Where to Start
Searles

Tue Sep 15 11:28:31 1998
Here is some advice that I recently gave a seeker for Drai/ocht and Celtic Ways:*p*I recommend reading a few authentically Celtic books to counter the Newage pseudo-Celtic books that you've already read.  I see that Jon has suggested "Celtic Heritage" by the Rees.  Let me also suggest, "The Druids" by Peter Beresford Ellis and "Ancient Irish Tales" by Cross and Slover.  It shouldn't all be reading, of course.  You could also get a copy of "Riverdance" or "Lord of the Dance" on videotape to see some examples of dance and music that is Celtic in its spirit and intent.  Find a dance group near to you that does such dancing and/or seek out an Irish pub where there is nightly singing and storytelling.  Might I also suggest listening to Loreena McKennit, the Clancy Brothers, Anuna, Enya and Clannad (to name only a few).  Pick up a book by Bain or Meehan on the intricacies of Celtic knotwork and practice doing your own.  Read "A Druid's Herbal" and "Tree Medicine Tree Magic" by Ellen Evert Hopman and go to a river valley to see what you can see and find what you can find (though Southwest Oklahoma is a very different topology/ecology to The Isles and Europe).  Visit a few websites, such as Clann an Faoil Chon, Imbas, The Summerlands, White Oak, Cathbad's Sanctuary and FAQ, Dalriada, etc.  Search on Celtic Festivals, Irish Festivals, Scottish Festivals and find some near to you (there'll be some I'm certain).  Get a book on meditation to learn how to breath and to relax (also how to prepare one's mind to open to the wisdom of the gods and ancestors).   Read "The Tain" by Thomas Kinsella to see Celtic society in heroic action.  Purchase a book on learning to speak Gaelic (Irish, Manx, or Scottish), Cornish, Welsh, or Bretton.  Practice singing songs in this language or chanting poetry in it.  Write your own poetry and rituals including Celtic words, thoughts and sayings.  You'll find access to an online Irish class in the Summerlands library or perhaps at a nearby university.  Find a local astronomy group and join them to look at the stars and to learn the science of as well as the lore.  All of these activities can teach you some of  the things that will help you become one who follows Druid ways.  You might also check the calendar at the Crossroads in The Summerlands to learn when we will be giving on-line training in Celtic traditions, Scottish traditions and Druids Ways in the Summerlands via message board and IRC.*p*Beyond these things, and including them all, I suggest looking within yourself, as well as around you in this world and the many others in existence.  Seek the quietness of your mind and spirit.  Seek the essence of what makes each part of life and death unique. Listen and touch as the cycles of Nature repeat in a cascade of musical harmony and discord.  Watch the power of the storm overhead and follow the thoughts expressed by the clouds as they create and recreate themselves in the Sky.  Look at the Sun glistening upon the water and understand that one day, that lighted pathway will open for you and admit you to the Sidhe mounds.  Look on the Moon as s/he expresses the mysteries of change within and without. Hear the music played out each night away from people and society as each animal, tree and insect talks to another and to their Mother.  Pick up a rock and see the speech that was recorded there by time and the forces of the universe.  See and hear the echoes of the stars that were locked into the swirls of stone as heat and pressure transformed Land into bone, building the beginning sounds of an eternal song.  After you've read and studied the Ogham a bit, look at the growth patterns of trees, shrubs and plants to see what ideas they are expressing in their growth.  Watch the flights of birds overhead to see the patterns in the way they fly individually and together.  Within the Song of Creation and the Forest Trees, there is a melody that is the smile of the gods and the ecstatically pure intent of deity.  There is such excitement and wonder in its beginnings and design that one dares not breath or permit a single heartbeat or thought to mar its beauty.*p*You are surrounded by an infinity of teachers and an eternity of lessons.  Match these partners with a dedication to learning and a hunger for truth and you will one day hear the word, "Drui/," echoing in your footsteps as you pass.*p*Sla/n is beannacht,*p*Searles*p**br*http://www.summerlands.com*p*"Athert an Daogdae, 'An cumang arba/gaid-si/, doge/n-sou ule am a/onur.' "*p*