There are so many things you can do to celebrate the spring equinox... or Ostara, no matter when you live or what the weather is like. It is true, many thing can very. You can plant your garden of there is snow on the ground. You can go have a picnic when it's 35 degrees, well you could but not something I would do but what about these items.
Spring is a time of transformation and change. In my studies, I was introduced to the story of Talisman and wanted to share it with whom reads this blog... Enjoy!
The story starts not with Taliesin but with Cerridwen, her husband Tegid and their three children, a daughter, Creiwry, a son, Morvan ap Tegid and their brother Avagddu. Creiwry and Avagddu were twins and both children were as opposite as night and day. Where Creiwry was fair, bright and lovely in nature and looks, Avagddu was dark, dull- witted and unattractive in every respect. His name alone meant "Utter Darkness" and his future was not too bright.
Cerridwen was heartbroken and wanted to do something to secure a brighter future for her dark son. Where he wouldn't get ahead in life with looks (and plastic surgery was not available!), Cerridwen decided that she could do something about his knowledge with the help of a magic potion. If Avagddu could be wise, who would care if he was as ugly as sin?
The potion itself proved to be no easy task to prepare. It required a year and a day worth of tending and adding ingredients at just the right time. A small price to pay if it meant success for her child!
Knowing that the potion must remain at a steady boil for the year and a day, and also knowing that she could not tend it herself while gathering ingredients and such, Cerridwen hired two people to tend the fire and stir the potion. Gwion Bach was a young boy who got the task of stirring the potion and Morda, an old man, got the task of tending the fire.
Diligently, these two fellows tended the potion well and Cerridwen was relieved to be able to gather the ingredients and make the proper incantations.
Towards the end of the year and a day, Cerridwen was out making the final incantation when three hot drops spurted forth from the boiling cauldron and landed on Gwion's finger. It must have hurt like heck and Gwion did what any other person would do when hot drops land on one's finger…suck at it!
Little did he know that those three drops were what was needed by Avagddu, while the rest of the potion was useless. To say that Cerridwen would be a little peeved off upon her return is the understatement of the century and Gwion, with all his new found magical wisdom figured that she would be after his head, so he took off.
The cauldron burst into two and the rancid liquid rushed forth and contaminated the river that Chief Gwyddno Garanhir's horses drank from. A royal disaster indeed!
True to Gwion's enlightened hypothesis, Cerridwen was absolutely furious and struck a blow to Morda with a stick, knocking one of his eyes out.
"You've disfigured me wrongly" said Morda. "I was not responsible for your loss!"
"You are right" said Cerridwen. "It was the young lad, Gwion, who has robbed me!"
(No mention is made of any compensation given to Morda…)
Cerridwen took off after Gwion and found him sure enough. Sensing her wrath and having the power to change, Gwion changed himself into hare to make a speedy escape. Cerridwen changed herself into a greyhound to pursue him.
Upon reaching the edge of a river, Gwion jumped in and changed himself into a fish. Cerridwen, not wanting to be outdone, turned into an otter and pursued him still.
He got out of the water and turned himself into a bird, but Cerridwen still pursued by turning herself into a hawk. She was not giving up the chase! What was Gwion to do?
Looking down, he saw a heap of wheat and changed himself into a grain of wheat and fell into the heap. Cerridwen changed herself into a black hen and ate the grain of wheat that was Gwion. Was this the end of Gwion?
Cerridwen bore him in her womb for nine months and he was born a beautiful baby boy. Cerridwen's anger melted and she could not bear to kill this lovely child with his radiant brow. Instead, she wrapped him in a leathern bag and set him out to sea on a coracle to let fate sort things out. According to Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion, this was done on the 29th of April.
Meanwhile, at the stronghold of Gwyddno Garanhir, it was nearing the time for a great salmon roundup at Gwyddno's famous weir. Gwyddno had a son, Elphin, who was as unlucky as he was a nice fellow and Gwyddno wanted to see his son's luck change.
At the advice of his counselors, Gwyddno sent Elphin to take the salmon from the weir to see if his fortune would change.
Elphin went to the famous weir and was disheartened to see not one salmon caught in the net. The only thing there was a leather bag, which was caught in the net.
One of the men minding the weir said "If you were unlucky before tonight, then this is definitely not your lucky night! The weir has always produced at least a hundred pounds of salmon on the eve of Beltane, but tonight there is naught but a leather bag hanging from it!"
Figuring things couldn't get much worse, Elphin decided to take the bag and have a look inside. What he saw amazed him…for there in the bag was a child with the most beautiful light shining from his brow!
"Behold, a radiant brow!" Elphin exclaimed. "Taliesin" means radiant brow and thus the child in the bag was named.
Beautiful as the child was, he was not a hundred pounds of salmon! Gwyddno's weir had never failed to produce salmon…he had cursed them all. Boy, would Elphin's father be upset!
Elphin placed the boy on his horse and began to ride back to his father's stronghold, lamenting all the while the failed production of fish.
"Fair Elphin, cease to lament!" said the boy and he proceeded with the song of his origins:
"Let no one be dissatisfied with his own,
To despair will bring no advantage.
No man sees what supports him;
The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;
God will not violate his promise.
Never in Gwyddno's weir
Was there such good luck as this night.
Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!
Being too sad will not avail.
Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain,
Too much grief will bring thee no good;
Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty:
Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.
From seas, and from mountains,
And from the depths of rivers,
God brings wealth to the fortunate man.
Elphin of lively qualities,
Thy resolution is unmanly;
Thou must not be over sorrowful:
Better to trust in God than to forbode ill.
Weak and small as I am,
On the foaming beach of the ocean,
In the day of trouble I shall be
Of more service to thee than three hundred salmon.
Elphin of notable qualities,
Be not displeased at thy misfortune;
Although reclined thus weak in my bag,
There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector
Thou hast not much to fear;
Remembering the names of the Trinity,
None shall be able to harm thee."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Elphin was shocked…an infant who could speak so eloquently and with such wisdom…perhaps his luck had changed for the better after all!
"Are you a man or a spirit?" Asked Elphin.
"First, I have been formed a comely person,
In the court of Caridwen I have done penance;
Though little I was seen, placidly received,
I was great on the floor of the place to where I was led;
I have been a prized defence, the sweet muse the cause,
And by law without speech I have been liberated
By a smiling black old hag, when irritated
Dreadful her claim when pursued:
I have fled with vigour, I have fled as a frog,
I have fled in the semblance of a crow, scarcely finding rest;
I have fled vehemently, I have fled as a chain,
I have fled as a roe into an entangled thicket;
I have fled as a wolf cub, I have fled as a wolf in a wilderness,
I have fled as a thrush of portending language;
I have fled as a fox, used to concurrent bounds of quirks;
I have fled as a martin, which did not avail;
I have fled as a squirrel, that vainly hides,
I have fled as a stag's antler, of ruddy course,
I have fled as iron in a glowing fire,
I have fled as a spear-head, of woe to such as has a wish for it;
I have fled as a fierce hull bitterly fighting,
I have fled as a bristly boar seen in a ravine,
I have fled as a white grain of pure wheat,
On the skirt of a hempen sheet entangled,
That seemed of the size of a mare's foal,
That is filling like a ship on the waters;
Into a dark leathern bag I was thrown,
And on a boundless sea I was sent adrift;
Which was to me an omen of being tenderly nursed,
And the Lord God then set me at liberty."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Elphin took the boy to his father's court and Gwyddno asked if he had brought home any salmon.
"Alas the weir was barren…" said Elphin, to which Gwyddno lamented.
"However, I have brought home a bounty that is better than fish…" Elphin continued.
"What would that be?" asked Gwyddno.
"A bard!"
"And what shall he profit you?" asked Gwyddno, thinking the worst.
"He will profit more from him than that weir ever profited you!" replied the baby Taliesin.
"You can speak and yet you are so small!" Gwyddno exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes, I can speak far better than you can to question me." Replied Taliesin.
"Well then…let's hear what you have to say!" Said Gwyddno and Taliesin sang another song of his origins.
With that Gwyddno was floored by the boy's wisdom and Elphin took the boy home where he and his wife cared for him lovingly.
For the next thirteen years, Elphin's luck indeed changed for the better. He grew in riches and popularity. When Taliesin was 13 years old, Elphin took him to the court of Maelgwn Gwynedd for a winter feast.
Maelgwn was King and a highly celebrated sort of man who enjoyed getting fawned over. Of course, he had earned his reputation, but he still took it to the extreme.
All of the finest men and women were at the party and the question was asked "Does anyone have greater bards than Maelgwn?" and "Is there a man with a more virtuous wife than Maelgwn?"
Elphin replied "My wife is certainly more virtuous and my bard finer than any of Maelgwn's!"
Not a way to make oneself popular at parties hosted by Kings, I'd say, and Maelgwn took notice immediately. The court went quiet.
Maelgwn had Elphin thrown into prison and his feet secured with a silver chain until he could ascertain the virtue of Elphin's wife and the skill of Elphin's bard.
To test Elphin's wife, Maelgwn sent his own son, Rhun to inquire. Rhun was a graceless and churlish sort of man who was known to resort to dirty ways of winning.
His intent was to get Elphin's wife drunk until she passed our, have his way with her, cut off her finger and prove that she was disloyal to her husband.
Taliesin figured out what Rhun was up to, so he had Elphin's wife switch clothes and roles with one her maidservants. The maid was also given the wedding ring to wear.
Rhun showed up for his "visit" and did what he had intended to do.
The next day, Elphin's wife was brought before Maelgwn where Rhun intended to prove her disloyalty.
"How would you prove this woman's disloyalty" asked Maelgwn to his son, Rhun.
"Easily said…I have cut off her wedding ring finger while she was drunk!" Rhun replied, showing his gruesome trophy with the wedding ring upon it.
Maelgwn brought Elphin out to make fun of him about his wife's lack of virtue. "It would do well for a man not to boast of his wife's virtue when she is less than such!"
"Hmm…I cannot deny the ring is our wedding ring." Elphin said. "But I can also say that this finger is not my wife's."
"How can you say that?" Maelgwn asked.
"Well, for starters, this nail has not been pared for a month. My wife cuts her nails every night before bed. Secondly, there is bread dough under the nail. My wife has not made bread since before we were married. Thirdly, my wife could never keep the ring on because it was always too big. The ring was forced on a finger that is too big for it here!"
At that point, Elphin's wife showed her hands complete with all ten fingers.
"Whose finger is this then?" Maelgwn demanded.
The hung over maid-servant with a missing ring finger was then brought in.
Furious with being shown up in front of his court, Maelgwn had Elphin thrown back into prison until he could ascertain the skill of his bard.
Elphin's wife and Taliesin went home and she was distraught over her husband being in prison.
"What are we going to do to get him out?" She asked.
To which Taliesin replied:
"A journey will I perform,
And to the gate I will come;
The hall I will enter,
And my song I will sing;
My speech I will pronounce
To silence royal bards,
In presence of their chief,
I will greet to deride,
Upon them I will break
And Elphin I will free.
Should contention arise,
In presence of the prince,
With summons to the bards,
For the sweet flowing song,
And wizards' posing lore
And wisdom of Druids,
In the court of the sons of the distributor
Some are who did appear
Intent on wily schemes,
By craft and tricking means,
In pangs of affliction
To wrong the innocent,
Let the fools be silent,
As erst in Badon's fight,--
With Arthur of liberal ones
The head, with long red blades;
Through feats of testy men,
And a chief with his foes.
Woe be to them, the fools,
When revenge comes on them.
I Taliesin, chief of bards,
With a sapient Druid's words,
Will set kind Elphin free
From haughty tyrant's bonds.
To their fell and chilling cry,
By the act of a surprising steed,
From the far distant North,
There soon shall be an end.
Let neither grace nor health
Be to Maelgwn Gwynedd,
For this force and this wrong;
And be extremes of ills
And an avenged end
To Rhun and all his race:
Short be his course of life,
Be all his lands laid waste;
And long exile be assigned
To Maelgwn Gwynedd"
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Taliesin went to the court that night and sat with Maelgwn's bards. He sat and waited for each of the bards to stand and sing Maelgwn's praises. As they passed him, he pouted his lips and played "Blerwn, blewrm" upon them with his finger.
When the bards got up sing, all they could do is play "Blewrn, Blewrm" upon their lips as if enchanted.
All of them followed suit and Maelgwn was enraged. One of his lords hit one of the bards over the head with a stick which brought the man out of his enchantment.
"Are you drunk?" asked Maelgwn.
"It's not of the drink that we do this, but the powerful influence of the young lad who sits yonder." Replied the bard, pointing at the young Taliesin.
"Who are you?" asked Maelgwn to the young boy.
Taliesin Replied:
"Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale of Hebron;
I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion.
I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.
I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;
I have been in India when Roma was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass:
I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,
For a day and a year in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe.
I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;
And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.
Then I was for nine months
In the womb of the hag Caridwen;
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
He then turned to the bards of Maelgwn and chided them as follows:
"Puny bards, I am trying
To secure the prize, if I can;
By a gentle prophetic strain
I am endeavouring to retrieve
The loss I may have suffered;
Complete the attempt I hope,
Since Elphin endures trouble
In the fortress of Teganwy,
On him may there not be laid
Too many chains and fetters;
The Chair of the fortress of Teganwy
Will I again seek;
Strengthened by my muse I am powerful;
Mighty on my part is what I seek,
For three hundred songs and more
Are combined in the spell I sing.
There ought not to stand where I am
Neither stone, neither ring;
And there ought not to be about me
Any bard who may not know
That Elphin the son of Gwyddno
Is in the land of Artro,
Secured by thirteen locks,
For praising his instructor;
And then I Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Shall loosen Elphin
Out of a golden fetter."
* * * *
"If you be primary bards
To the master of sciences,
Declare ye mysteries
That relate to the inhabitants of the world;
There is a noxious creature,
From the rampart of Satanas,
Which has overcome all
Between the deep and the shallow;
Equally wide are his jaws
As the mountains of the Alps;
Him death will not subdue,
Nor hand or blades;
There is the load of nine hundred wagons
In the hair of his two paws;
There is in his head an eye
Green as the limpid sheet of icicle;
Three springs arise
In the nape of his neck;
Sea-roughs thereon
Swim through it;
There was the dissolution of the oxen
Of Deivrdonwy the water-gifted.
The names of the three springs
From the midst of the ocean;
One generated brine
Which is from the Corina,
To replenish the flood
Over seas disappearing;
The second, without injury
It will fall on us,
When there is rain abroad,
Through the whelming sky;
The third will appear
Through the mountain veins,
Like a flinty banquet,
The work of the King of kings,
You are blundering bards,
In too much solicitude;
You cannot celebrate
The kingdom of the Britons;
And I am Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Who will loosen Elphin
Out of the golden fetter."
* * * *
"Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,
For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.
If you be primary bards formed by heaven,
Tell your king what his fate will be.
It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,
And know every passage in the country of your king;
I shall liberate Elphin from the belly of the stony tower;
And will tell your king what will befall him.
A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh of Rhianedd
As a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd;
His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,
And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd."
* * * * *
"Discover thou what is
The strong creature from before the flood,
Without flesh, without bone,
Without vein, without blood,
Without head, without feet;
It will neither be older nor younger
Than at the beginning;
For fear of a denial,
There are no rude wants
With creatures.
Great God! how the sea whitens
When first it comes!
Great are its gusts
When it comes from the south;
Great are its evaporations
When it strikes on coasts.
It is in the field, it is in the wood,
Without hand, and without foot,
Without signs of old age,
Though it be co-æval
With the five ages or periods;
And older still,
Though they be numberless years.
It is also so wide
As the surface of the earth;
And it was not born,
Nor was it seen.
It will cause consternation
Wherever God willeth.
On sea, and on land,
It neither sees, nor is seen.
Its course is devious,
And will not come when desired;
On land and on sea,
It is indispensable.
It is without an equal,
It is four-sided;
It is not confined,
It is incomparable;
It comes from four quarters;
It will not be advised,
It will not be without advice.
It commences its journey
Above the marble rock,
It is sonorous, it is dumb,
It is mild,
It is strong, it is bold,
When it glances over the land,
It is silent, it is vocal,
It is clamorous,
It is the most noisy
On the face of the earth.
It is good, it is bad,
It is extremely injurious.
It is concealed,
Because sight cannot perceive it.
It is noxious, it is beneficial;
It is yonder, it is here;
It will discompose,
But will not repair the injury;
It will not suffer for its doings,
Seeing it is blameless.
It is wet, it is dry,
It frequently comes,
Proceeding from the heat of the sun,
And the coldness of the moon.
The moon is less beneficial,
Inasmuch as her heat is less.
One Being has prepared it,
Out of all creatures,
By a tremendous blast,
To wreak vengeance
On Maelgwn Gwynedd."
At this point, a wind rose up so high as to knock everyone in the room onto the floor. Maelgwn ordered Elphin to be brought forth in chains and Taliesin (now on a roll!) continued: (The following taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation)
"I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation,--
Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,
Him that made the water good for all,
Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it;--
May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who supplies us,
From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor.
Since bees collect, and do not enjoy,
We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised.
The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes
God made for man, with a view to enrich him;--
Some are violent, some are mute, he enjoys them,
Some are wild, some are tame; the Lord makes them;--
Part of their produce becomes clothing;
For food and beverage till doom will they continue.
I entreat the Supreme, Sovereign of the region of peace,
To liberate Elphin from banishment,
The man who gave me wine, and ale, and mead,
With large princely steeds, of beautiful appearance;
May he yet give me; and at the end,
May God of his good will grant me, in honour,
A succession of numberless ages, in the retreat of tranquillity.
Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!"
And afterwards he sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of the Bards."
"What was the first man
Made by the God of heaven;
What the fairest flattering speech
That was prepared by Ieuav;
What meat, what drink,
What roof his shelter;
What the first impression
Of his primary thinking;
What became his clothing;
Who carried on a disguise,
Owing to the wilds of the country,
In the beginning?
Wherefore should a stone be hard;
Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed?
Who is hard like a flint;
Who is salt like brine;
Who sweet like honey;
Who rides on the gale;
Why ridged should be the nose;
Why should a wheel be round;
Why should the tongue be gifted with speech
Rather than another member?
If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,
Let them reply to me, Taliesin."
And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof of the Bards."
"If thou art a bard completely imbued
With genius not to be controlled,
Be thou not untractable
Within the court of thy king;
Until thy rigmarole shall be known,
Be thou silent, Heinin,
As to the name of thy verse,
And the name of thy vaunting;
And as to the name of thy grandsire
Prior to his being baptized.
And the name of the sphere,
And the name of the element,
And the name of thy language,
And the name of thy region.
Avaunt, ye bards above,
Avaunt, ye bards below!
My beloved is below,
In the fetter of Arianrod
It is certain you know not
How to understand the song I utter,
Nor clearly how to discriminate
Between the truth and what is false;
Puny bards, crows of the district,
Why do you not take to flight?
A bard that will not silence me,
Silence may he not obtain,
Till he goes to be covered
Under gravel and pebbles;
Such as shall listen to me,
May God listen to him."
Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards."
"Minstrels persevere in their false custom,
Immoral ditties are their delight;
Vain and tasteless praise they recite;
Falsehood at all times do they utter;
The innocent persons they ridicule;
Married women they destroy,
Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt;
As they pass their lives away in vanity,
Poor innocent persons they ridicule;
At night they get drunk, they sleep the day;
In idleness without work they feed themselves;
The Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;
With thieves and perjured fellows they associate;
At courts they inquire after feasts;
Every senseless word they bring forward;
Every deadly sin they praise;
Every vile course of life they lead;
Through every village, town, and country they stroll;
Concerning the gripe of death they think not;
Neither lodging nor charity do they give;
Indulging in victuals to excess.
Psalms or prayers they do not use,
Tithes or offerings to God they do not pay,
On holidays or Sundays they do not worship;
Vigils or festivals they do not heed.
The birds do fly, the fish do swim,
The bees collect honey, worms do crawl,
Every thing travails to obtain its food,
Except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.
I deride neither song nor minstrelsy,
For they are given by God to lighten thought;
But him who abuses them,
For blaspheming Jesus and his service."
Maelgwn and his bards were dumbfounded as Elphin's chains fell from his feet. Taliesin had truly proved that he more than surpassed Maelgwn's bards and he was named Chief Bard of Gwynedd.
Questions to Ponder:1. What was the greatest gift that your mother gave you or service that she did for you? Even if she failed at doing something for you, were her actions appreciated?
She gave me courage and the freedom to decide for myself. I don't think she ever failed at anything she did for. She has always and still does that best that she can as I now do for her. I do feel a lot, however, that I fail her. I certainly hope not but much of the time that is how I feel.
2. What was the most transformative experience of your life? What elements were present in the process?
Well, this is difficult to answer. Life is so full of transformations. From child to adult, from single to married, from person to parent, and then back to single no children, from part of a couple to single. From worker to students and then career person... changing to Spiritualist and druid. I can not choose one so I will talk about my change to this path as that is what this is all about.
The changes have been amazing and of course the precess continues and always will. I really don't know how else to put it. A sense of calmness, release, i think is one of the most prominent changes. A sense of belonging that I have always looked for but never found. I have always felt different and now with my circle of friends, I feel like I belong somewhere but not where I physically reside. It's been amazing.
Elements present in the change? Attitude is a big one. When I made that first spiritual connection through meditation, my attitude chanes forever... it was an automatic thing.
After a rough year, I am almost starting over. Learning again to meditate, trying to find my way back to the peace in life and peace of mind. Working back into finding my faith in the powers that control our destinies and fulfull our needs. It is an every changing ever learning process.
3. When has your merit shone through when others would try to block your path or put you down?
I do not know how to answer this question. I have spent my life over coming obstacles from getting through college in my 30s as a single parent to finding my own spirituality and just supporting and raising my kids. While I am finding peace with my obstacles, learning not to worry to much ~ though worry is not something that just goes away, you learn worry and have to, in turn, learn to put it aside ~ and learning to take care of myself first, something else very new to me. I am learning and progressing though it is definitely a day to day process. Some days are easier then others.
Have you seen truth shine through for others in this manner?
I am much better at picking this out in others then I am at picking this out in myself...
4. How have you rewarded loyalty or how was your loyalty rewarded by another?
This is not soemthing I have really experienced as I have always been on my own. My kids are amazing... that is the extent of my rewards for loyalty... while this is huge, I have done much in my life, now as I look back I realize how much and the rewards at this point are yet to be seen.
How have you served?
While I have not always been Druid or even pagan admittedly, I have always served. I am a helper, a care taker of everyone. I have taken people in, given things away, pushed and supported many and done have always done anything I can when I come across someone in need. I still do. It is just the way that I am.
5. With regards to magic solutions, what have been your experiences? Does it work, has it failed? What does this story tell you about it? (Everyone sees things differently!)
My own magical solutions to problems have all worked so far though I do not tend to ask for outlandish or strange over the top things. Success in my store which provides the monetary abundance for my household. Work has not been successful in the way that I would like but I am subbing for now that works. I have asked often for healing of pain, sleep, and healing requests like that and they have all worked amazingly. Once again, I am not good at taking care of myself though I am getting better. I tend to also not ask for things for myself either but I am also getting better there.
Celebrating the Spring Equinox
- Plant seeds and raise them indoors until it is safe to plant them outside
- Note that the length of day and night are balanced
- Go outside and look for the first signs of spring in your area.
- Reacquaint yourself with the joy of painting hard-boiled eggs with non-toxic paint
Spring is a time of transformation and change. In my studies, I was introduced to the story of Talisman and wanted to share it with whom reads this blog... Enjoy!
The story starts not with Taliesin but with Cerridwen, her husband Tegid and their three children, a daughter, Creiwry, a son, Morvan ap Tegid and their brother Avagddu. Creiwry and Avagddu were twins and both children were as opposite as night and day. Where Creiwry was fair, bright and lovely in nature and looks, Avagddu was dark, dull- witted and unattractive in every respect. His name alone meant "Utter Darkness" and his future was not too bright.
Cerridwen was heartbroken and wanted to do something to secure a brighter future for her dark son. Where he wouldn't get ahead in life with looks (and plastic surgery was not available!), Cerridwen decided that she could do something about his knowledge with the help of a magic potion. If Avagddu could be wise, who would care if he was as ugly as sin?
The potion itself proved to be no easy task to prepare. It required a year and a day worth of tending and adding ingredients at just the right time. A small price to pay if it meant success for her child!
Knowing that the potion must remain at a steady boil for the year and a day, and also knowing that she could not tend it herself while gathering ingredients and such, Cerridwen hired two people to tend the fire and stir the potion. Gwion Bach was a young boy who got the task of stirring the potion and Morda, an old man, got the task of tending the fire.
Diligently, these two fellows tended the potion well and Cerridwen was relieved to be able to gather the ingredients and make the proper incantations.
Towards the end of the year and a day, Cerridwen was out making the final incantation when three hot drops spurted forth from the boiling cauldron and landed on Gwion's finger. It must have hurt like heck and Gwion did what any other person would do when hot drops land on one's finger…suck at it!
Little did he know that those three drops were what was needed by Avagddu, while the rest of the potion was useless. To say that Cerridwen would be a little peeved off upon her return is the understatement of the century and Gwion, with all his new found magical wisdom figured that she would be after his head, so he took off.
The cauldron burst into two and the rancid liquid rushed forth and contaminated the river that Chief Gwyddno Garanhir's horses drank from. A royal disaster indeed!
True to Gwion's enlightened hypothesis, Cerridwen was absolutely furious and struck a blow to Morda with a stick, knocking one of his eyes out.
"You've disfigured me wrongly" said Morda. "I was not responsible for your loss!"
"You are right" said Cerridwen. "It was the young lad, Gwion, who has robbed me!"
(No mention is made of any compensation given to Morda…)
Cerridwen took off after Gwion and found him sure enough. Sensing her wrath and having the power to change, Gwion changed himself into hare to make a speedy escape. Cerridwen changed herself into a greyhound to pursue him.
Upon reaching the edge of a river, Gwion jumped in and changed himself into a fish. Cerridwen, not wanting to be outdone, turned into an otter and pursued him still.
He got out of the water and turned himself into a bird, but Cerridwen still pursued by turning herself into a hawk. She was not giving up the chase! What was Gwion to do?
Looking down, he saw a heap of wheat and changed himself into a grain of wheat and fell into the heap. Cerridwen changed herself into a black hen and ate the grain of wheat that was Gwion. Was this the end of Gwion?
Cerridwen bore him in her womb for nine months and he was born a beautiful baby boy. Cerridwen's anger melted and she could not bear to kill this lovely child with his radiant brow. Instead, she wrapped him in a leathern bag and set him out to sea on a coracle to let fate sort things out. According to Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion, this was done on the 29th of April.
Meanwhile, at the stronghold of Gwyddno Garanhir, it was nearing the time for a great salmon roundup at Gwyddno's famous weir. Gwyddno had a son, Elphin, who was as unlucky as he was a nice fellow and Gwyddno wanted to see his son's luck change.
At the advice of his counselors, Gwyddno sent Elphin to take the salmon from the weir to see if his fortune would change.
Elphin went to the famous weir and was disheartened to see not one salmon caught in the net. The only thing there was a leather bag, which was caught in the net.
One of the men minding the weir said "If you were unlucky before tonight, then this is definitely not your lucky night! The weir has always produced at least a hundred pounds of salmon on the eve of Beltane, but tonight there is naught but a leather bag hanging from it!"
Figuring things couldn't get much worse, Elphin decided to take the bag and have a look inside. What he saw amazed him…for there in the bag was a child with the most beautiful light shining from his brow!
"Behold, a radiant brow!" Elphin exclaimed. "Taliesin" means radiant brow and thus the child in the bag was named.
Beautiful as the child was, he was not a hundred pounds of salmon! Gwyddno's weir had never failed to produce salmon…he had cursed them all. Boy, would Elphin's father be upset!
Elphin placed the boy on his horse and began to ride back to his father's stronghold, lamenting all the while the failed production of fish.
"Fair Elphin, cease to lament!" said the boy and he proceeded with the song of his origins:
"Let no one be dissatisfied with his own,
To despair will bring no advantage.
No man sees what supports him;
The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;
God will not violate his promise.
Never in Gwyddno's weir
Was there such good luck as this night.
Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!
Being too sad will not avail.
Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain,
Too much grief will bring thee no good;
Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty:
Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.
From seas, and from mountains,
And from the depths of rivers,
God brings wealth to the fortunate man.
Elphin of lively qualities,
Thy resolution is unmanly;
Thou must not be over sorrowful:
Better to trust in God than to forbode ill.
Weak and small as I am,
On the foaming beach of the ocean,
In the day of trouble I shall be
Of more service to thee than three hundred salmon.
Elphin of notable qualities,
Be not displeased at thy misfortune;
Although reclined thus weak in my bag,
There lies a virtue in my tongue.
While I continue thy protector
Thou hast not much to fear;
Remembering the names of the Trinity,
None shall be able to harm thee."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Elphin was shocked…an infant who could speak so eloquently and with such wisdom…perhaps his luck had changed for the better after all!
"Are you a man or a spirit?" Asked Elphin.
"First, I have been formed a comely person,
In the court of Caridwen I have done penance;
Though little I was seen, placidly received,
I was great on the floor of the place to where I was led;
I have been a prized defence, the sweet muse the cause,
And by law without speech I have been liberated
By a smiling black old hag, when irritated
Dreadful her claim when pursued:
I have fled with vigour, I have fled as a frog,
I have fled in the semblance of a crow, scarcely finding rest;
I have fled vehemently, I have fled as a chain,
I have fled as a roe into an entangled thicket;
I have fled as a wolf cub, I have fled as a wolf in a wilderness,
I have fled as a thrush of portending language;
I have fled as a fox, used to concurrent bounds of quirks;
I have fled as a martin, which did not avail;
I have fled as a squirrel, that vainly hides,
I have fled as a stag's antler, of ruddy course,
I have fled as iron in a glowing fire,
I have fled as a spear-head, of woe to such as has a wish for it;
I have fled as a fierce hull bitterly fighting,
I have fled as a bristly boar seen in a ravine,
I have fled as a white grain of pure wheat,
On the skirt of a hempen sheet entangled,
That seemed of the size of a mare's foal,
That is filling like a ship on the waters;
Into a dark leathern bag I was thrown,
And on a boundless sea I was sent adrift;
Which was to me an omen of being tenderly nursed,
And the Lord God then set me at liberty."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Elphin took the boy to his father's court and Gwyddno asked if he had brought home any salmon.
"Alas the weir was barren…" said Elphin, to which Gwyddno lamented.
"However, I have brought home a bounty that is better than fish…" Elphin continued.
"What would that be?" asked Gwyddno.
"A bard!"
"And what shall he profit you?" asked Gwyddno, thinking the worst.
"He will profit more from him than that weir ever profited you!" replied the baby Taliesin.
"You can speak and yet you are so small!" Gwyddno exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yes, I can speak far better than you can to question me." Replied Taliesin.
"Well then…let's hear what you have to say!" Said Gwyddno and Taliesin sang another song of his origins.
With that Gwyddno was floored by the boy's wisdom and Elphin took the boy home where he and his wife cared for him lovingly.
For the next thirteen years, Elphin's luck indeed changed for the better. He grew in riches and popularity. When Taliesin was 13 years old, Elphin took him to the court of Maelgwn Gwynedd for a winter feast.
Maelgwn was King and a highly celebrated sort of man who enjoyed getting fawned over. Of course, he had earned his reputation, but he still took it to the extreme.
All of the finest men and women were at the party and the question was asked "Does anyone have greater bards than Maelgwn?" and "Is there a man with a more virtuous wife than Maelgwn?"
Elphin replied "My wife is certainly more virtuous and my bard finer than any of Maelgwn's!"
Not a way to make oneself popular at parties hosted by Kings, I'd say, and Maelgwn took notice immediately. The court went quiet.
Maelgwn had Elphin thrown into prison and his feet secured with a silver chain until he could ascertain the virtue of Elphin's wife and the skill of Elphin's bard.
To test Elphin's wife, Maelgwn sent his own son, Rhun to inquire. Rhun was a graceless and churlish sort of man who was known to resort to dirty ways of winning.
His intent was to get Elphin's wife drunk until she passed our, have his way with her, cut off her finger and prove that she was disloyal to her husband.
Taliesin figured out what Rhun was up to, so he had Elphin's wife switch clothes and roles with one her maidservants. The maid was also given the wedding ring to wear.
Rhun showed up for his "visit" and did what he had intended to do.
The next day, Elphin's wife was brought before Maelgwn where Rhun intended to prove her disloyalty.
"How would you prove this woman's disloyalty" asked Maelgwn to his son, Rhun.
"Easily said…I have cut off her wedding ring finger while she was drunk!" Rhun replied, showing his gruesome trophy with the wedding ring upon it.
Maelgwn brought Elphin out to make fun of him about his wife's lack of virtue. "It would do well for a man not to boast of his wife's virtue when she is less than such!"
"Hmm…I cannot deny the ring is our wedding ring." Elphin said. "But I can also say that this finger is not my wife's."
"How can you say that?" Maelgwn asked.
"Well, for starters, this nail has not been pared for a month. My wife cuts her nails every night before bed. Secondly, there is bread dough under the nail. My wife has not made bread since before we were married. Thirdly, my wife could never keep the ring on because it was always too big. The ring was forced on a finger that is too big for it here!"
At that point, Elphin's wife showed her hands complete with all ten fingers.
"Whose finger is this then?" Maelgwn demanded.
The hung over maid-servant with a missing ring finger was then brought in.
Furious with being shown up in front of his court, Maelgwn had Elphin thrown back into prison until he could ascertain the skill of his bard.
Elphin's wife and Taliesin went home and she was distraught over her husband being in prison.
"What are we going to do to get him out?" She asked.
To which Taliesin replied:
"A journey will I perform,
And to the gate I will come;
The hall I will enter,
And my song I will sing;
My speech I will pronounce
To silence royal bards,
In presence of their chief,
I will greet to deride,
Upon them I will break
And Elphin I will free.
Should contention arise,
In presence of the prince,
With summons to the bards,
For the sweet flowing song,
And wizards' posing lore
And wisdom of Druids,
In the court of the sons of the distributor
Some are who did appear
Intent on wily schemes,
By craft and tricking means,
In pangs of affliction
To wrong the innocent,
Let the fools be silent,
As erst in Badon's fight,--
With Arthur of liberal ones
The head, with long red blades;
Through feats of testy men,
And a chief with his foes.
Woe be to them, the fools,
When revenge comes on them.
I Taliesin, chief of bards,
With a sapient Druid's words,
Will set kind Elphin free
From haughty tyrant's bonds.
To their fell and chilling cry,
By the act of a surprising steed,
From the far distant North,
There soon shall be an end.
Let neither grace nor health
Be to Maelgwn Gwynedd,
For this force and this wrong;
And be extremes of ills
And an avenged end
To Rhun and all his race:
Short be his course of life,
Be all his lands laid waste;
And long exile be assigned
To Maelgwn Gwynedd"
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
Taliesin went to the court that night and sat with Maelgwn's bards. He sat and waited for each of the bards to stand and sing Maelgwn's praises. As they passed him, he pouted his lips and played "Blerwn, blewrm" upon them with his finger.
When the bards got up sing, all they could do is play "Blewrn, Blewrm" upon their lips as if enchanted.
All of them followed suit and Maelgwn was enraged. One of his lords hit one of the bards over the head with a stick which brought the man out of his enchantment.
"Are you drunk?" asked Maelgwn.
"It's not of the drink that we do this, but the powerful influence of the young lad who sits yonder." Replied the bard, pointing at the young Taliesin.
"Who are you?" asked Maelgwn to the young boy.
Taliesin Replied:
"Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale of Hebron;
I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion.
I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.
I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;
I have been in India when Roma was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass:
I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,
For a day and a year in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe.
I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;
And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.
Then I was for nine months
In the womb of the hag Caridwen;
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin."
(Song taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation of the Mabinogion)
He then turned to the bards of Maelgwn and chided them as follows:
"Puny bards, I am trying
To secure the prize, if I can;
By a gentle prophetic strain
I am endeavouring to retrieve
The loss I may have suffered;
Complete the attempt I hope,
Since Elphin endures trouble
In the fortress of Teganwy,
On him may there not be laid
Too many chains and fetters;
The Chair of the fortress of Teganwy
Will I again seek;
Strengthened by my muse I am powerful;
Mighty on my part is what I seek,
For three hundred songs and more
Are combined in the spell I sing.
There ought not to stand where I am
Neither stone, neither ring;
And there ought not to be about me
Any bard who may not know
That Elphin the son of Gwyddno
Is in the land of Artro,
Secured by thirteen locks,
For praising his instructor;
And then I Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Shall loosen Elphin
Out of a golden fetter."
* * * *
"If you be primary bards
To the master of sciences,
Declare ye mysteries
That relate to the inhabitants of the world;
There is a noxious creature,
From the rampart of Satanas,
Which has overcome all
Between the deep and the shallow;
Equally wide are his jaws
As the mountains of the Alps;
Him death will not subdue,
Nor hand or blades;
There is the load of nine hundred wagons
In the hair of his two paws;
There is in his head an eye
Green as the limpid sheet of icicle;
Three springs arise
In the nape of his neck;
Sea-roughs thereon
Swim through it;
There was the dissolution of the oxen
Of Deivrdonwy the water-gifted.
The names of the three springs
From the midst of the ocean;
One generated brine
Which is from the Corina,
To replenish the flood
Over seas disappearing;
The second, without injury
It will fall on us,
When there is rain abroad,
Through the whelming sky;
The third will appear
Through the mountain veins,
Like a flinty banquet,
The work of the King of kings,
You are blundering bards,
In too much solicitude;
You cannot celebrate
The kingdom of the Britons;
And I am Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Who will loosen Elphin
Out of the golden fetter."
* * * *
"Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,
For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.
If you be primary bards formed by heaven,
Tell your king what his fate will be.
It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,
And know every passage in the country of your king;
I shall liberate Elphin from the belly of the stony tower;
And will tell your king what will befall him.
A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh of Rhianedd
As a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd;
His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,
And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd."
* * * * *
"Discover thou what is
The strong creature from before the flood,
Without flesh, without bone,
Without vein, without blood,
Without head, without feet;
It will neither be older nor younger
Than at the beginning;
For fear of a denial,
There are no rude wants
With creatures.
Great God! how the sea whitens
When first it comes!
Great are its gusts
When it comes from the south;
Great are its evaporations
When it strikes on coasts.
It is in the field, it is in the wood,
Without hand, and without foot,
Without signs of old age,
Though it be co-æval
With the five ages or periods;
And older still,
Though they be numberless years.
It is also so wide
As the surface of the earth;
And it was not born,
Nor was it seen.
It will cause consternation
Wherever God willeth.
On sea, and on land,
It neither sees, nor is seen.
Its course is devious,
And will not come when desired;
On land and on sea,
It is indispensable.
It is without an equal,
It is four-sided;
It is not confined,
It is incomparable;
It comes from four quarters;
It will not be advised,
It will not be without advice.
It commences its journey
Above the marble rock,
It is sonorous, it is dumb,
It is mild,
It is strong, it is bold,
When it glances over the land,
It is silent, it is vocal,
It is clamorous,
It is the most noisy
On the face of the earth.
It is good, it is bad,
It is extremely injurious.
It is concealed,
Because sight cannot perceive it.
It is noxious, it is beneficial;
It is yonder, it is here;
It will discompose,
But will not repair the injury;
It will not suffer for its doings,
Seeing it is blameless.
It is wet, it is dry,
It frequently comes,
Proceeding from the heat of the sun,
And the coldness of the moon.
The moon is less beneficial,
Inasmuch as her heat is less.
One Being has prepared it,
Out of all creatures,
By a tremendous blast,
To wreak vengeance
On Maelgwn Gwynedd."
At this point, a wind rose up so high as to knock everyone in the room onto the floor. Maelgwn ordered Elphin to be brought forth in chains and Taliesin (now on a roll!) continued: (The following taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation)
"I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation,--
Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,
Him that made the water good for all,
Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it;--
May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who supplies us,
From his foaming meadhorns, with the choicest pure liquor.
Since bees collect, and do not enjoy,
We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised.
The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes
God made for man, with a view to enrich him;--
Some are violent, some are mute, he enjoys them,
Some are wild, some are tame; the Lord makes them;--
Part of their produce becomes clothing;
For food and beverage till doom will they continue.
I entreat the Supreme, Sovereign of the region of peace,
To liberate Elphin from banishment,
The man who gave me wine, and ale, and mead,
With large princely steeds, of beautiful appearance;
May he yet give me; and at the end,
May God of his good will grant me, in honour,
A succession of numberless ages, in the retreat of tranquillity.
Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!"
And afterwards he sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of the Bards."
"What was the first man
Made by the God of heaven;
What the fairest flattering speech
That was prepared by Ieuav;
What meat, what drink,
What roof his shelter;
What the first impression
Of his primary thinking;
What became his clothing;
Who carried on a disguise,
Owing to the wilds of the country,
In the beginning?
Wherefore should a stone be hard;
Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed?
Who is hard like a flint;
Who is salt like brine;
Who sweet like honey;
Who rides on the gale;
Why ridged should be the nose;
Why should a wheel be round;
Why should the tongue be gifted with speech
Rather than another member?
If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,
Let them reply to me, Taliesin."
And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof of the Bards."
"If thou art a bard completely imbued
With genius not to be controlled,
Be thou not untractable
Within the court of thy king;
Until thy rigmarole shall be known,
Be thou silent, Heinin,
As to the name of thy verse,
And the name of thy vaunting;
And as to the name of thy grandsire
Prior to his being baptized.
And the name of the sphere,
And the name of the element,
And the name of thy language,
And the name of thy region.
Avaunt, ye bards above,
Avaunt, ye bards below!
My beloved is below,
In the fetter of Arianrod
It is certain you know not
How to understand the song I utter,
Nor clearly how to discriminate
Between the truth and what is false;
Puny bards, crows of the district,
Why do you not take to flight?
A bard that will not silence me,
Silence may he not obtain,
Till he goes to be covered
Under gravel and pebbles;
Such as shall listen to me,
May God listen to him."
Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards."
"Minstrels persevere in their false custom,
Immoral ditties are their delight;
Vain and tasteless praise they recite;
Falsehood at all times do they utter;
The innocent persons they ridicule;
Married women they destroy,
Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt;
As they pass their lives away in vanity,
Poor innocent persons they ridicule;
At night they get drunk, they sleep the day;
In idleness without work they feed themselves;
The Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;
With thieves and perjured fellows they associate;
At courts they inquire after feasts;
Every senseless word they bring forward;
Every deadly sin they praise;
Every vile course of life they lead;
Through every village, town, and country they stroll;
Concerning the gripe of death they think not;
Neither lodging nor charity do they give;
Indulging in victuals to excess.
Psalms or prayers they do not use,
Tithes or offerings to God they do not pay,
On holidays or Sundays they do not worship;
Vigils or festivals they do not heed.
The birds do fly, the fish do swim,
The bees collect honey, worms do crawl,
Every thing travails to obtain its food,
Except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.
I deride neither song nor minstrelsy,
For they are given by God to lighten thought;
But him who abuses them,
For blaspheming Jesus and his service."
Maelgwn and his bards were dumbfounded as Elphin's chains fell from his feet. Taliesin had truly proved that he more than surpassed Maelgwn's bards and he was named Chief Bard of Gwynedd.
Questions to Ponder:1. What was the greatest gift that your mother gave you or service that she did for you? Even if she failed at doing something for you, were her actions appreciated?
She gave me courage and the freedom to decide for myself. I don't think she ever failed at anything she did for. She has always and still does that best that she can as I now do for her. I do feel a lot, however, that I fail her. I certainly hope not but much of the time that is how I feel.
2. What was the most transformative experience of your life? What elements were present in the process?
Well, this is difficult to answer. Life is so full of transformations. From child to adult, from single to married, from person to parent, and then back to single no children, from part of a couple to single. From worker to students and then career person... changing to Spiritualist and druid. I can not choose one so I will talk about my change to this path as that is what this is all about.
The changes have been amazing and of course the precess continues and always will. I really don't know how else to put it. A sense of calmness, release, i think is one of the most prominent changes. A sense of belonging that I have always looked for but never found. I have always felt different and now with my circle of friends, I feel like I belong somewhere but not where I physically reside. It's been amazing.
Elements present in the change? Attitude is a big one. When I made that first spiritual connection through meditation, my attitude chanes forever... it was an automatic thing.
After a rough year, I am almost starting over. Learning again to meditate, trying to find my way back to the peace in life and peace of mind. Working back into finding my faith in the powers that control our destinies and fulfull our needs. It is an every changing ever learning process.
3. When has your merit shone through when others would try to block your path or put you down?
I do not know how to answer this question. I have spent my life over coming obstacles from getting through college in my 30s as a single parent to finding my own spirituality and just supporting and raising my kids. While I am finding peace with my obstacles, learning not to worry to much ~ though worry is not something that just goes away, you learn worry and have to, in turn, learn to put it aside ~ and learning to take care of myself first, something else very new to me. I am learning and progressing though it is definitely a day to day process. Some days are easier then others.
Have you seen truth shine through for others in this manner?
I am much better at picking this out in others then I am at picking this out in myself...
4. How have you rewarded loyalty or how was your loyalty rewarded by another?
This is not soemthing I have really experienced as I have always been on my own. My kids are amazing... that is the extent of my rewards for loyalty... while this is huge, I have done much in my life, now as I look back I realize how much and the rewards at this point are yet to be seen.
How have you served?
While I have not always been Druid or even pagan admittedly, I have always served. I am a helper, a care taker of everyone. I have taken people in, given things away, pushed and supported many and done have always done anything I can when I come across someone in need. I still do. It is just the way that I am.
5. With regards to magic solutions, what have been your experiences? Does it work, has it failed? What does this story tell you about it? (Everyone sees things differently!)
My own magical solutions to problems have all worked so far though I do not tend to ask for outlandish or strange over the top things. Success in my store which provides the monetary abundance for my household. Work has not been successful in the way that I would like but I am subbing for now that works. I have asked often for healing of pain, sleep, and healing requests like that and they have all worked amazingly. Once again, I am not good at taking care of myself though I am getting better. I tend to also not ask for things for myself either but I am also getting better there.
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