!!! 2006 EISTEDDFOD BELTANE/SAMHUINN WINNERS' ENTRIES !!!

[Crow]

NOTICE: Due to the board problems, WINNERS ONLY in the 2006 Beltane/Samhuinn Eisteddfod are asked to repost their materials to this thread. There is just one thread for all categories. Thank you.

[Crow]

SHORT POETRY:



Daddy's Girl

A book by Dr. Spock,
I read about it in
Parent and infant touching,
Forming a bond, skin to skin

So a young father lay
With tiny, firstborn dove
Asleep on his skinny chest,
Tying unseen knots of love

The tiny girl is grown now
The young father's hair gone gray
And she's getting married soon
Leaving Dad along the way

As one bond must grow weaker
Another will grow strong
May all your days be blessed
With a passion that is strong

Time slips ever onward
Like the road outside your door
Just don't forget to turn around
To see where you were before

And don't forget the picture
Of Daddy with his girl
I'll always feel the knots of love
That time never will unfurl

[Fox]

Just a link to my story which won the Prose competition:

Tale for a Winter's Night

[Fox]

Deirdre's Lament (from memory)

Do you remember when I dreamed of this
On the shores of Loch Ness, in the days of our bliss
I dreamed of a dove with sweet mead in his mouth
Pursued by a hawk, red with blood, from the south
And now you lie beautiful down in your grave
Between your two brothers whom you couldn't save

Naois, oh Naois, my husband, my love
With sweet-spoken words and the eyes of a dove
Men will remember your sword of bright steel
But your wife will remember how you made her feel
On the shores of Loch Ness, in the days of our bliss
Before that dark night when I first dreamed of this

I was a fair maiden, the world was unknown
When first I espied you, your raven hair shone
And flew like a pennant when men go to war
And meet their sad fate on death's lonely dark shore
You rode with your brothers, whom you coulnd't save
Now the three of you, lovely, lie deep in your grave

Our story is strange, our story is long
A poet might tell it one day in a song
Might tell of my father, a harper they say
Who foresaw my sad fate and then sent me away
Foresaw how the dove with the mead in his mouth
Would be slain by the bloody red hawk from the south

He foresaw how my laughter and bright bonnie smile
Would one day the King of all Ulster beguile
And Connachar send many men to their grave
That a kiss from these ruby red lips he might have
For my smile did the brave men of Ulster make war
And meet their sad fate on death's lonely black shore

For you were my fate, my fairest of fair
The finest of Erin with raven black hair
You were my fate, and I was your wyrd
And this bloody dark day is the day my Da feared
When the finest of Ireland was laid in his grave
Between his two brothers whom he couldn't save

Yes, you tried to save them, and that was your doom
Now you lie close between them, and yet there is room
I'll lie down beside you and cross to the Isle
Where the dead men of Ulster may yet see me smile
And there I will find you and there we will kiss
As we kissed at Loch Ness, in the days of our bliss.

(I am currently setting this to music, an old Scottish tune that fits it beautifully.)

[Donata]

BELTANE MEDITATION

Beltane is the eve of May 1 in the Northern Hemisphere, and the eve of November 1 in the Southern Hemisphere. It celebrates the sacred mating of the God and Goddess. Dance the Maypole & jump the Bonfire; laugh and love, play and feast!

Visualize yourself walking in a special place in nature. This may be a place you already know, or it may be somewhere you create in your mind. As you walk you come to a path that goes through the woods. As you follow it, listen to the birds singing, feel a gentle breeze against your face, see the new leaves budding on the trees, and sense the returning
life of the woods. You walk upon a carpet of old leaves and little pine cones. Smell the incense of the pines as you walk. Become aware of dusk falling, and notice the stars and moon overhead in the indigo sky.

You come to a clearing in the woods with a circle of stones. At the center of the circle you see a large cauldron with flames rising from it resting on the ground. The flames of the cauldron beckon and welcome you.

Approach the cauldron. Think of what you want to bring to life at this time. This may be a love relationship; it may be a creative project; it may be a financial goal. If you wish to focus on an existing relationship, visualize your partner in the circle with you. Take your
partner's hand and jump over the fire in the cauldron together. If you don't have a partner, but wish for one, visualize your perfect partner (NOT someone actual!). Jump over the fire with your idealized partner. If you are thinking about something creative or financial, keep that goal in mind as you jump over the flames. You jump over the fire as an
affirmation of life! Fire represents spirit, that which animates life. Jump again, and yet again! As you jump be aware of the joy of life within you! Know that you are bringing what you want into your life by your positive belief in it.

When you are done, sit quietly before the cauldron. As you do, you hear a sigh on the wind that whispers, "The mind has a thousand eyes, and the heart but one." Watch the flames with the eye of the heart. Feel the flame of love within your heart. Send out that love across the whole Earth, to all in need of its healing power. Let that love flow back to you as you sit before the cauldron. Watch as the flames die down. Love is the greatest power for good and for healing in the world. Enjoy the waves of love that you send and receive. When you are ready, ground yourself by touching the earth, and sending any excess energy down into the earth. As you leave the circle, retrace your path through the woods. As you leave the circle know that the blessings of the cauldron go with you. Take its gifts of life and love with you.

[Earthwoman]

Herbal Chicken

one 4-5 lb. chicken
2-3 cloves garlic, halved (optional)
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried sage
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried (and crushed) rosemary


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the garlic halves (if you are using them) over the chicken; then, tuck the spent garlic into the wings and inside the cavity.

Mix together the salt, pepper, herbs, and olive oil. Pour this mixture over the chicken.

Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting once or twice, until chicken is cooked thoroughly and the chicken has turned a medium golden brown.

This chicken is delicious served either hot or cold. Serves 4.

[Hengist]

MUSIC: Fehu

Clicking on the link below will download Fehu in mp3 format

http://www.hengist.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Fehu.mp3

For those who were interested in hearing more of my work, I've resubmitted the thread that gets you there in the music forum of Creative Bardic Pursuits. So it should all be up and running again.

With Peace and Blessings,

Hengist

[Lorna36]

PHYSICAL ART

'Burnt Page'
Ink drawing on tea-stained singed paper.
Full size image link

[Siusaidh]

A Solo Simple Druidcraft Beltane Ceremony
From a Celtic Point of View.

List of needs for this rite:-
3 tea lights
Single larger candle
Bowl for water
Small amount of spring water or rainwater
Incense sticks
Lighter or matches
A branch of wood or wand or staff (or a broom handle)
Ribbons, two different colours, one positive one negative or male/female
String or silk or sticky tape
Scissors to cut your ribbon and string or silk.
Optional: Mead, and a cup or small bowl and Cake or Biscuit (cookie), a small wicker basket is good for this.

Method:
First, before you start this ceremony, go and have a shower or a salt bath, relax and let the cares of the day flow down the plug-hole with the dirty water!
Dress in something comfortable, does not have to be any kind of robe, its best if what ever you choose is not something you wear for work and choose something that’s clean.
Gather together all the things you will need for your ceremony and take them to the room or area you are going to work in. If you are indoors, in your home, then turn off the door bell, pull the phone plug out, turn off your cell phone (mobile phone) so you will not he interrupted for a little while. It’s a good idea to turn off your pc also or at the very least, turn the speakers off and mute the sound.

Starting:
First sit quietly for a few moments and clear your head of any thoughts of work or school, meditate for a few moments.
1) Then taking your water and the bowl, pour a little of the water into your bowl and at the same time give thanks for the gift of water.
Then walk around or through the area or room, sprinkling a little of the water in the area you are going to have your ceremony. Ask a blessing on this space:
I ask a blessing on this space, may it be cleansed and made special for my ritual today.
Go and put the bowl down somewhere you are not going to knock it over, at the edge of your area.
2) Now light some incense and walk around or through the area where you are going to work, (suggested things you could say)
I give thanks for the inspiration of thought and ask for clarity of mind.
3) Now take the tea lights to either equal spaces apart around the area or put them all together perhaps in the same place as you left your water bowl, either would be fine.
4)Walk to the centre and place your larger candle on the ground:
I give thanks for the earth under my feet, I ask a blessing on myself, this candle which acknowledges the security and comfort that having my feet on the ground gives. If for any reason you are not able to work on the ground, just work at waist level and when it comes to giving thanks for the ground under your feet, say wheels or even the ground under my bed!
Now light the larger candle.

5) If you have a special Deity that you would like to invite to be near to you, now is the time to ask your Deity to be close to you during your ceremony. Or invite the flow of the Divine Spirit…the Awen.
I ask that the Divine Spirit flow through me and surround me while I do this ceremony today.
6) Speak to the ‘Spirit of Place’, and ask that you be welcomed to this area and ask the spirit of place, the guardian to be with you now.
I speak to the guardian spirit of this place, this room/beach/wood/garden, I welcome you to my simple ceremony, thank you for making me welcome here and please stay with me. (you would not have chosen this place if you did not feel it was the right place for you, so your have already felt the warmth of welcome from the spirit of place without really noticing it.)
7) If you feel you would like your ancestors to join you:
I call with pride to my ancestors of line, place and blood. To those who have walked this World before me, those of my blood ancestors and to the people who lived here in this area before me and are now in the next World.
You now have everything in place for you work. Take your branch of wood or your wand/staff/wooden pole, and your ribbons and with the string or silk, attach one end of each of the ribbons to the top of the pole. One for active and one for receptive. Wind the ribbons around your pole in opposite directions, so they cross over, again and again as you bind the ribbons over the wood. Once you get to the bottom, secure your ribbons and if you have enough left over, you may wish to tie a bow or a knot around the bottom.
This is your ‘Beltane Wand’! As you wind these ribbons, think about the spring, the growing plants, the flowers coming into blossom. Think about new life and stronger relationships. Think about ongoing creativity, action and inspiration and intuition. If you have a special friend, then ask that you and your special friend enjoy a close, strong and special relationship together.
At this point in your ceremony, you can, bless some Mead and Cake or Bread, we sometimes use fruit bread or a fruit bun, made with spice and sultanas. If you’ve never done this yourself and you would like to, pour some of your mead into a small bowl, the kind you have with Chinese tea works well for a first time and put a piece of the cake or fruit bead into the wicker basket. Say something like this:
I ask a blessing on this Wine (Mead) and this Cake (bread) ‘help me to celebrate life and love’!
Enjoy your wine and cake! Leave a little for the spirits of place and if you are working indoors, put this aside to take out into the garden or park or even just onto the grass on the roadside, you can do this later.


Closing your ceremony:
Once you are quite comfortable with the idea of wishing good buy to all those you have asked to be near you, begin to thank them. Do this in the opposite way your first spoke to them, if you ended with ancestors, then start with them. In other words if the last thing you did was call and invite the spirit of place,(for example) start with this.
I want to thank you, guardian spirit of this place for allowing me to have this simple ceremony here, please stay with me if you would like to or retire to your resting place, thank you so much!
Do the same for the Divine Spirit or Deity, if you asked them to join you. Use similar words, speaking directly to the Divine Spirit or Deities and thanking them for being with you.

Walking to the centre of your sacred space, pinch out your candle and give thanks: I give thanks for the security and the stability of the earth and the ground under my feet…or the solid floor under my wheels! Whichever way you said this to start with!
Take the incense sticks and move them to a safe place and leave them to burn out. As you do this: I give thanks for inspiration, for clarity of thought and for the air I breathe.
Go over to your water bowl and dip you fingers into the water and dab a little onto your forehead…I give thanks for the sense of feeling, of the depth of emotion and I give thanks for the gift of the water itself.

Walk around the area; say to yourself, “my ceremony is ended, I am so grateful for the brief time of peace!” Feel that your ceremony has ended!

Now go and turn up the lights or open the curtains, plug the phone back in and turn your cell phone on again, make sure your doorbell is working again.
It’s a good idea now to have a cup of tea or coffee, something to eat, this will help you feel grounded again and help you adjust back into the day or evening.

[Adam]

The Tale of the Sands, a Sufi teaching tale.

http://www.sargant.net/testarea/sandtale.mp3

Published in Idries Shah, Tales of the Dervishes

[stlnaiad]

Coyote's EyeView

[Ra3vyn]

Digital Art

LifeTree