Week 21: Nature Awareness 2

Related to Requirement: #7 – Nature Awareness
Required Reading:
 Our Own Druidry, p. 41 - 46 (Attunement to Nature and the Kindred)
Suggested Reading:
 "Connecting With the Natural World" by Ladytoad
 "On the Solitary Path" by Ladytoad
 "Nature Worship as Lifestyle" by Kate Farrell
 "O Earth Mother, We Praise Thee" from The Druid Chronicles
 Sacred Fire, Holy Well by Ian Corrigan, p. 163-166;
 The Solitary Druid by Rev. Skip Ellison, p. 69-80

I may have made a bad decision when choosing my yard to use as my nature spot. While I'm doing really good at getting outside and spending time in my yard... I'm mostly doing yard work while I'm at it. Which, while very helpful for getting used to the rhythms of a new place, doesn't really involve connecting to the land or nature spirits.

Homework:
1. Where does your trash go? 
To the city landfill for the most part. I recycle a bunch, but not all.

2. Are there options for recycling that you're making use of? Why or why not? 
I recycle most of my plastic, glass, and aluminum containers. I need to get better about recycling my (tin? I think they're mostly steel now) food cans, as they can go into the same bin as the others. And then even better at taking the recycling bags to the drop off.

A good portion of my waste is junk mail and paper food waste. During the spring and summer, a good portion of it ends up being used as charcoal starter, however, during the winter it just get tossed out. The city has a fiber recycling program as well, however, since it needs to be separate from the plastic/metal bin... I don't have the space for a permanent bin for it and I'm too lazy to make space.

3. Are there steps you can take to help reduce the amount of refuse you create? 
Even with not recycling my paper, I normally only have about 1 trashbag a week. Some weeks are heavier, but 1 bag is pretty hard to go down from. Obviously recycling my paper and starting a compost pile would get me down even further.

4. What happens to your waste water? 
Eventually, anything spilled outside gets to the Missouri River. Its where my water comes from (via a treatment station) and where it all returns. I'm only a couple of miles from the river, so I use as few pesticides and fertilizers as possible to keep at least that much out of the river (my neighbors feel no such compulsion, which is why my yard has all the bees and all the ticks.)

5. What rivers are nearby? Do you have a connection to them? What sort of connection? 
The Missouri river is about 2 miles away. It's dirty and dangerous through here, so I don't spend much time on it. But its pretty watching the sunset over the river.

6. Describe the basic climate of your area. Is it often wet and rainy? Dry and sunny? Wet and sunny? How has this affected the kinds of plants and animals in the area? 
It's hot/cold and humid. Anything else is in flux. Right now, it's raining, hot, and humid. We actually get 4 seasons through here most years. Past few years have been really dry (and yet still humid *eyeroll*), but there's enough fluctuation you can't trust the weather forecast for more than 2-3 days tops.

The plants that do well are highly drought tolerant. This is very much still prairie land at heart and anything that wants lots of available water just isn't going to live very well. Same goes for animals. Deer, raccoons, and opossums are all pretty common. Other, larger, animals live elsewhere. But I mostly get the common suburban and urban margin inhabitants.

7. What visible effects have humans had on the natural landscapes around you? 
Sub/urban sprawl sucks. We don't let the river move anymore, and all the trees are getting torn down to build more single family homes.

8. Where do the winds usually come from? Are there different winds at different times of the year? 
The vast majority of our wind comes from the west. Storms normally travel from the south west, however, there are always a few every year that come from the northwest or follow the Mississippi north and then turn west. Those tend to cause tornadoes and mass destruction.

9. What major crops are grown in your region? Why are these particular crops grown here? 
We used to grow lots of hemp for rope (19th century). Apparently hemp really likes the climate here. Now the fields are gone, but we have a lot growing wild still. Other major crops are soy beans and corn. Some wheat, but not as much. Corn and wheat both require more easily available water than is normally available of a given year. Soy Beans are a short crop cycle and thus can be harvested before the summer drought kicks in.

10. Where does your power come from (i.e. nuclear, solar, coal, gas, etc.)? 
Missouri has a law that says a certain percentage of power has to come from renewable resources. I have no idea what that percentage is. Per what I can find, my local electric company uses mostly coal, with additional wind, hydro, and gas to make up the difference. I know my local landfill generates electricity from the methane, but it goes to a different electric company.

Week 13: Nine Virtues: Wisdom

Related to Requirement: #1 – Nine Virtues
Required Reading:

• Our Own Druidry, p. 15 (Virtue, Piety and Study); 
• Our Own Druidry, 85-90 (Lore and Essays) 

Suggested Reading:

• A Virtuous Life Nine Virtues study guide

But first, recap of last week since I didn't get anything up.

Some how I got ahead of the group, so I had a bye week last week. I used the time to create a set of rune staves and to spend lots of time outside (to the dismay of my sunburnt ears and nose). I also finally got the Beltane ritual written.

I'm really happy with how the rune staves turned out, even if this is just meant to be a temporary set until I can get better wood working skills. Also, I probably shouldn't have started them just before lunch as I was starving by the end since it took a good 2 hours. I'm not sure how true they read, but since I'm really bad at interpretation anyway, I think it'll probably be ok. I have switched from iPod divination to drawing a rune instead during my devotional. Its practice and that is needed.

Mom requested a new retaining wall and a trip to the zoo for her birthday. So I spent most of Friday and Saturday outside, working and walking. Walnuts hurt to have jammed into your knees and penguins and polar bears are pretty cool (pun not intended). Sunday was spent inside helping Grandma around the house, which was not really how I wanted to spend it... but it needed to be done and I was the one available. And it wasn't too bad this time: just moving heavy stuff she can't manage and some computer stuff.

Writing the ritual was more of a thing than I was expecting it to be. I'm not sure if I was just blocked or if I'm a horrible litergist. Or both. At any rate, after combing through... several... books, every non-shitty website I could find, and a couple shitty websites that at least weren't racist, I finally got enough information to write this. I really need to find reliable sources of information. I have more research and information on exactly how the pleating was done on viking apron dresses than I have on what the appropriate deities are for different holidays. I'm going to publish at least the parts of it that I wrote after Beltane so other folks have a bit of an easier time. At any rate, ritual is written and sent off for editing.

Week 12: Ancestors, The Mighty Dead

Related to Requirement: #9 – Relationships to Kindred

Required Reading:
 Our Own Druidry, p. 120-121 (Kindred Attunement Work)
 Our Own Druidry, p. 42 (The Ancestors)

Optional Reading:
 "Ancestors Invocation" by Jennifer Ellison
 "A Beginner's Guide to Genealogical Research: or How I Connected to My Ancestors" by Meghan E. M.
 "Ancestors For Those Without Ancestors" by Renee Rhodes
 The Solitary Druid by Rev. Skip Ellison, p. 85-86

I'll come back to the ancestors later. This entry is mostly going to be catch up.

Nature:
It's spring. the trees are having sex and I can't breathe. I've not gotten as much yard work done yet as I really wanted to do, but there's time. Well, for most of it.  Looks like I should have gotten the strawberries in 2 weeks ago, as opposed to in 2 weeks when I have time and money to make it happen. But I should be able to get the mint in this spring. Or at least start getting the soil amended to what both strawberries and mint want.

This is my outside. Lawn and garden. I'm trying to not tear up too much stuff and to keep things still decently wild (or wild for suburbia) so that the Nature Spirits don't deal with too much change at once. Once the fence is re-built, I'll plant a bunch of butterfly bushes and other critter friendly plants.

I really dont know if this is what they want for nature awareness.

Meditation/ Mental Training:
This, contrary to all my expectations, is going ok. I'm not going to say it's going great, but the forcing myself to take time in the mornings is at least making me feel less anxious (most mornings). I'm still continuing with the Anywhere Devotional that I started out with. I do still need to create a proper rune set. In all the copious spare time I have for crafting.

Luna is being problematic in the mornings now that it's nice out. She makes it her goal to be as obnoxious as possible so I'll let her out in the mornings. Which means yowling at the top of her lungs, drinking from the well, trying to set herself on fire...  It's a bit distracting when I'm trying to be reach out to the kindreds.

I need to continue working on the two powers meditation. Will probably do that tonight after dinner while working on the stuff for ancestors.

I-E Studies:
I haven't touched this in weeks.

Week 8: Meditation and Mental Training

Related to Requirement: #6 – Mental Training
Required Reading:

• Our Own Druidry, p. 93 - 99 (Druid Mental Training) 

Optional Resources:

• Meditation for the Type A Personality by Jenni Hunt
• Basic Meditation by Brenda Stumpp
• "Letting the World Slip Away" by Ladytoad
• "Laughing Meditation" by Brandon Newberg
• "An Anywhere Devotional" by Brandon Newberg
• "Dual Trad Daily Devotionals" by Tanrinia
• Sacred Fire, Holy Well by Ian Corrigan, p. 71-81;
• Training the Mind: Techniques of Trance and Meditation CD by Ian Corrigan;
• The Solitary Druid by Rev. Skip Ellison, p. 40-45

Personal Choices:

• A Short Devotional Rite
• A Daily Morning Bathroom Devotional and Meditation
• A Morning Devotional
• An ADF Nine Virtues Bead Devotional
• Mindful Knitting: Inviting Contemplative Practice to the Craft by Tara Jon Manning

I've been expecting this to be a hard part of working on DP, and so far, I'm not seeing anything that changes my mind about that.

I do think switching back and forth between the Anywhere Devotional and meditation will work well for me. Well, as long as i can resist setting my house on fire.  However, the second go run through Saturday morning was much better than the one last Wednesday.  So it might just take practice.

I'm investigating a new (to me?) form of divination for the devotionals.  I'm not looking to replace the more traditional forms of Rune or Ogham reading, however, those are both a bit more than I can manage on short notice.  Particularly since I don't have a good set of runes made up yet.  I'm keeping those for formal occasions and will switch over to runes more often when I have a set made up.

Somewhere, I read about iPod (or music?) divination. Essentially, when you reach the part of your rite where you would normally do your standard divination technique, you put your mp3 player/ full library/ iPod/ phone/ whatever you listen to music on and have handy on full random and the first song that plays is your answer.  In my head, while this is easier to cheat/ force the answer you  want (you do get to choose what songs are available), you can do that with runes/ ogham/ tarot too.  Anymore, your phone is going to be as closely attuned to you as any tarot deck.  Most people (certainly I) have my phone with me at all times, normally in my pocket. At any rate, this works for me for right now and is likely to be more convenient in the mornings.

I am going to put together a string of prayer beads. Or rather, a physical representation of the Core Order of Ritual so I have an easier time keeping track of where I am. I know what i want to use for Earth Mother, Gatekeeper, and Noble Ones, I just need to find beads that both visually and texturally represent the other beings and steps.  I have a feeling this is just going to involve wandering into a beading store and seeing what i can find.

------------------------------------

The weather is finally turning nice enough that I can be outside without it hurting.  I like this A LOT. I've got a bunch of outside projects to do (like... setting the back fence back upright.) so I should be able to spend my assigned hour outside this week.  And probably for the next several months as well.

I had every intention of spending this last weekend working on my review for my IE book.  Instead, I went car shopping with my sister and her partner, antiquing with my parents, split a few bottles of wine with my best friends, lunch for Gma's birthday, and then watching my cat terrorizing my mom's chickens while discussing home improvements and which need to happen regardless of divorce settlement and which need to wait.  Not a whole lot of time to sit down and write.

I also still need to finish up the Maitag rite.  I know which deities go where I think, so now just the plug and chug part.  I should be able to get that done... this week?  Maybe?  I really wish March wasn't so busy. Because I also need to find a weekend to make runes before Maitag. 

I'm publishing this before I freakout more about time and not enough and plans.

Bye Week therefore Housekeeping

It's a bye-week for Wheel of the Year, so updates on continuing projects/ assignments/ whatever.

Indo-European Book Review:

So I read the Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory.  I have feels, bad ones.  Not because I disagree with Eller, but because the Matriarchal prehistory folks fail basic feminist thought and logic.  I have never wished so badly that an argument was a strawman. And it's not like I'm well known for my grasp on feminist theory.

My initial review is going to be far too long.  Once I've gotten it written, edited, and privilege checked, i'll post it.  Then I'll edit it down  for DP stuff.  Or, more likely, I'll write an abstract and use that.  

At any rate, it'll be up in a couple weeks probably.  Right now, I'm still in search of sources that back me up on how racist the theory is (I've already got sources on how sexist/ anti-feminist it is).  I love JSTOR and having friends who are in academia who will allow me to abuse them for access to articles.  I've already started the blog post for it twice and it's just not there yet.  So it'll be there when it's ready.  Also, I apparently need to re-memorize MLA since I'm out of practice.  There's been at least one update come out since I stopped using MLA for everything.

Shrine Update:

Luna has been very good about staying off my altar so far.  She nearly burnt herself while I was meditating with a candle lit on it Saturday morning, but figured out that it was hot before she got too close.

I think I'm going to pick up an air plant terrarium to use as my tree.  It's not appropriate for my hearth culture at all, but sometimes hearth culture needs to take a back seat to "something I can keep alive and wont' poison my cat." I might pick up another cedar branch to use if I feel the need (the cedars in my back yard had a couple of branches die over the fall/ winter, so I can harvest those).  And, the more cedar in my wool filled house the better.

Apparently, I decided this week was going to be the week I started my rune set.  Not sure that's actually going to happen, but I'll contemplate it.

Nature Awareness:

My awareness of nature right now comes down to "it's freaking cold.  Frozen got it's EGOT, Elsa, can you please end the endless winter now?"  And making chili and potato soup.  I'm essentially just hiding in my den, and, for the most part, feel no shame in that.

Per the Weather Channel, we're supposed to warm up to the mid-fifties by next weekend.  If that's true, I'll go tramp around in the woods Thursday afternoon.  I really want to go camping, but that's just not going to happen right now.

At any rate, I really need to get the initial write up from week 5 written.  

Holy Days:

I think I need to go re-work the initial Imbolc paragraph back in week 3.  I'm not sure it hits the word count and it's certainly incomplete.

Our spring equinox ritual is going to be Slavic.  I know nothing about slavic cultures other than what I learned in a history course 8 years ago and that didn't focus much on folklore, mythology, or even the pre-christian religion.  I do have a book of Russian folk tales. I should probably pull that out and skim through it just so I have something resembling a base.

May 1/ Beltane is the Norse ritual that I'm creating.  Assuming we're focusing on the fertility aspects and not the German ancestor aspects, GateKeeper will be Heimdall on the Bifrost, DoO will probably be Frey.  I'll have to poke around some more to find the appropriate Earth Mother, nothing is sticking out at me as I thumb through my books. I'm also probably overthinking the ritual itself and need to NOT reinvent the wheel.

Library:

Not really strictly part of my DP stuff, but is happening in conjunction with, and has mental health implications.  I've started the great book purge. I know Goodreads has a scan function to add books to your library.  I need to experiment with it to see if I can get it to tag every book I scan in at a session with "Book Purge" or something similar.  It's that or type everything into a spreadsheet on Google so folks can lay claim to anything they find interesting. None of this can go live until after the divorce is finalized of course.  And I'll probably run most of them through a book buyback to see if i can get any money for them before putting them up for grabs. But expect that to be coming shortly.  There's likely to be lots of art history and books on Martin Luther.

My goal is to clear enough space off my bookshelves that I can have one bookcase (one of the short ones) dedicated to Pagan Library stuff in my bedroom.  This will also give me some more space to spread my altar out if I feel the need.  Which I don't right now but *shrug*.  It'd be nice to have the option.

Meditation:

This is... not going as well as I would like.  I'm trying to average 5 times a week (gives me a couple days to be tired or busy without fretting about it), but I'm at best, averaging 2-3 times a week.  I'm contemplating just not moving my body clock with daylight saving's time next weekend, but I'm not sure how that will work. But I do need to come up with something.  

Unless I decide to bypass meditation and just do a daily devotion.  Which is a possibility.  I don't know.  It's something to think about at least.  The devotionals will also serve to get me more familiar with CoOR. Or maybe daily devotionals and meditation.  That might bridge the gap I'm feeling.  

I think I'll try doing either a devotional or meditation every day this week and next and see which one fits in with my life better.  I'll either pick one or continue doing both throughout the year.  This also means that it's less awkward to excuse myself for 30 minutes when I have company.  I can wait until they leave and even if I'm too tired to meditate, I can at least do a devotional.  Perhaps this is where I should start contemplating prayer beads.

Library Building

I'm starting to gather sources and other information regarding my chosen Hearth culture.  It looks like I might have to re-build a great deal of my library from scratch, so this will be a living document that will likely be updated as I discover new books and purchase others.

Wanted
Currently owned

The Recommending Reading List for DP   

Indo-European Studies:

• The Myth of Matriarchal PreHistory (DP approved)
• Comparative Mythology
• A History of Pagan Europe

Norse Mythology sources:  

• The Prose Edda
• The Poetic Edda
• The Heimskringla (Chronicle of the Kings of Norway)
• The Volsung Saga
• Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (DP approved)
• Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
• 
  

General Mythology sources: 

• Legends and Sagas at Sacred Texts.com.  Site also has sources for just about anything else you could possibly want for mythology/ religion/ ancient wisdom/ etc.  Looks like it'd be a good way to waste a couple days.

Modern Paganism:

• Drawing Down the Moon (DP approved)
• The Druidry Handbook

Meditation/ Mental Discipline:

• Mindful Knitting: Inviting Contemplative Practice to the Craft

Divination/ Omens

• Futhark
• The Runes Workbook
• Ogam: weaving Word Wisdom
• 
  

Week 5: Nature Awareness 1

Related to Requirement #7: Nature Awareness 1
Required Reading:

• Week 5 in WotY
• Our Own Druidry p. 39-43 (Attunement to Nature and the Kindred) 

Optional Reading:

• Urban Druid 
• Honoring the Environment Through Religion 
• Loving Our Mother 
• Learning from the Trees

We got a massive snow storm here last week, dropping about 8.5 inches of snow.  Then 2 days later, we got another inch or so.  And it's been cold enough that what melt was happening... just refroze overnight.  It's just now getting consistantly over freezing during the day (barely... 33 today for the high), and is supposed to be in the 40s over the weekend, so I have hope I'll actually be able to be outside without wishing I was dead next week.

The upshot of this is that due to snow being most of the way up to my knees and over the tops of my boots... I've not hugged a tree for an hour this week.  I've done the readings, but... no outside. I am going home to my parent's this weekend, and should be able to spend some quality time in the park by their house.  Or go to the zoo with my nephew (I'm totally voting this! But not sure his mother will agree.)

If it's warm enough, I should at least be able to sit on Mom and Dad's porch swing and swing and knit and be.  My meditation work isn't going very well, so maybe being outside will help.

Week 3: the First High Holy Day (Imbolc)

Week 3: The first High Holy Day: an explanation

Related to Requirement: #2 – Meaning and Discussion of High Days
Required Reading:

• Our Own Druidry, p. 62 - 74 61-75 (Hearth Cultures & High Days)

• ADF Constitution, Article 4

• The ADF Core Order of Ritual for High Days, 

Optional Reading:

• Our Own Druidry, p. 51 - 75 48-76 (The Very Basics of Ritual)

• A Crane Breviary and Guide Book by Rev. Michael J Dangler: <http://www.lulu.com/chronarchy>

• Appendix 1: Resources and Rituals for the Wheel of the Year

• Step by Step through a Druid Worship Ceremony

• The "Liturgy and Rituals" section of the ADF page

• The Three Cranes Grove, ADF, outline of ritual (with example prayers)

Not a whole lot to type up or think about before the ritual actually happens.  Ritual is Sunday afternoon with a celtic focus.  I'm trying to find sources for info on Norse equivalent.  What I've been able to find so far pretty much matches the Celtic/Germanic festival.  Ewe's milk, when winter begins to soften.  Lambing will begin soon (I guess? City girl here!).  At any rate, it's much the same it sounds like, so if I can't find anything at the library, I'll use the existing books I have at home.

The past week the cold has felt different.  It's still cold (the high on Monday was 14 Fahrenheit!), but it's not the bitter cold without remorse of deep winter.  It's the ever-so-slightly more humid cold of very early spring. The grocery store next to work hasn't put up their green house yet (my personal "yay spring!" signal), but they're clearing that area of their parking lot, so it'll be going up in the next month or so.

I think I'm going to end up doing two rituals for each holiday.  The grove ritual, which tends to be I-E, Celtic, or Grecian focused, and then a solitary ritual that's Norse focused.  I'm the only one in the grove with a impulse towards Norse, so I don't' think we'll ever being doing Norse as the main ritual.  And I'm ok with that.   The online Solitary grove posted their February ritual over the weekend.  I have it pulled up at home.  I'll take it and the Disting/Ewemeoluc ritual on the adf website and make them play nice.  It shouldn't be too hard.  Although I should totally do that tonight since K and nephew are coming down this weekend to play (and possibly go to ritual with me?)

I have some notes and thoughts about how meditation is going, but I think they'll get their own post when I'm not piece-mealing a post together from open tabs in stolen moments at work.

useful links:

https://www.adf.org/rituals/norse/general/index.html