To vote, or not to vote? That is the question…

The following ruminations on voting are taken from a Facebook conversation I started about UKIP wanting to repeal The Human Rights act 1998.

The post quickly moved onto an exchange between myself and Leithin Cluan, a friend, grove sister and fellow blogger. After agreeing that both UKIP and the Tories suck, Leithin said she would be voting for the Green Party in the general election. I, rather glibly, quoted Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein,

“Real change will not be delivered within the machinery of the current system….[it’s against their interests]”

Leithin retorted with,

“There is that, but there is also the ‘keeping people alive while we wait for the revolution’ thing…”

Which made me consider and clarify my thoughts on the effectiveness of voting for the Green Party. On the whole I like the ‘Greens’, and if push comes to shove they are the party I’m most likely to vote for. However, I don’t actually believe that they will ever be popular/big enough to get into power (or into the top three possibilities). Which means they will remain a ‘protest’ or ‘pressure’ vote. The trouble with that, is that for it to be effective the people you are protesting to, or trying to pressurise, need to actually care for your opinions…. I answered Leithin with:

“Unfortunately voting green will have no actual effect on that. At best voting green will send a message about how important environmental issues are to some of us. The trouble is, the main parties already know this and will either pay passing lip service to green issues (and then just carry on business as usual) or, more likely, just ignore it altogether as it will inconvenience their corporate paymasters and vested interests.”

Leithin reluctantly agreed, but still insisted that voting is important. But I’m not sure anymore, especially if you take into account Naomi Klein’s argument quoted earlier. So I tried to clarify my position, or lack thereof, with,

“The voting/not voting question, for me personally, is a catch 22 situation.

If I vote green (as I want to) my vote will have no effect on the overall out come of the election or future policies of the main parties (see the post above). If I vote for one of the main parties I may (maybe) have a vague effect on the outcome, however, as there is, to my mind, no real recognisable difference in the main parties (blue conservative, red conservative or the yellow party that’ll hitch it’s wagon to which ever will offer them a sniff of power and be conservative) there is no real point in me trying to influence who gets into power (if you’re offered three turds and you have to pick one you’re still going to end up with a turd). None of them represents my wishes nor do they have any desire to. If I vote I’ll have no actual effect, or at least important effect, on the political outcome and certainly no effect that would actually represent my views or best interests. Also, by voting I validate and perpetuate the delusion that we are operating in a democracy, which we are not. Instead we are placated by being allowed to partake in a pallid imitation of true democracy whilst at the same time being kept away from any true power or control over the systems of power.

However, if I don’t vote I, again, have no actual effect over the political outcome, pallid imitation of democracy or not. I am, in effect still voiceless and powerless within the confines of the overarching political system. And whilst I would like to believe (but can’t) that a “no voting” stance would be regarded as a protest against the prevailing political parties and political climate, I actually recognise that it will be viewed as total voter apathy which will signal to the parties, the career politicians and the establishment, not that they need to change, but that they can get away with more because the public aren’t really interested in monitoring them or calling them to account.

Voting or not voting are both essentially ineffectual . You are effectively powerless and unrepresented either way. Both lead to disillusionment and ultimately disenfranchisement from power and democratic representation within the current system.”

Unfortunately, by this point in the conversation I think Leithin had got bored, given up, wandered off and left me to it…..

A curious tale of clairvoyants

“So it seems the clairvoyant was half right..”

I was talking to our farrier today. He’s a mid-level officer in two of the Freemasonic lodges in this area, and we often talk “shop” about various esoteric matters. Today he told me a curious tale…

When you turn at the crossroads onto the road that leads up to the hearth grove you may notice some horses in the field a little way up on the left. Our farrier was there plying his black smithery trade, chatting away to the owner. She, as she talked, was looking around distractedly. “Have you lost something?” He enquired.

“I can’t find the broom” said she, then followed with the statement, “I blame the Druids!”.

This, of course, piqued his interest. “Huh?” he eloquently encouraged her to elucidate.

“Just over a year ago, when visiting my sister, I went to see a clairvoyant” she said, “who told me to move my horses because Druids meet in the woods nearby and they are not to be trusted!”

He gagged a little but said nothing, despite knowing that we meet around that area.

“Apparently they don’t like women and are generally unpleasant” she continued, “I blame them for everything, a bit like blaming the gremlins!”

After a little more subtle questioning my Masonic friend discovered that the lady in question had no idea about Druids (past or present) and just thought the clairvoyant was “going all ‘Lord of the Rings’ on her.”

He, thankfully, chose silence on the subject.

So what do we make of this tale?

Are we making a beacon on the astral plane that the clairvoyant picked up on (even if her interpretation was wrong)?

Was it just an inspired guess?

One thing I do know is that I too have a gremlin-like bogey-man I blame everything on, someone not to be trusted, who hated women and was generally unpleasant. If in doubt I blame everything on Thatcher! Perhaps the clairvoyant was picking up on that as well..

“My children of darkness, bring me all manner of unattended sweeping implements…”

A fragment of a parole hearing..

Recently, both PCG and myself were asked to submit a statement about the OBOD course to be used in a parole application hearing of one of our US prisoner students. The following is part of my statement in which I’m trying to encapsulate and describes some of the aims of the course for a “mainstream” audience.
“One of the main focuses of the OBOD distance learning/correspondence course is to encourage students to examine, understand and ultimately harmonise aspects of their own personality and character; in doing so they are also encouraged to examine, understand and harmonise their relationship with their family, local community and society in general. Through self understanding and knowledge the student aims to become a more balanced and centred individual who can fully engage and be effective in the wider community. The course aims to achieve this by presenting the student with various practical, creative, philosophical and historical studies, combined with meditation and visualisation techniques, based on archetypal themes, concepts and symbolism overlaid on a framework of mythological, folklore and storytelling traditions.”

A Druid in the Aeon of the Child – fragment concerning emotions

Part of a discussion about emotions…

“Many people, associate emotions with sadness, stress and tears. I’m not sure why this is? As a society we tend to treat our ‘everyday or base state’ (hopefully mild happiness or contentment) as neutral/emotionless and extreme states of emotion as ‘being emotional’. I guess that sorrow/sadness (seen as undesirable, negative and dysfunctional and therefore to be feared) is the most dramatic change from the base emotional state so is the most noticeable, whereas a greater happiness is accepted as just an increase in ‘base state happiness and contentment’. We (society) view emotions in a very linear fashion with sadness one end and happiness the other, it’s programmed into us that sorrow/sadness is negative and happiness is positive, and that we must constantly strive to move away from sadness towards happiness, and that any retrograde step is to be feared, avoided and worked against. We also live in a ‘rational society’ that like to think that emotions can be controlled and subjugated by reason and rationality. Failure to ‘keep your emotions under control’ or ‘letting your emotions get the better of you’ are seen as signs of extreme weakness of character and mental capacity, society tells us that in our modern age such behaviour is undesirable, and dangerous. We must beat primal emotions down with the might of our reason. The truth, of course, is a lot more complicated. ‘Emotions’ covers many ‘states’ not just happiness and sorrow; some are desirable, some undesirable, but all of them are vital and equally important. We are creatures of emotion. Our every moment of life is an expression of emotion. We flicker between States of emotion all of the time without registering it in our conscious minds. Emotions are the expression of our subconscious, they are part of what drives our every action, intuition, decision making and survival skills. Emotions, in their varied forms, are a major and vital part of who we are. On the qabalistic tree of life emotions are part of the seventh sephiroth (Netzach) which places them ‘higher’ than rationality and logic (Hod) and closer to Tiphareth, the point of harmony in the middle pillar, and ultimately closer to Kether.”

A fragment of conversation concerning the Golden Dawn and Druidry

The following is a (lightly edited) fragment from an email about beginning to study Druidry after studying with the Golden Dawn system.

“I know from personal experience that it isn’t easy to try to learn and experience a new system when you are so deeply grounded in another. It can get very frustrating as you have to go over basic concepts again.

The OBOD Bardic grade is loosely based on the structure of the lower (elemental) grades of the Golden Dawn system. The ceremonial/ritual structure is very similar, and some of the techniques are variations on the GD techniques. However, working through things from a fresh “Druidic” perspective will give a new dimension to existing experience and knowledge; and that, like the GD grades, the work is designed to build sequentially and you’ll get maximum satisfaction and benefit by following that order. It might also give a more “Earthy” and practical understanding of magic, to compliment the more cerebral and intellectual approach of the GD…

If things get too desperate you can always point people towards John Michael Greer’s book “The Celtic Golden Dawn” and the accompanying “Druidical order of the Golden Dawn” order. I wouldn’t really recommend it much (I found it lacks substance – not enough GD or enough Druidry) but some might find it a useful stepping stone..”

Fragment of a conversation about rituals

Fragments of one of my emails discussing ritual and ceremony…

“….The Pagan “Eight fold wheel of the year” ceremonies do serve as a great way of bringing Pagans together, building shared experiences and a sense of community; but that is not their primary function. The primary function of the rituals is to help bring the practitioner, consciously or sub-consciously, into greater harmony and understanding of the rhythms of nature (the seasons, birth and death, waxing and waning etc) and by doing so we, hopefully, begin to appreciate and understand our relationship with the Earth and nature; and ultimately bring a greater respect to how we treat and interact with our environment.

The individual rituals that are part of the OBOD course work are designed to give you a reliable and effective way, through the use of archetypes and symbolism, to connect with aspects of your sub-conscious mind. By doing so we can gain access to a great store of knowledge and information, allowing us to become aware of a wider range of patterns and connections in our surroundings, our own thought processes, our emotional and behavioural reactions; this in turn gives us greater insights, understanding, and to a degree, control, of who we are and how we choose to live our lives. Once we have more control and understanding of our own lives, we can have a greater and more positive impact on the world around us….”

“I can totally sympathise with your experience of group ceremonies. Group ritual can be a truly wonderful and spiritually powerful experience. However, it relies on the correct balance and interplay of the group dynamic, and of course your personal comfort and confidence levels…”

A Druid in the Aeon of the Child – life, death and whathaveyou…

In some recent correspondences the themes of “life, death and reincarnation” have come up. So I thought I’d share some of my parts of those conversations…

This first fragment concerns dealing with bereavement as a process –

“I think that the course and the work can give you a wider, more pragmatic(?) view of life and (consequently) death. Through having a glimpse of the “bigger” picture we can sometimes gain a deeper perspective of the processes, seeing how they “fit” into the greater scheme, which in a strange way can relieve some of the intense (almost selfish) feelings of personal loss and injustice associated with grief (how will “I” cope? What have”I” lost, how could this happen to “me” etc). Grief is after all, all about the living. By seeing a part of the bigger picture, the process, natural order and by having a sense of the subtle energies, we can see that the process of death isn’t just about us and our feelings, but is an essential part of the journey of all involved (this includes the transitioning of life force you sensed)….of course that, unfortunately, doesn’t stop the pain or the broken heart, but in some small way can help with the coping, healing, and grieving.”

This second fragment sees me trying to conceptualise my thoughts on reincarnation, life and death….

“We know that the ancient Druids believed in a form of afterlife or otherworld followed by some form of reincarnation…. But me? I’m just not sure. I think part of you moves into the otherworld (however you wish to perceive that) but the “divine spark” part of you also moves onward into a new incarnation.

I see The divine spark as the higher self/ HGA/ pure spirit or soul. It is the inner essential “you”, your connection and oneness of the universe, an indestructible essence that binds you to all creation (including plants, animals and the gods – as we say in Thelema “there is no god but where I am”) It is a part of the separated divine force of nature and the universe.

Whereas I see the part that lives on in the otherworld as the ego (for want of a better word) or personality. It is the everyday conscious, the “you” that you are most aware of, the “you” with the everyday needs, instincts, sensations and drives. The personality is like a character played, and infused, by the Divine spark; it is the interface through which the divine spark experiences this particular incarnation and learns the particular lessons that need to be learnt or experienced in this life…

In my preferred view the reincarnation of the divine spark is moving ever “outward” in the circles of Abred towards Ceugant, possibly following a meta version of the cabalistic tree of life and the path of the great return….

https://corieltauvigrove.wordpress.com/?s=Tree+of+life&submit=Search

However, in all this it must be kept in mind that both the divine spark and the personality are you, they are not separate, but two sides of the same coin….

…But like I say it’s all just speculation :)”

A Druid in the aeon of the child – Thelema and a fragment from a different conversation

I was recently asked (via email) about Druidry and Thelema. Below is some of my reply (with a little editing) which I hope others may find interesting…

“Thelema is a difficult thing to encapsulate easily. Thelema comes from, and involves, the philosophical, spiritual and occult teachings and ideas of that most divisive of figures Aleister Crowley.

I don’t know if you are aware of Crowley? But he is certainly one of the most (if not the most) important and influential occultist of all time. However, to some he’s a genius, to others a dangerous and vile character (the daily express dubbed him “the wickedest man in the world”). The truth, as always lies somewhere between the two. There is plenty of biographical information about him and his works on the Internet, so I’ll just give a quick summary here: (skip this bit if you want) he was born in the late 1800’s and raised in a very strict religious group called “The Plymouth Brethren” ( they still exist today). After a very odd childhood he went to university (Cambridge I think) throwing off the restrictive shackles of his childhood.

At Uni he experimented with drink, poetry, debauchery and all the other good things students still expect. However, despite disavowing Christianity he still felt a religious or spiritual impulse, this lead him on a varied and colourful spiritual/occult path. The first major step was joining the original “Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn” where he quickly learnt all they could teach him about Kabbalah, ritual and Magic. His meteoric rise through the ranks of the GD and his genius aptitude for magic and ritual was a contributory factor to the schism that eventually lead to the end of the order in its original form. He later argued with the leader of the order (SL Mathers) and left to study Buddhism and travel the world. The next major step (and most important to Thelema) happened in Cairo in the early 1900’s (1904?) whilst performing an impromptu magic ceremony in one of the pyramids he was (allegedly) contacted by a spirit entity (his HGA) and told that he was the prophet of the new Aeon and that as such he would receive a new “Holy book”. This book was called “liber al vel legis” – or the book of the law. And it laid out a new religious/occult philosophy. To cut a long story short, he spent the rest of his life exploring, expressing and promoting this new religious philosophy. First he started an order known as the A.:A.: (Argentum Astrum – order of the silver star) which involved strict secret one-on-one teaching, when this didn’t become very popular he took over an ailing semi Masonic “sex magic” organisation called OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis – order of the eastern temple). In his life he courted much controversy and flirted with his image of an “aggressive transgressor” of societies Norms and Values. He pushed his debauched, or liberated (depending on how you choose to look at it) life to ever further extremes. He eventually died relatively penniless in Hastings in the late 1940’s or 50’s. His legacy was a huge collection of books, art, and poetry and magickal philosophy. His influence over the “modern” occult scene is incalculable. He is featured on the sleeve of the Beatles Sgt Peppers album and is still regularly voted in the top 50 of the most influential Britons of all time.

So, the philosophy of Thelema, as I understand it, is one of ultimate personal responsibility, freedom and individuality. In Thelema everyone is seen as unique. It is the task of a Thelemite to discover their own “true will” and live the life that they feel that they need to live to express their own divinity. Or to put it another way, to discover who they are at the core of their being, to accept and take responsibility for who they are, and live their life accordingly; whilst at the same time recognising that everyone else is a unique individual who should be allowed to discover and express their own unique Being. Not as easy as it sounds. The way that you discover your true self (true will) is through a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation that leads you to combine your “lower or base self” with your “higher conscious or divine self”. This is achieved through various acts of ritual, magick, meditation, yoga and devotion. If you remember my tutor intro notes, I opened them with a passage that I wrote a few years ago whilst trying to express this theme within the context of OBOD Druidry.

“Druidry is the path of the individual – that may sound at odds to what you expected…. Druidry is about your own personal, unique and individual path. It is about how you relate to the worlds around you; your relationship with yourself, others and the divine; about the way you see and experience the world…. It’s only through the lessons and experiences gained about yourself that you can be truly effective in the world and so help those around you.”

Crowley, over his life time, synthesised, altered and created two distinct magical systems to achieve these goals: the A.:A.: and the OTO. Each has a slightly different approach to the “great work”, and they have different appeals to each person. Personally I think the A.:A.: is the purer of the two, I’m not personally convinced about the OTO, but each to their own.

Thelema and Druidry is an interesting subject. Many Druids/pagans seem to never have heard if Crowley or his ideas; or if they have they’ve only heard the tabloid version. Both PCG and Ross Nichols dislike and dismiss him (Nichols met him once and apparently wasn’t impressed). Druidry has (consciously or subconsciously) distanced itself from Crowley. However, both Crowley and the Golden Dawn have had an undeniable and powerful influence on Druidry and paganism in general, and Wicca in particular. Nichols states in a letter to Israel Regardie (published in “journeys of the spirit”) that OBOD ritual is mainly based on the Golden Dawn ritual framework. (Golden dawn ritual, in turn, is based on a masonic ritual framework). Israel Regardie was responsible for preserving and publishing the works and teachings of the Golden Dawn, he was also Crowley’s apprentice and secretary. Nichols also had an interest in Kabbalah, and peppered his Druid teachings with it. Gerald Gardener on the other hand was a fan of Crowley and a member of the OTO (hence a lot of the sexual overtones in Wicca), may have taken over leadership of UK grand lodge on Crowley’s death. Many of the ideas, themes and ritual structure of Golden Dawn, Thelema and Crowley are part of the fabric of most modern paganism, even if they are not acknowledged or understood.

Do I practice a Thelemic path? I’d like to think that I do, in that the basic philosophy of Thelema is part of how I approach life. I don’t however, particularly practice Thelemic Magick as laid out by Crowley, although it does inform and influence my practice.

Can you blend Druidry and Thelema? Yes, I think that Druidry is a great way to approach the philosophy of Thelema.

Is Thelema an officially recognised part of OBOD? No, definitely not.

Would you find out more about Thelema or Kabbalah if you went to more Druid meetings? No, probably not.

Your OBOD Druid friend is right, completion of the Druid grade doesn’t have to be the end if your studies, but it is the end of the OBOD material. After that there are all sorts of subjects and interests you could pursue; Kabbalah is just one of them. Talking of which there are many good books on Kabbalah out there, but I’d advise starting with a real basic introductory one to begin with – it’s a complicated area of study that can take a life time of work, so start basic and work forwards :)…”

Random thoughts on the Tree of Life

Copied over from my other blog, here are some random thoughts on the Tree of Life expressed in the 2nd knowledge lecture of the DOGD

The knowledge lecture puts the Supernals (Kether, Binah and Chokmah or Celi, Perydd and Dofydd) in the circle of Ceugant and Malkuth (Naf) in Abred. Yet it assigns the Supernals as the “roots” of the tree and Naf as the crown instead of the more traditional Naf (Malkuth) as the base of the tree, and Kether, (and the Supernals) as the crown. At first this reversal appeared counter intuitive to me as I’ve always viewed the tree in the more traditional way.

If we are following the circles of Abred as a progression outwards from the centre it makes sense that Naf is in Abred and we are following the “Path of Great Return” upwards/ outwards towards Ceugant. This would also put the “Three Rays (Awen)” descending from Ceugant (following the Lightening flash path).

Traditionally this would see us working from the base of the tree towards the crown (Abred to Ceugant, Naf to Celi). But for me this model takes too much emphasis away from the land and Mother Earth and puts too much focus upwards and outwards. By moving away from Earth towards a heaven or celestial place we are removing ourselves from the environment that sustains us. By doing this we fall into the same trap as the Judeo Christian religions.

By describing the Supernals as the roots of the tree we are reminded that spiritual nourishment, inspiration and growth comes from the land around us (and, to an extent, our sub-conscious minds and inner realms), which has a far more Druidic feel to it.

Much of the confusion can be removed by changing the word “root” to ” source”; so that the Supernals are the source of the tree and Naf, instead of the crown, becomes the furthest manifestation of the tree. This brings it back into alignment with the traditional approach. In the Jewish tradition (and judeo christian tradition) the “source” of the tree is celestial in nature; in the Druid tradition the Land is the divine “source”. The flow of manifestation from source to furthest point is the same, but the emphasis on the origin of the source is different. In the judeo Christian model we are following the path back up to a celestial divinity; in the Druid model we are following the path back to the divinity of the land. The assignment of the word “root” for the Supernals in the Druidic model serves to emphasis this connection with the land as the origin of manifestation.

A Druid in the Aeon of the Child – conversational fragments pt 5

Cthulhudruid to Frater x

“I totally agree with you and your understanding of Awen, both the symbolic

and about the emanations of the TW. If the idea is to work our way up the

tree to Tipareth to discover and become one with our HGA or divine higher

self, (which is a reflection/stage of the divine emanation of Kether) and

then ideally work towards crossing the abyss and gaining Kether and

beyond, then, in Malkulth and the lower spheres, we are identifying a

connection and pathway to our higher divine and beyond. Awen is the

inspiration, the flash of divine, glimpse of the higher, shooting down

the tree like the lightning bolt path, illuminating the pillars and the

spheres. In its path down the tree, it lights the way and shows a path

that we can retrace back up the tree to its origin – Kether-. To become

attuned to Awen is to try and become attuned with the divine and let it

flow through you, surely this is seen as being the same as True will? To

find your true will is to work your life to the divine emanation, your

higher self in tipareth reflecting Kether? You are attempting to align

yourself with the divine and follow its path to knowledge and

oneness. Awen is a type and a means of manifestation of the divine, as is

the working and discovery of the true will. Awen is the flash of

inspiration coming down the tree; TW is the following of the path back up.

I find the Awen a beautiful symbol (which is why I’ve got it as a

tattoo) visually it’s stunningly simple, beautiful and balanced.

Symbolically it works and can be viewed on many levels. My favourite is

seeing it as the supernals – but I don’t think many druids would even

consider that aspect- it’s also a symbol of invoking, the 4 stations of the sun (2 equinoxes and 2 solstices)the flow of energy around the circle and the cycles (nuinn

hints that the Awen, in some instances is only half the symbol and can be

expanded to form the spokes of the wheel with the druid/magician in the

centre -tying in with all other symbolism of the circle the wheel, the

elements, the cycles etc. etc.)The list goes on, it’s like a druid

symbolic army penknife! More can be found out about it in Nuinn’s “Book of

Druidry” which, if memory serves, also places it in the context of some

form of English kabbalah – but I’d have to look that up again.

I’ve never heard of Jan Fries, but I’ll check out your interview and have

a poke around. I have, however, read JMG’s “Druid Magick” you can borrow

it at some point if you want. Parts of the book are really very good

indeed especially if you’ve read the “Druidry handbook” which I highly

recommend, other parts of the book (I felt)are a little lacklustre, but

that doesn’t mean that the techniques and ideas can’t be turned to better

use….. I’ve corresponded briefly with JMG (I’m a Druid Companion member

of the AODA) and he’s a really nice guy.

I find it interesting how parts of our paths mirror each other, I started

with Crowley and the gd, but moved away because I didn’t think that I had

the life experience and confidence to follow the path, I took to Druidry

as part of gaining and understanding that experience, which has led me

back to a greater understanding and appreciation of the hermetics, you

followed it the other way round. I liked your point about OBOD working

within your immediate culture; this strikes to the heart of some of the

problem that I’ve always had with the book of Law – it’s language and style

(indeed the same could be said about the GD and their Egyptian influence)

are well outside the bounds of my “heart” culture which is the deeply

imbedded in the land and ancient mysteries of my native land. Egyptology

and travel were very big in the time that AC and the GD were forming and

operating. I’ve always struggled to connect on a deep level with their

god forms and archetypes, but now I’m learning to look past those and just

see them as convenient expressions of the energies involved. I guess I’ve

go to go back and take another look at Liber Al and read the commentaries,

I’ve just started re-reading Lon Duquette’s “Magick of Thelema”.”