Bare in mind this has nothing to do with anyone here at PaganMystics, but a myspace group where this post headed up a major flame war (myself included).
Firstly before we begin, I will say this. This post is meant to begin an actual discussion of the validity of self initiation as opposed to the "requirement" of priests and priestesses, any such need to be lineaged to Gardner, or any other individual. Let it be known that this is meant to be a scholarly discussion and not a flame war. If your only argument is "nuh uh" to flame me or my thoughts, or to nit-pick a sentence or word only to ignore the point of this post, then I will simply ignore your post in search of actual intelligible thought. However if you have serious legitimate thoughts, questions, or courteously worded arguments about the actual *point* of this post then I will be more than happy to address those in turn. That said, lets begin.
Firstly as a reconstructionist, I work to dissect, rework, and re-rework any information I have. Which is exactly what I have done with the traditions and cultures used by traditional Wicca to piece together its religious views, it has been through this study that I came to my conclusion that it is indeed an eclectic path, not that there is anything wrong with that, until you take a practice, twist it and "bastardize" (for want of a more appropriate term) to be exclusive to those picked and chosen to the resulting hybrid path, and to use that tradition of a given culture that if you are not initiated "our" way, then you are not initiated. Firstly it becomes important to seriously study the tradition of year and a day initiation as the original cultures meant them to be preserved. This can be done by examining the words of the Filidh (Sacred poets, something like a bard but during Christian times) who recorded them, and remembering that under Brehon law, the meanings of the texts couldn't be changed under penalty of imprisonment, as well as a loss of honor, as opposed to being some "mystery traditions" exclusive practice.
I will begin this study with the Shamanic tale of Taliesin and the faery Witch Kerridwen. Kerridwen was the mother of two children. The first born (and the one we'll focus on) was Morfran who was so hideous that none but his own mother could bare his appearance, later he became known "Afagddu" meaning "utter Darkness". Kerridwen knew none would ever be able to bare her son's appearance so she sought to make him one of the wisest of poets. So from the books of Fferyllt Kerridwen sought to empower her son with knowledge and wisdom by bringing to boil for a year and a day the cauldron of inspiration. She would need to gather from all over the world a list of particular herbs, gathered at a particular hour on particular days, and keep the potion at a boil for a year and a day, until 3 drops of Awen (inspiration) spew fourth from the cauldron. However Kerridwen fell asleep at the end of this time frame, and as a result the three drops spewed fourth on the thumb of Gwion Bach. So great was his pain that he put his thumb in his mouth to ease it. Instantly he knew all there was to know in the world/land including that Kerridwen would kill him once she knew what had happened.
Gwion ran, but the Cauldron slip in two giving a great yell and dumping the rest of the potion into a near-by stream poisoning some horses, as all but the three drops was poison. Kerridwen woke and Gwion became the rabbit to out run her, but Kerridwen too had the gift of sight and became a black grey hound to keep up. Gwion came to a stream and so became a fish to get away, but Kerridwen became an otter and began to snap at Gwion's tail, and thus became a bird of the sky, so Kerridwen countered once again by becoming the hawk. Gwion now feared for his life and as he flew over a barn saw a large pile of corn (given as wheat in some texts) and fell into the pile, but Kerridwen knew his every impulse and became a black crested hen, kicking and scratching at the kernels until she found him and swallowed him up. So for nine months bore Gwion within her womb. Then was born a child so beautiful she couldn't bare to kill him, so put him in a black bag and set him to sea instead. Once found by a fisherman Taliesin composed a satire so beautiful for his saviour, the Ellfin had to know how a child had come to compose such poetry, to which Taliesin answered:
"First I was formed as a handsome man,
in the hall of Kerridwen to be refined,
though small and modest in my behavior,
I was large in her lofty sanctuary.
While I was held prisoner,
sweet inspiration filled me,
and the laws were imparted to me
in a language without words,
but I had to flee from the outcry,
of the angry terrible hag."
Here we see how Taliesin emerges from the belly of knowledge. Kerridwen brews knowledge and Awen for all time within the cauldron of Inspiration. The symbolism in the above tale represents the brew which an initiate must drink or experience and the womb of the mother (or cave of learning) in which infancy gestates as did the shaman poet Taliesin. The change represents the key stages of spiritual development as well as the trials of journeying from ignorance into Awen or Imbas. As with all students of any subject initiates emerge from the bellies of their teachers. These teachers can come in a myriad of forms, from books/Internet, the gods, mentors, or can be self guided, and not necessarily from some priest and priestess, to be lineages back to an individual like Gerald Gardner as well as other BTW traditions seem to be trying to discover, but is more-over giver to the neutral balance between land sea, and sky.
The above Welsh text can be compared to the story from Irish mythology of Fionn and the Salmon of wisdom. Like Taliesin, before Fionn can become initiated he must come to understand how knowledge is dictated to the individual later giving reference to this as Fionn's wheel. These circle within circles recorded in Ogham are given as follows:
Knowledge of Nature
Knowledge of Mind
Knowledge of Spirit
Knowledge of Magic
Knowledge of Being
Like Taliesin Fionn through a series of Trials comes to study under a Druid poet called Finnéigeas. For seven long years the old poet had fished for the salmon at the well/pool of Segias, but it had been meant for Fionn all along, so after three weeks of Fionn's arrival the salmon is caught. Fionn has to roast the salmon because the old poet is far to excited and so, like Kerridwen looses his opportunity to have all the memory and knowledge of the land to his own ends, as it is the land who chooses us, as opposed to people, which is one lesson I've taken from these stories. Fionn finds three blisters risen upon the salmons flesh and from it three drops of it's juices spew onto his thumb. To ease the pain he puts it in his mouth and viola!
In other texts the hero of Ulster Cu Chulainn wants Scathatch's advanced knowledge of arms. So he does what is called a salmon jump or leap, each time he does he acquires more knowledge than he had before the last...
Not only do we see how two separate Celtic cultures viewed self initiation we see where the true lineage of the year and a day initiation roots it's self, as opposed to being some exclusive practice given only to a certain class or something that only two individuals, lineaged to a third can hope to give us, but as a spiritual journey through the elemental abyss. It is brought on by one's own inner dances, the the three parents of knowledge. The Druids of Partholon, Fios, Eolos, and Fochmarc, a stirring of three cauldrons and the resulting journey from ignorance as given by Amergin the White-knee in the cauldron of Poesy when he tells us that within each of us is born three cauldrons. Tipped, inverted, and right side up, no knowledge, half knowledge, and full knowledge, for Eber and Donn.
The Cauldron of motion is the understanding of grace, the accumulation of knowledge, streaming poetic inspiration as milk from a breast. It is the high tide of knowledge and the union of sages. For it is what ennobles non-nobles.
What then is the cauldron of motion? Not hard, an artistic turning, or after turning or artistic journey, i.e. it bestows good wisdom and nobility, and honor after turning.
The cauldron of incubation taken by the gods from the mysteries of the elemental abyss, and represents our physical needs.
The cauldron of wisdom which is born up side down and distributes wisdom in every art and builds through their gift. It is in the head of a person, born on it's lips.
So then what is it that turns these three cauldrons, a more literal presentation of the symbolic stories presented? Not hard to say, sorrow, and joy turn them. What is it not? It is not a Priest or Priestess. No one has the right to tell you whether you are an initiate of knowledge or not, as they honestly have no idea do they? And I say now, that it hasn't been me with the "misunderstood" the concept of initiation, but those who would tell you there is but one way to accomplish it.
Self initiation is a long practiced time tested sacred act. In the quest for knowledge and Draíocht initiation comes from the tests which continually face us, every reach, every failure, every trial and error though any individuals journey, as spirit seeks to be reconnected to spirit, the journey though the elemental abyss *IS* the individuals initiation. Initiation occurs when an individual forgets about "it" and simply becomes "it" It occurs when one becomes one with their cosmos and through this act of becoming summons the power of making as well.
As to the question on Druids of today and Druids of yesterday and whether I am a Druid:
I am a discrete impulse of the original impulse. Perhaps the Druids of today are not what our fathers were, but we will keep trying to better ourselves.
Athert an Daogdae, 'An cumang arba/gaid-si/, doge/n-sou ule am a/onur.' Grá, Solas agus Gáire!!!
Power of the Dagdha's heart be with you!
Senbecc, the Salmon in the pool!
(Some sources, as well as advised reading)
members.aol.com/guenhumara/fionn.htmlwww.iol.ie/~pbodon/etweb/salmon.htmlwww.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ift/ift02.htmwww.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/ali/ali037.htmnetfiles.uiuc.edu/cdwright/www/Irish.Myth-461.htmldepartments.vassar.edu/~sttaylor/Cooley/Names.htmlwww.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/welsh/index.htmlHenry, P.L., "The Cauldron of Poesy," Studia Celtica #14/15, 1979/1980, pp. 114-128
Liam Breatnach, "The Cauldron of Poesy," Ériu #32, 1981, pp. 45-93
Caitlin and John Matthews,, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom: A Celtic Shaman's Sourcebook, (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1994).
O'Curry, Eugene, Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, (Dublin, 1878). "Druimclí, i.e., he who has (or knows) the top-ridge (or highest range) of learning; a word compounded of druim, the ridge of a hill or the back of a person, or the ridge of the roof of a house; and clí, a form of cleith, the column or tree which in ancient times supported the house; and the man who was a druimclí was supposed to have climbed up the pillar or tree of learning to its very ridge or top, and was thus qualified to be a ferleiginn -- a professor, or man qualified to teach or superintend the teaching of the whole course of a college education."