Question: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: Two. One to hold the giraffe and the other to fill the bath with brightly
coloured machine tools.
Greetings from a windy hillside where golden leaves are being blown about by
a wild wind coming in from the sea over at Newhaven,
Now it is time for a review of the past year of Order activities and of the
wider world of Druidry. I always scan through the previous years’ reviews to
pick up the thread and to remind myself of how I did it, and to make sure I
don’t repeat myself! I had the salutary experience at camp this summer of being
told that my somewhat lengthy contribution to a discussion was a verbatim repetition
of my previous year’s contribution, so now I am more vigilant than ever. Hence
my choice of quote – I know I haven’t used that one before!
The year began with a fantastic Winter Assembly in Glastonbury, when Roland
Rotherham and Ardan held us spellbound, and we finished the day feasting and
dancing. Through the year there seemed to be more events on offer than ever
before, so I may well have left some out in the following list.
The Tircoch cottage wild weekends continued to entrance newcomers and old hands
alike. Damh and Cerri flew to Italy to represent OBOD in a Celtic festival,
and then Cerri was off again to help lead the Dutch members’ weekend. I helped
to lead our first Naturist retreat which threatened to take place in the pouring
rain. The weather changed on the first day and a hardy group of us spent our
days together swimming and sunbathing and being massaged by Helen, our aromatherapist
friend. Ronald gave a brilliant talk entitled ‘A Modest Look at Ritual Nudity’
to the Spielplatz community in the clubhouse, and Gordon persuaded us all of
the value of posing as Greek gods and goddesses in 1930’s tableaux. I rarely
interfere in Penny’s editorial decisions, but I have refused to allow photos
of this event to appear in the pages of this hallowed organ. (For US or foreign
readers – this is an old fashioned and pompous term for a journal. The obvious
double-entendre is often used by a famous satirical magazine here – ‘Private
Eye’). So sorry, folks, no photos of us all camping about with veils of
silk or nothing at all!
In the Spring Kate and Barry held a highly successful weekend at the Caer centre
in Cornwall, and Susan continued her presentations of workshops designed to
enhance the course material. Ardan held two Bardic workshops in Lewes, which
amazed us all in their ability to inspire us and evoke our creativity.
The Beltane and Lughnasadh camps were simply the best ever, with stunning food
at Lammas thanks to Yamouna and her team, and our most ambitious Wide-Game ever:
a re-enactment of Part I of Lord of the Rings! In fact we have to change
the term ‘Wide-Game’ – we need to start calling them ‘Extravaganzas’ or something
equally extravagant. For those who have never been in one, we take a myth or
story and then enter into it – creating a journey and a ‘game’ or experience
that has some sort of climax or culmination. I can’t even begin to describe
the Lord of the Rings game – it would take pages, but let me just give
you one image: Ivan painted red all over, completely naked save for a ram’s
skull which with cunning skill he had turned into a pair of underpants (ouch!),
carrying a horse-whip and a paint-stripping gun out of which belched great balls
of fire. You’ve guessed it – he was the Balrog. And opposite him was Damh as
Gandalf, wearing a grey cloak and cape, with a beard made of what looked like
coloured spaghetti (which was in fact wool). It was an uneven contest and after
some staff-fighting, Gandalf was dragged screaming into the mines of Moria.
As always the camps were a fantastic example of the OBOD spirit – with dozens
of members and friends and visiting speakers contributing their energy, time
and creativity to produce fabulous events, seamlessly coordinated by Clare and
the camp team of crew and circle who take care of the logistics.
A similar dedication and team-work in the Order has started to bear fruit in
a completely different arena – those teams of German, Dutch and French translators
who have been working for a year or more, are finally about to see the fruit
of their labours as the German edition of the course is published this month,
with the Dutch version appearing in January, followed by the French edition
in the Spring. As with the camps, I’d love to list everyone’s names and thank
them individually and publicly in this way, but there are so many people involved
in these projects this just isn’t practical. Instead it seems only feasible
to mention those who coordinate projects, but this doesn’t mean that each individual
contribution isn’t deeply appreciated and important. Jurre and Agnes in Holland
are coordinating the ‘European office’, which involves the massive task of typesetting,
printing, storing and distributing the foreign-language editions. Each language
now has its website, and translations into Portuguese and Czech are also under
way.
Events in Europe included for the first time a retreat in the magical forest
of Broceliande, in Brittany. It was such a success that it will be repeated
again next year, and having participated in it, I can say that it was a fantastic
experience. Certain places on this earth seem to have a special power, and Broceliande
is one of these places. Our walks in the forest, visits to castles and the grail
chapel, concerts and leisurely meals under the trees were all made even more
enjoyable by the constant supply of Chou-Chene – distributed at every opportunity
by our French Druid companions. (Chou-Chene is a Breton type of mead). Many
of the participants were harpists, taught in master-classes by Myrdhin, Zil
and Brigitte. And now there are so many harpists in the Order that they have
formed an internet community.
Having written this last sentence, I have just learnt that an Order member,
the supremely talented and versatile harpist Derek Bell of the Chieftains, has
just died after an operation in the US, at the age of 67. Dear Derek, may your
journey to the Summerlands be swift and sure. You will be sorely missed, but
the legacy of your music will live on!
In addition to a Harpers group, you can now find groups for members who live
in the Pacific, Holland & Belgium, and Germany, and internet communities
specifically for Ovates and Druids, as well as plenty open to all grades. For
details see the NOBOD website at http://druidry.com/nobod.
Another team working behind the scenes is devoting itself to creating course
materials for visually challenged and dyslexic members, arising out of Lynn’s
‘Seeing with Eyes Closed’ initiative. There are possibilities for creating Braille
versions of the Gwersu, and a recording project is being set up to record the
course, complete with musical accompaniment and the voices of members around
the globe. If you would like to participate either with your voice or with your
technical expertise or equipment (such as DAT recorders/studios) please contact
Karen Ehrenfeldt at kme@xs.com.
The Druid Healing College continues to develop, and a new service is being coordinated
by Dutch members and is available in both Dutch and English. It aims to offer
a whole range of information on health issues. Do have a look at it: www.healthydruid.info
and anyone interested in health and healing should look at the Healing College
section on the website too – membership is free and you don’t have to be a healer
to join.
Another dot-info has also arrived: our indefatigable and now proud-new-father
Matt McCabe has started www.druidry.info
- filled with just what it’s title suggests – info about Druidry.
In the States, AncientDruid who ably coordinates the Sacred Grove project helped
to bring US members together at a camp in Pennsylvania, and it sounded fabulous.
Let’s hope there are more events in the US next year. And of course groups of
members are gathering together in groves or seedgroups all over the place. My
favourite announcement for one of these groups appeared in October’s Touchstone:
Beneath the contact phone no.it states:
N.B.We are strictly non-professional, spur-of-the-moment, totally mad (crossed
out) creatively inspired, safe and grounded Bards, Ovates & Druids.
This year saw our Modron, Cairisthea, retiring after a decade of outstanding
contributions to the Order and Druidry, and the Archbishop of Canterbury to-be
becoming a Druid. There’s no connection between these two events as far as I’m
aware, but life is so odd anything is possible!
The Druid Forum in Stourbridge organised by the BDO
was a great success, and last month’s issue covered it in detail. Earlier in
the year a number of members were present or spoke at the Dragon Environmental
Conference in London, and next month Philip Shallcrass & Bobcat of the BDO
and I will be giving talks at the Witchfest, and then attending the Pagan Federation’s
conference a fortnight later.
Finally – books! Rather in the way a parent who has produced triplets might
feel alternately proud and rather embarrassed by their progeny, this year has
seen three books of mine on Druidry appear: the first a brief biography of Nuinn
followed by edited excerpts from his writings, entitled In
the Grove of the Druids. then
Druidcraft
which looks at the territory shared by Druidry and Wicca, and now this month
Druid Mysteries has been published, which is a complete re-working
of The Elements of the Druid Tradition, complete with new chapters,
a glossary and updated resource guide. I wish I could promise not to produce
any more, but the publishers of the Druid
Animal Oracle have asked Stephanie and I to produce a tarot deck and
book, with the images being beautifully and quite stunningly painted by Bill
Worthington – an example of one of the cards is on this month’s cover. The complete
set won’t be available until 2004. Julie White’s fascinating The
Path through the Forest has just been published by Druid publishing
house Grey House in the Woods Press, and I’m looking forward to reading it.
Another publishing house, run by OBOD member Matthew Scott in Canada, (Wellman
Books) has produced an extraordinary book by member Vivienne Manouge, Faeries
of the Wild, Wild Moon, and all these books (and more) can be bought
online through our new secure-ordering bookshop which is being created as I
write.
In addition, a new issue of the best Druid magazine in the world, The
Druid’s Voice, produced by Philip Shallcrass, has appeared once more
this year, and Caitlin and John Matthews are putting the finishing touches to
new books, and revised editions of earlier works, that we will announce as they
appear.
Wow! What a year!
I hope the following months bring you much Peace and Joy. May the World also
find Peace amidst its troubles, and may each of us feel clear and strong in
our hearts and souls.
Yours in the Peace of the Grove,
Philip /|\