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What is the Dedicant Oath? How does it work? What does it mean? Why do we require on for our Dedicants?
"This oath is a proclamation to the inner self that you are on the path. It builds a deeper connection between your spirit, the hallows of your shrine, and the cosmic order. IT works to open a gate of the spirits of your heart, and sends a call to those who might aid your work." -Our Own Druidry. ADF Although this oath is the last step on the Dedicant Path, it is the crown on the first stage of our Druidic work. It shows we understand the basic workings of Our Own Druidry through ADF. It is the oath one takes when they are certain they want to walk the pagan way; when they want to know nature and the Earth as sources of deep spiritual wisdom. My thoughts on the Dedicant oath is that Its all about confidence in spiritual direction. At this time I have no doubt that by the end of the Dedicant Path that I will feel genuinely confident with what I have learned, what I have explored, and the relationships I have created and continue to nurture. I especially loved reading this in the DP through the Wheel of the Year: "Many people are on a dual path. They may be Wiccan and Druid, Druid and Discordian, or ADF and OBOD Druid. This is fine. The Dedicant Oath does NOT necessarily mean that you are choosing one over the other, but that Druidry is at least as important as your other path, if not moreso." THIS. This is 100% why I can be on board with ADF. I am encouraged to learn and explore and not give up my other interests to be an ADF Druid. When I read this I nearly cried. The amount of times I have been involved with a pagan group and been told "your doing it wrong, this is OUR way" put me off from any form of structured religion but ADF has always kept the door open for individual interpretation. My Dedicant Assignments must fit within the confines of ADF expectations but I am 100% allowed to have other interests outside of ADF alone. That makes me happy. This process makes me happy. My local grove and the emphasis on personal and spiritual growth makes me happy. I look forward to my Dedicant oath with excitement at this time. I consider myself lucky to be so solidly involved with a grove that is expanding and growing as it gives me more perspective than I believe many others might get. It helps give me the confidence and drive to follow my paths. I know that when I am finished with my Dedicant path and it is time for me to focus on the Dedicant Oath that it will be out of celebration and genuine confidence that this is exactly who I am, and who I plan to be from this point forward.
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*Lets try this again...darn computer crashed last time!*
Week 18 is all about reflecting on our own relationships to the Kindred and to our thoughts on Religion through the Dedicant Path thus far. By looking at some of the questions we answered in week on we can reflect on any changes to our initial thoughts.
Week 1 Assignment: Answer the following questions. Why have you chosen to take the first steps on the Dedicant Path? - Because I am eager to learn more about Druidry, ADF and shape my own beliefs. I think right now is as good a time as ever and its ideal as I have a lovely study group to bounce ideas around with.
Is this a step on your path, or will this become the path itself? -Interesting question, while I think this is a path in itself I am human and thus I will change my ideas over time likely so this will be only the start of my spirituality.
What do you expect to learn? - I expect to learn more about Celtic history (the history of my heritage and a history that has called to me but I have not looked into researching near enough). I expect to learn ways to incorporate meditation and religion into my daily life. I expect to learn more about my thoughts on religion in general and myself.
What would you like to get out of this journey? -From an academic standpoint, a sense of accomplishment and the knowledge to support my religious decisions and ideas. From a spiritual standpoint, I hope to get a sense of direction in my all-over-the-place, somewhat ADD, religious ideas.
Do you know where this path will take you? -No. And I don't want too. All paths worth taking in life will take you through uncharted waters, through roads less traveled, and through darkness without lanterns, it is through these challenging paths that we truly learn about ourselves. If I knew the end of my story I would never start it or never learn from mistakes. I want to grow and I want the ability to grow outside my original ideas.
If you have just joined ADF, why have you chosen to work on this immediately? -Mostly because of timing. I have the joy of having a study group community and there are several of us doing the Dedicant program all at once. :) I basically fell down the rabbit hole of "holy crap this sounds awesome" and would have started on my own though had I not had this group.
If you have been ADF for a long time, why are you starting only now? -This one does not apply to me.
Does it look hard or easy? -Parts look easy, others hard. My life is very busy, but I think a lot. I'm a creature of analysis and of balance but time is always my restrictive area. I also think it will be rather hard to write less on topics that I am passionate about haha.
Which requirements appear to be difficult to you now, and which appear to be easy? -It will be difficult to find time to meditate. It will be difficult to write concisely instead of creatively. It will be difficult to not fall behind because I can be rather lazy. It will be easy to research High Days. (because they are interesting!) It will be easy to reflect on High Day rituals. It will be easy to find my heart in the reading.
Do you have doubts, questions, concerns that you need to talk about? -Not really, my biggest doubt is that I am leading our study group and I am really afraid of falling behind and letting others down. On the flip side, I think this study group will keep me motivated and I really do need that as I have a bad habit of ADD all over the place thinking despite my love for organized academic focus. haha
Do you feel that you are upholding that Oath? -Yes! I can honestly say that I really deeply feel proud of my dedication to that oath. When I preformed my First Oath I made my interest and devotion to the Old Ways known and I vowed to do my best in honoring them and building my relationships to the Kindred while constructing my own beliefs and spirituality as well. The Dedicant Path has helped with this, obviously, but my actions outside this study have been actually more impactful. Honestly, my local ADF Grove involvement has kept me 100% attuned to the seasons and high days around the year. I actively write for the Grove newsletter and help write and co-lead occasionally our public High Day rituals. I attend Grove meetings and speak on behalf of ADF on monthly public Meet and Greets with our grove members. I sing with our grove Bards and through that vocal confidence I have begun to start writing singing invocations to my deities. My spirituality has moved from a dusty corner in the back of my mind to a shining kaleidoscope through which I look through each and every day now. My husband and I often use the phrase “that’s not very Druid” or “we could be more Druid” when it comes to everyday activities and decisions. When I first spoke the words of my First Oath, I made sure I didn’t have a lot of promises I could not keep because I was very afraid of my focus at the time. Now I am exceptionally proud that not only have I been keeping that Oath but I have been running free with it and I have never felt so happy or confident in my beliefs as now. Did you make any mistakes in the way you wrote it? Are you still comfortable with it? -Good question. My answer is yes, there were mistakes and no I am not super comfortable with the original first oath but ONLY because I used a generic first oath that I fleshed out lightly with my own words. It could be more personal. It does have deep meaning and it was a very very long first oath that my heart was connected too. But I do wish I had written it myself and made it a bit shorter initially.
It’s hard to put this into words but I will do my best. I feel *safe* and welcomed in the Irish Celtic Hearth. From day one I have felt like I was being welcomed with open arms into a loving family. Reading the histories feel like going through old family member’s trunks tucked in the attic full of historical treasures. I feel deeply rooted in the Irish Celtic Hearth culture and the more I read the stronger that gets. Before coming to ADF I felt I had a connection with the Sidhe and through ADF I have been able to explore that and build the relationships that I would like to keep and avoid the ones that cause me turmoil. Through research and reciprocity in the Irish Hearth I discovered an undeniable relationship with Brighid who has become my first genuine Patron that I feel a strong connection too. I’m working on others but Brighid was kinda just “always there” with all her complexity along side me once I opened my eyes to her. I have Brighid on my altar and my meditations are often inspired by the attributes of Brighid, she is ever present in my spirituality now. But then there is the other side of my Hearth Culture that I am actually a bit intimidated by. This part is the “difficult to put into words” part. The Irish Hearth in my heart is much like a child going to grandmas house or feeling safe with your family. Words like “Safe”, “Tradition”, “Family”, “Relaxing” and “Meditation” surround my feelings around the Irish Hearth but if I am completely honest…something is missing. I’m missing the words “Adventure”, “Power”, “Boisterous”, “Impulsivity”, and honestly “Danger.” Could I look into the Irish Hearth to find these? Absolutely, I could find stories that reflect all these attributes but these aren’t emotions or thoughts that come natural to me. I have to force them and it doesn’t feel right. When I first started this path I was looking for a Hearth Culture to feel like “home”, a safe place that was inviting and stimulated me. I found that, and I love it. But much like a child grows into a free-thinking, free spirited teenager…I do have a rebellious side. A deep part of me that needs some sort of chaos, needs something to be my inspiration for Power and Badassery. I’ve been hearing the Norse Hearth calling my name for quite a while now. It got stronger when I discovered my large amount of ancestry in Scandinavia but it was there long before then. The women in the Norse Hearth remind me of myself in countless ways and I have limited knowledge of them. The Norse Hearth is inviting to me but I have refrained from diving right into research yet because I am kinda afraid of obsessing about something new and forgetting my relationship to the Celtic Hearth because it is my “safe place.” This is weird to admit but I am a bold person. I don’t fall in love lightly, I fall madly and deeply in love and my passions can turn into obsessions overnight. I chose not to avoid things like Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol when I was younger because of such and waited until I felt I was balanced enough myself to not lose myself to the “Fun” in chaos activities. When I felt balanced, supported, and loved I knew that exploring these things wouldn’t “take over everything else” so at this time I have been waiting to walk the Norse path until I branch out in the Irish more. With journal entries like this I feel like I am getting closer and closer to being comfortable balancing potentially two different Hearth Cultures but I am not there just yet. There is still SO MUCH I want to learn in the Irish. I’m still new to this, I’m keeping my eyes open, and I hear the Norse call but I am not quite ready to jump down that inviting rabbit hole just yet. It’s hard to explain the feeling in my stomach, its not quite fear of the Norse Hearth, its actually “too much eagerness” that worries me. Maybe I need to do some meditating on it or throw tarot or look into omens more. Maybe I just need to journalize more. Either way, I am certain I will begin walking the Norse/Germanic road, all in due time. Several members and friends of Columbia Protogrove were able to attend our Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas Summer Solstice Ritual at Trout Lake Abby Druid Sanctuary.
We invited and made sacrifices to the deities of the occasion in a Gaulish style ritual. We offered to Taranis to bring the rains to end our terrible drought and to petition him to keep his lightning to a minimum. and to Sulis the Goddess of the Sun. The weather was perfect and we were graced by the most spectacular sunset. Mt Adams seemed to glow in the background and the sounds of frogs were everywhere. I walked around a Celtic stone labyrinth and we burnt a wicker man during the ritual that contained our thoughts, fears and hopes written down on scraps of paper. I could literally feel everyone around me let out a sigh of release as the wicker man burnt. My sacrifices for this ritual included a song from our local Grove to our Sovereign goddess Columbia, and personal offerings to my patron Brigid for helping me heal my previously broken foot so quickly in order to attend the ritual altogether One of the offerings to Taranis was a bushel of wheat that would not catch fire, and our fire portal also had a hard time catching fire, so we collectively decided that this must be a good omen that Taranis did not want to spread fire during such a hot, dry time. This was a good omen against wild fires. Beltane:
Beltane! (aka Beltaine, Belltaine, Beltain, Beltine, Bealtaine, Bealteine) Beltane is a time of fertility, impulsivity, new adventures, balance and love. It is a time when there is a lot of distance between the domestic home and physical farming/rearing livestock so there is much longing for unions and celebration. For centuries Maypoles have been erected in public areas where the whole community could see them. These poles were decorated with garlands, wreaths of flowers and leaves, and later on ribbons were added and ritual dances incorporated the artful weaving patterns we see around the Maypole. The Maypole has been linked as a symbol of the world tree, being the connection between the Ancestors (the Well) and the Gods and Goddesses (the Fire), a symbol of the earth (the Tree) and a celebration of the children who live upon it. The maypole is also easily a symbol of fertility, given its shape, and the season at hand, celebrations of lovers, both old and new are celebrated with a Maypole dance. One Celtic Deity highly celebrated this time of year is Belenos! Belenus (Belenos, Belinus, Bel, Beli Mawr) is a Celtic god of the Sun and light. The name Beltaine means “Fire of Bel” or “Bright Fire” and it is Belenus that often takes the form of the Green Man in other pagan faiths at Beltaine time. Because of his solar attributes he is connected to fertility and growth. He is also associated with hot springs, and healing. With his smolderingly fire-like characteristics he is also a warm and sensual god at this time of year. It is his union with the Goddess, Mother Earth that creates life for the remainder of spring and through summer. One of the most common Beltaine practices, were huge cleansing bonfires lit on country sides. Beltaine marks the beginning of the summer season in Ireland and after the Beltaine festivals, farmers would pass their herds between these fires to purify the livestock before bringing them into the new summer pastures. It is thought that the warmth and blessing of Belenus would travel with the livestock after Beltaine. 125 words min, 375 words max.
Adequate/Meets Criteria Requirements: Subjective combined with objective approach [e.g., ["This is what it means (dictionary definition); this is what it means to me."] Note: Dictionary definitions will not be included as part of the word count. Dedicants may also include other virtues, if desired, and compare them to the nine. ******************* Piety Our Own Druidry definition: "Correct observance of ritual and social traditions, the maintenance of the agreements (both personal and societal) we humans have with the Gods and Spirits, Keeping the Old Ways, through ceremony and duty." Merriam-Webster definition: "Dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles" This was one virtue that I thought I would struggle with a bit more as I generally correlate the term "piety" with Christian religions, but reading the ADF definition makes me feel a lot better about full religious spectrum of the term. I once thought that to live a pious life one must essentially live as a nun or clergy member, devote their lives to their God and forsake earthly (and thus flawed and corrupted) needs. The ADF definition encourages me to re-evaluate that. "Correct observance of ritual and social traditions": I interpret this as recognizing and celebrating the High Days, appreciating the importance of ritual and finding connection with these traditions. That is honestly, the easiest thing you can do to strengthen your spirituality and to show Piety. The other thing I think of when I think of Piety is the word "devotion," devotion to our faith, to your Gods and Goddesses, and to the Three Kindreds in general. We make offerings to the Gods and Goddesses, we sing songs and write poems and invocations to them, we can nurture those relationships each and every day. So long as we are strengthening the bond between the Kindreds, recognizing the importance of rituals, recognizing the High Days around the wheel of the year, and constantly growing, I feel that meets the basic requirements for Piety along the Dedicant Path. There are ways to show more intense piety (or less intense) but I think that by respecting worship, devotion, and ceremony anyone can show piety, no matter the religion in question. This week is about seeing how our Home Shrine/Altar is changing and I have been kinda already doing this in my Druid Journal with this post here
Many of my items are added to reflect the current High Day in the wheel of the year. This will likely not change for me. My alter is always a work in progress, much like myself, it is random but full of meaning. I adore my world tree, he and I have a wonderful relationship. He is always referred to as Sigmund in my house and everyone knows exactly what I am talking about. I enjoy the location of my alter as it is against the sliding glass door with a view of the park behind us. Its not ideal, but its the best location I can imagine in our Apartment. I like that this spot is also easy to open the sliding glass door and sit out on the balcony on the other side of a screen. From there I can be in the sunshine, and hear/see/smell nature around me. I often times do tarot or take omens outside on that balcony. I bring nature to my altar all the time by bringing leaves, sticks, animal bones, feathers, pine cones, and stones from my nature walks, it certainly helps connect my indoor shrine with the importance of nature. 125 words min, 375 words max.
Adequate/Meets Criteria Requirements: Subjective combined with objective approach [e.g., ["This is what it means (dictionary definition); this is what it means to me."] Note: Dictionary definitions will not be included as part of the word count. Dedicants may also include other virtues, if desired, and compare them to the nine. ****************** Wisdom Our Own Druidry definition: "Good judgment, the ability to perceive people and situations correctly, deliberate about and decide on the correct response." Merriam-Webster definition: "Knowledge that is gained by having many experiences in life. The natural ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand. Knowledge of what is proper or reasonable. A good sense or judgment." Both of these definitions illustrate Wisdom quite well to me. Wisdom is not something you learn in a book in or in a short span of time. Wisdom is gained through experiences (both good and bad), through genuine devotion to study and a desire to understand things from all angles/perspectives. Wisdom is not doing something many times over and claiming you know everything because you always got the same result, but instead thinking about WHY you always got the same result. Wisdom is being able to look at something objectively, dissect it, see the point of view of another person, apply your own understanding and experience, and only after doing so sharing your knowledge with others. Wisdom comes when we put aside emotion (which can be exceptionally difficult to do) and look at all the information in front of us. It’s easy to act out in anger, sadness or joy, but a wise person is not rash and does not act on impulse alone, a wise person considers, sacrifices, and most importantly LOVES and forgives even if an apology was never given. I think that Wisdom is one of the most important virtues, without it we are letting emotion and a closed mind take the reins in our lives. History, looking inward, slowing down, considering other ideas, and striving for balance is the way of wisdom. What do you do when you struggle to connect to a Kindred?
After several public rituals with my local grove, I found myself struggling to connect to the Ancestors on a personal level. Death, has avoided my tiny close family thus far and I see no ancestors of blood in my mind and heart when it comes to offerings to Ancestors. Ancestors of spirit; people of the past that inspire me, historical figures, famous people passed on also leave me feeling disconnected. Sure I can imagine people in the news this week who have been lost to violence, tragedy or accidents, but it all feels...superficial sometimes. I wanted to feel more. So I decided to explore the Ancestors of the land and a whole world of emotions flooded through me. Remembering that the Native peoples of this land thrived thousands of years before European contact and how they worshiped the land in similar ways that I do now. How their polytheistic religious structures are similar to my own beliefs and how easily forgotten these people have become. This is the sort of connection and respect I had been missing with the Well. I sacrifice with respect to keep their cultural history alive. I decided to explore deeper into American Pre-history and actually decided to take a college class on the subject and week after week I find new meaningful respect for the ancient peoples of this land. This class ended up being one of the most valuable classes to me both academically and spiritually. I have grown up to a family that has always said I have Native American blood and this past year my family and I had DNA ancestry testing done only to discover that those claims are completely false. I do not, in fact, have Native American blood BUT that did not diminish my respect or admiration for Native peoples whatsoever. In fact, that little detail did not affect anything. The class I took opened my eyes to Arctic Peoples, to the tremendous importance of the Native Americans along the NW Coastline (Where I live!!!) and to so many other regions I had not taken the time to study before. I learned about adaptations to climate and to Europeans both in antiquity and today. It really deeply moved me. I may not see a loved one's face when I make an offering to the well, but I do see the indigenous people's bones buried deep in the ground beneath my feet. I feel their love for the land I also call home. I hear their spirits still speaking among the trees, I wont forget. Ancestors of this land, you have my deepest respect, most sincere apologies, and I welcome our growing relationship and make offerings to keep your memory alive. There is no formal homework submission this week outside of a journal reflection, practice and research into the Two Powers (also known as Two Currents) Meditation.
This is one week where I feel like I am already a bit ahead of the game as I have been doing the Two Powers Meditation now for nearly a year and regularly the past couple months. In the reading this week I was really taken back by the prayer by Ceisiwr Serith: World below, watery world, with chaos and order overflowing. Bring true creation into my life, with order and beauty, with power and grace. World above, far-flung heavens, ordering the world with might and law, bring true stability into my life, with law and structure, with clarity and reason. World about me, far-extending, with land well-set, bring true being into my life, with help and love, with health and prosperity. Until reading this I had not considered a shorter version of a Two Powers Meditation, but after I read it I realized that I have been doing my own silent meditations outside the formal structure for a while. I listen to various audio files of various versions of the Two Power Meditation. I plan to record my own voice and see how that impacts my connection. But I also find myself often just standing in the sunlight with my face turned to the sky, my palms down to the earth thinking about the cool waters below me sparking my creativity and giving me life and wonder. Thinking about the heat of the sunshine coming down through me sparking my drive and igniting my passion. Feeling them consume me together and together creating balance that can move forward with my day. Often I find that I am missing the drive, or missing the creativity and when I take a few moments to do a two power meditation I find myself in balance again and ready to move forward with my game face on. Some meditations make me feel relaxed, but the Two Powers Meditation has always left me feeling recharged and re-balanced. Sometimes I retain more of the powers because I need them and other times I feel them all leaving me because I am feeling whole Reading the shorter version I realized that It might be a good idea for me to write my own Two Power Inspired meditation that works along the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. |
Liante (Spider)
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