"Our function is to establish new values, to create an overpowering sense
of the sacredness of life, so that war will be unthinkable; so that when international
disputes arise, even of the most grave character - when lives have been lost,
when our rights have been clearly invaded - we shall not turn to [the] deliberate
destruction of life as the means of settling those disputes, of avenging those
deaths, of asserting those rights."
Crystal Eastman
Dear Friends,
Every year at Samhuinn I sit down to look back over the previous year and to
write a review of the year’s events and activities, from the point of view of
the Order and of Druidry in general. This year has proved the hardest to review
– the events of September 11th and their aftermath loom so large now that it
feels hard to think back to the time before that – a time whose apparent ‘innocence’,
however recent, now seems irrevocably unattainable.
Stephanie and I returned from New Zealand in January having spent the year revising
the Bardic course and working with a designer in Wellington to make it look
more beautiful. It took months to complete its preparation and printing, but
now we are offering it to all members who have completed the course in the past.
In those early months of the year a small team worked to produce 8 new booklets
for the seasonal festivals – they include wonderful new solo rituals and greatly
improved group ones too, together with more detailed information on the significance
and historical background of each one. We’ve also produced ‘The Book of Ritual’
which explains the details of the ceremonies and suggests ways to work with
them.
Gradually, over the year, three teams of translators have spontaneously organised
themselves to translate the new ceremonies and Bardic Gwersu: in Holland, Germany
and France. May they all be blessed with the time, energy and perseverance needed
to complete the task!
In the field of publishing, unfortunately Cairistiona Worthington’s Druids
– A Beginner’s Guide sold out and was not reprinted by the publisher, who
cancelled the whole ‘Beginner’s Guide’ series. Plans are afoot to republish,
but this will take a while. We published a collection of Nuinn’s poetry in the
Spring, entitled Prophet, Priest & King, and Mara Freeman’s Kindling
the Celtic Spirit
was published in the USA by HarperSanfrancisco. Caitlin Matthews’ Celtic
Wisdom Sticks – an Ogam Oracle appeared in the Summer – published by
Connections. The oracular system suggested by Caitlin feels very natural and
intuitive, and if you don’t have the time or inclination to carve your own Oghams,
this set provides you with both the sticks and a hessian bag to keep them in.
OBOD member Sandra Parsons’ book Seeking
Spirit – a Quest through Druidry and the Four Elements was published
by Capall Bann this year, as was The
Voice Within the Wind by Greywind – launching a new Druid
publishing venture called Grey House in the Woods.
Established Order events flowered once again, and new species have appeared
too! Ana Adnan and Ronald Hutton ’s weekends in Wales have proved spectacularly
successful – I managed to attend one this Summer, and the experience of staying
in a palatial yurt beside Ana’s cottage in the wilds of the Gower peninsula
was quite delightful. The group activities, Ronald’s powerful and evocative
talks, the delicious cooking, the Billington’s home-made Elderberry wine, all
combined to make it an event well worth the hours spent negotiating Britain’s
now-quaint and ailing railway system.
The Ritual and Meditation workshops initiated by Susan Henssler have now been
going for over a year, and their purpose is twofold: firstly, to give members
the opportunity to work practically with the ideas of the course in a group
setting, and secondly to train members to facilitate such workshops, or create
new ones. After a year of training, Kate and Barry Reilly’s ‘maiden workshop’
for members from Holland and Belgium was a great success, and they are planning
a Ritual and Meditation weekend for next year, which will have the added attraction
of an optional day to explore the sacred sites of Cornwall.
The Assembly in Holland this year was full of excitement – I run out of superlatives
writing these reviews! And I wish I had attended the Order’s Australian Assembly
that was held in the spectacular setting of Uluru (Ayer’s Rock). Back in Britain,
the camps have thrived, and Otter Bob has just finished making a second vast
yurt-palace, which as I write, is filled with Samhuinn campers. Bob has also
refurbished a caravan with showers and washing facilities, so gone are the good
old days of shivering ankle-deep in mud waiting for the person ahead of you
who has decided to wash their hair, apply Henna, and three rinses of conditioner
before beginning their shower.
Our project in liaison with the National Trust, in which OBODies and friends
live in benders in the woods in return for work continues – with even a successful
birth occurring to a very happy Sam.
Iona this year brought members from America, Holland, Canada, Britain and Switzerland
together and – as ever – the island wove its magic around us. Every so often
it feels good to have a break, and Cairistiona and I both felt that next year
the Iona Retreat should lie fallow. We’ve done this twice before during the
last twelve years, and it feels perfectly natural – everything in Nature is
cyclical and not linear, and somehow it just feels right to have a break in
2002.
The Assembly this Summer was so fabulous that we couldn’t wait a whole year
to experience the fun, hence a new addition to the OBOD calendar – the Winter
Solstice Gathering. If you haven’t been to one before, do come along. It’s perfect
for spouses and friends who are a little wary of your Druid affiliations – the
atmosphere, the food, the music will all combine to convince them you’re not
bonkers! Roland Rotherham, talking on the Holy Grail on Saturday will be tremendous
fun – he is a witty, erudite and a gifted speaker. And Ardan’s performance later
in the afternoon will make the hairs on your neck stand on end! But please book
as soon as you can – we need to get the numbers right for the copious buffet
on Saturday night.
A major new initiative has finally been born in the distance-learning course
of the Druid College of Healing. For a number of years we’ve been talking about
this venture, and last year we held an inaugural Healing Retreat at the Ganieda
Sanctuary in Western Australia. Now the course has been launched by Kennan and
you can find details of it on the College section on the website. Unfortunately
for logistical reasons it is only available via the internet. The course is
designed to create a synergy between the members taking it, and the first students
will be pioneers of this new venture – so do join it if you have an interest
in the healing arts.
The OBOD website has grown tremendously in this last year. It now has over 1,000
pages in it, and those who haunt its maze of delights will need no convincing
of the value of frequent visits. During the aftermath of September 11th the
speed with which a website can be changed proved incredibly valuable, as we
were able to post articles of interest and new ideas and responses to the crisis
as they appeared. These can be seen via the heading ‘The Fate of the World -
The Current Crisis’ and include OBOD member Sarah Fuhro’s astrological chart
for September 11th, and thought-provoking articles by people such as Wendell
Berry, Rabbi Michael Lerner and Deepak Chopra.
The Message Board of the website continues to be a focus for heated, and sometimes
bizarre exchanges. Kids occasionally stumble into it from the hugely successful
Druid internet game to our site and post messages such as ‘Help, the Druids
have set fire to our village!’ but most of the time the discussion is lively
and provides members with the opportunity to discuss Druid ideas with curious
members of the public.
NOBOD – the internet forum for members - has finally burst its seed-pods and
given birth to a cluster of new forums. Libby is busy keeping pace with these
as she tries to develop a central location where members can see the range of
internet forums available to members and choose the group that suits them best.
Working tirelessly behind the scenes this year have been the Order tutors who
now number over 50 – all around the world - skilfully coordinated by Susan Jones,
who recently completed the re-writing of the tutor’s manual. They have all had
to digest the entire new course this Summer to prepare for those students following
the new Gwersu. The new course is about twice as long and contains much more
material, and I for one will be fascinated to see how new students respond to
the material which in many ways is so different.
Whilst all this has been happening, I have been working on two new books – the
first one is a collection of Nuinn’s essays with a preface by Ronald Hutton
and an introduction by myself - entitled In the Grove of the Druids, it will
be published by Watkins Publishing, and should be out in March 2002. The other
is called Druidcraft – Lessons from a Hedge School of Magic. Published by Thorsons,
and due out in June 2002, it looks at the connections between Druidry and Wicca,
and explores subjects relevant to the Druid Way which have been somewhat neglected
in previous works – such as the role of sexuality and magic.
While I’ve been working on this last book, the world has entered the difficult
and often frightening phase that we now find ourselves in. We’ve always known
about the threat of biological, chemical and nuclear warfare – and we’ve always
known that terrorists might use these. But until September 11th we could push
away our fears with the thought that such things were just too terrible to ever
happen – with a logic that now sadly seems naïve and optimistic, we believed
that even terrorist would have the decency to stick to car-bombs and the occasional
hi-jack or hostage-taking. Leaving aside, for a moment, the metaphysical, moral
and political issues that these events have raised, and looking instead at how
each of us is affected emotionally and practically every day since September
11th, it seems to me that we are now faced with the starkest choice – between
falling into cynicism, despair and fear, or reaching towards hope, trust and
new vision.
Any doubt that I had, that our ideals were too simplistic or impractical have
now vanished. I know that the ideals we espouse not only make sense but are
vital for our world to survive. And I know that fear and despair simply paralyse
one. The only practical solution is to constantly open to trust, and to work
towards our ideals. As Crystal Eastman says in the opening quotation, ‘Our function
is to establish new values, to create an overpowering sense of the sacredness
of life’…
Yours in the Deep Peace of the Sacred Grove,
Philip
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