Gruffydd y Dryw

Greetings Seeker and Atwater Vitki I performed my solstice ritual last night, and all went well. Hope the rest of this holiday season is merry for you and your loved ones.

Tonight near midnight is the official winter solstice. In the Druid tradition it is called Alban Arthan or Arthuan, meaning the light of the Bear (the constellation) or Arthur (the legendary king). It also the time when the Holly King, symbolized by the wren, is killed by the Oak King, symbolized by the robin. I am not too keen on this part since I am a holly according to Graves' tree calendar and the "dryw" in my name means "wren" as well as Druid because of their close association. But my imminent death aside, I wanted to wish everyone and their families a Happy Solstice, Yule, Christmas, or whatever other holiday you celebrate at this time of year

Hello Hermes, I am a Druid, a member of the Druid Network and the Order of the Yew. (In the past I have also been a member of OBOD and ADF.) Although I keep in contact with other Druids via the internet, I generally function as a solitary minister. Some Druids do organize into groves, usually small local groups who may or may not designate someone in particular as leader. TDN Druidry tends to be more democratic and non hierarchical than some of the other Druid organizations. As a solitary minister, I have performed legal weddings here in Florida, and in the late 1990's I used to give lectures on Druidry at the local college for the comparative religion class. I work professionally as a counselor/case manager at a mental hospital (I have a B.A. in psychology), and my coworkers know I am a Druid and a ULC minister. I have answered many questions over the years for the curious, have given advice when asked, and have even mentored a Wiccan RN. I am also a Reiki master and have provided healing sessions for coworkers, friends, and family. These are just some of the things I have done in my role as a solitary minister

Hi Scott, True enough, but even a small child can learn some form of empathy for others. A child can be asked, "How would you like it is someone did that to you?" Once someone can think of themselves in another's shoes, it's not a great leap to attempt to understand another's perspective. I am afraid that what is going on in this case is an unwillingness to even try to understand what another's thoughts are. Other's beliefs are seen as irrelevant since he believes his way is the only way. It appears to be a deliberate effort that fosters a lack of spiritual development. Just my opinion, of course

And what if the shoe were on the other foot? Since you are so convinced that your beliefs are the only correct ones, you seem to have lost the ability to see things from someone else's perspective. What if it was not witches and wizards being stoned by Christians, but Christians being loaded up into a wicker man (which Druids do not do in today's time and age). What if it is to be you and others like you standing before Pagan gods who sit in judgment upon you? I do not fear judgment from your God any more than you would fear judgment from my gods. To continue to cite as your source of authority a book that that I do not accept as such does nothing to add credence to your beliefs. My Pagan ancestors got along quite well prior to the coming of Christianity to the British Isles, and in my world view Christianity is still the new kid on the block.

I concur; not that I am biased or anything

Thank you, it's nice to see you again

Yes, and the British Druids (and Druidesses) were massacred by the Romans as well While the Romans were frequently tolerant of other religions, they feared that the Druids were too politically influential, and probably felt that the early Christianity was also too subversive. The Romans seemed to fear ideas even more than military might.

Thank you Rev Trouten! As a Welsh-based Druid I call it Nos Galan Gaeaf (the eve of the calends of winter) rather than the Gaelige Samhain (summer's end) although they mean basically the same thing. In any case, I also want to wish everyone a happy Halloween / Samhain / Nos Galan Gaeaf / Winternights

I have a bachelor's degree in psychology and work full-time as a mental health and substance abuse counselor for the community mental health agency. I chiefly minister to family, friends, and co-workers rather than a public congregation so I am able to work things in around my schedule. I am able to request time off when needed if I give sufficient notice.

The environment is a major component of my religion, but while I support the efforts of "eco-warriors" in most cases, I follow a more moderate path. For example, I drive an economy car, I recycle and don't litter, I give due consideration to my use of electricity and water, and I vote yes for (or make small donations to) reasonable environmental causes. I think it will be small things, but done on a large scale by multitudes of people, that will end up saving the environment. I agree that forcing someone to be environmentally conscious will not work, but leading by example and educating others as to the things they can do to help might. I don't think in general that anyone (excluding some corporate fat cats) actually hates the environment at heart, but he or she just does not always stop to take the environment into consideration or perhaps is just following the path of convenience. And as others have stated above, I don't have all the answers either

Hi Stormbringer, yes I am Welsh based, and honor Welsh gods, guilty as charged I am an American but my paternal ancestry is Welsh. You have a good Equinox too.

The autumnal equinox will be here in a little over a week. Many Pagans call it Mabon, some say Harvest Home. As a Druid, I celebrate it as Alban Elved (or Elfed), the Light of the Water. Autumn is my favorite time of year, leading up to Halloween / Nos Galan Gaeaf (Welsh for Winter's Eve). In any case I wanted to wish everyone and their loved ones a Happy Equinox!

-at-Cuchulain Here's the Gorsedd or Druid's Prayer in the original Welsh, except I changed the "Dduw" (God) in the original to "Dduwiau" (Gods) since I am a polytheistic Druid. Dyro Dduwiau dy Nawdd; Ag yn nawdd, nerth; Ag yn nerth, Deall; Ag yn Neall, Gwybod; Ac yngwybod, gwybod y cyfiawn; Ag yngwybod yn cyfiawn, ei garu; Ag o garu, caru pob hanfod; Ag ymhob Hanfod, caru Duwiau. Duwiau a phob Daioni.

From the last decade: 1. Eragon (2006) I loved Ed Speleers in this. 2. The Covenant (2006) for the overall atmosphere of the film. 3. My Soul to Take (2010) by Wes Craven, featuring a young Max Thieriot. 4. Piranha DD (2012), released in theaters as Piranha 3DD. David Hasseihoff's poking fun at himself made this entire movie. 5. Hell Baby (2013), a ridiculous horror comedy featuring several well-known comic actors/comedians. Two of my all-time favorites are The Raven (1963) starring Vincent Price and The Wicker Man (1973) starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward. I also greatly enjoyed the Rankin and Bass animated versions of The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980). They do not follow the books well, but the animation and musical score captivated me when I was a child, as also was the case with their The Flight of Dragons (1982). My favorite comedies are Bowfinger (1999) starring Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, Cabin Boy (1994) starring Chris Elliot, and Kevin Smith's Clerks (1994).

OOPS! My mistake. The above post should have been "Hi Dan," not "Hi Mark." I had read a post by Mark 45 earlier, just before this. I am on my work computer and was interrupted. I was actually replying to Dan 52. By the time I noticed, it was too late to change it in the post. Sorry !

Hi Mark, I know there is a great deal of variation in Christianity and how the Bible is interpreted. I am only describing the church to which I was exposed, and I do not mean to imply that their interpretation was the correct interpretation for all Christianity . I would argue that the fairness of God in the Bible is also subject to interpretation if one wishes to take the Bible literally as it is written.

One of the reasons I began questioning my evangelical Christian upbringing was the concept of Hell as it was taught by our church. It was said that one would burn forever in constant agony. When I thought about this as a teenager, I realized that no matter what someone did in one lifetime I could not sentence them to an eternity of agony with no hope of redemption once placed there. I have been fortunate enough to have known many compassionate individuals in my lifetime who likewise could not subject another to such torment. I realized that if mere humans were that compassionate, how could I follow a God (supposedly a Supreme Being) who was that much less compassionate than his creations. I am not a pacificist regarding war, and I would support the death penalty in some cases. However, the concept of an allegedly morally superior, enlightened entity sentencing someone to eternal suffering, sometimes for the most trivial of sins, is beyond me. That there is supposed to be a familial relationship (i.e., we are God's children, and he is our father) only magnifies this. I acknowledge that I am speaking only of the God of whom I was taught as a child. I understand there are many good Christians would not share the same view of the Biblical God or damnation, and I do not mean to lump all Christians in with those I experienced growing up. So if this characterizaion does not apply to your experience of Christianity, please understand I mean no offense .