How I Found Druidry

Although I had known about Druidry for several years beforehand, it wasn't until my first year at university that I began to see myself as part of it.  (I am not entirely sure that Druidry is the best description for the path that I'm on, but that's a whole other post.)  I think there were two main things that attracted me to Druidry: the attitude of Druidry to science and nature, and Druidry's Celtic emphasis.

I have been interested and involved in science for a while, from astronomy and physics in my first years at university to botany and ecology today.  Science, to me, is one of the best products of the human mind over the last few millenia, and one of the best ways we have of understanding the world around us.  I did not want to be part of a religion that pitted science against religion, or against art, or against wonder, or that denied some of the most fundamental theories of science based on writings of people who lived thousands of years ago.  For me, the discoveries of science have always been a source of wonder and a way to experience the beauty and mystery of the universe.

Even more importantly, I had gradually become aware that the land around me was sacred, and that I had a deep love for the hills, trees, and stones that surrounded me.  I had grown up in the country, but I did not really start becoming aware of the sacredness of the land until I went to university and had to live in an urban area for the first time in my life.  Even though I had spent my childhood surrounded by nature, I had taken it granted in many ways and it wasn't until I was living in the city that I realized how precious and sacred the natural world is.

So these two aspects - my belief that science and religion could live peacefully together, and my sense of the sacredness of the land - were part of what drew me to paganism and to Druidry.  But I do not know if I would have been drawn to Druidry in particular if it was not for its emphasis on Celtic mythology and culture.

I am not sure how I first became interested in all things Celtic; it may have begun with my love for the Arthurian legends, which I discovered through reading T.H. White's Once and Future King.  And I had always loved Celtic music.

So I suppose one thing led to another and that by the time I was considering Druidry, it seemed only natural that my religion and spirituality would have a Celtic focus.  I was turned off by the eclecticism  of other forms of paganism, which seemed to me to do an injustice to the cultures whose deities were all viewed as aspects of one god and one goddess.  The gender dualism didn't appeal to me either.  (I'm not a big fan of binary thinking in any form.)  I realize that many Druids today are fairly eclectic in their practices, and I'm not criticizing anyone's beliefs here: I'm just stating what works and what does not work for me.  This is one reason why Celtic Reconstructionism continues to appeal to me.

Nowadays, Druidry also appeals to me because of its emphasis on poetry, story, and creativity, but that wasn't a reason why I began following the path of Druidry; rather, Druidry led me to rediscover my creativity and begin writing and making art again.  I don't know where I will be in the future, but the path began with Druidry, and this was the story of how I got there.

Help for the Blogging Blues

You would think that after keeping this blog for over a year, I would have a good sense of my purpose in writing it, of what I want to write about, and the sorts of people I want to reach through it.  Well I don't.  I think I did, a year ago, when I was excited about starting a blog and finally having a place to share my thoughts and communicate with like-minded people.  But now, a year later, I'm no longer sure about where Say the Trees Have Ears is going.  I am not entirely satisfied with what I have written here in the past.  I do not feel that what I have written really represents what I want to write or what I could write.

I just don't know what to do with this blog anymore.

So I would like to ask, dear readers, for your input.  What do you like and dislike about Say the Trees Have Ears?  What would you like to see more or less of?  Would you like to see more posts on nature, Druidry, religion, spirituality, philosophy, science, poetry, or any other topics?  Would you like shorter or longer posts, more frequent posts, more book reviews, more personal reflections, or more photos of cute cats?  (Well, maybe not that last one.)  Do you have any tips, suggestions for improvement, questions, or anything else you would like to say?

Please do respond - if not, I may just throw my hands up in the air and post nothing but cute cat photos in the future.

A Year of Blogging

Believe it or not, a year has passed since the beginning of Say the Trees Have Ears.  I am very impressed that I am still writing, that I managed to post fairly consistently throughout the year, and that I have not yet run out of things to write about.  If you cannot remember what I wrote in my first post a year ago or if you were not reading my blog then, check it out now.  I laugh when I see that I described my (somewhat obsessive) love for books in the very first paragraph.  Yes, I am a nerd.

To celebrate this important anniversary, I thought I would pick my twelve favourite posts from the last year (one per month) and share them with you.  If you are fairly new to my blog, use this as an opportunity to see what I've been writing and thinking about in the last year.  So here they are:

November 2008: The Cell Phone: Agent of Evil? In which I rant and rave about the evils of that most ubiquitous of modern technological devices, the dreaded cell phone.

December 2008: Tools for the Aspiring Druid: A somewhat irreverent look at "tools" that someone wanting to become a Druid might find useful.  I have always had a particular fondness for this post, but since it was written fairly early in the history of this blog, I suspect that many people may never have read it.

January 2009: On Science and Religion: This post is probably very incomplete and may be more notable for what is left out of it rather than for what is actually written it, but I still rather like it.  (And Isaac Newton, one of the greatest and maddest scientists ever, makes an appearance.)

February 2009: Sitting: My attempts to create a personal meditation practice.

March 2009: Spring Equinox: Thoughts and observations on, surprisingly, the spring equinox.

April 2009: The Promise of Spring: Apparently I had spring fever for a while.  A month later and I'm still going on about how great the season of spring is.

May 2009: Impatience: Frustrations on the path.  This post was notable for the several excellent comments that it received.  It's worth checking out just for that reason.

June 2009: The Path of Truth: A post that raises some interesting questions.  Just what is the value of truth?  Would you be willing to tell the truth if you knew you would die for it?

July 2009: Clearing the Clutter: Sometimes I think the war against clutter is never won...

August 2009: Druidry and the Wonder of Science: With a bit of a bias towards physics.

September 2009: Walking the Path: A meditation on life as a solitary Druid.

October 2009: Hiking: A description of a hike I took while on a weekend field trip.  I particularly like this post, and was disappointed when it did not receive a single comment.

So that's it, a full year of Say the Trees Have Ears.  I hope you check out some of the posts mentioned here, many of which, in my own modest opinion, I think are quite excellent.

Welcome to the second year of Say the Trees Have Ears!

Book Review: Keeping a Nature Journal

Note: I am cross-posting this to both blogs as I believe it is of interest to both sets of readers.

Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth is a delightful, inspiring, and beautifully illustrated book for artists, journal keepers, naturalists, and scientists alike.

The book begins with an introduction to nature journaling - what it is and why someone would want to do it.  As Leslie and Roth write, "Nature journaling is your path into the exploration of the natural world around you, and into your personal connection with it."  They present nature journaling as a simple, rewarding activity that is accessible to everyone, yet they also stress the importance of practice to improve your writing and drawing skills, and of making the time to work in your journal.

The next chapter gets into the actual practice of keeping a nature journal.  It describes the equipment you need - nothing more complicated than a blank book and some basic pens and pencils.  Leslie and Roth then describe a basic format that can be used for any journal entry.  This format is very useful for beginners, who might be intimidated by the blank page.  They discuss basic drawing techniques and give suggestions on how to overcome your fear of drawing.  The chapter finishes with specific suggestions on where to go and what to look for while journaling.

The third chapter presents a sampling of pages from various journal keepers, many of whom have very different styles.  Both beginners and more advanced journal keepers will find much to inspire them here.  Following this are four chapters that focus on journaling in the four seasons.  Leslie and Roth write, "To get the most out of journaling, try to integrate the practice into your life, day to day and year to year."  Interspersed throughout this section are exercises on drawing specific aspects of nature, such as leaves, trees, birds, and insects.

The next chapter gives more detailed information on drawing techniques.  Its placement at the back of the book allows those who are more experienced in drawing to easily skip over this chapter if they wish.  The last two chapters are about how to teach nature journaling to both children and adults and how to use nature journaling in schools.  If you are a teacher, I am sure you would find these chapters of interest.  The book ends with a lengthy list of suggested books to read and a list of some famous (and not-so-famous) naturalists and journalists throughout history.

Overall, Keeping a Nature Journal is an excellent book filled with practical information, inspiration, well-chosen illustrations, and quotes from a variety of naturalists, artists, and journal keepers.  I recommend this book whether you want to expand your journaling style or if you want to become more attuned to your natural environment.

Note: Keeping a Nature Journal has also been published as Nature Journaling: Learning to Observe and Connect with the World Around You by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth.

Samhain Past and Present

Autumn can be a hard time for me.  School has begun and I can feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I have to do.  Often at this time of year I am swamped with doubts about where I am going and what I am doing.  Some days I feel convinced that everything I am doing is wrong, I am making no forward progress, and my life is full of despair.  Other days I am more cheerful and hopeful.  Once Samhain is past, however, I feel as though the worst is past: winter is coming and spring will soon follow.  This Samhain, I read through my journal and think about last year at this time when I was making the decision to change my course of study from physics to natural resource science.

November 2, 2008

It is a perfectly wonderful Samhain day.  It is windy, the leaves are falling all around me, many trees are already bare, the trees rattle in the wind.  Once the leaves fall, everything seems more open and spacious, ready for the wind and snow and cold of winter to sweep everything bare.  Falling leaves are like snow.  They are falling on me and all around me.  There is a larch tree in the garden.

It is mostly cloudy, with dark grey, lowering clouds that look like rain.  It is warm though: 16 degrees Celsius (61 Fahrenheit).  I find myself thinking about cycles and phases of life; that is how I feel these days, as though one phase of my life is ending and a new one is beginning and everything is a bit chaotic, as it always is in times of transition.  So we move onward, through this time of darkness and despair, knowing that life goes on, to be reborn at the solstice.

I find myself drawing inward, not wanting to do anything; this is dangerous - it can lead to apathy and boredom.  If I sit here much longer I will be buried in leaves.  There is that wonderful scent of decaying leaves in the air.  Samhain time - thinning veils - the dark night of the soul - the demon within - death and decay.