorked and judged. Entries will be numbered so the judges will not know who has made what bottle.

4) Homemade mead only made by humble home brewers only, no commercial meads, mead makers or vinters permitted to enter.

5) $5 per entry (a pair of bottles of one kind of mead is counted as one entry)

6) Winner takes all. (the mead that is.)

First Ever PAR Photo Contest for PAR-ty 2003 Rules: 1) Photos must be 3x5 or 8x10, color and mounted for

display. 2) You must have been the one to take the photo. On the

back of the photo state: where it was shot, date, type of camera, and film, shutter speed, lens (ie zoom , wide angle etc)

3) Include a caption title, and perhaps a short quote regarding your photo. This can be affixed to the matting, or separate.

4) Photos must be as taken and must not be digitally enhanced or altered in any way.

5) You must provide the negative with the developed photo.

6) No photos taken by professional photographers. Contest open to amateurs only.

7) Cost to enter: $2 per photo.

Categories: 1) The grandeur of nature according to the seasons. 2) Seasonal celebrations Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara,

Bealtaine, Comhain, Lughnassadh, Mabon. 3) People and nature. (Make sure you have permission to

take these photos first. We plan to use the photo winners of the contest in a PAR calendar which will be sold among the membership. If people are appearing in the photo, we may have to get legal permission to use their face, so, make sure you have permission to use the photo first!)

Winners will receive a free copy of the calendar, on sale Dec 2003.

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Of Ancient Stars and Stones: As Above, So Below

FmacG/|\ I am an avid sky watcher. Every night, before I go to bed, I go outside and lift my gaze to the celestial. Did you ever wonder what your ancestors saw when they looked up to the heavens? Or by what names they called the constellations? Did the ancients see their gods in the stars? I wonder it all the time. A great deal of knowledge concerning our indigenous forbears has been lost to us. But, they have left us clues- in place names, which have not been anglicized, and in myths. Myths bear special attention, as they have been altered either through scribal error, cultural appropriation, or a strong need to de-paganize the story. But it is not impossible to do a little back engineering to solve some of the mystery. First, we need to realize that “the Gaels and the Britons were but two branches of one race - the Celtic. In many of the gods of the Britons we shall recognize, with names alike and attributes the same, the familiar features of the Gaelic Tuatha Dé Danann. The British gods are sometimes described as divided into three families - the "Children of Dôn", the "Children of Nudd", and the "Children of Llyr". But these three families are really only two; for Nudd, or Lludd, as he is variously called, is himself described as a son of Beli, who was the husband of the goddess Dôn. There can be no doubt that Dôn herself is the same divine personage as Danu, the mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann, and that Beli is the British equivalent of the Gaelic Bilé, the universal Dis Pater who sent out the first Gaels from Hades to take possession of Ireland. With the other family, the "Children of Llyr", we are equally on familiar ground; for the British Llyr can be none other than the Gaelic sea-god Lêr.. These two families or tribes are usually regarded as in opposition, and their struggles seem to symbolise in British myth that same conflict between the powers of heaven, light, and life and of the sea, darkness and death, which are shadowed in Gaelic mythology in the battles between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomors.” (1) Another Squire quote says: "What is probably the earliest account tells us that they [Tuatha De Danann] came from the sky. Later versions, however, give them a habitation upon Earth - some say in the north, others in the "southern isles of the world."Whether the Tuatha De Danann came from earth or heaven, they landed in a dense cloud upon the coast of Ireland on the mystic first of May [Bealtaine] without having been opposed, or even noticed by the Fir Bolgs (2) For the children of Dôn were certainly gods of the sky. Their names are writ large in heaven. The glittering W which we call "Cassiopeia's Chair" was to our British ancestors Llys Dôn, or "Dôn's Court"; our "Northern Crown" (North Star or

Pole Star) was Caer Arianrod, the "Castle of Arianrod", Dôn's daughter;while the "Milky Way" was the "Castle of Gwydion", Dôn's son. More than this, the greatest of her children, the Nudd or Lludd whom some make the head of a dynasty of his own, was the Zeus alike of the Britons and of the Gaels. His epithet of Llaw Ereint, that is, "of the Hand of Silver", proves him the same personage as Nuada the "Silver-Handed". The legend which must have existed to explain this peculiarity has been lost on British ground, but it was doubtless the same as that told of the Irish god. With it, and, no doubt, much else, has disappeared any direct account of battles fought by him as sky-god against Fomor-like enemies. (3) In Irish terms then, Lys Don, might be Dun a Danu, or Rath Danu or Brugh na Danu. To the best of my knowledge, Arianrhod does not seem to have an Irish equivalent, and nor does Gwydion. However, the constellation that we know as Orion, the ancients called “Nuada”. As the constellation moved across the night sky, they said it was Nuada, on the march. One excellent example of stars in legend is the story “The Dream of Aenghus”. Some of you may recall, that Aenghus, son of Boann (whose name is given to the River Boyne) and the Dagdha, falls in love with a beautiful maiden, who visits him at night. No one can seem to find this maiden anywhere, and Aenghus begins to waste away with lovesickness. The maiden, “Yewberry” is under enchantment, and so is in the form of a swan from Samhain to Bealtainne, and while in that guise, lives at Loch Bel Dracon. (the lake of the Dragon’s mouth or Dragon’s fire) You will recall from the story, that Aenghus lives at Brugh na Boine, or Newgrange as we now call it. Whooper swans, migrating from Iceland, winter every year at…you guessed it, Brugh na Boyne. We don’t know how long the swans have been coming to Newgrange, but we do know that they were documented as being there in the 19th century. It is likely, and researchers believe that, the swans have been migrating to this spot for thousands of years. At this time of the year, the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) appears in the heavens over the Brugh, quite near the mouth of the constellation Draconis (the dragon). As well, researchers believe that the floor plan of Newgrange very closely mimics Cygnus, as it appears in the winter sky. It seems then, that the story of Aenghus and Caer, tells a story of the gods in the heavens. The Brugh, is one of Irelands most famous megalithic sites, with its beautiful white quartz walls which can be seen for miles, and its prolific artwork. It is only one of dozens of such sites within the Boyne River Valley Complex. These

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sites are believed by scholars to date from Neo-lithic times, with some construction being added to during Mesolithic times. This means that these sites were built anywhere from 7000 to 5000 years ago. The Boyne complex is said to have been built by the Tuatha de Dannann. This sounds incredible, I know, but this is research being put forth by reputable scientists. Recent DNA testing seems to suggest that this race of people actually existed. It is said that they intermarried with the Milesians. We can surmise this as likely, for we are told in legend, that the Tuatha intermarried with the FirBolg, and the Formorians. It would seem then, that current research findings are in congruence with rather than in conflict with, oral family histories, and in some cases, documented family histories. Thus, if one’s ancestral family claimed descent from one of the ancient gods, which is a common claim, the latest research indicates that this could be true! Just stop to think for a moment, how ancient a race you are descended from, and how clever a people. Such a rich heritage! When you realize that these people are not Bronze age, or even Iron age, but one or two steps up from stone age people, the thought of it simply boggles the mind. Through the efforts of paleo-astronomers, and archeo-astronomers, we also believe that the Tain, may have taken place when Taurus and the Pleiades were prominent in the sky. For instance, the constellation of Taurus was called the Brown Bull, and the Pleiades were called the Seven Cows. The Big Dipper, was called the Plough. So, now, when you are outside with your children, gazing at the stars, you will be able to say, “Look! There goes Nuada crossing the sky!” or “There is Danu looking down on us!” We may surmise that the ancients observed the night sky for we are told in legend that: 'one evening Conn of the Hundred Battles repaired at sunrise to the Ri Raith at Tara, accompanied by his three druids, Mael, Bloc and Bluicne, and his three poets, Ethain, Corb and Cesaire; for he was accustomed every day to repair to this place with the same company, for the purpose of watching the stars, so that no hostile aerial beings should descend upon Ireland unknown to him." (2) But more significantly, research is showing with clarity and precision, that these neo and Mesolithic people understood advanced astronomical principals- many of which were lost during the dark ages, when the Church kept a close scrutiny on scholarship. For instance, Knowth, which lies not far from Newgrange, has a calendar stone, which has been deciphered, clearly showing that these ancient people had clear working knowledge of the metonic cycle of the moon. (moon phases). Also at this site is a lunar stone, which was used to calculate lengths of the lunar tropical month, the synodic month and the length of the year. Sunlight enters the western passage on the autumnal equinox, and this site sports a Neolithic sundial carved into one of the kerbstones as well as a shadow sundial

formed when the sun strikes a standing stone some distance from the entrance. As the sun moves, the stone casts its shadow across the face of the entry, coming to rest dead center in the doorway of the mound. In the east passage, one finds the Daghda’s Cauldron, Undry. This is a large stone basin, decorated with Neolithic art. It fills with condensate from the stone walls, hence, it is never empty, or undry. Here at Knowth the sun and moon meet at Samhain and Bealtainne, not unlike the mating of the God and Goddess, or more specifically, the Daghda and the Morrighu. The back side of the east passage holds what some researchers believe to be the first map of the moon. It should be noted here, that Knowth is composed of a very large main mound, and 17 satellite mounds. The configuration of the site closely parallels that of Carrowmore in Sligo Co. Knowth is home to one of the largest collections of in situ stone carvings and Neolithic stone art in the world. Another nearby site is Dowth, which is believed to be the oldest of the three great mounds in the Boyne Valley complex. In Irish it is called “Dubad”, which means “place of darkness”or darkness. Both of this cairn’s passages are aligned with the Samhain sunset (when the sun dies for the year) and and Imbolc sunsets, as well as the midwinter solstice. There is a legend attached to the site, as to how it got its name, but it has obviously been seriously tampered with by biased scribes, that it is not worth repeating here. However, what is interesting is that Dowth seems to be in some way connected with the constellation of Taurus, which contains the Pleiades. This constellation was important around 3000 BCE, when the Boyne complex was being built, for it contained the sun on the spring equinox. This was also the Age of Taurus, which is interesting, as the Gaelic culture came to be one in which the possession of cattle determined not only the well being of the tribe, but individual status and wealth. The Age of Taurus seems to have ushered in a time when people became less nomadic and more agrarian. There are 70 documented sites within the Boyne Valley complex alone, and researchers have noted over 40 specific relational alignments and angles between the sites themselves. These sites have been shown to document solstice sunrise and sunset events; heliacal rising and setting of the sun; the metatonic movement of the moon, the rising and setting of certain stars and whole constellations, even precession, which notes the changing of a stellar age from one to another (example, age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius). Some sites seem to align with the solstices, others seem to have been used to mark other seasonal dates. The ancients were astronomically accurate in many cases to with 4 degrees of error, plus or minus. Some researchers believe that the mounds in the Boyne valley were linked in such a way that it was possible to make accurate annual astronomical observations in Neolithic times. Researchers estimate that the Boyne complex was constructed 5000 years ago, being completed around 3000BCE. The Carrowkeel and Carrowmore mounds are believed to pre-date these by 2000 years. To date, no Paleolithic evidence of human habitation has been found in

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Ireland. However, recently evidence has been found of human occupation in the Highlands, dating to 9000 years ago (Circa 7000 BCE) This is a significant find, if we consider that the last great ice sheets receded from Ireland and Scotland, only 10,000 years ago. As researcher one researcher stated as regards the mounds and the astronomical observations they make, “This could be what is meant by “As above, so below”. Another world renown researcher is calling for interdisciplinary teams to study complexes such as the Boyne, in tandem with folklorists and mythologists who might be able to detect further references to the Gods, in the stars. This researcher notes, how unfortunate it was, that during the early Christian period in Ireland, many ancient scrolls were burned, destroying such information as they may have contained forever. This article began, like it did for me, with some innocent stargazing and harmless wondering. What I learned in my studies and search for an answer to a question fills me with yet more wonder. For, by looking at the stars, I had to look at the ground, and in looking at the ground, I had to hear the stories. And in hearing the stories, I looked at the earth and the heavens in amazement. What I learned would appear to defy conventional scholarship, yet the measurements have been replicated by independent researchers over and over. So, it only makes sense to me, that these Neolithic people could read the skies better than their brethren in the Middle Ages- and at least the Neolithic people knew the earth was round. Their knowledge of the heavens as demonstrated by modern researchers is simply astounding.

When I consider the spiritual tradition I follow, I would have to say, that it is not a “reclaiming”, nor is it a “reconstructing”. It is a remembering- a remembering based upon solid scholarship and diligent research, which is a fitting way to honor and reconnect with the Goddess Brighid at Imbolc. The next time you look at the stars with your children, be sure to tell them the story of Aenghus, and show them where Danu sits, in the dark of the year, point out Nuada as he marches across the sky. For it would seem, that truly it can be said that the Tuatha de Dannan came from the skies. If your name begins with Mac, Mc, or O’, or if you claim Gaelic descent in any way, your race is old, very old indeed. Be sure your children know this. May Blessed Brighid restore us to memory.

Till the soil, bid cities rise Be strong O Celt, be rich, be wise

But still with those divine grave eyes, Respect the realms of Mysteries.

-William Sharp Notes:

1) 1912 volume "Celtic Myth & Legend: Poetry & Romance" by Charles Squire

2) Ibid 3) Ibid

Other sources and suggested further reading: http://www.astroarchaeology.org/context/sunmoon/index.html http://www.mythicalireland.com/ http://www.carrowkeel.com/

Sacred Dance Workshop

Come join the dance March 29th and 30th, 2003 in Red Deer, Alberta

Sacred dance is a way for both genders to enjoy each other, and is used to explore esoteric and spiritual concepts that words cannot convey. It’s a positive way for you to explore yourself and the sacred that is created during the dances.

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The story behind these dances is a living, evolving story, as is the case with any art form based in folk traditions. These dances connect us to early generations and transport us to a time of a greater sense of community, and an understanding of our relationship to the natural world. A time when people still lived in villages and great forests still stretched across the land. Each sacred dance can use the names of Gods and Goddesses and sacred phrases from various religions of the world. Enter the circle with an open heart and mind, suspending judgements and prepare yourself for the experience. Each dance is made up of steps, that are fairly simple to learn, and repeated throughout the dance. The steps make up patterns, which can be symbolic, such as grounding steps for contacting the earth. These patterns have a harmonizing effect both inwardly and outwardly. It can be like a meditative movement, or a holy/wholly dance. The dance allows you to become closer to yourself and others including the natural world around you and the cosmos. Some dances of these dances are calm while others are energetic and wild. Sacred dance or circle dance has grown out of European folk dances. A German fellow by the name of Bernard Wosein, believed that many of the traditional dances were being lost to modern culture. He travelled throughout Europe collecting and annotating an enormous repertoire of circle dances. In order to preserve them he brought them to the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, which now serves as a guardian to the repertoire.

The targeted registration deadline for sign up will be no later than March 21, 2003.

Interested folks please contact: Fhiona to sign up and, she will provide you with payment details

The workshop will be held on:

Saturday March 29th, and Sunday March 30th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Children are welcome as long as they will be participating in the dance, and they can stand being around for 3 hours with older folks, and be on good behaviour.

Suggested fee is $30.00 per attendee.

Most of the proceeds will be used to cover the cost of hall rental space, & to cover some of the costs associated with the workshop.

Our sacred dance program will include:

� Join the circle; and invite the spirits of dance. � As One - a dance to connect us to each other & mother earth. � Gabrielle Roth’s Guided Estatic Dance. This is a 10 minute dance that will get your body

ready to relax and help take the mundane world away. � Venti Sancte – A dance that guides us with gentle motions to give energy from our hearts

to the earth, and back; and then from our hearts to the cosmos and back. � Maize - a dance to connect us to our totems or spirit guides for our ecstatic dance

journey � Elemental Invocation Dance � Introductions to each other & our famous fairy cards. � Over the course of this 2 day workshop will learn about 25 – 30 sacred dances, including

well known pagan dances, tree dances, and Bach flower dances and more.

The purpose of this workshop will be to share in sacred dance, to journey & heal ourselves. We will learn to reconnect with our sacred by dancing & listen to the rhythmic music.

Facilitors: Jane Miazga & Paulie Duhaime

Email: dickandjanem@shaw.ca or rayandpaulie@shaw.ca

Website: http://dancingfairies0.tripod.coml

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In the last issue of the Standing Stones, I wrote about the first leg of my journey to Britain, which began in Scotland on the Isle of Mull. Mull houses Duart Castle, ancestral home of the MacLeans. However we spell our name, the MacLeans descend from the ancient kings of Dalriada through King Lorn's grandson, Baodan, but we are more commonly known as being descendants of a more later warrior, Gilleathan Na Tuaidh, Gillean of the Battle Axe. Legend says that Gillean was lost in the mists of the mountain, Ben More (guardian of Mull), but was saved by his famous battle axe. The clan name, Mac'lean means 'Son of Gillean', and is actually derived from MacGhilleathain. The clan became scattered through the many western isles from Rum to Islay, including Mull, Morven, Coll, and Tiree, but by the late 1300's, they had divided into four branches-Duart, Ardgour, Coll, and Lochbuie. During this time, Lachlan Lubanach Maclean married Mary Macdonald, daughter of the Lord of the Isles -after Lachlan kidnapped her and the Chief of the Mackinnons was killed. The Mackinnon lands were then granted to the Macleans as a dowry and that is how they came to own much of Mull. The MacDonalds dominated the Hebrides until the sixteenth century, and the MacLeans of Duart were loyal supporters. These were violent times and inter-clan feuds were frequent. The Toothless Maclaine of Lochbuie ( a branch of Clan Maclean) engaged in a bloody rivalry with his own son, Eachuin of the Little Head, and this conflict involved neighboring clans. Eachuin was killed, and it is his ghost, 'The Headless Horseman, who rides to foretell the death of the Maclaine Chieftain at Lochbuie. Iain the Toothless was then captured by Hector Odhar and was imprisoned on the island of Cairnburg, far away from all women so that he would not produce an heir. His only female contact was with a maid servant so ugly that Hector thought an alliance with her improbable, if not impossible. Iain the Toothless did indeed get his heir-Murdoch the Stunted, who after many escapades eventually returned to Mull to carry on the succession of the Maclaines of Lochbuie. The Macleans continued to support the Macdonalds, but the Macdonalds power was diminishing and was replaced by the growth of the Campbell clan. In the 1500's, Lachlan MacLean of Duart married Catherine Campbell. She failed to produce an heir, so he abandoned her on a rock that he knew would be covered by the incoming tide. Some fishermen rescued her and returned her to her brother. Lachlan MacLean reported her death to the Earl, unsuspecting that she was alive and with her family. The Campbells took their revenge and he was ‘dirked in bed'. The rock that Lachlan left Catherine on is known as 'The Lady Rock' and can be seen at low tide from Duart Castle.

Our next notable head of the clan, Sir Lachlan Mor Maclean, was a questionable character. Under his leadership, a feud with the Macdonalds over control of the sea route to Ulster ended in disaster. The sea was the highway, and viewed as crucial to survival, this particular feud regarded the Macdonalds infiltration into Islay and Jura which affected the trading route between Scotland and Ireland. Lachlan persuaded Spanish soldiers to join forces against the Macdonalds. The soldiers went off to fight against the Macdonalds, but Maclean hostages were held on the Spanish galleon to ensure the safe return of the soldiers. The galleon was mysteriously blown up with the Macleans on board, but the soldiers had luckily not returned. Was this the handiwork of a Macdonald spy, or a plan by Lachlan himself to sink the ship knowing that there were treasure chests aboard? He was ruthless enough to execute such an action as the next story will verify. Lachlan's widowed mother decides to marry, but at the reception, Lachlan bursts in and murders eighteen of the guests and then imprisons the bridegroom. The man had some pretty serious issues. He met his death after ignoring a warning not to take his galleys anti-sunwise around this particular small island. He was shortly thereafter killed by a hunchback he had not been kind to. In the years that followed, the Campbell clan took it upon themselves to humble both the Macleans and the Macdonalds, who were weakened by years of inter-clan warfare and by the deaths of their chiefs. Having the ear of James VI, the Campbells were quite pleased when he sent a Viceroy to Mull to attempt to subdue the troublesome clans. The Viceroy set up an evening on his flagship, at anchor just offshore Aros Castle. As they waited for his lordship to propose the royal toast, they were told they were under arrest. They were taken to Edinburgh, where eventually they were forced to agree to the terms of the Statutes of Iona under which they lost most of their sovereignty over the islands. The Macleans were allowed to retain Duart. From 1648, the Macleans were the King's principal supporters in the Western Isles but for almost 100 years the chiefs were young and the Campbells engaged in a private war with them in both the courts and the field. Although their monarch had treated them badly, Clan Maclean remained loyal to the Crown throughout the Cromwellian war in 1651. As the Macleans reached Inverkeithing, they probably met fugitives fleeing the battle. They stood their ground and paid dearly. Sir Hector Ruadh Maclean was killed, along with eight of his foster brothers as they fought to rescue their chief. They threw themselves between their chief and the enemy crying out 'Another for Hector, Fear eu airson Echuin'. 750 clansmen were slaughtered, and only 40 made their way back to Mull. This sacrifice did not go unnoticed by the crown, and while other clans felt the full force of government wrath, the Clan Maclean did not. After the Civil War, the Maclean family found themselves very deeply in debt- they had mortgaged much of their lands in order to raise money to fight for the King, and the Campbells bought up these debts, acquiring much of Maclean lands. In the risings of 1688, Duart Castle was besieged from

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the sea by English warships, and the chief was leading his clan and fighting for the Jacobites; The Jacobites' defeat enabled the Campbells to return to Mull and Duart Castle was taken. All the Maclean estates were then forfeited. In the risings of 1745, the Macleans joined with the Maclachlans at the Battle of Culloden, but from this ill-fated battle there were few survivors. The Chief, Sir Hector was taken to London as a prisoner. He was released and transported to Italy where he died without incident. The Macleans were now landless, chiefless, and suffering from the economic disaster caused by the introduction of sheep into the Highlands. Many clansmen suffered from starvation before taking the step to migrate. In 1911, Sir Fitzroy Maclean, bought back the ruin of Duart and a portion of the peninsula on which it stands. In 1912, he was restored as the 26th Chief of the Clan, witnessed by clansmen from all over the world. He then undertook the great task of restoring the ruin. When he reached the age of 100, he received a telegram from the Duke of Argyll suggesting that on such an auspicious occasion, the feud with the Campbells should end. Sir Fitzroy replied: 'Certainly, for my lifetime!' He died at 102 and is buried in the only grave, to face his beloved Duart. Our current Chief, Sir Lachlan Maclean of Duart and Morven, 28th Chief of Clan Gillean, works on the mainland and spends as much time as possible at Duart; work on repairs to the castle still continue. In 2000, Sir Lachlan planted the Millennium Wood, a collection of trees and shrubs indigenous to Argyll. The castle is strategically positioned on a high crag at the end of a peninsula, called Dubh Ard-Black Point. It is unprotected from the winter storms and mountains; islands and seaways are in clear view. It dominates the crucial sea lanes of the Inner Hebrides, commanding the channel between the Sound of Mull and the mainland of Scotland. Its positioning was of great importance when the Norse and Vikings raided. Eight other chiefs built castles on either side of the Sound, and a beacon signal was used between these castles. The present building was constructed in the 12th century, but there was a fortress on this site before this. The entrance of the castle leads into a courtyard, where there is a rowan tree, said to ward off evil and ill-doers. It is magnificent-from the dungeons, turnpike stairways, The Sea Room (which overlooks the Sound of Mull and Loch Linnhe), the Great Hall where much feasting took place, to the walkway surrounding the outer walls at the very top, built to keep watch for enemies. We were very fortunate in that our B & B hostess arranged a private tour of another Maclean castle-Moy of the Lochbuie. The site on which the castle sits is not naturally defensible, but overlooks the loch Buie, and protects the plain behind it. The name of the castle-Moy, is derived from ‘Caistel nan Maoidh', Castle of the Threatening. According to legend, this land was regained from the MacFadyen clan by simply building the castle on land they (the Macleans) felt was their own.

The castle was in disrepair, but steeped in history. On the ground floor, a deliberate hole, about four feet in circumference had been built. Fed by an underground spring, the hole would naturally fill and empty of water, consistent with the tide. The story goes that this was used either as a torture devise or as a death chamber. A prisoner would be placed in the hole, standing upright; if he did not reveal information that was sought; he would be left to drown as the hole filled with water. Ascending the two spiral staircases was a challenge, as it was extremely dark and the stones were worn from years of use and disrepair. There was only enough room for one person at a time, very narrow and close, and at least one shoulder was in contact with either the inside or outside walls for balance. The first staircase opened up to be what appeared to have been at one time a great hall. On one wall, there appeared to be what was left of a hearth and huge fireplace. Smaller chambers on this floor were assumed to have been bedrooms at one time. The second staircase led to more, smaller chambers, and to a larger room believed to be at one time a sitting room. The remains of another huge fireplace was evident. The roof here was almost nonexistent, and great care was taken when exploring the walkway, a third of which was still safe to walk upon. This visit was a humbling experience for me, as I had visions of how harsh and unyielding life was for the people that lived not only in that castle, but others dwelling in the area as well. The highlight of this visit was the trip to the Lochbuie Stone Circle, of which there is little talk of. The locals know of it, but as with other sacred sites, I found that this circle was well protected from the public, virtually by it not being made public. Some locals believed in the sacredness of these sites, and protected their locations, while others did not appear to have the slightest clue what they were about-nor did they care. I also found this attitude with other ancient traditions; at the start of salmon season, fishermen throw whiskey in the loch, but cannot explain why. These ancient traditions have survived, but people don't understand what their actions mean. Anyway..... to the stone circle....the circle is about a quarter of a mile from the castle, hidden from sight by trees. It is by no means large as compared to Stonehenge, or Callanish, or Meg and her Daughters, but the same feeling of completeness overtook me at each of these circles. The circle itself had nine stones with an outside stone in the North and two other outside stones in the South. These three outside stones were in a vertical line of each other. I was strangely drawn to the North and South stones, and found them extremely warm to my touch, while the other stones were cool. It was a very cold and rainy day, so warmth on stones that should have been cool was something one needs to think about. As I walked the circle, I again had visions of what had gone before, in days of old, in ancient times Rhianna

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WILL THE REAL DRUIDS PLEASE STAND UP! Written by Cat Annis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE Fact versus Myth ....................................................................................................................................................24 The Celtic Culture ..................................................................................................................................................25 The 3 Vocations of Druidry....................................................................................................................................26 Did the Druids perform human sacrifice?...............................................................................................................27 Did the Druids Construct Stonehenge?...................................................................................................................28 Did the Druids believe in one God or many? .........................................................................................................28 Were the Druids priests and priestesses of the Celts! .............................................................................................29 Did Druids revere the oak tree and mistletoe?........................................................................................................30 Were the Druids old men dressed in robes and sandals? ........................................................................................31 Celtic dress .............................................................................................................................................31 Were there women Druids? ....................................................................................................................................32 Did the Druids believe in reincarnation? ................................................................................................................32 Could Druids foretell the future? ............................................................................................................................33 How many seasonal rituals did the Druids perform?..............................................................................................33 Was there a creation myth?.....................................................................................................................................34 Why did the Celts revere the human head? ............................................................................................................34 Summary.................................................................................................................................................................35 Bibliography ...........................................................................................................................................................37 Fact versus Myth The lack of factual information has long made the Druid a subject of much speculation and at times the victim of over wrought minds so much so that the Druid has evolved into a romantic figure of a fanciful never, never world, or into evil wizards bent on destruction by means of manipulation and magic. Even now in the 21st Century the so-called information age much that is deemed factual is still unconfirmed and those few apparently solid facts that can be established seem to change and evolve and are open to interpretation. Most of the information points to this understanding that the Druids were an intellectual and religious caste among the tribal peoples of pagan Europe and were custodians of their cultural and spiritual heritage in the centuries before our Common Era (BCE). They practiced their rites in urban shrines and woodland groves, holding the natural world as sacred, in particular honoring certain trees, plants and animals, rivers, lakes and springs. Historians generally associate Druids with the Iron Age Celtic culture that spread out from central Europe from about 800 to 200 BCE, yet the Celtic people of Gaul maintained that Druidry originated in Britain and that Druids from continental Europe went there to study. Archaeological evidence suggests that many aspects of Celtic religious practice derived from much earlier traditions. The true history of the Druid is shrouded within the veils of the past and much of the knowledge they held in high esteem will stay there with them. As the Pre-Christian Druids did not commit their teachings to writing, it is not that they didn't know how to write, but, according to Julius Caesar, they preferred not to for reasons of secrecy and for the better cultivation of memory. The Druids used the Ogham alphabet to communicate mundane things and never ever committed their rites or secrets to the written word. They also spoke and wrote in riddles to further confuse anyone who might be able to understand the basic alphabet. Ogham writings have been found on standing stones all across Europe. Ogham has been also referred to as the tree alphabet as each symbol bears the name of a species of tree.

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See examples below:

. There are 369 verified examples of Ogham surviving today Ogham alphabet

Clearly, all of this makes writing about Druidry a confusing and difficult task. To attempt to discern fact from myth is only as difficult as trying to capture the true history of the Druids, because the interpretation of history shifts and changes. Druidry is not confined to one time, one people or one understanding; each successive generation or conqueror reformulates it, shaping it in their own image, or in their own image of the past. Crucial as well to a better understanding of the Druids and Celtic peoples history is recognition that rarely, if ever, do foreign observers, or other religions, such as Christianity view this endemic phenomenon with the same eyes as the indigenous population.1In his book The World of the Celts Simon James also includes we the modern viewer in the ranks of the unaware. “ To the modern observers, the Celtic religion seems deeply exotic and alien, its mystery compounded by blood curdling tales of human sacrifice and the shadowy figures of the Druids. The Celts were an extremely superstitious people, beholden to their gods, the spirits and the priests. There lives were regimented by ritual and taboos.” Since the vast majority of Celtic materials attesting to this feature of Celtic culture are provided by Irish tradition (albeit in forms recorded, mostly, by Christian monks.) With these understandings given, we will begin. The Celtic Culture The purpose of the next few paragraphs is to establish a brief understanding of the ancient Celts and their Druids. Beyond these lie the debunking or confirming of current thought with regard to who were the Druids and what function they served in Ancient Celtic society. The first glimmerings of the Druids and the Celts begins with the assimilation of the Beaker and Battle-Axe people forming the Central European Celts or Gaels in the area now known as the Eurasian steppes in the late Bronze age (2000 B.C.). In his paper “The Ancestors from New Grange to 2000 Sitheag Nic Trantham bean Bochanan writes; “The area covered by Celtic domain at the height of its expansion in the third century B.C. was enormous, encompassing no less than the British Isles, France, the western Iberian peninsula, a large part of northern. Italy, most of Germany, the Low Countries, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, a major portion of the Balkans, and Galatia in Asia Minor. And we have reason to assume that as far as the Celtic realm extended, so did the power and influence of the Druids. Everywhere evidence speaks strongly for the cultural, if not political, unity of the people. Any further discussion on the Druids cannot commence without a short reference to the Celtic thought and social Tribal structure when the ancient Druids were in existence. It should be understood that the Celts while vast in number never had a “Celtic Empire”. Celts were in fact a tribal peoples, each person was a member of an independent tribe. Sometime these tribes would band together to defeat a common enemy but alliances were loosely knit. This is important as to understand that Celtic Tribal Society was based on “for the good of the tribe”. There was no nationalism, as we now know it. It must also be mentioned that Celtic society at the time was egalitarian with women holding equal status in property ownership, on the battlefield and in the Druidic caste. The ancient Celts we will be exploring are the Scottish, Manx and Irish, with reference to the European Gaulish Druids when the information warrants. These two different groups had as great deal in common although their belief structures were not identical. In general the tribe was divided into three castes much like the modern Hindu caste system. The three segments of society were the producers, the warriors and the intelligencia who were the Druids. All things were seen in three aspects by the ancient Celts, as three was a sacred number. In order to fully understand the Celtic mindset, you will need to think in what is known as “Triany Logic”. This threefold outlook is indispensable for a proper understanding of ancient Celtic Culture. Peter Beresford Ellis, on page 128 of his work the The Druids, writes: “… the Celts saw homo sapiens as body, soul and spirit; the world they inhabited as earth, sea and air; the divisions of nature as

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animal, vegetable and mineral; the cardinal colors as red, blue and yellow and so forth. Three was the number of all things. Most of their gods were three personalities in one. Combinations of the figure three occur often in Celtic tales such as nine (three times three) and thirty three.” The tenants of traditional law, custom and wisdoms were all based in this three-fold aspect. These laws are referred to as the Triads or Brehon Laws. These laws governed every aspect of Celtic existence. The main philosophy or concept of the Druids was that Truth was the supreme power with truth being the word and the word was sacred which of course leads back to the prohibition of the written word. Having somewhat established the “Triany Logic” of ancient Celtic thought we can now continue with the structure of the caste system of the Celts, as all things are seen in three so were the Druids divided. The 3 Vocations of Druidry Bards, Ovates and Ollamh, with the latter being the degree, which rightfully called themselves Druids. These were the three vocations or callings of the ancient Celtic Druid. The word Druid in its’ most recent form still brings about a myriad of questions and fears. Any discussion of the subject must include an attempt to explain the meaning of the term, for the very name occasions some dispute among Celticists. -- Pliny the Elder (1st cent. a.d.) in his Natural History (NH) offers the suggestion that, because of their reverence for the oak, the druidae may be so called from the Greek name for the tree -- drus . There are those, however, such as Le Roux who see dru- as an intensive combining with the rest of the name *wid- ("know," like English "wit") to denote "very wise." Nora Chadwick, and Stuart Piggott discuss the question. Chadwick concludes that the "oak" association is "more probable," but that the word's origin is "quite obscure." Piggott surmises that tree association of this type would "be appropriate enough" considering the Celtic religion, its sanctuaries, and the forests of Europe Piggott notes, interestingly, that Lucan (1st cent. A.D.) uses the form dryadae for "druids," possibly due to influence from the Greek word for "nymphs" (dryades in Latin). If so, it would go far to show that at least among Latin writers there was an accepted association. Let us now explore the facts and myths of the Druid. Here is a brief description of each of the callings or vocations of the Druids. The Bards were "the keepers of tradition, of the memory of the tribe - they were the custodians of the sacredness of the Word." In Ireland, they trained for 12 years learning grammar, hundreds of stories, songs, poems, philosophy, and the Ogham tree-alphabet. Not much has to be said about the bards. Strabo (IV, 4) describes them as "singers and poets" (hymnetai\ kai\ poietai\), The Ovates worked with the processes of death and regeneration. They were the native healers of the Celts. They specialized in divination, conversing with the ancestors, and prophesizing the future. It was said of this group that one method of divination was by using a human victim and stabbing them with a knife and divined by viewing the death throws of the individual. (For further information I will ask you to refer to the following section on human sacrifice.) The authors of this tale never mention having seen these things first hand but are quoting other third party individuals statements. Strabo describes the function of the Vates as "interpreters of sacrifices and natural philosophers" (hieropoioi\ kai\ physiolo\goi). The Ollamh or Druids and Druidesses formed the professional class in Celtic society. They performed the functions of modern day priests, teachers, ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets and judges. They underwent lengthy training: some sources say 20 years. Druids led all public rituals, which were normally held within fenced groves of sacred trees. In their role as priests, "they acted not as mediators between God and man, but as directors of ritual, as shamans guiding and containing the rites." The specialized function of the "druid" is described in Strabo IV, 4 as the science of nature and moral philosophy (pro\s te physiologi/a kai\ ten ethiken philosophi/an). Most leaders mentioned in the surviving records were male. It is not known whether female Druids were considered equal to their male counterparts, or whether they were restricted to special responsibilities. Christian monks might have deleted references to women exercising religious power from the record during the Celtic Christian era. Again I must make reference to the Celtic society of that time being egalitarian with women having equal rights in everything, as Christianity being a paternalistic religion this last statement would definitely seem to hold some truth. Did the ancient druids perform human sacrifice? Many historians believe that the ancient Druids performed human sacrifices. Most of these references can be traced back to the writings of one individual, Julius Caesar. He may well have been prejudiced against the Celts because of their continual warfare with the Romans. In war, the enemy is routinely demonized. Peter Beresford Ellis in his book The Druids writes; “Pliny the Elder (AD23/24-79) seems to be the first to raise questions about the reasons for the decline of Druids and certainly has no hesitation in attributing it to Roman repression. Yet one cannot really take seriously the claim that this was done because of Roman outrage against a religion they associated with human sacrifice when Rome itself was so used to mass sacrifices…The curious fact is that no insular Celtic literature, nor traditions provide evidence for the practice of human sacrifice as a religious rite.” Many other references to human

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sacrifice can be found but most if not all of them usually in some way refer back to those of Julius Caesar. It also must be noted that Caesar does remark that the sacrifices were usually of criminals. Some remains of executions have been found in the archeological record, but it is not obvious whether the victims were killed during religious rituals or to carry out the sentence of a court. There is one reference to human sacrifice in Celtic literature, but it appears to be a Christian forgery. According to Strabo (64/63 B.C.E. - 21 C.E. at least) in his Geography (4.1.13): “The Romans put a stop both to these customs and to the ones connected with sacrifice and divination, as they were in conflict with our own ways: for example, they would strike a man who had been consecrated for sacrifice in the back with a sword, and make prophecies based on his death-spasms; and they would not sacrifice without the presence of the Druids. Other kinds of human sacrifices have been reported as well: some men they would shoot dead with arrows and impale in the temples; or they would construct a huge figure of straw and wood, and having thrown cattle and all manner of wild animals and humans into it, they would make a burnt offering of the whole thing” (trans. by Benjamin Fortson, in Koch and Carey 1995, 18). In his book The Ancient Celts, Barry Cunliffe states on pg 192 “A distinction should be made between human sacrifice made to propiate the gods and that performed in the interests of divination. Diodorus Siculus, probably quoting Poseidonius, is informative. When entering into important matters, he tells us, “They devote to death a human being and stab him with a dagger in the region of the diaphragm and when he has fallen they foretell the future from his fall and from the convulsion of his limbs and, moreover, from the spurting of the blood, placing their trust in some ancient and long continued observation of these practices. (Hist. 5.31) Another statement from Ceasar says with regard to the Druids and sacrifice: “The whole nation of Gauls is greatly devoted to ritual observances, and for that reason those who are smitten with the more grievous maladies and who are engaged in perils of battle either sacrifice human victims or vow to do so, employing the Druids as ministers for such sacrifices. They believe, in effect that unless a man’s life a life be paid, the majesty of the immortal gods may be appeased” Caesar, Gallic War 6.16 The ancient Celts might have engaged in ritual killing; certainly other contemporary societies did. One would expect that any number of references to human sacrifice would appear in the extensive Celtic literature. Especially since these were being recorded by the newly Christianized Celts who could have seized the opportunity to further impugn their pagan past. Human sacrifice was part of the rite of the Gaulish druids, sometimes an individual being sacrificed and slain: sometimes in great numbers together. There is no record of any human sacrifice in connection with the Irish druids: and there are good grounds for believing that direct human sacrifice was not practiced at all in Ireland.

An example of a Wicker man from the film of the same name.

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Did the Druids Construct Stonehenge? Many people believe that the Druids constructed Stonehenge, the complex of standing stones in South Central England among many other found on the isles of Great Britain. Stonehenge I ("Old Stonehenge"), which was composed of the 56 "Aubrey" holes, was constructed circa 3500 BCE. The current formation was completed circa 1500 BCE. This was almost a millennium before the start of Celtic civilization “ “Although later, in the 19th century, Sir John Lubbock (1834-1913) dated Stonehenge to a period much earlier than the time of the Druids (that is, to about 2000 B.C.E., whereas the Druids don't appear in the historical record until 1800 years later)”, “http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMDruids.html The Druids may have preceded the Celts in England. Thus, either the Druids or their forerunners might have been responsible for the finishing of Stonehenge and other monuments. There is no historical proof that they were or were not involved. Even if they did not actually construct these monuments, they may well have performed rituals there, and understood its astronomical meanings and uses. In Ireland and Great Britain, there are many ancient "Druid" altars, beds, rings, stones, stone circles and temples. However, radiocarbon analyses assign dates such as 1380 BCE (Wilsford Shaft) to monuments, but did not necessarily build them Did the Druids believe in only one God or many? Some writers have promoted the concept that Druids were basically monotheistic, following a sort of pre-Christian belief system. There is essentially no evidence of this. Druids worshipped a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. One of the most often cited statements about Celtic gods is that we have over 300 of their names that came down on us, while we know actually almost nothing about their functions. With this statement, usually the idea is transferred that the Celts had an unbelievable large pantheon which consisted mainly of local gods and demigods, with only a few if at all gods in common. However, this is probably a misinterpretation due to lack of knowledge. On page 88 in his book the Ancient Celts Simon James states” The Celts like their Greek and Roman counterparts, were polytheistic-they believed in a multiplicity of deities” and on page 89 he further states” Many deities are venerated in triads, or were three aspects of one god, sometimes depicted as three faced.” It is possible that with the coming of Christianity, Druids took on new roles and adapted to the new culture and became monotheists. In his work renewing the Irish Church: Towards an Irish Liberation Theology (1993) Father Joe McVeigh points out; “The first Christian missionaries did not attempt to root and branch eradication of the Celtic Druidic tradition and beliefs. Instead, the new religion absorbed the holy mountains and the innumerable holy wells and gave them Christian names.” For example Ireland now has countless wells and springs dedicated to the Christian Saint Bridget. She was obviously descended from the Celtic Goddess Brigit/Brigit. "Finding the cult of Brigit impossible to eradicate, the Catholic church rather unwisely canonized her as a saint, calling her Bridget or Bride." The sacred ownership of the various Pagan holy sites was simply translated from Goddess Brigid to St. Bridget after the area was Christianized. The adoption of Christianity in Ireland did not lead to the abolition of the Druids but to their transformation. It is interesting to note also that many of the early Christian Saints were referred to as Druids. In a Life of Samson (A biography of a British Celtic Saint) written at the end of the 6th century AD, it is said, “that Samson’s teacher, the famous Illtyd (c. AD425-505) was by descent a most wise Druid. Were the Druids priests and priestesses of the Celts! When we look at the Druid caste as a whole we will discover that service to the people in a priestly role was only one of the duties of a Druid. Druid is not a term that describes solely a priest or priestess of the Celtic people. Druids were the intelligencia or learned class in Celtic Society. Caesar wrote that they "know much about the stars and celestial motions, and about the size of the earth and universe, and about the essential nature of things, and about the powers and authority of' the immortal gods; and these things they teach to their pupils." “Caesar's perception of Gallic social structures puts forth the theory that we may have the role of the Druid all wrong. Whereas the modern view of them is that of priests, that in actuality they had the tripartite duties of priests, philosophers and judges. The ancient world didn't have the separation of church and state that we do now. Instead of being a mysterious magician priests, they actually were an oligarchic elite with both judicial and religious duties. If so, it appears that Caesar had a much clearer picture of the Druids and the Celts than many have given him credit for. He understood the importance of the Druids, which quite possibly accounts for his very harsh treatment of them. They held the history, the law, the wisdom, and the religion of their society. Once this was removed, much of what made them Celts also eventually vanished.” Celtic chiefdom, Celtic State, New Directions in Archaeology, Edited by Bettina Arnold and D. Blair Gibson, Cambridge University Press, 1996 We know that, according to Caesar (BG VI, 14-2), "Many young men assemble of their own motion to receive their training; many are sent by parents and relatives. Report says that in the schools of the druids they learn by heart a

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great number of verses, and therefore some persons remain twenty years under training.” Additionally, as well according to Caesar (VI, 13 and 14), they usually do not participate in wars, they don't have to pay taxes, they elect for lifetime one out of their midst to be chief druid (more or less the druid pope), a position which is very honorable and therefore sometimes it is, if no decision can be found, even fought about with weapons. Diogenes Laertius wrote that Druids had three main ideals: ...to revere Divine Being, to abstain from evil, and to live with courage." and again [attributes to Druids]: "...riddles and dark sayings; teachings that the gods must be worshipped, and no evil done, and manly behavior maintained." Diodorus Siculus: [The Druids are] philosophers and theologians... skilled in the divine nature. "They (the Celts) have also certain philosophers and theologians who are treated with great honor, whom they call Druids. They further make use of Seers, thinking them worthy of praise.” It bears mentioning hear that the Druids also were divided by the area of special service that they had selected such as the Brehon who were specialist in the law and the Cainte which specialized in Magic or Divination). The Brehons were the longest lasting branch of the Druidic teachings, lasting until the early 1600s when the Brehon Law in Ireland was replaced with English Common Law. The information following shows clearly that Druids were also skilled physicians and more advanced than previously thought. The following information was taken from an article By: Gloria Chang, February 27, 1998 www.rense.com/ufo/druids.htm Ancient Druids More High-Tech than Thought

The medical kit from left to right: two scalpels, saw, two combined sharp and blunt hooks, unknown double sharp hook, two forceps, three handled needles, scoop probe, and the handle of an unknown object. Recent archeological finds have also found when archaeologists excavated an unusual 2000-year-old burial site in the outskirts of Colchester, England -- the oldest recorded town in Britain -- they uncovered various vessels, a dinner setting and a wooden game board. But what brought the find to international attention was a surprisingly sophisticated medical kit dated at about 50 A.D. "There are lots of examples of medical kits in continental Europe, but this is the first example from Britain. It's very special because it's a very early example and it's British." The complete medical kit composed of thirteen instruments including scalpels, hooks, needles,

and forceps -- suggesting that the British healer practiced a variety of surgical techniques on tonsils, hemorrhoids and even cataract surgery. "The operations could have included bone surgery, tonsillectomy, the treatment of varicose veins, and fine operations," says Ralph Jackson, an expert in ancient medical instruments at the British Museum in London. Two millennia ago, healers in the Celtic world belonged to a high-status, learned group of people including Druids (religious priests), bards, diviners and physicians. It isn't clear how these functions overlapped as Druids were also credited with powers of magic and divination and may have also been well versed in poetry. The British doctor could very well have been a Druid

Above: Doctor's grave with dishes and amphora. Below: These mysterious rods were also found in the British tomb. They may have been used for divination -- to find out if the time was right for whatever surgical course of action

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All pictures courtesy the Colchester Archeological Trust So, given some of the more recent archeological finding it would be safe to assume that Druids were definitely more than just the ministers of the priestly functions of the Celts. The Druids were the learned class of people, as well as being the leaders in both the political and religious realms included Doctors within their ranks. Druids revered the Oak tree and Mistletoe! The Druids considered the mistletoe and the tree on which it grows provided it is an oak sacred. They choose the oak to form groves, and they do not perform any religious rites without its foliage..(Mistletoe.) "Anything growing on those trees [oaks] they regard as sent from heaven and a sign that this tree has been chosen by the gods themselves. Mistletoe is, however, very rarely found, and when found, it was gathered with great ceremony and especially on the sixth day of the moon... They (the Druids) believed that if given in drink the mistletoe will give fecundity to any barren animal, and that it is predominant against all poisons." Besides observing that the name 'Druid' is derived from "oak", it was Pliny the Elder, in his Naturalis Historia (XVI, 95), who associates the Druids with mistletoe and oak groves. "They call the mistletoe by a name meaning the "all-healing". Having made preparations for sacrifice and a banquet beneath the trees, they bring thither two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time. Clad also in a white robe, the priest ascends the tree and cuts the mistletoe with a golden sickle and it is received by others in a white cloak. Then they kill the victims (bulls), praying that God will render this gift of his propitious to those to whom he had granted it. They believe that the mistletoe, taken in drink, impart fertility to barren animals and that it is an anti-dote to all poisons. Such as the religious feelings that are entertained towards trifling things by many people.” http://www.danann.org/library/herb/mist6.html Another writing by Pliny found from another source: "The Druids...hold nothing more sacred than the mistletoe and the tree on which it grows provided it is an oak. They choose the oak to form groves, and they do not perform any religious rites without its foliage..." Pliny also describes how the Druids used a "gold pruning hook" or "sickle" to gather the mistletoe. :http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMDruids.html It is interesting to note that in this modern age the Aino in Japan still revere the mistletoe and will give it to barren women to help them become pregnant. In this way the Aino and the ancient Druids agree about the properties of the mistletoe. See sprig of mistletoe in hand of Druid below.

Plate from Aylett Sammes, Britannia Antiqua Illustrata, 1676

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Were Druids older men with long white beards wearing white robes?

and sandals? Popular belief has long held that Druids were men with long white beards, wearing white robes and sandals. They are purported to look like what we all would consider to a wise man, sage or seer. If we refer to the 1740 drawing of William Stukeley, on the front cover, what we see is the typical image of a Druid, however the only written description of the clothing wore by the Druid is a cloak made for the Chief Poet worn only for special occasions. It is described as a tuigen; it was a cloak and was covered in the feathers of birds. Celtic Dress We will need to explore what typical Celtic dress was for this era in order to find clues if any to how Druids actually dresses. If we look at the typical dress for the peoples of that time we find that during the era of 500 BC - 1 AD (Late Iron Age) women wore a Greek style chiffon over a sleeved under-tunic for the colder climate. The Celts had been in contact with the Greeks from early times. The Celtic 'bog dress,' as it has been called, might have been an imitation of Greek garments, or it might have been a logical development due to the shape of the finished fabric produced on a loom: it's very simple to make a dress by taking a length of fabric, doubling it on itself, pinning it at the shoulders and belting the waist. Celtic men are described as wearing colorful tunics, with or without breeches. Sleeves are narrow to the wrist, with decoration at the wrist and neck; short sleeves were also worn. The breeches could be wide, narrow (as on the Gundestrup cauldron), or in one case, wide at the top, fitted below the knee, and with straps beneath the instep. Clothing was highly decorated with fringe and embroidery. The Celts even had 'cloth of gold', made by wrapping thin strips of gold around the threads. Embroidery was usually done with stem stitch in silk or colored wool on linen, since linen does not take dye well, or sometimes with white linen embroidery on a colored wool background. Beads were also used to embellish clothing. [Barber, Prehistoric Textiles, pp. 139-140] Hair was worn (in battle, at least) spiked with lime. This had the effect of bleaching the hair, so that one would achieve the effect described in the depiction of CuChullain: [Findabair describing CuChullain:] The man has long, braided, yellow hair with three colors on it: dark brown at the base, blood red in the middle and golden yellow at the tip. [Gantz, p. 235] Celtic women were known for wearing their hair in ornate braided arrangements, sometimes with golden balls holding the tips of each braid. Celtic men also braided their hair, as seen above.( www.reconstructinghistory.com) If the Druids were wearing white robes they would have been so because they were made of linen, which does not take dye well, and nor was white easily achieved so perhaps a light brown or yellow would be more accurate. This would have surely separated them from other Celts in the lower castes at the time that loved bright and gaudy dress. Other than the reference to the tuigen there is no record of what a Druid wore.

This nineteenth-century painting by LaRoche shows a Druidess holding both the sickle and a sprig of mistletoe. She is also standing next to a megalithic structure. Were there women Druids? The presence of women within the Druid class has long been a topic of discussion, as mentioned earlier it is most likely that the Christian Monks removed any reference to women in this class. First to confirm or deny their existence we must look to the fascinating role of women in Celtic society. Celtic Women enjoyed a far greater position in society than their Greek or Roman counterparts. In his book The Druids, Peter Beresford Ellis writes; the position of women, as it emerges in the Brehon Law system of Ireland, at a time when women were treated as chattels in most European societies, was amazingly advanced. Women could be found in many professions, even

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as lawyers and judges, such as Brigh, a celebrated woman-Brehon. Women had the right to succession and, as we have seen, could emerge as a supreme authority, though kingship, in the historic period, was mainly confined to males. We must also refer to the Myths and Legends of the Irish, which include many references to the “Ban Droi” female druids. These references are many including Queen Boudica. According to Dio Cassius, Boudica was a priestess of the goddess Andrasta who is describes as the goddess of victory (Ellis, The Druids, p.92). As a result Ellis states that "an argument could, therefore, be made that Boudica was a Druidess as well as a Queen" Ellis, a Celtic Scholar believes that "female druids have become reduced in [old Celtic] stories to witch-like figures" (Ellis, Celtic Women, p.221) since the onset of Christianity. This would account for the demonizing of witches/Druidesses. This would have been a likely result of the church extracting power from the once powerful Celtic women. There is archeological proof of female witch/Druidesses. The Larzac tablet found in France, constructed of lead, a dark, heavy, yet easily malleable material, has an inscription of 160 words in ancient Gaulish. The inscription has little decoration with only a simple fanciful script. The tablet was broken, most likely before its burial, into two halves. The inscription describes two groups of rival women endowed with magic. The tablet explains that one group attempted to harm the other with magic and as a result the affected group consulted wise women to "neutralize the evil charm." The stone as found in tomb 71 among 114 other tombs and could possibly be a marker to ward off the evil of the opposing group to the dead (Ellis, The Druids). “The introduction of the Christian religion was the final blow that ended the equalitarianism of Celtic society. "When the Celts began to accept Christianity, Celtic women, as they had been in Pagan times were equal with men in preaching religion" (Ellis, Celtic Women, p.142). It is possible that although many Druids and Druidesses were opposed to conversion to Christianity, some might have joined the Church. As a result women had little problems obtaining high-level positions since the old religion had clearly accepted women as equals. In fact evidence shows that in the 5th century, the Irish Catholic Church ordained two women Bishops, Bridget of Kildare and Beoferlic of the Celtic Church in Northumbria and that they preformed mass and gave the sacrament” http://www.unc.edu/courses/art111/celtic/catalogue/femdruids/FalloftheDruidesses.html Tacitus gives us an account of what would be assumed to be female Druidesses

"On the beach stood the adverse array¹, a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with disheveled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralyzed, they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement" (Tacitus Annals XIV.xxix-xxx.)

Mogh Roith, who was one of the greatest Irish Druids, was taught by a female Druid named Banbhuana, the daughter of Deargdhualach. A Druidess trained Fionn MacCumhall, from the Irish Fenian myths, in poetry and magic. A woman named Asa (Irish for "Gentle") became Fianna and took the name Ni-Asa ("Not Gentle"), which eventually became "Nessa"; at the time she became mother to King Conchobar. Her influence was such that her son kept her name instead of his father's name, thus: "Conchobar Mac Nessa", or "Conor, son of Nessa". The mythical Irish hero Cu/Chullain was trained by a land-owning warrior queen named Scathach, for whom the Scottish island of Skye is named. It is without doubt that I say that there were females who were within the ranks of Druid. It is only by means of tampering with history have the complete record of them been removed. The church with its patriarchal views tried very hard to eradicate their history, but without victory. Did the Druids and the Celts Believe in Reincarnation The Otherworld and reincarnation, these are the central aspects of the Celtic religion. The Druids were always called upon to officiate at any of the ceremonies that involved the Otherworld and the gods and goddesses who reside there. It was said that the Druids were the principal point of their doctrine", says Caesar, "is that the soul does not die and that after death it passes from one body into another." But, as is well known, the belief in the immortality of the soul was not peculiar to the teachings of the philosophers of ancient Gaul. Just what was the nature of that second life in which they believed is not quite clear. Some of the Greek authors, struck by the analogy of this doctrine with that of Pythagoras, believed that the Druids had borrowed it from the Greek philosopher or one of his disciples. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05162a.htm Much has been already speculated about the afterlife beliefs of the Celts, but almost all is based upon a short notice in Caesar's De Bello Gallico, where he states: "The druids teach that the soul is immortal, that it moves from one to

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the other after death". This has been interpreted as a belief in rebirth similar to the Hindu reincarnation belief. However, it is more likely that what was really meant was a belief in that the soul lives on in an otherworld. It is Strabo who gives us yet another clue to the reality of Celtic belief. He said: “However, not only the Druids, but others as well, say that man’s soul and also the universe, are indestructible, although both fire and water will at sometime or other prevail over them Ammianus Marcellinus wrote that, "The druids...declared souls to be immortal." Pomponius Mela claimed that, "One of their dogmas has become widely known so they may the more readily go to wars: namely that souls are everlasting, and that among the shades is another life." What is less certain is whether the druids believed in reincarnation or transmigration of the soul. Diodorus Siculus wrote, "The Pythagorean doctrine prevails among them [the Gauls], teaching that the souls of men are immortal and live again for a fixed number of years inhabited in another body." Writing in the first century CE, Lucan the poet wrote in lines addressing the druids rhetorically, "It is you who say that the shades of the dead seek not the silent land of Erebus and the pale halls of Pluto; rather, you tell us that the same spirit has a body again elsewhere, and that death, if what you sing is true, is but the midpoint of long life." This belief in an otherworld or afterlife was what made the Celtic warriors so fierce on the Battlefield. Their belief in the otherword was so strong that arrangements were made for debts to be repaid in the afterlife. Druids could foretell the future! There are many references to the Druids foretelling the future by various means including that of ritual sacrifice of humans. Diodorus Siculus, probably quoting Poseidonius, is informative. When entering into important matters, he tells us, “They devote to death a human being and stab him with a dagger in the region of the diaphragm and when he has fallen they foretell the future from his fall and from the convulsion of his limbs and, moreover, from the spurting of the blood, placing their trust in some ancient and long continued observation of these practices. (Hist. 5.31) Imbas is a much misunderstood term which most people consider to be a form of divination. This however is not truly the case. Imbas Forosna is actually a form of communing with the Gods for inspiration. This was done by the Fili caste of the Druids. It was a rather unusual technique, according to Nora K. Chadwick it was as follows: "Imbas Forosna, 'Manifestation that enlightens': (it) discovers what thing so ever the poet likes and which he desires to reveal. Thus then is that done. The poet chews a piece of the red flesh of a pig, or a dog, or a cat, and puts it then on a flagstone behind the door-valve, and chants an incantation over it, and offers it to idol gods, and calls them to him, and leaves them not on the morrow, and then chants over his two palms, and calls again idol gods to him, that his sleep may not be disturbed. Then he puts his two palms on his two cheeks and sleeps. And men are watching him that he may not turn over and that no one may disturb him. And then it is revealed to him that for which he was (engaged) till the end of a nómad (three days and nights), or two or three for the long or the short (time?) that he may judge himself (to be) at the offering. And therefore it is called Imm-bas, to wit, a palm (bas) on this side and a palm on that around his head. Patrick banished that and the Tenm láida 'illumination of song,' and declared that no one who shall do that shall belong to heaven or earth, for it is a denial of baptism. Scottish Gaelic Studies, vol 4, part 2 Oxford University Press (1935) In other research I also found that this was also been done with a bull and then the Fili would not only chew a piece of the raw flesh but he/she would sleep in the skin of the beast as well. Druids used many techniques to foretell the future: meditation and they drew auguries from observation of the clouds, and of the heavenly bodies; and for purposes of divination they often used a rod of yew with Ogham words cut on it. They professed to be able to find out the lucky or unlucky days, and the period of suitable weather for beginning any business or enterprise, and to discern the future in general, from the voices of birds, from sneezing, and from the interpretation of dreams. Divination by the voices of birds was very generally practiced, especially from the croaking of the raven and the chirping of the wren: and the very syllables they utter, and their interpretation, are given in the old books. The wren in particular was considered a great a prophet. The Druids and Celts celebrated only four rituals yearly. What we know about calendrical beliefs is probably the best documented part of the beliefs (in form of the calendar of Coligny). We can be sure that in ancient Celtic Religion the year was divided in two main parts, the Winter half (starting with Samhain) and the Summer half (starting with Beltane) The other two great feasts (Imbolc and

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Lughnasad), if they at all existed in ancient Celtic Religion, seem to mark the respective middle of the respective halves. In his book “The World of the Celts by Simon James” he writes: Irish evidence suggests that the Celts annually celebrated four main festivals, each apparently associated with fertility and the changing seasons. But the feasts reflect more than just the annual cycle of farmers and herders: they also relate to the political and religious life of Irish communities. For example, the annual assembly of the Ulaid was held on the days either side of Samhain. Here is a brief description of these four festivals. February 1 Imbolc Said to be linked with the lactation of ewes. In Ireland sacred to the goddess Brigid (Christian feast of St. Brigit), another-goddess and patroness of childbirth. May 1 Beltain ‘Good fire’, connected with the sun’s warmth and the consequent fertility of crops and cattle. It was perhaps associated with the Sun god Belenos, who was worshipped in Gaul, Italy and the Alps . August 1 Lughnasa Harvest festival, associated with the god Lugh. A major festival was held in Lugdunum, ‘stronghold of Lugh’ on that day. November 1 Samhain The most important festival, perhaps marking the start of the Celtic year. Celebrated on the eve and day of Nov 1, it coincides with the modern Halloween. At Samhain, the barriers with the other world came down. The Gaulish Coligny calendar records it as Samonois. Druids and Celts Do Not Have a Creation Myth. We know almost nothing about the ancient Celtic beliefs about the creation of the world and its end. The only clues we have are about The Tuatha De Danaan came to Ireland out of the heavens on a magic cloud from the four cities of Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias. In these great places they had learned the great sciences and studies great crafts with sages. Each city had a sage as its King, and from these cities the Tuatha De Danaan brought four magical gifts to Ireland. From Falias came the stone called the Lia Fáil (for it was the Stone of Destiny), on which the High-Kings of Ireland stood when they were crowned. The Lia Fáil would roar its approval when a rightful monarch was elected to take his crown. It was prophesied that wherever the stone was, a monarch of Gaelic blood would reign, and so it is to this day. From Gorias came the Cliamh Solais (for it was the Sword of Light). From Finias came a magic spear, and from Murias came the Great Cauldron which could feed an army and still not be empty. On the end of the world we equally have almost little or no information. However, it can be guessed from statements as famous as "we fear nothing but that the heavens may fall down on our heads", which we know was said to Alexander the Great by Celts on the lower Danube as well as it finds itself in the Tain as the famous last words of Cuchullains (foster) father, that there existed a belief that at the end of the world the heaven would fall down on earth. The Druids and Celts Revered the Human Head. As far as we can say the Celts had a special reverence for the head. This is evident from the ancient sources, where we are told that heads of enemies were kept as family treasures, and that such heads would not be sold for their weight in gold, as we can find it in archaeology, where we as well have monuments like the one in Roquepertuse, where a stone portal was adorned with human skulls as we have often enough found separate skulls in the settlements and amulets made from human skull bones. An equivalent belief can also be seen in the Tain, where Conchobar keeps the brain of one of his enemies conserved in Emain Macha, which is later stolen and used as a slingshot against him, which later causes his death. That the head also had a special significance is also evident from a tale in the Mabinogion, where Bran tells his companions to severe his head and take it with them and after entertaining them for 80 years bury it in London with the face towards the continent to ward off any enemies (which could also be seen as an explanation for the human head depictions on artwork). This motive later becomes part of the early grail legend. What belief it exactly was that was connected to the head (especially the severed head) is unknown, but it has often

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been speculated that the head was seen as the part of the body that contained the soul, so it could well be that the one who had the head of a person also had his soul. In his book The Ancient Celts, Barry Cunliffee writes,

The curation of human remains is dramatically reflected in the Celtic attitude towards the head. Diodorus Siculus, presumably quoting Poseidonius, offers the standard disapproving view seen through the classical eyes: “They cut off the heads of enemies slain in battle and attach them to the necks of their horses. These blood stained spoils they hand over to their attendants and carry off as booty, while striking up a paean and singing a song of victory, and they nail up these first fruits upon their houses just as do those who lay low wild animals in certain kinds of hunting. They embalm in cedar-oil the heads of the most distinguished enemies and preserve them carefully in a chest and display them with pride to strangers, saying that for this head, one of their ancestors, or his father or the man himself, refused the offer of a large sum of money. (Hist. 5.29)”

Summary Of all the ancient religions, or belief systems none seem to be more elusive than that of the ancient Celts and their Druids. Is it perhaps the grisly tales of ritual sacrifices or perhaps that they are an enigma that causes such speculation and suspicion. We grow closer with each archeological find to knowing more and more about the things that existed at the same time as they did. Things that they used in their lifetime but we will never really know what they thought or how they truly worshiped. Let review what we know and don’t know. We do know that they were part of the Ancient Celtic culture from at least 2000 BCE. Of their actual origins we will never know. We do have many of the classical writers to thank for their writings that tell us who and what they observed the Druids to be. Albeit that they have given us an outsiders viewpoint. We have the bards and poets whose work has come down to us after the ban on writing was lifted. From them we have the great myths, which tell us some of the details of early times. Once again though we must read with the reminder of the Christian monks who transcribed and altered them. From these sources we must draw our own conclusions. We have a fairly good understanding of the Celtic society and the structure of that time. This structure was similar to the modern Hindu caste structure, which could indicate common roots. We have the Ogham alphabet, which was created and used by the Druids as their only form of written communication, of which we have some 360 existing examples all across Europe including Great Britain. From the archeological sites we find that the Celts themselves were indeed a superstitious people who had great concern about appeasing their gods and goddesses. We also know that the Celts covered France, the Iberian Peninsula, most of Germany and Italy, Czechoslovakia Austria, Hungary, the Balkans and Galatians in Asia Minor. We have reason to assume that as far reaching as the Celtic realm existed so did the power and influence of the Druids. We know that the Druids taught Trionary thought. From all observances the Celts revered the number three. We also know from Pliny the Elder that there were three divisions of the caste we call Druid. The Bard, the Ovates and the Druid proper, each specializing in a different area of the culture. Some studied for 20 years to earn their title. They were the educated class being placed in position of power and responsibility. Among them they had singers and poets, prophets and philosophers, teachers, scientists, astronomers, lawyers and judges to name a few. They acted as mediators between the Gods and man. Perhaps they performed human sacrifice it is difficult to say perhaps some of the bodies that science holds up as evidence were the consequence of some breaking of faith with the tribe. It would be out of hand to simply dismiss or validate this point without first acknowledging that many of the Ancients including and perhaps especially the Romans. The Romans were indeed contemporaries of the Celts and frequently performed human sacrifice en masse. Stonehenge and the other hundreds of standing stone circles in Great Britain and Europe will forever remain a mystery. There is no evidence that the Druids as we know them had anything to do with the construction of these megalithic structures. Perhaps the indigenous forerunners of the Celts did them but not the Druids. Did they have knowledge of there significance in the astronomical world, perhaps? Did they use them to perform ceremonies, of this we are certain. Digs around and within the circles have found evidence of use during the period of the Druids in Great Britain. Bones and pottery etc have been able to tell us that indeed they were being used in some manner by the Druids of that era. One God or many? There is evidence of over 370 names to which the Druids gave honor. I believe that the Celts like the Romans and Greeks had a large pantheon of Deity for which they paid honor. We do not however completely

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understand all of the forms of Deity as some of them are triplex and some are localized figures worshipped regionally. Were the Druids priests and priestesses for the Celts? Most certainly, however there is evidence that that certainly not there only duty. They were skilled in all the arts and had great knowledge of their surrounding and including the heavens. Did the Druids revere the oak tree and mistletoe? Probably, but let us reserve our judgment when all we have with regard to Mistletoe is a one brief paragraph from an ancient writer. Also it should be noted that Mistletoe does not grow on the British Isles and therefore this could have been a Gaulish ritual. As far as the Oak tree is concerned evidence of its sacredness can still be found in some of the existing groves in the ancient forests of Europe. We must remember that Europe once enjoyed a much warmer climate than its current day counterpart. Oaks would have grown in great abundance in a warmer climate. Druids wore robes and sandals well, perhaps but that would have gone against what we know to be dress during that time. With great displays of colors and adornments did the Celt of that time dress themselves. Why would we think that the Druids would be any different? The only time perhaps would a Druid dress in something so completely different would have been during the performing of rituals. The only true reference to Druids and how they dressed is the reference tot the Tuigen that the Chief Poet wore. Women Druidesses? I have to again return to the fact that the Celtic society of that time was egalitarian. So the question has to be why not? We have reference to great Druidesses in Myth and in Poetry. I believe that the paternalistic Christian monks removed as much as was possible in regards to women having any power or even rights as this was not the ways of the largely Roman Catholic Church. The church being influenced by Rome in which women had no rights but were simply chattel to be owned by their male counterparts. With all the reference to Druidesses and Goddesses in Celtic myth I am very sure that there were indeed many great female Druids. Reincarnation? This too has close ties to the formerly mentioned Hindu society. Perhaps there is a common thread of heredity with these two groups. With the many tales of heroes dying and being reborn, the references to the Cauldron of Cerridwyn it is quite certain that he Celts and the Druids believed in some form of reincarnation or at the very least Transmigration. Druids foretelling the future? Again we must refer to myth and the ancient writings of Strabo and Caesar himself. From all accounts it appears that the Druids believed that the foretold the future. I suppose it is now up to each individual to decide if then and even now if foretelling of the future is possible. Many people today practice foretelling the future. Is it possible? The four rituals of the year, according to a hard piece of evidence “the Coligany Calendar” we see very clearly that this was indeed the case. Recent new religions have falsely added 4 more festivals to the Wheel of the Year. Was it not enough? The creation myth, Celts do not truly have a creation myth in the typical way. We differ greatly from the Adam and Eve theory. The only bit of story/myth we have is that the Tuatha de Danaan came on a cloud from the sky from the four sacred cities. Did all Celts believe this myth? If we differentiate between the insular Celts and the European Celts it is difficult to say without first proving that the Druids from the isles existed first and then traveled to Europe and parts east to teach. Without this piece of knowledge we cannot tell what the European Celts/Gaels believed for a creation myth. Reverence for the human head. It has been said that the Celts/Druids believed that the head was the seat of the soul. To retain possession of the head of an enemy is to maintain the power of the soul of that enemy. Much like the headhunters of South America and Africa the Celts were misunderstood as to the reasons behind their reverence of the human head. The Druid an enigma, lost in history, an eternal mystery. Will ever really know what they said and did, how they thought? It is unfortunate but I believe that much of the knowledge of the world of the Druids is lost. From the small bits that remain we can see them any way we choose too. But, we must piece together the whole picture not just a small piece like the many who would dwell on the dark and sorted side of sacrifice. I have come to see them as great teachers, scientists, and advisors who in their time wielded great political power. They advised kings and mediated in wars. I hope that I have provided enough information herein to give the reader a broader picture of the Druids and the times in which they existed.

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Bibliography

Websites: www.wku.edu/~rob.harbison/druid.html www.rense.com/ufo/druids.htm http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMDruids.html http://www.danann.org/library/herb/mist6.html www.reconstructinghistory.com www.unc.edu/courses/art111/celtic/catalogue/femdruids/FalloftheDruidesses.html www.newadvent.org/cathen/05162a.htm Reference books: The World of the Celts by Simon James The Druids by Peter Beresford Ellis The Ancient Celts by Barry Cunliffe Towards an Irish Liberation Theology (1993) by Father Joe McVeigh Prehistoric Textiles by Barber Celtic Women by Peter Beresford Ellis Essays: The Ancestors from New Grange to 2000 by Sitheag Nic Trantham bean Bochanan Celtic chiefdom, Celtic State, New Directions in Archaeology, Edited by Bettina Arnold and D. Blair Gibson, Cambridge University Press, 1996 Scottish Gaelic Studies, vol 4, part 2 Oxford University Press (1935) Nora K. Chadwick Scholars quoted: Nora C. Chadwick Stuart Piggot

Answers to the Druid’s Trivia Quiz: On page 11 1) b 2) c 3) c 4)c 5)d 6) d 7) d 8) b 9) a 10) d 11) d 12) b 13) c or d 14) b 15) c 16) c 17) c 18) b 19) c 20) d

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Calendar of Events for PAR and Grove of Danu, Pagan Church of Alberta 202-4819C 48th Ave Red Deer AB T4N 3T2

For additional information contact us at: Telephone: 403-309-0424 Email: pagans@angelfire.com

� ����*++,�Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pagan dinner meeting Brooks

1 Hogmany celebration Red Deer

2 3 4

5 dedicants class RD Open Coffee Brooks

6

7 8 2nd degree class RD

9 1st degree class RD

10 11

12 dedicants class RD

13 Open coffee meeting Calgary

14 15 2nd degree class RD Exec Mtg

16 1st degree class RD

17 18 Money Pentacle workshop RD 1-5pm

19 dedicants class RD

20 21 22 2nd degree class RD

23 1st degree class RD

24 Open coffee Humpty’s North Hill RD 8pm

25

26 dedicants class RD

27 28 29 2nd degree class RD

30 1st degree class RD

31 Imbolc RD 7pm

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Calendar of Events for PAR and Grove of Danu, Pagan Church of Alberta 202-4819C 48th Ave Red Deer AB T4N 3T2

For additional information contact us at: Telephone: 403-309-0424 Email: pagans@angelfire.com

-�������*++,�

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pagan dinner meeting Brooks

1 Imbolc Calgary 7:30

2 Dedicants class RD Open Coffee Brooks

3 4 5 2nd degree class RD

6 1st degree class RD

7 8

9 Dedicants Class RD

10 Open Coffee Calgary

11 12 2nd degree class RD Exec Mtg

13 1st degree class RD

14 15

16 Dedicants Class RD

17 18 19 2nd degree class RD

20 1st degree class RD

21 22

23 Dedicants Class RD

24 25 26 2nd degree class RD

27 1st degree class Rd

28 Open Coffee RD

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Calendar of Events for PAR and Grove of Danu, Pagan Church of Alberta 202-4819C 48th Ave Red Deer AB T4N 3T2

For additional information contact us at: Telephone: 403-309-0424 Email: pagans@angelfire.com

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Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pagan dinner mtg Brooks

1

2 Dedicants Class RD Open Coffee Brooks

3 4 5 2nd degree class RD

6 1st degree class RD

7 8 Willow workshop Red Deer 1-5pm

9 Dedicants class RD

10 Open Coffee Calgary

11 12 2nd degree class RD

13 1st degree class RD

14 15

16 Dedicants class RD

17 18 19 2nd degree class RD Exec mtg

20 1st degree class RD

21 Ostara RD

22 Ostara Calgary

23 Dedicants class RD

24 25 26 2nd degree class RD

27 1st degree class RD

28 Open coffee RD

29 Sacred Dance w/s 1-4 pm, RD

30 Sacred Dance w/s 1-4pm RD

31