The Chosen Chief's Annual Review 1998
"Three primary essentials of genius: an eye that can
see nature,
a heart that can see nature, and a boldness that dares follow it."
from Cad Goddeu Welsh 12th cent
Hello Everyone!
Now is the time for the Annual Review - looking back at the year that has
passed. It's Samhuinn for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, and Bealteinne
for those of us in the Southern. As those of us in the grove at Lewes cast
honey, salt, wine and bread into the fire on Sunday, we thought of our friends
and fellow-members in Australia and New Zealand (and sprinkled elsewhere
- in Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur) - jumping over their
Beltane fires to greet the full flood of Spring.
Reviewing this year is going to be hard - it's been the fullest, most dynamic
year in the life of Druidry and the Order so far. For the Order, it's marked
the tenth anniversary of our re-founding, and Druidry in England this year
has seen the first re-opening of Stonehenge for Druid ritual at the Summer
Solstice in ten years. Tyne Tees television made an inspiring documentary
about the Solstice at Stonehenge, using the lives and activities of the
Order's Northumbrian Grove as its focus. At one point, one of the grove
members, Matt MacCabe, summed up a central quality of Druidry, when he said
"Druidry is for free-thinkers. It's not for sheep. A lot of people
like to be told what to think about and what to pray about. But Druidry
is for people who like to ask questions, and who aren't necessarily satisfied
by somebody else's answers." The programme ended with Grove Chief Dave
Tully making a circle of stones in his workshop and standing within it -
saying that you can make a stone circle wherever you are: that all the land
is sacred. These two statements conveyed for me the empowering nature of
the spirituality we have chosen to follow. The exciting thing is that there
aren't any popes in Druidry, there aren't dogmas, there aren't 'party lines':
instead Druidry invites us to co-create with it. Every time we try to define
it too sharply, it slips out of our grasp, yet continues unequivocally to
exist as a dynamic living spirituality.
I've just returned from two of the most exhilarating and heart-warming months
of my life, travelling around the world, visiting Druid groves and members
in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, California and New York. And the one
thing that struck me forcibly was the way in which we are all so very different,
but united by our common love for Nature, for Spirit, and for Druidry. Each
member and each group is very different, but what always impresses me is
the degree of acceptance and tolerance of differences amongst members: we
have young and old members, wild and more conservative members, people who
have been following a spiritual path for decades, and people who have only
just begun to explore their spirituality. Yet somehow, barring the odd tiff
which is inevitable in any grouping, everyone gets along wonderfully, and
gravitates to the way of working that they feel comfortable with: some people
like gregarious, highly social celebrations, others prefer more contemplative
ones. Some people prefer to work solo, others need the support of a group.
But what is so heart-warming is to experience at first hand the degree of
enthusiasm for Druidry and for the Order's projects: such as the 2000 Groves
Campaign and the Healing Network.
Fabulous plans are afoot for the Network - to be revealed soon! As for the
2000 Groves: I discovered that many more groves have been planted than we
have been told about. Druids having their priorities right plant the trees
first, then take ages - or forget - to send in the form to Clare to register
their grove. In New Zealand I helped to plant a grove on the North Island,
near Auckland, and on the South Island, in Nelson. The local city council
sponsored the Nelson planting, and when the forty or so participants in
the ceremony had planted the trees, and we had chanted and danced together
to dedicate the new grove, I asked "Who will care for these trees?"
Immediately all the children in the circle shouted, in one voice, "We
will!" The songs of our ancestors are indeed the songs of our children.
Something happened at that tree planting in Nelson which speaks volumes
about the way Druidry is a living growing tradition that we are all a part
of, and to which we can all contribute. Caroline, who had arranged for the
council to donate the trees and land, suggested to me that she lead a meditation
during the ceremony. During this, she invited us all to close our eyes and
imagine that the grove already existed - in the inner world. We spent a
while opening to its presence, its guardian spirits and energies. Then we
were invited to open our eyes and help manifest this vision on earth by
planting the trees. It was a moment of pure magic. And it illustrated for
me perfectly the way all of us can help our tradition to grow. It's easy
for us to displace our authority and power on to other people and to institutions:
so that the Order, or I, or other people in positions of responsibility,
are seen as the sole conveyors of truth or information about Druidry: but
in reality we can all help our tradition grow and flourish. The Order is
made up of you and I, and of many other people too, and if you feel you
have something to contribute feel free to do so: by writing to Touchstone,
by sharing your ideas with members, by starting a seed-group, or in any
other way you can imagine. Caroline's idea for the tree-planting ceremony,
as an example, can become part of other grove-planting ceremonies in the
future.
Let me briefly review the events of last year: at the anniversary of the
Order's re-founding on February 14th we held a party at Primrose Hill, where
we crowned the story-teller and singer Robin Williamson as Honoured Bard,
and held a brief ceremony atop the hill. As usual the annual retreat at
Beltaine on Iona, the four camps in Britain and the US summer camp were
all powerful, dynamic events which are now inspiring others to think of
camps in other regions - in particular on the West Coast of America. In
May we held the annual meeting of Dutch members in a fabulous setting in
the forest. And in June we held the first Annual Assembly with grove meetings
for all three grades in Glastonbury, followed by a parade up to the Tor
where we held a Solstice ceremony in radiant sunshine and a Force 9 gale.
We then had an Eisteddfod in town, and the following day about 50 members
went to Stonehenge for a noon day Solstice ceremony, while most of the tutors
spent the day in Glastonbury at a tutors' meeting.
June was a busy month, because we also moved the Order's office from Lewes
to a shop in Portslade, and the Order's new website was unveiled (http://druidry.org).
Since then over 27,000 visits have been made to the site, and we've even
had a few visitors at the shop! The website offers a journey through the
forest where the visitor can learn about Druidry through images and text,
and even sound. For those in a hurry, they can go straight to a simple text
version, but even this includes an extraordinarily complete listing of books
and music available on Druidry and related subjects, and direct access to
on-line ordering. Also included is a very comprehensive listing of links
to many websites that deal with Celtic subjects, ancient sites, Paganism
and so on. In the course of creating the site, Bill and Libby have become
accomplished webpage builders who now offer their services to others as
WebShamans. When I needed to convey a whole set of information to publishers
and workshop organisers, I realised that a website was the best way to do
this: and Libby and Bill have created a wonderful site for me (http://druidry.org/pcg).
The publishing process takes so long (the Taliesin book I've been working
on for 2 years is still in the pipeline) that I have used the website to
share sections of forthcoming books.
Membership from Germany is starting to grow, since this year saw the publication
of The Druid Animal Oracle, the Book of Druidry and The Druid Way in German.
Likewise in Italy, since the Oracle and The Elements of the Druid Tradition
have just appeared in Italian. The Elements book has been published in Dutch
for some time, but next year the Oracle will be available in Dutch too.
And we also have a small but growing number of members in Bulgaria, thanks
to the publication in Bulgarian of the book I wrote with Paco Rabanne -
which is also available in French, but not English yet.
The membership of NOBOD - the internet network of OBOD - is growing so fast
I believe it's hard for some members to keep pace with the flow of communication.
The challenge there is how to maintain the feeling of community as the size
of membership continues to grow so dramatically. The NOBOD website offers
an incredible experience: with contributions from members all over the world.
I believe audio-cassettes offer a great medium for conveying a tradition
such as Druidry, which was - after all - an oral tradition. By listening
to the two cassettes we send out with the Bardic Grade, I believe you can
make a connection with the Order and its work which will probably be deeper
than if you never received these. So in August, when Marc Hadley who started
the audio-cassette company, Talking Myth Publications, told us he was folding
the company, we offered to take it over. It will take us a few months to
duplicate the cassettes, print the covers and so on, but by next year we
should be able to offer all the Talking Myth titles - and some new ones
of our own making too.
As regards books on Druidry, the appearance of new titles on Druidry continues,
with more promised for next year. Emma Restall-Orr's Principles of Druidry
(Thorsons) has just appeared, and Cairistiona Worthington's Beginner's Guide
to Druidry (Hodders) will appear next year. This means there will be three
introductory guides to Druidry available: my Elements Of book, the Principles
Of, and The Beginner's Guide. A triad of first-step books! Then hopefully
John & Caitlin Matthews' Ovate Source Book will appear, giving us a
triad of Source Text guides! This year two vastly different books on Druidry
have appeared: Emma's Spirits of the Sacred Grove (Thorsons) which is an
account of the journey round the Druid year weaving personal life stories
with Druidic and Pagan ideas, and Gordon Strachan's Jesus the Master Builder:
Druid Mysteries and the Dawn of Christianity (Floris). In this book, just
out and to be reviewed soon, Gordon expands on the thesis he put forward
in The Druid Renaissance, that Jesus came to Britain to learn from the Druids
during his Silent Years.
In September the 2nd Annual Australian Assembly was held at Wiseman's Ferry
outside Sydney, and while I was there I witnessed the birth of the Order's
Choir! Like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Heaven forbid - that's a joke!)
it promises to be an amazing group with new compositions, and a forthcoming
CD! With lots of radio and newspaper interviews, talks and workshops, and
tons of warm, generous hospitality from members and friends, I made my way
back to England in time for Samhuinn. I had taken the Order's dord with
me, sounding it ceremonially in each country. Then, at our Samhuinn ceremony,
as we opened the french-windows to greet the 'wistful legions of the departed',
Sue blew the dord three times as we stood in silence, gazing up at the moon
and stars. A few nights before, I had woken during a dream, but the dream
continued. In it Nuinn came into our room and he was looking so radiant,
and so full of strong, centred, grounded love. "I didn't know you were
still alive!" I said to him - amazed. "Didn't you? " He said
with a smile.
Have a wonderful Year - whether it's carrying you towards the depths of
mid-Winter, or towards the full tide of Summer,
Yours by oak, ash and thorn,
Philip /|\