Oh to be a Bard

I come from a long line of story tellers, when I was younger, I would be left with my Great Grandmother, who always without fail even when we seemed to have ‘surprised’ her, (she was never surprised, can’t surprise a woman who has deeper connections than can be described) had candy in her pocket (just the one you loved too) and a story to tell. If she had stopped a story when you left she picked right back up as if no time had passed. My Great Grandmother's mother was a house slave who 'educated' the Masters children. Most of the Jamaican slaves are excellent storytellers as this was the way to pass on important information as well as keep the history of the family going.

My aunt is the family historian and can tell you without looking at anything the entire female line of her mothers side then do the same for her father's side of the family. She knows all the marriages, names and deaths of most of the family. I have been recently encouraging her to write them down. many of our family members are fourtunatley buried in the same church plot.  

When I used to go to my dad's farm in the country, he used to share many of the traditional Jamaican stories about Broda Nancy (Brother Anazi) which where tales passed down to him from his Grandmother.

Many of the traditional tales speak of morals, and explain how the sky became the sky, why cat's and dogs don't get along. And they all stem from this one little Spider named Anazi. It's only later in life that I learned that the beloved character was actually a God from the coast of West Africa (where most of the Jamaican slaves came from), this wonderful Spider God was a trickster God who taught many valuable lessons. 

My love of turning a great tale comes from those moments of sitting beside my Great Grandmother, or listening to my dad's baritone mimic the voices of the different characters in the story.

In all the Jamaican tales, we start & end the story with:

" a so mi pick it up as so mi puti down" 

Which basically means this is how you learned the story, you didn't change it, and you passed it on the same way you received it.  This is to make sure the true meaning of the tale gets passed on, and the whole story of Broda Nancy gets passed on and learned by a new generation.

Recently in my studies amd decision to continue on the Druid path, I subscribed to the lessons from the Order of Bards Ovate and Druids. they sent me package of tales to learn. I thought it very fitting considering Druids were required to learn over 1000 tales, and know the cures for 100s of diseases. 

In the most ordered lesson plans, one starts as a bard, learns all the lessons of creating poems, how to tell tales, and learn all the mythology of the people; the next step is the ovate, who knows all the herbs, and the lore behind each herb, then finally advances to druid where all the lessons culminate and allow you to be an excellent druid.
Each phase or stage lasts for seven years, which is light considering in the olden days one would start as a child and only reach druid in their elder years. There are even tales of druids planting their trees as children and gaining their first wand after the tree has matured a certain number of years.  

When I received the packet, I placed it aside for a while and recently came back to it and realized even though I love the Celtic mythology and already know most of it, there is still much I didn't know.  I want to learn it, but I also don't want to lose my heritage, so I am blending the two, both the Bard and the history of my people is an Oral history, a language of tales told from one to the other.  There is something grand about being the one who can turn a phrase and invocate a certain emotion as you tell a tale. 

I can't wait to be able to share with my own children and grandchildren the tales of my youth and the many various tales of the Celtic Gods of my ancestors.

Yes it will be grand to be a Bard.
Year one of seven begins
I will be sharing as many of the tales that I can with you, these will be on Thursday, so if you are looking for tales to share with your kids, that would be the day to stop by and check them out.

Of course if you have any tales to share please let me know and I will swing by your blog as well.

Be Blessed

Here's a little ditty about...

Here on day 10 of our little journey i wanted to share a little story, about my first ever Esbat Ceremony, a little back story, I have shared how i came into the craft, well my family moved from NY to CT and for the first time i had space to practice, without my family being right under me. So here is what happened when I finally got a chance:

"I have been practicing magic since the seventh grade. On and off as I became frustrated and lost with no one to help me and no one to learn from.Every time i step within the circle i get so nervous, i get lost and botch whatever I happen to be saying right then and there.Take today for instance. I planned it out, thought i had the perfect spot to do the ritual outside except that sport was water logged so a definite no.  Then i went wandering around all over to find another spot.  The spot I found had a big beautiful outcrop of stones, I was at a crossroad, a minute of trails led from it and to it, so i was very nervous about the location, because all i needed was someone from my block to see me, and it would be over.  I'm pretty deep in the woods so the fear of being busted really shouldn't have me afraid, but is was a nice day and people who do dirt biking always go through the woods to get to the course. I wasn't too close for that to happen, but i was close to the river which is where the main trail is.  this trail leads right behind out town's fire station and i know that the men going running on the main trail, hence my trying to find a perfect spot so that i couldn't be spotted. I went deeper into the woods than I've ever been and I find this spot that i think is the best. Then i realize I had no water. because my original plan was to do it beside the river.  But of course the chances of getting busted there is bigger because people like the children on my street like to come to the river because of the waterfalls.  So i leave the spot i had of course trying to cross the river always looks easier in the movies because they don't show the gnats that are there and the coldness of the water, course now my sneakers are going to stink. What else could go wrong?    I should have known better not to ask. I stumbled all over the place to get to my new site and then i make the discovery. i have no water, not to cleanse the area, nor to drink with my dry dry cakes, (I'm so screwed) Now I have no water, but my problem only escalate.  I realize I've left my two keep ingredients at home,. So i decide to do it without tools and just improvise from there on i mean, you don't think those priest and priestesses were always prepared right?

courtesy of google.com Image search

   So i finally i can get down to business i put up tools and remove all the extra clothing and begin to cast the circle.  BUT Wait. I have left the major part to my ritual at home also. I have the casting and the consecrating all memorized i know how to bless the altar, create sacred space, and all that good stuff. But i haven't completely memorized the body of the ritual.  I', beginning to think that maybe Just Maybe I wasn't supposed to do this ritual at all.  maybe i was not going about solving my problem the correct way.   But i decided to struggle through it anyway. Don' have a compass so I go by the setting sun, still got some elements botched.  Grounded and centered, calmed down and took a breather then i started again.  And I swear someone was watching me. Kept hearing things in the trees and along the trails, but i don't see anything. 

Grandmother Willow!!

 Lost the chant, rhythm, because something moved close to were i was but i couldn't for the life of me see it.    So i botch my way through the ceremony, & apologize to the witnesses and try to light my incense, It of Course doesn't light, or when it does, blows out. new matches got it!! Light the candle next, put it in holder, the holder won't stand up, keeps flipping over onto the side.  Finally get it to stand up.  Continue the rest of  the ceremony.  Reading the blessing and going through the motions, then i just have to take the words as they come to do the rest of the ceremony because I have left the other part at home.  Complete the ceremony , send the Guardians on their merry little way and pack up and get going myself. Feeling completely dejected because I have not felt the joy I normally fell when I do a ceremony. Can't help but feel the Goddess was also disappointed in my ceremony. I didn't have the proper items, and the proper training to do the ceremony/ So now its back to the drawing board to erase the plans there and start all over again. From Scratch (ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!)Oh the other lesson learned when doing outside rituals have your site picked and ready from before and then have all necessary items together and double check your list just to make sure this way you won't have the same mistakes that i did. Also have a back up place just in case!! merry meet and merry meet until we merry meet again05-17"

Ahhhh man looking back now i have learned several things:
1) i now know the "things in the trees" were the presence of the Gods, when i go in there i can feel the trees, they are all ancient oak trees they are at least 150-200 years old. 
2) I always make sure to learn the ritual body, the other stuff (incantations calling the elements) that I have memorized (now after all these years)  
 3) Since this first time whenever I have an outdoor ritual list that I bring with me, here it is:

• athame or wand
• candles and any necessary storm holders
• matches or lighter (with a long tip)
• ritual outline with complete ritual or typed up
• any necessary crystals
• candles with holders for corners
• water for elemental call
• wine, beer for offering and drinking
• all herbal ingredients
• pentacle
• statuary
• compass ( i have a sheet with elementals listed in each direction that I can turn to match the directions I made it myself)
• chalice
• misc items

This is from my journal (BOS), yes I keep meticulous notes about my rituals.  Its good to look back and see how far i have come. looking at the pages give me a good little thrill, cause i was so clueless back then but well connected to the Goddess and the God.

So why don't you share what your first ritual was like in the comment section. 

Blessed Be

"I'm a lineage witch"...

and other fairy tales.
Ok Iadmit it I was once on of those young teens who claimed that they were from a family of witches. (Don't. Gimme That. Look)

The Salem Green, where Rebecca Nurse & the other 18 accused are remembered.  

I was sane enough to know to not claim to be a descendant of any Salem Witches (O_O), but it was close.(oh my dears i have heard some lineage claims that would make you cry with laughter, i.e " I can trace my family line back to Cleopatra of Egypt" )

Aww my loves believe there is no need to point out that children  especially teenagers do & sometimes say stupid things to impress their friends. Unlike most newbies, I had researched several books from the library beyond the pagan theme (1990s people just saying) . I read about how some of the natives of the "old country" acted and remembered how my family acted and came up with the brilliant idea that we were actually witches!!! (Ahhh the wonderful reasoning of a 12 year old let loose with history lessons)
I can even remember a particular (uncomfortable) conversation i had with a friend

Dave(not his real name)  " How comes you pick up all these books to read ? Whats so interesting about the Druids?" (fifteen mintus later is where the convo gets interesting)

Me " Well my father's Grandfather is from Scotland (true) and my Grandmother has the sight (true) and she taught us all this things when we were younger (also true)

Dave "What things?" 

Me " You know witchy things"

Dave " What witchy things?"

Me " You know WITCHY things, things about... about.... oh look we have a customer"

Dave " You can tell me all about the witchy things later then"

I made sure i was never alone with him for at least a week. He gave up trying to pin me down on stuff and I came to the conclusion that just because it seemed witchy didn't mean we were doing it on purpose. many of the Caribbean traditions stem from the old cultural traditions of West Africa where a lot of slaves were taken from, and they kept many of their traditions by hiding them. They also blended what they knew into what the Arawak Indians of Jamaica knew and created many of the cultural foods, dances, and folklore we have today.

Please bear in mind that the information that was out there was not filtered like it is today, hell i read some of the original information from Dianic Witches, they weren't too keen on men back in the day, (some covens are still this way, even though Starhawk has revised some of her views) a lot of the informational books didn't really verify their information I mean some of them talked about The Burning Times as if it was an actual "Witch" persecution never mind the fact that almost none of the people persecuted were really anything near being actually witches (but that's for another time).

I'm just saying, we have all done and said some pretty stupid things when we first joined this faith (I will freely admit to my rants & raves, I'll tell you about those later); so it always bothers me to hear Pagan grown elders (or so they claim) who look down at newbies to the faith. Especially at the teenagers Yes we get it some of them will drop out once the " coolness"  wears off, but to really go after them by talking down to them is kinda mean don't you think?

Goddess Alive the way some of these "elders" go on you would think they Sprang from the Goddess' head fully formed and all knowing (Good on you if you catch the reference)

The young children will be our future we all know that, not all the witches and pagans of tomorrow will have the benefit of actually being born or raised in the faith. And unfortunely many pagans and witches have forgotten that. With the predominance of the occult in movies and shows many children and adults will be drawn to us, some will leave and some will have huge impacts. I assure you Doreen Valente didn't spring forth all knowing I'm sure she made mistakes too and we sure don't hold those against all she has done for the Craft.

So now you know my little secret i used to be one of those kids, loud, brash, know it all (remember the rants)  and I grew up & grew out of it and have (IMHO) become a good pagan and a service to my community.
Instead of being mean to those kids, mentor one or two who seem to really want to learn, the fakers will fade away in time and more genuine witches will show up.

As for my friend Dave, he's actually a  witch, which is why he pressed me so hard for my "witchy" details, And he's a credit to the community because instead of writing me off like most would have; he helped me into becoming a better witch, one of the first things he taught me :
                                               "To Know To Dare To be Silent"


What are your witchy mishaps dear readers? Anyone confront you about your faith, challenge you to look deeper? When did you know you were walking the right path?

As always
Safe Flying