The Aussie thread....

[Uaine]

Welcome Uaine
I'm sure you'll enjoy many valuable responses to your questions.

Peace,
Whytefox

Many thanks for your welcome, Whytefox

What part of this fair land do you hail from?

[Fox of the Oaks]

The fair part named Adelaide

[Bronzewing]

Hi Uaine! Welcome!

Hey, that's not old!

I hope you enjoy your journey as much as I am!

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Klandaxa]

Greeting brothers and sisters. I felt the need to connect tonight, if only briefly. I'm hoping you're all in good health and content in your journeys.

[Fox of the Oaks]

Hey, what did everyone do for Imbolc?

For Imbolc, I didn't do much externally due to the place I was staying, yet did spend some time in meditation, attuning to the light of the new year, and also read some poetry to Brigid. It was very nice, and I felt much more attuned to the Goddess. Rather simple, but good. Oh, and I bought a whole lot of organic apples as an offering.


Klandaxa,
Yes my health is ever improving this time in my life; it's something I constantly work on. Contentment? Yes that is there, amongst the ebbs and flows of life. Hope you are well too.

Peace,
Whytefox.

[Bronzewing]

Hi Klandaxa, I felt the need to connect *tonight*. Congrats on your poetry harp by the way!

Thanks Whytefox. It is always good to hear how others celebrate. I was totally slack this time around. Hubby (Beluga) and I were busy working our Bardic reviews after exactly three years on the path, so I guess we saw the year turn that way. It certainly felt like a new beginning. Hubby knows he has passed as he sent his via email and got his reply back promptly, but I send to my tutor via snail mail across the world (which I have enjoyed up to now!) and it really seems like snailmail just now, waiting to hear back! We usually make corn dollies and St Brigid's crosses at Imbolc but really should change that tradition to something later into the spring when the hay here actually gets cut! It is hard to make dollies when the hay is all old and brittle and crumpled!

We've been getting heaps of rain here. Mostly all at once in huge downpours, but hey, no complaints! The birds have started their spring madness, though the magpies haven't yet begun the night calling from treetops that I think is some sort of nest-claiming territorial thing, as they tend to be spaced about the area very evenly when i go out to listen. Luckily we get on well with our neighbour maggies and have nothing to fear from having them nest here on our bit of land. In fact I have one lady who will fly down out of her nest and take little bits of meat from my hand on the wing. It helps that there used to be a bird sanctuary round the corner. I swear each generation along from those released birds teaches the next that people are nice.

Oh well, hubby has made me a nice epsom salt footbath. I'm so spoilt! Better go use before it gets cold!

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Bronzewing]

Ahh, I was wrong, first Magpie warbling away in the dark tonight when I went out just now to give the pony her supper! No answering calls from further away yet. Definitely one of the first real signs of spring here.

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Aurora]

Hi everyone Glad to hear people are feeling well.

Didn't do much ritual wise for Imbolc, took the dog for a walk and was on the look out for budding flowers am excited as the bottlebrush trees are getting the clumps of pale green buds on them that will soon turn into fiery red filaments, lots of other plants are budding and starting to flower as well and am enjoying the little bit of extra light in the day too. It's nice to get home and there still be a bit of light to enjoy.

Congrats to you Bronzie and you're hubby for submitting your reviews. Am up to that stage but it seems to be taking me ages to do my review mainly cause i have fits and starts of enthusiasm for it then it peters out, hopefully it will sort itself out soon.

Enjoy spring everyone

[Bronzewing]

Hi Aurora,

I must admit both hubby and I treated it a bit like a Uni assignment; went through the gwersi and our journals, set up our plan, then set ourselves to manage a couple of hours a day each weekend day. I think it took us three weekends once we got to writing, each sitting at our own computer at different sides of our one room cottage, with our backs to each other to keep from being distracted but swapping questions and gwersi back and forth. Hee hee hee, we are such Earth folk. We just plug away at anything we decide to do.

My tutor saw my post here and sent me a PM to let me know I'd passed, so woohoo! On to Ovate Grade we go!

Flowers are starting here too. Saw my first donkey orchid the other day, bravely coming up just outside our fenceline.

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Fox of the Oaks]

Hey Bronzewing, congratulations on completing the Bardic grade. See you among the Ovates.

[Klandaxa]

Double congrats Bronzewing to both you and your husband.

[Bronzewing]

Thanks Whytefox and Klandaxa, it's very exciting. I've really enjoyed the Bardic course but have always rather felt that the Ovate level is where I was supposed to be heading. Am looking forward to it a lot!

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Dragonwyst]

hmm - I have been away too long.

However - I'm here now

Imbolc was moving day for us, and the first night in our new home. Everything went smoothly.
Next came the miracle of spring abundance. I had been dreading the financial pain of this move and had saved towards it as best I was able. I timed it with Tax returns season, knowing I could at least cover our needs with the money I would get back. Somehow we got extra pennies back from Centrelink, and then a little more because I ahd slightly over-estimated my income. I'm still shaking my head when I look at our bank account, because after moving, paying necessary rental bonds, tranfering internet, phone and electricity, and then my having to buy a new laptop, somehow, a month later, I seem to have $2000 more than I had at the beginning! Wyeuro said Imbolc was an auspicious time to move!

Anyway, some of those carefully hoarded pennies are now being moved into accounts where they can be used. As soon as they are through I will be booking my flights. Here's to the 11th Southern Hemisphere Assembly! I shall be there!

[Aurora]

I'm glad your move went well Dragonwyst and am excited that you'll be going to the assembly too! Look forward to seeing you there.

And Congrats to you Bronzie for being accepted into the Ovate grade

[LadyAoftheshire]

How exciting Dragonwyst! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there.

How is everyone getting to the assembly? I'll be in Perth just beforehand so I'm looking into flying into Port Lincoln on the Thursday. It'll be a much needed "break" after being on the road for 2 straight weeks. Can't come soon enough!!

[Bronzewing]

Thanks Guys! We're all signed up now so should start getting our Ovate stuff in the mail soon. It ties in really well with our lives just now, what with me selling the horses (too sick and tired to enjoy them any more) and instead putting my new spare energy into getting our vegie garden more up to speed by adding a couple of new half tanks, plus us looking into herbal ways to treat Lyme disease and such. Hopefully our journey thought the Ovate Grade will also include a journey back to health for us both.

Very jealous of everyone who is going to the Assembly. Oh well, maybe one day!

Dragonwyst, I had to laugh the first time I read your post I thought you'd said you'd had a very moving Imbolc, so I was reading on to find out about the amazing ceremony you did. Fantastic to have found some extra money and what a great way to use it!

Hugs,

Bronzie

[Dragonwyst]

Bronzie, it WAS a very moving Imbolc - just not in the sense you had in mind!

I can't wait for out assembly now. this will be my first trip outside of NSW since moving here and Port Lincoln will be the furthest south i've ever been. I want timeous sunspots - because this is the one time I will be far enough south to have the slightest chance of seeing the Aurora Australis ( I can dream dreams, can't I?)

I ahve just booked my flights - Sydney to Adelaide, Adelaide to Port Lincoln. It's a bit of a pain having to wait several hours between flights, but such is life if one is trying to keep it cheap - under $570 return. It's bearable and for a very worthwhile adventure!

[Bronzewing]

Oh yes, airport waiting time is the worst sort of downtime. That was a good price though. We had three hours waiting time at Brissie airport and that seemed to be like being in some sort of eternal limbo.

Anyway, I hope you have an absolute ball! We'll be wanting a detailed report from everyone afterwards!

Hugs,

Bronzie

[awengirl]

Greetings to the Aussie contingent

I'm very new to OBOD and the Bardic grade, living in BrisVegas and keen to connect with other Aussie druid types.

Particularly in relation to the disjoint between the northern hemisphere traditional wisdom, archetypes and (I believe for me) past life experience of druidry and our southern hemisphere lived experience. Be interested to hear how others deal with it and if you think it's something that should be directly addressed in some fashion (ie: substituting local plants, herbs, animals etc) or if that's unnecessary and that the spiritual/esoteric resonances of the northern hemisphere correspondences are still relevant to us.

Hope you are all wonderful and enjoying the first, glorious days of Spring.
Blessed Be

[Dragonwyst]

Hi Awengirl and welcome!

I'm still a beginner too, having only begun Bardic grade at the beginning of this year. There are some folk - quite a few - who do substiture plants etc. Due to the peculiarities of this amazing continent that can be very area-specific. I don't have the knowledge to cope with that yet .I've only been in Australia 5 years, having come from South Africa. What I do find is that relationships with trees remain the same.

Cheers,
Dragonwyst