What does being a Druid mean to you?

[Senbecc]

I will pose this question actually to any and all who follow a Celtic philosophy. What does the practice mean to you, how has it changed your views and philosophies on life and the spirits within creation as a whole?

[wvdonovan]

OK--I'm actually sort of cheating on this one, John--I am copying what I had wrote in one of my blogs almost a year ago--but it answers your question, as I have asked it of myself many times.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that the life we lead now is merely a building block. We are laying a path towards our death passage within this life, which is a transition into another realm. What we learn and do here pepares us towards our next journey. "The enduring quality of who we are on a soul level from day to day is the only thing that will travel with us into other forms and into other realms at death." No, I am not talking about "heaven". Heaven, and even hell, are here and now. For those who want to be biblical--even Jesus said "The kingdom of heaven is here on earth". I do believe, however, as he also taught, that material items are not what we need to sustain us after we leave this body--we do go on. And if we haven't learned to be true to ourselves--listen to our inner longings--we will not move forward. We are all longing for something--be it community--peace--joy--etc... We need to take this time now, to answer those longings. Look deep inside ourselves, listen to what the earth is trying to tell us--and find that peace. Once we learn to be true to ourselves, we can than turn to our sisters and brothers and be true to them as well. I spent years listening about "God's grace" and never felt it myself. I understand, now, that it was not grace from a Hebrew god that I needed--it was the joy and peace I get from listening and learning what this earth and all things on it have to teach me that I needed. It is amazing what you can learn from just sitting outside in the morning and letting nature whisper her secrets to you. Try it one time--sit outside at daybreak and drink your coffee, instead of being planted in front of the television, letting newscasters tell you how horrible the world is. Slow down and take time to enjoy this world we live in. There are trees that are older than Christianity, older than Judism, older then the Druids---listen to them. Oh, I know I sound crazy to some--and those of you that know me probaly think I have finally gone off the deep end. LOL Remember--I'm not crazy--just chemically imbalanced. LOL No, Donna has not lost it--Donna has just finally found herself at a place in her life where she wants, no, rather she needs, to find her way back to who she truly is. For those who know the history--the last few years have been a true nightmare--yet it was what was needed to happen. It was needed to build up my strength, and at the same time break me down to where I was open to the changes that I needed to make. I am at a very good place in my life now--physically, mentally, and spiritually. As much as those of you back east thought this move was a mistake--I beg to differ. It was the best thing to happen, not only to me, but John and Faith as well. John has grown into the man I always knew he would--I couldn't be prouder. And Faith has found her self-worth again after all the years of being beaten down emotionally by her father. The only regret, and it's not even a regret, more of a sadness, is that Faith does not have contact with her sister. That was something completely out of my control, and something I am finding very hard to forgive her father for. We can not spend our energy dwelling on things we can not change. We can only learn form these experiences and try our best to move forward. That has been the hardest lesson for me. It was a lesson that I obviously had to learn the hard way. LOL There is definately alot I could be dwelling on. LOL I'd much rather be spending my energy preparing myself to move from this realm to the next---I'm tired of being angry, or hurt, or sad. It is so much easier to be happy.

"The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.Don't go back to sleep.You must ask for what you really want.Don't go back to sleep.People are going back and forth across the doorsillwhere two worlds touch.The door is round and open.Don't go back to sleep."------ Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi
Frank MacEowen states that where and how we choose to invest our energy and time is of great importance to the soul. How true that is. He also states that the Celtic spiritual path aims to facilitate 3 conditions: an opening within the human heart, a sheltering sense of solace in the world for those who struggle, and an ongoing sensual celebration of the beauty of life. I have chosen to walk this path, and in the process am finding myself again. How wonderful if we could all do the same. A wise Lakota medicine man once said, "Sometimes we have to travel to the edge of ourselves to find our center." Well--I have gotten as close to that edge as possible, lol, even hung my toes over it---but I can finally see the way back to the center. May you all find yours!

"May you find your resurrection place, your own forest shrines, and trust that what you discover there is good. May you come to embrace the wisdom that the mist can teach us about blending, about making compromises in our fixed and solidified states of mind, and may you learn to trust and rely on the holiness of the longing in your soul. May you and the lfie of your soul grow green again. Reviresco."---Fran MacEowen, The Mist-Filled Path