I thought my neglect of keeping notes on our lessons with Savanah was bad back in January, and it's been months since I last updated about our progress! Granted, partly that's because we haven't been able to have regular lessons with her for some of these weeks because of scheduling, work conferences, kids' recitals and so on. But for the past two weeks (last Sunday and today) we've been able to get back into it.
Our final week of Gwyar of Earth work, we focused on the seasonal cycle of the year and the relationship between the sun and the earth in creating the seasons. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the difference between the Fire Festivals and the Solar Festivals and how they embody different ways of relating to the sun, as well as comparing these holy days to the Wiccan sabbats and exploring the differences and similarities. We talked about the cycle of the seasons as a metaphor for birth, growth, maturity, death and rebirth both in the human life cycle and also in how we approach our goals and dreams, taking time to plan and prepare for each stage and doing work that reflects the needs and energies of that stage. For her journal, we asked her to label a diagram of the wheel of the year with the different holidays and write a little blurb about each of them. We also had her pick out two more objects for her altar: one representing the sun itself, and one representing the current season. (To be honest, it was so long ago that I can't remember which objects she chose. I do remember being very impressed by the intuitive nature of the object she chose for the sun, but can't for the life of me remember what it was.) For that week's activity, we asked her to do a creative project to symbolize the wheel of the year and the cycle of the seasons. She used a new Christmas gift to make a woven bracelet with different colored beads representing the four seasons.
During February, we moved on to Nwyfre of Earth and introduced Savanah to the basic practices of breath meditation, centering and grounding. We began by learning about the physical breath and how it connects us to the world around us in the most intimate and immediate way. We began to connect the idea of the physical breath with the sense of life-force and spirit expressed through the elemental principle of nwyfre, and discussed how the way we breathe (fast or slow, heavy or shallow, etc.) can give us insight into how we are feeling, and help us to calm down and feel better when we're feeling upset. We asked her to journal answers to some simple questions about the relationship between breath and self-awareness (the directed questions that provide a review of our conversations during the lesson are turning out to work really well), and for her activity we taught her the simple breath meditation of bringing focus to the physical sensations of your own breathing (as a first step towards more complex practices). The following week, we moved on to the practice of centering. We discussed the idea of our "spiritual center" as similar to your "center of balance" and talked about different techniques to use to help find your center, that "still place of peace" between breaths. Her activity for the week was to practice the centering meditation and answer some questions in her journal about what the practice was like, how it helped her or what made it seem difficult, etc. The following week, we moved on to grounding, with a brief meditation I wrote using a stone from her altar (as well as some Awen chanting — I feel a bit bad because we didn't take much time to actually talk about Awen itself, since she was already familiar with it from participating in Druid rituals in the past). We discussed how grounding provides us with a connection to both the realm of the gods and the "underworld" realm below us, like a try reaching our limbs into the sky seeking sunlight as well as reaching our roots down into the earth to find stability and nourishment. We talked about the idea of energy exchange, and how grounding can help us release anxiety or anger that is hindering or hurting us, as well as draw energy and support from the earth when we are feeling weak or tired. The grounding exercise was her activity for the week, with some more questions for journaling about the experience and how she felt about it.
Throughout March and April, for the most part we took a break from lessons. The stellium in Aries meant both Jeff and I were kind of going nuts with energy, and work and other commitments dominated our time so that weekends left us pretty wiped. We did have a chance towards the beginning to get into the next month of work, Calas of Water, which was dedicated to learning about communication, connection and emotion in different practices and beliefs of Druidry, specifically through the forms and structures of storytelling, mythology, poetry and music. The first week, we talked about ancient myths and fairytales and how they were used to pass on important ideas and information about the people and the land. We talked a little bit about how stories don't just give us information, but actually give us insight into a whole perspective or worldview. To demonstrate this, we asked Savanah for her weekly activity to choose a myth or fairytale she knew and rewrite it from the point of view of one of the minor characters. The next week, we didn't have time for a full lesson, but we did go over her work — her story was excellent, a retelling of the story about the boy who has to face a giant (I forget the name of it) told from the point of view of the bird he caught. Very creatively done!
Last week, we finally got back on track and combined the last two weeks of Calas of Water work to talk about poetry and music together. This worked out well and tied back into the work on mythology that we'd done previously (so it provided a good refresher) — we told the story of Amergin and the Milesians coming to Ireland and winning the land from the Tuatha de, and read her a (translated) version of the Song of Amergin where he sings to the land to praise and honor her. This provided an excellent example of the blurred lines between myth, poetry and music, and we talked about using "concrete sensory details" in power to give our language power and to evoke feelings and ideas without explaining them in the abstract. We then played her the song, "I Am," by the group Beltaine's Fire, which is a song both praising poetry and rhyme as tools for learning and memory, and also drawing on and re-imagines the Song of Amergin, providing another connection. I spent a lot of time talking about how the vibration of music in our bodies — especially when we sing together or dance to and play music — connects us in a very physical, literal way, making our bodies vibrate in harmony. (This idea seemed to impress Savanah quite a bit, because she asked me if I had memorized my "speech" or just knew it off the top of my head!)
This week we moved ahead into Gwyar of Water and our exploration of dreams, divination and visualization meditations as ways that we can communicate and connect with our subconscious mind, the gods, ancestors and spirits of the land. We'd asked Savanah to keep a dream journal for the past week, so we spent some time going over the dreams she remembered and what they might mean, how they made her feel, etc. We talked about dream interpretation more generally and how the subconscious mind often uses symbols, images and emotions to communicate indirectly, instead of spelling everything out for us logically and rationally. We talked a bit about how dreaming helps us to integrate our waking experiences more deeply into who we are (like water churned up by activity slowly settling and becoming clear again during a period of rest), and that's why we might have dreams about activities that are either new to us or dominated the time we were awake on a particular day.
We also discussed divination techniques and how they worked, using very similar images and symbolic associations as dreams do. (This was originally going to be week two for this month's lessons, but we won't be seeing them next weekend and we're still trying to play catch up, so in order to give her enough work to do during that extra week we decided to introduce the idea of divination now and continue to expand on it when we see her again). Savanah is still struggling to believe that she is capable of doing the work we ask her to do, and will panic (or exaggerate her anxiety) whenever we suggest something that might be a challenge — to overcome this during this lesson, I asked her to try to think of five different divination techniques that she knew of just from reading books and seeing movies and talking to people. Sure enough, she was quickly and easily able to list off five: tarot, runes, palm reading, tea leaves and crystal balls. We talked about how each of these techniques worked, what you did, and why that approach was able to put you in touch with your nonrational/subconscious mind (or the gods — I think when we return to this subject, we'll focus more on how the gods come into it). We also talked about the larger categories that these specific divination techniques fell into and what other types would be included (for instance, looking for shapes in clouds, entrails or even ugly wallpaper is similar to tea leaf reading; gazing into water or a black mirror or even a thumb nail is similar to using a crystal ball, ogham is similar to using runes, etc.).
For her activities for the next two weeks, we've made recordings of the centering/grounding exercise from the Nwyfre of Earth lessons for her to listen to, so that she can practice these meditation techniques each morning. Jeff also gave her a longer relaxation/visualization guided meditation to do next week before she goes to bed in the evening, to get her used to the technique of visualizing before we move on to the third week of this month's lesson. In addition, we've asked her to do three tarot readings using her tarot deck (asking whatever questions she wants and coming up with her interpretations of the cards before looking in the book for their "official" meanings). And lastly, we've asked her to keep on recording her dreams in her journal as well, and to answer a few journaling questions next week on any kinds of patterns that she notices about her dreams.
So the work is going well, really. Every time I go back over the general outline, I'm excited by how much cool stuff we're going to cover over the coming months. I also worry a little bit that it won't all sink in (for instance, discussions we have months ago about using grounding to help siphon off nervous energy are obviously not helping Savanah very much in controlling her panic at times!)… and I wonder if we're trying to do too much too fast. But I think in general it's important to give an overview so that she has some sense of how it all fits together and can go back and explore more in-depth on her own if she chooses to. Since it really is all connected and intertwined, any little bit that "sticks" can eventually lead her back to the rest… and since Jeff and I are pretty well-versed and deep in our practice, there are some lessons that we manage to impart over and over, themes that keep reappearing no matter what specific topic we're talking about. I think those themes are also influenced by Savanah's particular needs — for instance, listening continues to be a lesson we come back to again and again, noting how important it is to listen in order to connect, learn, show respect, calm ourselves and find our centers, and listen to the messages of our own bodies, emotions and minds. I don't think that Jerilynn, for instance, will need as much reminding about the importance of listening as her sister, who is incredibly talkative and active while Jerilynn tends to be quiet and inquisitive. But we may face other challenges with Jerilynn that we didn't with Savanah… it's hard to guess almost two years in advance. I really am looking forward to continuing this work with all the kids, and eventually working this material into a book (or two or three?) at some later point. And it's very good to spend this time one-on-one with Savanah — it's made a big difference in how both Jeff and I relate to her, and her readiness to confide in and connect with us. For that alone, I think it's definitely worth it.
A note on the structure of the course itself… I think overall, it's working well. Now that I'm investigating astrology more and exploring the overlap between the three Druidic elements and the cardinal, fixed and mutable aspects of the four elements in the zodiac… I'm wondering if it might be interesting to experiment with a year-long study similar to the kind TDN has set up with their Perennial Course in Living Druidry. Setting things up so that, for instance, the lessons of Nwyfre of Earth correspond with the cardinal earth zodiac sign of Capricorn (Dec. 21 - Jan. 21) and Gwyar of Water correspond with the mutable water sign of Pisces (Feb. 21 - March 21). It might be interesting to play with the order in this way… though the order and structure I have it set up in right now feels very natural, building on what came before. Mixing things up might make it more difficult… but, on the other hand, it would also "personalize" the year-long study course according to each person's birthday, which might be particularly good for young people. It might force me to simplify the lessons as well, in the same way TDN's course lessons are fairly simple but still profound. I'll explore this possibility as I learn more about astrology and keep it in mind, at least.
Showing posts with label gwyar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gwyar. Show all posts
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
DOTR Lesson 4: Air
Sun: taurus (earth/fixed), 6:07am - 8:26pm
Moon: waxing gibbous, virgo (earth/mutable)
Earth: gorgeous and sunny, bright morning, with an afternoon getting up near 80ยบ with thundershowers
I've done a pretty poor job of keeping up with this diary over the past month or so, but that doesn't mean I haven't continued my spiritual work, as well as work more specifically pertaining to DOTR. Sometimes it's difficult to remember to journal here, just because so much of my work seems to tie back in to my spiritual life and path in one way or another, though perhaps not always in clearly definable ways. In any case, I just finished some meditation on Air (for Lesson 3), and I wanted to spend some time noting a few important bits. But (as to be expected, I suppose), I'm feeling a bit "air headed" and scatter brained at the moment, so don't expect too much coherence.
First, a reflection on Air as an element. On Monday morning, I sat outside and did a simple ritual of meditation and connection with the element of Air (though, thanks to the brilliant weather we've been having, I also made passing acquaintance with Fire in the form of sunlight and, subsequently, sunburn). I haven't been keeping up with my meditation as much as I would like, and there have been plenty of things to distract me (more on that later), so I wasn't able to sink deeply into trance or anything like that. But rather than force it, I simply allowed myself to spend time with the element as it expressed itself in my immediate landscape. I felt the breeze on my skin, listened to it play through the wind chimes in the backyard, and watched as it moved the spiraling incense smoke this way and that, turning first away from me, then surrounding me, then lifting up to disappear into the air above me.
Sitting inside this morning to do meditation, I again watched the incense and not for the first time marveled at how solid the forms of smoke seemed, how they kept their shape (though that shape was definitely mutable and spiraling and every-changing) and I could watch one bend or curl of smoke as it wafted on its own unique journey through the barely moving currents of air in the room until it slowly faded — not so much dissipating as simply disappearing, fading away.
This brings my mind back to the relationship between the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) and the three Druidic elements of nwyfre, gwyar and calas. In JMG's Druidry Handbook, I always found the explanation rather dissatisfying. It seems to me that these three v. four are distinct systems of understanding the world, with their own implications, and if that's true then one should be able to bring them to bear on one another. Instead, in the Handbook, the four seem simply an extension of the three — so that the implication is the three are somehow incomplete — and nwyfre seems to morph and change not in any essential way, but more as a matter of convenience, taking on whatever extra role seems necessary. Really, the three Druidic elements as JMG presents them seem like a hobbled version of the four classical elements, less like a three-legged stool than a four-legged chair you've taken a saw to. In our teaching work with Savanah, Jeff and I have tried to develop both an understanding of the three elements as complete in themselves, and an understanding of how the four elements can be understood in relation to the three. Anyone who talks to a twelve year old probably knows that you need to know your shit and have your explanations clear if you want to escape endless scrutiny. It took a while to explain why gwyar was different from water, for instance, and calas not quite the same as earth, and so on. But it's been helpful work, and has forced me to articulate some things in my own approach.
The approach I use now is that the three Druidic elements can be understood as guiding principles or aspects of the world. I understand them, most simply, as form, flow and force (for calas, gwyar and nwyfre). Thus, calas is the principle of form, manifestation, boundaries, limits, distinction and individuality. Gwyar is the principle of flow, exchange, movement, communication, connection and freedom. And nwyfre is the principle of force, energy, initiative, desire (and repulsion), drive and life-force in the kind of spiritual sense. Each of these describes aspects that can be found in absolutely everything in the physical (and nonphysical) world.
How do these relate to the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water? Here I borrow an understanding from astrology (and as I study more, the more I see how much insight this approach has to offer!). The three Druidic elements can be likened to the three qualities in astrology known as cardinal (corresponding in my understanding with nwyfre), mutable (with gwyar) and fixed (with calas) — for each of the twelve zodiac, a sign is a combination of one of these three aspects with one of the four classical elements. Thus, you have Taurus as fixed earth while Virgo is mutable earth, Leo is fixed fire while Aries is cardinal fire, and so on. The three combined in this way with the four create twelve, each with its own particular expression. Taking a cue from astrology then, I see the three Druidic elements as principles or aspects, and I see the four classical elements as qualities or "building blocks," so to speak. Each of the four classical elements has a quality to it that can be expressed by any of the three principles. Thus earth is dark, cool, dry and heavy; air is bright, light, hot and moist; fire is bright, light, hot and dry, water is dark, cool, moist and heavy. These combination of qualities mean each element has particular associations as well — times, places, objects, tools and other symbols that best exemplify or embody the quality particular to that element. (So, for instance, the seasons: spring as warm and moist, summer as hot and dry, fall as cool and moist, winter as cold and dry.)
But the key here is that each of the elements can be expressed through any of the principles represented by the three Druidic elements. Thus, we can have fire as a quality expressed in calas - that principle of a physical fire which gives it shape and definition in our experiential engagement, which imbues it with a kind of perceivable form, that gives it an edge and a boundary. Fire expressed in gwyar is the process of combustion and consumption, the transformation of fuel into flame through a reaction and exchange. Or, another example, earth in calas is, most simply, the material world itself, all around us, which we experience as a realm of form and manifestation, full of distinct entities with limits, boundaries that bump up against one another. Earth expressed by the principle of nwyfre, on the other hand, is the urge in Spirit itself to manifest through form and limit. It is the spark, the initiative, the force of life that gives rise to form, that seeks to consolidate itself into particular organized entities. It is the energy of nwyfre expressed through the quality of darkness and opacity and heaviness.
These are just preliminary thoughts, and I have work to do to tease out the details and how each combination really works. Some qualities (four elements) seem to have particular affinity with certain principles (three elements). (For instance, the element of water is deeply related to the element or principle of gwyar.) So one thing I want to do during this time of revisiting the four elements through the DOTR work is to explore how each of the four elements is expressed or exemplified or affected by the three Druidic elements as principles of being. I'm hoping my divination work will help with this as well. Not only do I plan to keep studying astrology during this time, but I'm also looking into Erynn Rowan Laurie's book on the ogham, in which she talks about using three full sets (of 20) for three "currents" — chthonic, oceanic and celestial — corresponding to the three realms. My understanding of the three Druidic elements of calas, gwyar and nwyfre is that they also correspond to the three realms… though exactly how they correspond is something I'm still working out, and some of it will depend on my deeper research into this approach to ogham.
In particular, on that note, I find myself wavering between associating calas or gwyar with the chthonic/earthy realm. My two patron deities, Brigid Star Fire and Manannan, seem to dwell in tension with each other, with Brigid very much a deity of sky and the celestial, while Manannan is not only a deity of the ocean, but of the depths and the darkness, so that he also seems connected to the "underground" (as well as the mists that rise from the earth to obscure our way, and the rain that pours from the sky and soaks into the earth, seeking its depths). This is another issue that I have with the DOTR Three Realms practice itself. Maybe because of my aesthetic sense of my need for balance (or because I am overly analytical about these things) — I find myself wanting to reach down to connect with "water" (or more specifically, with gwyar) below instead of with "earthy" aspects associated with calas and the land. For me, the blue, deep, dark, heavy, moist, watery qualities below can then be brought into relationship with the yellow, high, bright, light, dry, fiery celestial energies of nwyfre above…. mixing and mingling and expressing themselves in the green aspects of calas and the land, the realm of form and manifestation.
The tree then, a mighty presence of the land, is a symbol of that bridge and that relationship — reaching its branches and leaves up into the sky for sunlight and air, and reaching its roots deep into the earth in search of water and nutrients…. at both these extremes, you have fluidity, exchange, change and a kind of blurring of boundaries, a liminality where Tree merges with that which is seeks. And then, having received the gifts of the heights and the depths, the fire and the water, these extremes, opposites, are integrated and brought into relationship in such a way that you have the "middle earth," the land we walk upon as a meeting place of these other realms, the realm of unique manifestation and expression, individuality and boundaries. The individual can be lost in the mysteries of the depths just as in the celestial mysteries — there is a dark mysticism as well as a bright mysticism. But the "real world" of sensual, sensory experience, where we know ourselves as distinct entities for the most part (only sometimes sinking into depths or rising to heights where we forget our "selves" completely in union with something greater)… that's the realm of calas, of the land, and the Tree. It seems to me that a daily spiritual practice works best (in my experience, anyway) when it teaches us how to bring the more liminal, fluid mysteries of the depths and the heights and integrate them and express them in the everyday world around us. In Kabbalism, as I understand it, there's the idea of climbing up the tree to reach those heights, and then bringing that energy back down "the lightning strike zigzagging through the ten sefirot. But in this idea, the tree not only reaches up towards the celestial, but down as well, into the depth and darkness of the "underworld," and that energy and experience is brought into relationship from both directions into a center. (Plus, blue + yellow = green, duh!)
Is this "underworld" of watery depths and darkness most appropriately called "chthonic"? I'm not sure — I haven't ever used that term much. Perhaps "oceanic" makes more sense, especially since we tend to think (even if just metaphorically) of the lands kind of "floating" on the oceans (and understanding the underground lakes and rivers, the moistness of caves, and even the liquid molten rock below the earth's crust, it makes a kind of literal sense as well). If that's the case, then, does chthonic fit well with the idea of the Tree as bridge between celestial and oceanic, and the land as a kind of "middle ground" where these two Mysteries are brought into manifestation? I can't answer that, because I don't know enough about what the word "chthonic" is supposed to imply (though my first instinct is to answer no, it doesn't quite fit). Still, the relationship between "fire" and "water" (not as elements, now, but as symbols or representatives of the realms, I guess) is something that seems to rest at the core of my Celtic spirituality…. So it's worth exploring. Perhaps I'll tidy this up a bit and post it to the DOTR group blog for some feedback.
This became a long, rambling exploration in a rather more abstract way than I'd originally intended. This was all sparked by my observation during meditation of the way the incense smoke hung together, spiraling around itself — or, the other day, cast shadows on my arms and chest as I sat in the sunlight — bringing to mind again that this smoke, and the air currents themselves, are still very much expressing themselves in calas. The air currents, though they seem invisible to the human eye, are just as distinct, real things as fire or earth (or water and its slightly less invisible currents). To the birds who fly through the air, or the dogs and other animals navigating by scent, the currents of air are palpable presences, distinct bodies with their own boundaries. A story David Abram tells in his book, Becoming Animal, illustrates this point nicely — he describes one time watching ducks flying into a hard wind, dipping here and there, testing to find the edges of the strongest current of air and where there were slips and gaps in the wall of wind coming at them that they could push their way through. For the ducks, the air was as solid and bounded a thing as the landscapes of hills and valleys, forests and fields that we walk through, looking for our own slips and gaps to help us make our way. So air has expression in calas, in the realm of form and manifestation. The invisible, the unseen still has an active presence in and engagement with the manifest world. And as I watched the incense smoke, I understand that the element of Air, too, has its limits and boundaries.
I did want to talk a little bit about some other work I've been doing, but it seems that most of the morning has passed while I've been writing this (and I haven't even done a tarot card reading!). So I'll wrap things up here and maybe come back to it later. I am going to try to be more diligent in writing down these various reflections and experiences. I swear!
Moon: waxing gibbous, virgo (earth/mutable)
Earth: gorgeous and sunny, bright morning, with an afternoon getting up near 80ยบ with thundershowers
I've done a pretty poor job of keeping up with this diary over the past month or so, but that doesn't mean I haven't continued my spiritual work, as well as work more specifically pertaining to DOTR. Sometimes it's difficult to remember to journal here, just because so much of my work seems to tie back in to my spiritual life and path in one way or another, though perhaps not always in clearly definable ways. In any case, I just finished some meditation on Air (for Lesson 3), and I wanted to spend some time noting a few important bits. But (as to be expected, I suppose), I'm feeling a bit "air headed" and scatter brained at the moment, so don't expect too much coherence.
First, a reflection on Air as an element. On Monday morning, I sat outside and did a simple ritual of meditation and connection with the element of Air (though, thanks to the brilliant weather we've been having, I also made passing acquaintance with Fire in the form of sunlight and, subsequently, sunburn). I haven't been keeping up with my meditation as much as I would like, and there have been plenty of things to distract me (more on that later), so I wasn't able to sink deeply into trance or anything like that. But rather than force it, I simply allowed myself to spend time with the element as it expressed itself in my immediate landscape. I felt the breeze on my skin, listened to it play through the wind chimes in the backyard, and watched as it moved the spiraling incense smoke this way and that, turning first away from me, then surrounding me, then lifting up to disappear into the air above me.
Sitting inside this morning to do meditation, I again watched the incense and not for the first time marveled at how solid the forms of smoke seemed, how they kept their shape (though that shape was definitely mutable and spiraling and every-changing) and I could watch one bend or curl of smoke as it wafted on its own unique journey through the barely moving currents of air in the room until it slowly faded — not so much dissipating as simply disappearing, fading away.
This brings my mind back to the relationship between the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) and the three Druidic elements of nwyfre, gwyar and calas. In JMG's Druidry Handbook, I always found the explanation rather dissatisfying. It seems to me that these three v. four are distinct systems of understanding the world, with their own implications, and if that's true then one should be able to bring them to bear on one another. Instead, in the Handbook, the four seem simply an extension of the three — so that the implication is the three are somehow incomplete — and nwyfre seems to morph and change not in any essential way, but more as a matter of convenience, taking on whatever extra role seems necessary. Really, the three Druidic elements as JMG presents them seem like a hobbled version of the four classical elements, less like a three-legged stool than a four-legged chair you've taken a saw to. In our teaching work with Savanah, Jeff and I have tried to develop both an understanding of the three elements as complete in themselves, and an understanding of how the four elements can be understood in relation to the three. Anyone who talks to a twelve year old probably knows that you need to know your shit and have your explanations clear if you want to escape endless scrutiny. It took a while to explain why gwyar was different from water, for instance, and calas not quite the same as earth, and so on. But it's been helpful work, and has forced me to articulate some things in my own approach.
The approach I use now is that the three Druidic elements can be understood as guiding principles or aspects of the world. I understand them, most simply, as form, flow and force (for calas, gwyar and nwyfre). Thus, calas is the principle of form, manifestation, boundaries, limits, distinction and individuality. Gwyar is the principle of flow, exchange, movement, communication, connection and freedom. And nwyfre is the principle of force, energy, initiative, desire (and repulsion), drive and life-force in the kind of spiritual sense. Each of these describes aspects that can be found in absolutely everything in the physical (and nonphysical) world.
How do these relate to the four classical elements of earth, air, fire and water? Here I borrow an understanding from astrology (and as I study more, the more I see how much insight this approach has to offer!). The three Druidic elements can be likened to the three qualities in astrology known as cardinal (corresponding in my understanding with nwyfre), mutable (with gwyar) and fixed (with calas) — for each of the twelve zodiac, a sign is a combination of one of these three aspects with one of the four classical elements. Thus, you have Taurus as fixed earth while Virgo is mutable earth, Leo is fixed fire while Aries is cardinal fire, and so on. The three combined in this way with the four create twelve, each with its own particular expression. Taking a cue from astrology then, I see the three Druidic elements as principles or aspects, and I see the four classical elements as qualities or "building blocks," so to speak. Each of the four classical elements has a quality to it that can be expressed by any of the three principles. Thus earth is dark, cool, dry and heavy; air is bright, light, hot and moist; fire is bright, light, hot and dry, water is dark, cool, moist and heavy. These combination of qualities mean each element has particular associations as well — times, places, objects, tools and other symbols that best exemplify or embody the quality particular to that element. (So, for instance, the seasons: spring as warm and moist, summer as hot and dry, fall as cool and moist, winter as cold and dry.)
But the key here is that each of the elements can be expressed through any of the principles represented by the three Druidic elements. Thus, we can have fire as a quality expressed in calas - that principle of a physical fire which gives it shape and definition in our experiential engagement, which imbues it with a kind of perceivable form, that gives it an edge and a boundary. Fire expressed in gwyar is the process of combustion and consumption, the transformation of fuel into flame through a reaction and exchange. Or, another example, earth in calas is, most simply, the material world itself, all around us, which we experience as a realm of form and manifestation, full of distinct entities with limits, boundaries that bump up against one another. Earth expressed by the principle of nwyfre, on the other hand, is the urge in Spirit itself to manifest through form and limit. It is the spark, the initiative, the force of life that gives rise to form, that seeks to consolidate itself into particular organized entities. It is the energy of nwyfre expressed through the quality of darkness and opacity and heaviness.
These are just preliminary thoughts, and I have work to do to tease out the details and how each combination really works. Some qualities (four elements) seem to have particular affinity with certain principles (three elements). (For instance, the element of water is deeply related to the element or principle of gwyar.) So one thing I want to do during this time of revisiting the four elements through the DOTR work is to explore how each of the four elements is expressed or exemplified or affected by the three Druidic elements as principles of being. I'm hoping my divination work will help with this as well. Not only do I plan to keep studying astrology during this time, but I'm also looking into Erynn Rowan Laurie's book on the ogham, in which she talks about using three full sets (of 20) for three "currents" — chthonic, oceanic and celestial — corresponding to the three realms. My understanding of the three Druidic elements of calas, gwyar and nwyfre is that they also correspond to the three realms… though exactly how they correspond is something I'm still working out, and some of it will depend on my deeper research into this approach to ogham.
In particular, on that note, I find myself wavering between associating calas or gwyar with the chthonic/earthy realm. My two patron deities, Brigid Star Fire and Manannan, seem to dwell in tension with each other, with Brigid very much a deity of sky and the celestial, while Manannan is not only a deity of the ocean, but of the depths and the darkness, so that he also seems connected to the "underground" (as well as the mists that rise from the earth to obscure our way, and the rain that pours from the sky and soaks into the earth, seeking its depths). This is another issue that I have with the DOTR Three Realms practice itself. Maybe because of my aesthetic sense of my need for balance (or because I am overly analytical about these things) — I find myself wanting to reach down to connect with "water" (or more specifically, with gwyar) below instead of with "earthy" aspects associated with calas and the land. For me, the blue, deep, dark, heavy, moist, watery qualities below can then be brought into relationship with the yellow, high, bright, light, dry, fiery celestial energies of nwyfre above…. mixing and mingling and expressing themselves in the green aspects of calas and the land, the realm of form and manifestation.
The tree then, a mighty presence of the land, is a symbol of that bridge and that relationship — reaching its branches and leaves up into the sky for sunlight and air, and reaching its roots deep into the earth in search of water and nutrients…. at both these extremes, you have fluidity, exchange, change and a kind of blurring of boundaries, a liminality where Tree merges with that which is seeks. And then, having received the gifts of the heights and the depths, the fire and the water, these extremes, opposites, are integrated and brought into relationship in such a way that you have the "middle earth," the land we walk upon as a meeting place of these other realms, the realm of unique manifestation and expression, individuality and boundaries. The individual can be lost in the mysteries of the depths just as in the celestial mysteries — there is a dark mysticism as well as a bright mysticism. But the "real world" of sensual, sensory experience, where we know ourselves as distinct entities for the most part (only sometimes sinking into depths or rising to heights where we forget our "selves" completely in union with something greater)… that's the realm of calas, of the land, and the Tree. It seems to me that a daily spiritual practice works best (in my experience, anyway) when it teaches us how to bring the more liminal, fluid mysteries of the depths and the heights and integrate them and express them in the everyday world around us. In Kabbalism, as I understand it, there's the idea of climbing up the tree to reach those heights, and then bringing that energy back down "the lightning strike zigzagging through the ten sefirot. But in this idea, the tree not only reaches up towards the celestial, but down as well, into the depth and darkness of the "underworld," and that energy and experience is brought into relationship from both directions into a center. (Plus, blue + yellow = green, duh!)
Is this "underworld" of watery depths and darkness most appropriately called "chthonic"? I'm not sure — I haven't ever used that term much. Perhaps "oceanic" makes more sense, especially since we tend to think (even if just metaphorically) of the lands kind of "floating" on the oceans (and understanding the underground lakes and rivers, the moistness of caves, and even the liquid molten rock below the earth's crust, it makes a kind of literal sense as well). If that's the case, then, does chthonic fit well with the idea of the Tree as bridge between celestial and oceanic, and the land as a kind of "middle ground" where these two Mysteries are brought into manifestation? I can't answer that, because I don't know enough about what the word "chthonic" is supposed to imply (though my first instinct is to answer no, it doesn't quite fit). Still, the relationship between "fire" and "water" (not as elements, now, but as symbols or representatives of the realms, I guess) is something that seems to rest at the core of my Celtic spirituality…. So it's worth exploring. Perhaps I'll tidy this up a bit and post it to the DOTR group blog for some feedback.
This became a long, rambling exploration in a rather more abstract way than I'd originally intended. This was all sparked by my observation during meditation of the way the incense smoke hung together, spiraling around itself — or, the other day, cast shadows on my arms and chest as I sat in the sunlight — bringing to mind again that this smoke, and the air currents themselves, are still very much expressing themselves in calas. The air currents, though they seem invisible to the human eye, are just as distinct, real things as fire or earth (or water and its slightly less invisible currents). To the birds who fly through the air, or the dogs and other animals navigating by scent, the currents of air are palpable presences, distinct bodies with their own boundaries. A story David Abram tells in his book, Becoming Animal, illustrates this point nicely — he describes one time watching ducks flying into a hard wind, dipping here and there, testing to find the edges of the strongest current of air and where there were slips and gaps in the wall of wind coming at them that they could push their way through. For the ducks, the air was as solid and bounded a thing as the landscapes of hills and valleys, forests and fields that we walk through, looking for our own slips and gaps to help us make our way. So air has expression in calas, in the realm of form and manifestation. The invisible, the unseen still has an active presence in and engagement with the manifest world. And as I watched the incense smoke, I understand that the element of Air, too, has its limits and boundaries.
I did want to talk a little bit about some other work I've been doing, but it seems that most of the morning has passed while I've been writing this (and I haven't even done a tarot card reading!). So I'll wrap things up here and maybe come back to it later. I am going to try to be more diligent in writing down these various reflections and experiences. I swear!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Savanah's Year: My First Altar!
Savanah's First Altar!
(a purple candle in a glass, six-point star holder, an oyster shell full of water, a black volcanic rock for earth, and for air, an acorn cap that can be blown like a whistle; all sitting on top of her journal)
Savanah's Year: Gwyar of Earth, Weeks 1 & 2
I've gotten into the bad habit of not updating immediately after my lesson with Savanah, so this is my attempt to remedy that and do better in the future.
Our last lesson with Savanah before today's was almost two weeks ago, on Monday, December 20, during the week we had the kids for the winter solstice. This lesson involved a lot of review of her previous work, including finally getting to see the pictures she'd drawn for the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and three Druidic aspects (calas, gwyar and nwyfre) and discussing with her the thought she put into what she decided to draw.
Then, we moved on to introduce the next "month" of lessons (although these are taking longer than a month because of scheduling, I hope to get back on track soon now that we're through the holidays — not every month, for instance, will have a "review" week). This month we're working with Gwyar of Earth: still exploring the basics of Druidic belief and practice (needed for a solid foundation and grounding, represented by the element of earth), but moving on to discussions about connection, relationship, communication, exchange, change and flow (as represented by gwyar). During the first week's lesson of the new month, we explored the idea of the altar (and to a lesser extent, the shrine) as a place of connection and communication with Spirit and the gods and beings we have relationships with, as well as a place where we might get a clearer connection to our own deeper, truer selves. We talked with her about the difference between a shrine (as a kind of three dimensional work of art that is dedicated in honor of a person, being, spirit or deity) and an altar (as a "working space" where we can engage with sacred objects and perform ritual actions that help us to communicate with others or ourselves, or bring about a change in our relationships).
A great deal of the Week 1 lesson was devoted to a show-and-tell session, with Jeff and I showing her different sacred objects and ritual tools that can be kept on and used at the altar. The week before, we'd shown her Jeff's travel altar as part of our step-by-step work with the tarot cards; this week, I unpacked my own travel altar to show her the various tools and symbolic objects and how they could be combined or used in different ways. We showed her several tools, including both my wand and athame. We talked about the use of burning candles or incense and the pouring of libations as ways of making offerings, sending prayers or expressing our gratitude for the gods (reminding her of the offerings we make during the Fire Festival rites in the backyard, when we scatter bird seed as an offering to the land, and toss silver coins into a small blue bowl as an offering to the water or sea, while burning incense and flicking blessed water into the flame of a candle as an offering to the sky and the heavens with their gods). We showed her some of the several idols and images of deities that we have about the house, including a plaque dedicated to Odin, the statues to the mother goddess (including the one we placed in the kids' room), and the "symbolic" star-fire bowl and candle that I use as my representation of Brigid. All in all, she seemed very engaged with the show-and-tell, with lots of questions about the different objects and their uses and meanings. I think Jeff and I were both pleased with how things went.
We also changed our approach to the weekly assignments we're giving to her. I'm attempting to make the questions more directed, and connected to the conversations we have during the lesson itself. This way, it involves more of her listening and remembering than having to come up with answers and ideas on the spot — hopefully, that'll give her more confidence in writing her answers and also more incentive to listen carefully and think about our conversations during the lessons themselves, knowing she'll have to write about them later. We're also trying to incorporate more "activities" and hands-on stuff, since that seems to be her strong suit and something that really engages her interest (more so than the writing, at least). So for Week 1 of Gwyar of Earth, we gave her the assignment of finding a space where she can set up a small altar and spend some time there on a regular basis. We also asked her to find four objects, one for each of the four elements, to place on her altar; or to brainstorm ideas for what kinds of objects she might want to have if she couldn't find any.
This assignment went really well, I think, although both Jeff and I were worried that in a household of so many siblings (and so much junk and mess) she might not be able to find a space to be "just hers" that would be undisturbed by others. Happily, she was able to clear a space on the bookcase that sits right by her bed, so that she can keep her altar items there. Unprompted, she brought with her this week the four objects she chose to be on her altar: for fire, a small glass candle holder in the shape of a six-pointed star; for earth, a shiny black rock she found (that she thinks may be a volcanic rock); for water, an oyster shell that can hold water like a cup; and for air (one she had the most difficulty with), an acorn cap, because, as she explained, acorns grow high up in oak trees and you can use acorn caps to whistle by blowing through them. I was just so thrilled and impressed by this kind of creative thinking, especially for the acorn cap for air. The fact that she was able to find her own associations for the elements is really great, and means (I hope, anyway) that she is getting something out of these lessons even if she's not a huge fan of the journaling. I found a purple miniature candle to fit in her holder and we lit it during this week's lesson. She also took a few pictures of the items (and later, I took a few more, since some of hers came out blurry because of camera settings being off).
One thing I forgot to mention — another change we made is the way we begin lessons. During the Calas of Earth month, we'd begun lessons by allowing Savanah to light a red candle and then blowing it out at the end. Starting with the first week of Gwyar of Earth, we're adding to this a period of ten minutes at the beginning of the lesson when we sit and listen to a song and then spend the remaining time in silence. The plan is to gradually transition into a full-blown ritual to open and close the lesson — beginning with the candle, then introducing the use of song as a way of setting the mood and quieting the mind, then eventually introducing simple breathing and meditative practice itself (during the Nwyfre of Earth month). During later months, we may incorporate the use of prayer or even build up to some small magical ritual (though Jeff and I still have to talk about whether or not we're going to introduce her to full-blown spellcrafting, or wait until she's older). This technique has worked really well for the past two lessons, and gives us some time to just sit quietly and find our center. The first week we did this, Savanah talked about her experience of watching the candle flame, and how it slowly began to appear as though it were dancing in time with the music. So again, I think that's an encouraging sign that she is connecting to the energies we're dealing with and learning to trust her intuition and imagination when it comes to her relationship with the world around her.
This lesson, Week 2, we began by going over her work from the previous lesson — starting with her altar objects and then going briefly over the review questions about altar and shrines. She didn't journal much in response to the questions, so we had to prompt her again this week and remind her (and Jeff, who doesn't do much ritual work with altars) what their various uses can be. Then Jeff took the lead on this week's lesson (because I was exhausted), and talked about the moon and its cycles. We spent some time talking about the physical attributes of the moon as an astronomical object in space, revolving around the sun. We explained about the different phases of the moon and looked at a video that demonstrated them in diagram form. We also talked about the affect that the moon (and sun) had on the ocean tides. Most of this Savanah already knew, but it was a good refresher. Jeff introduced the idea of the "triple goddess aspects" of maiden, mother and crone that's really common in Wicca, and we spent some time talking about the crone as a symbol of inner wisdom and power and personal freedom, and how the figure of the "old, ugly woman" has changed as our society has moved away from patriarchy and towards equality. We also did a slide show of pictures of the moon and various images associated with it (including the well-known full moon surrounded by two crescents), as well as some pictures of moon goddesses from different cultures.
After this, we spent some more time talking about the moon and its connection to mystery and the unknown, and its relationship with our emotions, feelings and unconscious mind. We talked about the changing faces of the moon as a reflection of our own changing moods, and how we do not always know why we feel the way we do. This connects us to mystery — just like we do not know the deepest secrets of the ocean, even though the sea is the source of all life on this planet, and just as we can never see the "dark side" of the moon because it always faces away from us. We talked with Savanah about her own moods and emotions and how sometimes things her siblings do might bother her even if there's nothing inherently annoying about them. We discussed with her the idea that cultivating a relationship with the moon can help her learn how to respect and honor her own emotions and their sometimes mysterious source, and be able to tell when she needs to listen to them, and when she needs to understand that just because she feels a certain way doesn't mean it's others who are wrong or bad or causing her to feel that way (it could be that her emotions are arising from within herself).
For her assignment for the coming week (or two weeks), we've asked her to journal daily about her moods and emotions, just jotting down a word or two to describe how she feels. We also asked her to make a note of when the new and full moons are for this month, and to brainstorm some names that she might give the moon based on the seasons and changes in the land and her relationship to both the moon and the earth. I also made up a diagram of the moon revolving around the earth, which we've asked her to label with the names of the different phases (and, if she can remember, when the moon rises relative to the sun for each phase). Her task for the week is to find an object (or come up with some ideas for an object) to put on her altar that will represent the moon, and then to spend time at her altar through the week sitting quietly, praying or reading or drawing or engaging with and handling the objects she's chosen, to get used to being in that space and building a relationship with it and her altar. We'll see how she does with that. In the meantime, I'm going to prepare more thoroughly for her next lesson on the cycles of the season and the various holy days and festivals that mark the turning of the year.
Our last lesson with Savanah before today's was almost two weeks ago, on Monday, December 20, during the week we had the kids for the winter solstice. This lesson involved a lot of review of her previous work, including finally getting to see the pictures she'd drawn for the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and three Druidic aspects (calas, gwyar and nwyfre) and discussing with her the thought she put into what she decided to draw.
Then, we moved on to introduce the next "month" of lessons (although these are taking longer than a month because of scheduling, I hope to get back on track soon now that we're through the holidays — not every month, for instance, will have a "review" week). This month we're working with Gwyar of Earth: still exploring the basics of Druidic belief and practice (needed for a solid foundation and grounding, represented by the element of earth), but moving on to discussions about connection, relationship, communication, exchange, change and flow (as represented by gwyar). During the first week's lesson of the new month, we explored the idea of the altar (and to a lesser extent, the shrine) as a place of connection and communication with Spirit and the gods and beings we have relationships with, as well as a place where we might get a clearer connection to our own deeper, truer selves. We talked with her about the difference between a shrine (as a kind of three dimensional work of art that is dedicated in honor of a person, being, spirit or deity) and an altar (as a "working space" where we can engage with sacred objects and perform ritual actions that help us to communicate with others or ourselves, or bring about a change in our relationships).
A great deal of the Week 1 lesson was devoted to a show-and-tell session, with Jeff and I showing her different sacred objects and ritual tools that can be kept on and used at the altar. The week before, we'd shown her Jeff's travel altar as part of our step-by-step work with the tarot cards; this week, I unpacked my own travel altar to show her the various tools and symbolic objects and how they could be combined or used in different ways. We showed her several tools, including both my wand and athame. We talked about the use of burning candles or incense and the pouring of libations as ways of making offerings, sending prayers or expressing our gratitude for the gods (reminding her of the offerings we make during the Fire Festival rites in the backyard, when we scatter bird seed as an offering to the land, and toss silver coins into a small blue bowl as an offering to the water or sea, while burning incense and flicking blessed water into the flame of a candle as an offering to the sky and the heavens with their gods). We showed her some of the several idols and images of deities that we have about the house, including a plaque dedicated to Odin, the statues to the mother goddess (including the one we placed in the kids' room), and the "symbolic" star-fire bowl and candle that I use as my representation of Brigid. All in all, she seemed very engaged with the show-and-tell, with lots of questions about the different objects and their uses and meanings. I think Jeff and I were both pleased with how things went.
We also changed our approach to the weekly assignments we're giving to her. I'm attempting to make the questions more directed, and connected to the conversations we have during the lesson itself. This way, it involves more of her listening and remembering than having to come up with answers and ideas on the spot — hopefully, that'll give her more confidence in writing her answers and also more incentive to listen carefully and think about our conversations during the lessons themselves, knowing she'll have to write about them later. We're also trying to incorporate more "activities" and hands-on stuff, since that seems to be her strong suit and something that really engages her interest (more so than the writing, at least). So for Week 1 of Gwyar of Earth, we gave her the assignment of finding a space where she can set up a small altar and spend some time there on a regular basis. We also asked her to find four objects, one for each of the four elements, to place on her altar; or to brainstorm ideas for what kinds of objects she might want to have if she couldn't find any.
This assignment went really well, I think, although both Jeff and I were worried that in a household of so many siblings (and so much junk and mess) she might not be able to find a space to be "just hers" that would be undisturbed by others. Happily, she was able to clear a space on the bookcase that sits right by her bed, so that she can keep her altar items there. Unprompted, she brought with her this week the four objects she chose to be on her altar: for fire, a small glass candle holder in the shape of a six-pointed star; for earth, a shiny black rock she found (that she thinks may be a volcanic rock); for water, an oyster shell that can hold water like a cup; and for air (one she had the most difficulty with), an acorn cap, because, as she explained, acorns grow high up in oak trees and you can use acorn caps to whistle by blowing through them. I was just so thrilled and impressed by this kind of creative thinking, especially for the acorn cap for air. The fact that she was able to find her own associations for the elements is really great, and means (I hope, anyway) that she is getting something out of these lessons even if she's not a huge fan of the journaling. I found a purple miniature candle to fit in her holder and we lit it during this week's lesson. She also took a few pictures of the items (and later, I took a few more, since some of hers came out blurry because of camera settings being off).
One thing I forgot to mention — another change we made is the way we begin lessons. During the Calas of Earth month, we'd begun lessons by allowing Savanah to light a red candle and then blowing it out at the end. Starting with the first week of Gwyar of Earth, we're adding to this a period of ten minutes at the beginning of the lesson when we sit and listen to a song and then spend the remaining time in silence. The plan is to gradually transition into a full-blown ritual to open and close the lesson — beginning with the candle, then introducing the use of song as a way of setting the mood and quieting the mind, then eventually introducing simple breathing and meditative practice itself (during the Nwyfre of Earth month). During later months, we may incorporate the use of prayer or even build up to some small magical ritual (though Jeff and I still have to talk about whether or not we're going to introduce her to full-blown spellcrafting, or wait until she's older). This technique has worked really well for the past two lessons, and gives us some time to just sit quietly and find our center. The first week we did this, Savanah talked about her experience of watching the candle flame, and how it slowly began to appear as though it were dancing in time with the music. So again, I think that's an encouraging sign that she is connecting to the energies we're dealing with and learning to trust her intuition and imagination when it comes to her relationship with the world around her.
This lesson, Week 2, we began by going over her work from the previous lesson — starting with her altar objects and then going briefly over the review questions about altar and shrines. She didn't journal much in response to the questions, so we had to prompt her again this week and remind her (and Jeff, who doesn't do much ritual work with altars) what their various uses can be. Then Jeff took the lead on this week's lesson (because I was exhausted), and talked about the moon and its cycles. We spent some time talking about the physical attributes of the moon as an astronomical object in space, revolving around the sun. We explained about the different phases of the moon and looked at a video that demonstrated them in diagram form. We also talked about the affect that the moon (and sun) had on the ocean tides. Most of this Savanah already knew, but it was a good refresher. Jeff introduced the idea of the "triple goddess aspects" of maiden, mother and crone that's really common in Wicca, and we spent some time talking about the crone as a symbol of inner wisdom and power and personal freedom, and how the figure of the "old, ugly woman" has changed as our society has moved away from patriarchy and towards equality. We also did a slide show of pictures of the moon and various images associated with it (including the well-known full moon surrounded by two crescents), as well as some pictures of moon goddesses from different cultures.
After this, we spent some more time talking about the moon and its connection to mystery and the unknown, and its relationship with our emotions, feelings and unconscious mind. We talked about the changing faces of the moon as a reflection of our own changing moods, and how we do not always know why we feel the way we do. This connects us to mystery — just like we do not know the deepest secrets of the ocean, even though the sea is the source of all life on this planet, and just as we can never see the "dark side" of the moon because it always faces away from us. We talked with Savanah about her own moods and emotions and how sometimes things her siblings do might bother her even if there's nothing inherently annoying about them. We discussed with her the idea that cultivating a relationship with the moon can help her learn how to respect and honor her own emotions and their sometimes mysterious source, and be able to tell when she needs to listen to them, and when she needs to understand that just because she feels a certain way doesn't mean it's others who are wrong or bad or causing her to feel that way (it could be that her emotions are arising from within herself).
For her assignment for the coming week (or two weeks), we've asked her to journal daily about her moods and emotions, just jotting down a word or two to describe how she feels. We also asked her to make a note of when the new and full moons are for this month, and to brainstorm some names that she might give the moon based on the seasons and changes in the land and her relationship to both the moon and the earth. I also made up a diagram of the moon revolving around the earth, which we've asked her to label with the names of the different phases (and, if she can remember, when the moon rises relative to the sun for each phase). Her task for the week is to find an object (or come up with some ideas for an object) to put on her altar that will represent the moon, and then to spend time at her altar through the week sitting quietly, praying or reading or drawing or engaging with and handling the objects she's chosen, to get used to being in that space and building a relationship with it and her altar. We'll see how she does with that. In the meantime, I'm going to prepare more thoroughly for her next lesson on the cycles of the season and the various holy days and festivals that mark the turning of the year.
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