Dedicant Completion

Taryn Morgaine successfully completed her Dedicants Program and had it approved on March 3rd, 2010.

Dedicant’s Oath Evaluation

The part I liked most about this rite was that it was largely done on the fly, speaking from the heart rather than practiced speeches. My original plan for performing my Dedicant Oath was to do it during the Yule High Rite at CedarLight Grove. With the culmination of the past few High Rites as well as some group divination we performed while beginning to plan for the High Rite, we believed that the Gods were calling upon our group to “walk our talk” and prove our dedication to the old ways. On the docket for the night were two Dedicant oaths as well as a reaffirmation of the grove members’ Grove Oath. Unfortunately, the public High Rite had to be canceled due to a blizzard that swept through Maryland.

So instead, a large group of us did our own personal Yule rites at our respective homes around the same time and we spent the night in a chat room to discuss our personal experiences.Not being able to drive my car, I hiked up and over a few streets to my friend’s apartment in the snow so that we could perform our Yule rite and our Dedicant’s Oath as we had originally planned. We set up a sacred space on her porch and together with a third friend, we had our Yule right in which we honored Thor, Odin and Freya. It was very beautiful with the snow swirling and all the candles we had lit, shimmering off the perfect snowflakes that had fallen. We performed an ADF format rite, honoring the Earth, invoking the Kindred and opening the gates with the words that felt appropriate to us at the time. I really find that spontaneous rituals can be just as powerful and effective as long plotted and planned rituals. We also took the time at the beginning to do a Two Powers meditation, reaching upwards through the snow and clouds to the powers above and down deep below, through the frozen earth to the warm core. I feel that with our practice, we have started getting very good at working with these energies.

I think I did very well as far as making my oath went. We sang several songs for offerings to the Norse deities and then we each took the time to call our personal patrons and spirits and make our oaths. I called Lugh (my favorite part was that I built him a snowman as an offering, as I had forgotten my other offerings at home and thought he would appreciate the creativity!), the Morrighan whom I gave the gift of song, as well as my spirit animals and guides. And then I recited the oath I had written. I decided to go with a conachlon style poem, which is a traditional Irish poetry form where the last word of the previous line repeats at the beginning of the next line with the final line of the poem repeating the first line of the poem, giving it a spiraling effect. This past year I’ve developed a fondness for this style of poetry for invocations and such as I feel that it works as a great way to funnel the intention of what’s being written down into a particular point. I decided for this to go with three stanzas and three declarations of the oath at the end as I like the feel of doing things in three (also because three is a sacred number, especially in Irish Celtic tradition). In comparison to my friend’s oath, I feel that mine was very short. However for me personally, I think that I am better able to convey the feeling that I wish to get across in just a few words. I also chose to leave the oath a little open ended that it may also include any Spirits or Shining Ones that I have not met yet that may take an interest in me. The ring I chose to make my oath on was one that I had actually purchased sometime ago while shopping with friends. It had jumped out at me at the time; its relatively simple with two spirals and a ruby colored stone set in it. I had not thought of using it for this oath, I actually had another necklace I was planning on using. But when the time came, this ring seemed much better suited as something I can wear all the time.

I drew my omen from my Arthurian Legend Tarot deck; my favorite deck that has always worked the best for me. I drew three cards: the Queen of Cups, the Ace of Cups, and the Ace of Shields. I find this to be a very favorable omen. As it was an omen for myself, I took the Queen of Cups to represent myself, or at least the type of person I may achieve now that I have dedicated myself to this path: a creative woman of strength and integrity who can trust her intuitive senses. I found two ace’s to be extremely appropriate as I am starting a new path. The Ace of Cups represents a spiritual awakening and receptivity to a higher plane. It also represents the beginning of a major, beneficial cycle in life. I can definitely say that since giving my oath, I have noticed a distinct change in how I am able to perceive the world and feel energy around me. The Ace of Shields displays the receiving of recognition for achievements as well as stability of both material and emotional well-being. That is still something I am working towards but I do feel that it is within my grasp now. I really feel, after this reading, that giving my oath was definitely the correct choice for me and that this is going to lead me down the path that I was always meant to take.

(Word count, Dedicant Oath and Evaluation: 1129)

Dedicant Oath Text

A child of the earth cries out upon you
You spirits of nature and ancients,
Ancients both of blood and of spirit
Spirits that dance the dance within my veins
My veins sing the song of the Earth
A child of the earth cries out upon you.

A daughter of your lineage comes forward
Forward to kneel at your Shining wisdom
Wisdom I seek to ever learn from
From inner knowledge to outer talents
Talents with which to show the path to others
Others who seek the way
A daughter of your lineage comes forward.

With this ring I give my oath
My oath to walk the ancient ways
Ways set out for me by the Spirits
Spirits which guide and shape my days
Days I vow to spend ever learning and ever serving
Serving the Shining Ones who call me their own
With this ring I give my oath.
(Put on ring.)

With my heart I speak this promise.
(Light stick of incense.)

With my soul I seal this vow.
(Light stick of incense.)

So may it be.
(Light stick of incense.)

Book Review: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism

by Carl McColman

I must admit right off that I had some apprehensions about reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Paganism. Though recommended to me by my friend and Senior Druid, I was still uncertain as to how a book for “Complete Idiots” was going to educate me on modern paganism as I have already read several similar beginner’s Wicca and pagan books in the past. As I began reading the book, I found much of the blanket comments that the author uses to be inappropriate, such as his new definition of Pagan as “People Adoring Goddess And Nature”. Just because such a statement encompasses a large portion of the pagan community does not necessarily mean that it is a good definition for all pagans. I was also slightly put off by his discussion of the Gaia Hypothesis. The author presented it in such a way to make it read that since scientists had come up with the hypothesis, then clearly this must command some scientific weight. Unfortunately though, he also cites that there has been no research done so far to prove this hypothesis is even a viable theory in the scientific realm. He tried to make a point about the possible existence of an Earth consciousness more credible by saying it was backed up by science, when it isn’t. Though I agree that an Earth consciousness does exist, I did not entirely appreciate how he tried to shoehorn science in to that topic. In general, I found myself irritated with the introductory paragraphs of the book where he used attention grabbing ideas and sweeping generalizations to grab the reader’s attention. I suppose that, however, is the pitfall of reading a book originally written for “Complete Idiots”.

Once I got into the meat of the book, though, I found his research to be sound. He cited important information and basics and gave a very good idea of the basics of the three pagan religions he covered: Wicca, Shamanism and Druidry. I especially enjoyed the brief discussion on shamanism as I have a friend who is studying Peruvian Shamanism, but I don’t know very much about it. The concept of spirit work through trance and journeying I find incredibly fascinating. I also really liked how he made sure to state that not all pagans are just Wiccan/Shamans/Druids and not all Wiccans, Shamans and Druids wish to be called Pagan, or by other titles. I really felt like he was true to the personality of the specific religions he covered and was impressed with the sources he cited, such as Isaac Bonewits, Ronald Hutton, and Janet and Steven Ferrar. I also appreciated the research on the specific deities he must have done. His discussion on how dark goddesses being titled “dark” does not mean that they are scary, evil and need to be feared, it simply means they have a lot of power and mystery to them impressed me quite a bit. I am currently working with the Morrigan who many consider “scary” because she is a dark goddess. I was also very impressed by his mentioning of Dian Cecht when discussing Celtic healing deities; most people tend to think of Brigid first when thinking of Celtic healing deities and Dian Cecht is a slightly more obscure god.

I personally found his discussion of rituals and basic pagan element lore repetitive, but I did very much like his chapter on healing. I really like how, despite the language being sometimes simplistic, he illustrated the importance of healing in paganism, as many, many books do not even touch on this point. According to him, and I think I must agree with this, the further one continues down the pagan path, the more interested and involved in healing one will be become as the two are intertwined. He also emphasized the importance of self-accountability and responsibility, another thing that many books ignore. While other books I’ve leafed through have just spouted about all the cool magic someone can do, he makes sure to say many times that pagans still have ethics that they hold to. His discussion of the Wiccan Rede is a great example of this and one I must respect. A lot of people use “an’ it harm none, do what ye will” as an excuse to do whatever they want with themselves as long as they aren’t hurting someone. This author breaks it down though, explaining that harm can also be harm to oneself and one’s relationships. So while this Rede is very freeing in that it affirms one’s free will and ability to act, it does also come with an important, ethical law that is not to be taken lightly.

Overall, I would say it is a decent book. I can’t say that I didn’t find it inspiring as the chapter on healing caused me to realize that paganism and healing do, in fact, go hand in hand and that it is something I need to pay more attention to in my life. I might actually recommend this book to someone who knows little to nothing of paganism because it is a very good overview. Also, it makes me feel more comfortable to recommend this book to people because of the fact that he many times makes a point of saying that the reader should find an experienced teacher on the subjects if the reader wishes to know more instead of blindly stumbling around an advanced concept.
(Word Count: 907)

Book Review: The Tain

From the Irish Epic Tain Bo Cuailnge
Translated by Thomas Kinsella

I was so delighted to finally have the opportunity to read the The Tain and I was not disappointed. Though I had started to read a different translation of this, I have to really appreciate the translation by Thomas Kinsella much more. The fact that this translation included the prelude tales such as The Pangs of Ulster, Cuchulainn’s Courtship of Emer, and the Two Pigkeepers, was such a great addition. It helped to illustrate and give background to the main body of The Tain which I otherwise may have been confused about. It made the reading that much more rich which the other version I had started to read lacked because of the missing background information.

I truly felt that this book of tales helped to illustrate ancient Irish Celtic culture to me in a much more personal way than reading some book on historical and archeological findings. I have long believed that the stories that are left behind by a people are how they wish to be remembered and this book made me fall in love with the culture even more. The thing I have to say that I liked most was how colloquial the language was. As opposed to the Illiad or the Odessy from Greek tradition, this book was much more personal feeling. The other tales are written in a very stoic, stony language where as The Tain reads as though it were being told aloud around a campfire with the characters speaking organically and believably. While it does, in Irish tradition, show an appreciation for over exaggeration of events, its still very real. Some of my favorite parts where the tales of Cuchulainn’s childhood where he would beat up on the rest of the boy troop only to then have them chase him down inside, where he hid under Conchobar’s seat, just like a 6 year old in trouble would. Or how, as a child, he refers to Conchobar as ‘friend Conchobar’, in such a way that a child would in fact speak. I was also incredibly amused by the repeated accounts of Medb relieving herself when people came to speak with her. I understand that there can be a symbolic significance to this imagery as well, but it also makes the tales seem so much more human, even despite the accounts of human shape changing and such.

The other thing that I really loved about reading this is that much of the book revolves around Cuchulainn, who is my favorite figure out of Celtic Mythology short of Lugh. (And Lugh also makes a few appearances as well.) I’m fairly well versed in Cuchulainn’s lore, but had not yet got to read the actual text of this book first hand, and so I was so glad to finally be able to. I feel a very strong connection to him as a mythic figure and learned so much more about his character and disposition here.

I recommend this book to everybody who has any interest in Irish Celtic lore. The book kept me amused throughout, even despite the long passages of name listing. I laughed heartily several times and cooed at many scenes as well. The language is easy to read and took me a day to get through, so its perfect to pick up when the reader wants to add a quick bout of epic adventure into their life.
(Word Count: 561)

Shrine Project

Due to space constraints, my shrine is rather small for the time being but I find the design I came up with to be very functional. I decided to use an unfinished wood shelf that I used to use for a TV in my old bedroom and made the top shelf my shrine. The centerpiece is a gift from my best friend to represent the Fire, the Well, and the Tree. I also have a statue of a wolf, also a gift, because of a pack of wolves which are my spirit guides. I can use the combination of these items along with candles to make some beautiful shadowscapes on my wall, which I also consider part of my shrine. There is a picture of and small statue of a black dog, who is Zach, another one of my spirit guides. I also keep a large abalone shell with sage in it that I use for smudging (this was also a gift, I should probably state now that almost everything on my alter was a gift which is one of my favorite things about it). There is also a bottle of sea water, which was a gift from a friend, an incense burner and of course candles. The color of the candles changes according to whom I am working with at the time, but mostly I keep a yellow candle for Lugh, and a black candle for The Morrigan. At the moment in the photograph, a green candle for The Dagda was lit as well I was working with him and The Morrigan for our Samhain ritual.

The bottom shelves of my shrine I keep for storage. The second shelf is supplies and equipment including a mortar and pestle, my various tarot and oracle decks, and many other accouterments I’ve picked up. The very bottom shelf holds my pagan library and a box full of various herbs and ritual supplies.

I hope to one day have a large enough space so that I can have a larger alter, though this suits me very well for right now. I would like to stain and finish the shelves at some point and perhaps even burn designs into it. Somehow, some day, I want a statue of Lugh to add to my alter as well but I have yet to find one that I actually like. Some nicer candle holders would be nice too, rather than the hodgepodge I currently own.
(Word Count – 408)

Nature Awareness

Nature is something I have gained more and more appreciation for in recent years. Especially having moved from the Hudson Valley in New York where my parents had a house with a big backyard and we were surrounded by apple orchards, to Baltimore where I now live in a small apartment with three other people and I have to drive out to a park if I want to be in nature, I have learned what I took for granted. When I was younger I did not go outside much nor did I have much desire to. But now I really enjoy being able to go out and appreciate the land. The forest is a place that I especially have a love for and feel a connection with. The Two Powers meditation has helped me a lot with this as well, aiding me to feel more connected to the Earth and the beauty around me. I can find the music in the rustling of the trees and chirping of insects. I can find majesty and art in the blooming flowers and movement of clouds in the sky. My love for plants has become so much stronger and I wish that I had a garden of my own, though for now I am sated with growing a few herbs on my balcony during the winter.

Oddly, during this summer I also acquired a job which has given me more appreciation for the Earth and how to take care of it. I now work at Lush Cosmetics which is a bath and body company out of the UK. I know this sounds strange, but this company is an activist company in many many different causes and continuously finds new ways to reduce its waste and make safer products for both the body and the environment. They use fresh ingredients in their products, and from here I have discovered an appreciation for herbalism which I hope to learn more about one day. But working here has also inspired me to be more mindful of my waste and to recycle what plastics I can.

More close to home for me though, the importance of nature awareness and the effects of my actions has come to light at Cedarlight Grove lately especially after our Samhain rite this past month. Activities that happened at the rite called us to take a closer look at the actions we were participating in during our rituals and our weekly meetings at the grove and pay more attention to how it affected the land in our sanctuary. For the rite, we were honoring The Dagda and The Morrigan and so for offerings many people brought entire bottles of wine and whiskey. I believe the count was just under 20 bottle total. And almost all of these bottles were poured on the ground, as we frequently do for libations. The next morning at our debriefing discussion, we began talking about how all of that alcohol effects the plants growing in our sanctuary and how, being on a very slight hill, the water drains into one corner of the yard where we have been trouble with plants dying. After making the connection, we realized that all the alcohol is poisoning the land and that we need to begin taking measures to fix and prevent this occurrence. As we were discussing this, we actually saw three omens in a row: a woodpecker land on our Sacred Tree, a very large hawk land, and then three crows flying directly overhead in formation.

From this event, we have now been devising new plans to prevent further poisoning of our land, including getting a cauldron for which to pour alcoholic libations in rather than the ground, encouraging people to use only a glass or shot of alcohol as offerings as the power is in the intention, not the amount. We are also starting to encourage a shift back to creative offerings of song and skill, as well as birdseed, grass seed, and mulch to help the plants grow. Our permanent worship space is something that the grove takes pride in, as do I personally, and we have taken up the call to be more aware of our use of the land.
(Word Count – 703)

Spiritual Practice

Developing a spiritual practice for myself has been a long and interesting road. The further I continue to travel upon this road, the more and more interesting it gets. Finding ADF itself took me long time in my life, and I feel that to truly explain how my spirituality and exploration of a hearth culture has developed in the past year, I must first explain where I started.

When I was younger, my mother forced me to go to Sunday School at the local Methodist Church even though I fought her tooth and nail. It was something that never clicked with me and though I made several attempts to be interested and truly learned the lessons, I never could really appreciate it. I was more interested in movies and stories about magic and witches and wizards. One of my namesakes was after all Morgan Le Fay, or Morgaine as she is called in The Mists of Avalon. Right up until college I felt like there was a brick wall between me and the divine and it saddened me to no end because I really wanted to be able to feel that connection with a high power or energy.

In high school I started learning about Wicca through books and the internet but was always afraid of being ostracized by my family if I ever were to commit myself to it. (I of course found out later that they didn’t care and are not bothered by it all.) So I continued reading about it and built myself a private spirituality, working through the Wiccan meditation activities to meet the God and the Goddess. Those are meditations I will never forget because they were my first real connections to the divine and have created the basis for much of my meditation and energy today. It was there that I met one of my spirit guides of sorts; he took the form of my deceased pet and led me to my first meeting in a forest grove that I still return to in meditation. It was in this meeting that I was told that They had been waiting for me and I finally found something that could bring me closer to the connection I craved.

Fast forwarding now, I first heard of ADF last year before Lughnasadh and first began working with its concepts before I had even officially joined. Prompted by a friend of mine, we decided to run a Lughnasadh ritual for a group of our friends that was a blend of their traditional Wicca and information we had found on the ADF site. Deciding to try a traditional Irish Celtic theme for the ritual, we built it to worship Lugh and Tailtuie. As such, my learning about the Irish Celtic hearth culture began. That ritual, in which we cut ties to those things that we no longer needed or were detrimental to us, continues to have ramifications in my life. Also, since then, Lugh has not left me alone and has become my Patron. The more I look back over my life, the more I realize that it makes more and more sense; I’ve always been crafty, I’ve always been talented at many things and can learn new talents quickly. And I have always felt a strong connection to the masculine divine. The most fascinating discovery I made regarding Lugh was that the city Lyon in France was originally named after Lugh. My family name is Lyon (though pronounced ‘lion’ instead of ‘lee-on’) and so I really believe much of my family may have a connection to him as well, at least the males in my family.

I will admit, however, that I was afraid at first to put all of my faith and being into these powers that I didn’t know. Its especially hard too when my father is of the opinion that we all make our own destiny and tried to teach me to think the same. Another shift for me also was that coming from the Wiccan background, I was of the belief that all deities were simply facets of the one over arching Spirit and were not actually separate personae. Each subsequent ritual and worship I attended at CedarLight Grove taught me differently however as I learned that each person had dedicated themselves to different gods that they resonated strongly with. Always having a love to read mythology as well, I continued to research and read Irish Celtic mythology to learn more about Lugh and his interactions with the other gods.

For the most part, I find that I am exclusively Irish Celtic hearth culture wise, feeling the strongest connection and most enjoyment from the Celtic rituals we have. It was at the Imbolc rite to Brigid last year that I knew definitely that I was owned by Lugh, as while a group of people were giving their dedication to Brigid I got the distinct impression of someone male putting his arm around my shoulders and saying “You belong to me.” And so it has been that some of my biggest insights have been received during Celtic rituals.

Also having a community to support me has given me more confidence to participate in and even run rituals and I feel like each time I do I learn so much. At Midsummer, I ran a private ritual for a group of friends where we honored Aine and I got to know her extremely well. From meeting Aine, I have also become more and more closer to The Morrigan (who may have been an inspiration source for the literary character Morgan Le Fay), especially in recent months. At Lughnasadh this year I learned even more about the story of Lugh and his mother as I poured over translations of the Book of Invasions for hours while writing a ritual drama for it, as well as developing a small connection to Nuada. And most recently was the insight I gained from The Dagda as I worked with him in preparation for Sahmain where I performed his invocation. I always had difficulty connecting with him before despite the fact that so many in the grove had close connections or reverence for him as a the more jovial figure who enjoyed lots of good food and beer. That was the way he was always presented to me. However after working with him more closely, I met him in his kingly persona as one who protects his people and who can also govern who gives life and who gives death with his club. I feel that perhaps in making this discovery myself, I have also given other people new insight as well.

I find myself well rooted in my current hearth culture. I have looked at some other ones, but have not felt any specific resonance with them yet though I continue to learn. The most important thing to me in my spirituality is that I continue to learn and learn everything I can so that I can continue to grow and help other people grow as well.
(Word Count: 1171)

High Rites: Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer’s Eve or Litha by Wiccans, marks the time of year where once again the length of day and night are equal. Celebrated all across the Indo-European lands, this was another large fire festival, especially in Ireland. Huge bonfires were lit to ward off troublesome spirits or fae. This holiday is generally attributed to Aine, a faerie goddess, and so the fae are considered to be very active at this time. Today Midsummer tends to mark the first days of summer, even though it also marks the decline of the year and the beginning of the days shortening. With this holiday, preparations for harvesting begin.

There are tales in Ireland of people going to the faerie mounds at night on Midsummer to celebrate. After they would finish, Aine would appear to them and ask them to leave, saying that it was her turn. While saying this, she would pull back the veil just briefly for the people so that they could the Sidhe and fae were preparing their own celebrations.
(Word Count – 175)

High Rites: Beltaine

Beltaine can perhaps be considered the central fertility festival. One of the major Celtic fire festivals, this holiday marks the beginning of the planting season. It is the time of year where traditions are shaped around assuring fertility for the planted crops, fertility for the animals, as well as fertility for humans alike. Suggestive symbols and imagery are a major part of this festival, such as the maypole for its phallic symbolism. A litany of customs exist for both men and women assure fertility for themselves in the coming year. This is also a popular holiday for weddings.

Historically, Beltaine was the time when the animals, similar to Samhain, would be driven through purifying fires out to pasture for the summer as it marked for the Celts the beginning of the season. Some sources also cite a tradition of menstruating woman walking naked over the fields to assure fertility in their crops. In modern day, customs include leaping over fires, the maypole dances and much revelry. In Edinburgh, Scotland, a huge revival festival is held to celebrate the holiday involving city wide celebration.
(Word Count – 168)