Ellen Evert Hopman

Herbalist, Author, Druid Priestess

A Druid's Blog

March 2013 Blog

March Madness!
I love this time of year when Celtic music and dance pops up everywhere and the sun brightens. These days the snows melt fast or are just powdery showers. Bird song is already filling the air and critters are about. I have identified possum and raccoon and coyote tracks in the snow behind the house (animal tracks in snow). I found a large spider on my front door last week and unidentified flying insects have started to come into the house via the heating vents. It’s almost Spring!
While Catholics like to think of March 17 as the celebration of Saint Patrick’s mission in Ireland (there were at least three Patrick’s whose stories got fused into legend) for us Nature Religion types the festival is about snakes. We like to refer to it as BRING BACK THE SNAKES DAY. This is a traditional saying that applies to the Imbolc festival in Scotland (what we Americans like to call Ground Hog Day) when farmers would look to see if snakes had emerged from their holes – if so the earth was warm enough for plowing;

Moch maduinn Bhride, thig an nimhir as an toll;
Cha bhoin mise ris an nimhir, Cha bhoin an nimhir rium.
Early on Bride’s morn, the serpent will come from the hollow;
I will not molest the serpent, nor will the serpent molest me.

Here in New England the ground is still frozen and covered with a thin layer of snow, but we still have our ancestral memory of snakes. While Saint Patrick is credited with “driving the snakes out of Ireland”, we know that there never were any snakes there for him to drive out. Its possible that by “snakes” he meant the Druids who were “wise as serpents”. In any case, for us snakes are symbols of healing and regeneration as evidenced by their ability to shed their skin and start over as a new creature. Why would anyone sensible drive them out?
My old college friend Dru Clifford is an expert on the Western flora and a trailside gourmet. I asked him if he had any thoughts on snakes in honor of the season and he sent this;
A guest blog from Dru Clifford, an old college friend of mine, in honor of BRING BACK THE SNAKES DAY

Yes, I have killed, cooked, and eaten rattlesnake once.
I have killed a rattlesnake once when it was racing toward me very aggressively, and I have accidentally killed them by driving over them on dirt back-country roads.
I feel rotten about it.
The time I killed the rattlesnake who was threatening me I came home to see the flag “Don’t Tread on Me” hanging on the wall (that was in 1989 before the teabaggers had expropriated that symbol).
I started at the flag and thought “What HAVE I done?”
After that I resolved to be more careful about walking into their turf so that I would never seem a threat to one so one would never feel the need to threaten me.
Since that time, the only snakes I have killed I have accidentally run over.
I hold snakes sacred.
I won’t go near them, flirt with them, or molest them.
I will always give them a wide berth.
To me, snakes are a living symbol of the Being that lies beyond becoming… the hidden link between past now present and future: the eternity beyond time… the center of our selves.
I regard them reverentially.
That said, They are beings just like us that share this earth and on one level no more Imago Dei than humans are… or then the Peregrine Falcon is.
Rattlesnakes possess an unusual odor, as indescribable to those who have never smelled it as the flavor of tequila would be indescribable to anyone who has not tasted it. The odor is in the skin.
When the skin is removed, the meat does not retain any of the somewhat objectionable smell.
Rattlesnake meat does not taste “just like chicken”… it is actually a bit more like fish in texture, but like baccalà. It is more al dente than fish. The meat itself is not bad, but unless you get a very large rattlesnake like an Eastern Diamondback (the most dangerous) there is not much meat on them. With a large Eastern Diamondback one might be able to slice crosswise into steaks as with a salmon, making the meat easier to consume. But these species are native, ecologically important, and dangerous.
When I heard of the invasion of south Florida by Burmese Pythons I thought… here is a way we can get to try snake meat and do something positive for the environment and ecology of Floridian native species being decimated by these beasts.
We could be sure that these snakes could be cut crosswise into nice steaks.
Big problem though… these creatures are so high on the food chain they are loaded with accumulated toxins… essentially inedible… dangerously inedible.
À tout à l’heure,
Dru

Here are a few other accoutrements of the season, some lore about shamrocks;
from SCOTTISH HERBS AND FAIRY LORE p. 185

Wood Sorrel, Shamrock
Part used: the fresh herb (gathered in the spring)
Gaelic: seamrag, greim saighdeir (a soldier’s mouthful)
Latin: Oxalis acetosella
Gathered in spring, the herb can be eaten in small amounts.It is added to soups and salads and taken as tea for fevers including typhus.
Caution: do not eat large amounts of this plant as it contains oxalic acid that can harm the kidneys and cause internal bleeding and diarrhea. Persons with weak or diseased kidneys should avoid this plant.
The cold tea helps indigestion and liver complaints. It is used externally as a wash for skin conditions.
Tea: steep 1 cup of the herb per quart of freshly boiled water for 3 minutes. Take ¼ cup, 4 times a day, for a few days.
Lore: where shamrocks are plentiful there is sure to be Fairy activity in the area. Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is known as Fairy Money.

And a Classic Scottish healing charm from the Carmina Gadelica

SEAMARAG NAM BUADH [171]
A SHEAMARAG nan duilleag,
A sheamarag nam buadh,
A sheamarag nan duilleag,
Bha aig Muire fo bhruaich,
A sheamarag mo ghraidh,
Is ailinde snuadh,
B’ e mo mhiann anns a bhas,
Thu bhi fas air m’ uaigh,
B’ e mo mhiann anns a bhas,
Thu bhi fas air m’ uaigh.
THE SHAMROCK OF POWER
THOU shamrock of foliage,
Thou shamrock of power,
Thou shamrock of foliage,
Which Scotta had under the bank,
Thou shamrock of my love,
Of most beauteous hue,
I would choose thee in death,
To grow on my grave,
I would choose thee in death,
To grow on my grave.

And just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day, here is a tale of Finn MacCumhail and Patrick and what happened when they met.
I think its not too late to share this lovely English podcast about the previous Celtic Fire Festival Imbolc, or Oimelg.
Below you will find the usual round-up of the past Moonth’s news. Catch up on book reviews, archaeology, nature and religion stories gleaned from the media;

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS WITH ELLEN

HERB NEWS

BOOK NEWS

  • I recently stumbled upon this review of the first novel in the Druid trilogy PRIESTESS OF THE FOREST – A DRUID JOURNEY
  • A nice review of my newest book. From greeneggzine.com
    The Secret Medicines Of Your Kitchen
    By Ellen Evert HopmanIllustrations by Martyn PentecostISBN-978-1-907282-58-4Copyright 2012 by Ellen Evert HopmanThis well-organized little gem of a book is one-of-a-kind. It is more than just a book on nutrition and herbs. It includes valuable information that is hard to find about the healing properties of food and herbs and spices. It gives the Latin name for everything listed and it is in alphabetical order, which makes it very convenient for reference. It also has an excellent index in case you need to look up a cure for a particular malady.Ms. Hopman includes a list of herbal basics such as how to store and cook herbs, along with precautions. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and worth the price of the book alone. The book includes recipes for how to use every item in the book. Some herbs should be put in bathwater, others served as tea or eaten fresh.Included are priceless bits of information such as for bananas: “In Sri Lanka a cup of the sap of the banana tree is given to a person who has been bitten by a venomous snake” and “always use whole grain barley because it will have all the B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.” As well, persons with high blood sugar (diabetes) should either avoid beets or be sure to add lemon juice or vinegar to prevent a blood sugar spike. My husband has diabetes and I never knew that.The nutritional advice is top notch. I’ve spent years studying nutrition and what foods contain various nutrients. I also use food to make sure I get all my nutrients and have studied herbs for over 30 years; yet much if not most of the information in this book are things I never knew. For example, bean pods contain silica, which strengthens internal organs. We need silica to stay healthy.Traditional uses of food and herbs are listed, as well as folklore, history and odd bits of information. Garlic, for instance, has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, but few people are aware of that fact. Garlic was used extensively in ancient times to prevent colds and flu. I’ve used garlic myself almost daily for the last 20 years. I hardly ever get the flu and it keeps my blood pressure down as well. I first learned about the extremely powerful anti-fungal features of garlic when I had a horrendous case of systemic candidiasis and I used to it help cure myself. Garlic also cures athlete’s foot, yeast infections and a host of other fungal illnesses within 24 hours or less. Very few people know about that, and in the 20 years that I’ve used garlic almost daily, I’ve only met one other person who knows about it curing fungus; I never met anyone who knows about the anti-viral properties except for the author of the book; that is to say, Ms. Hopman knows an incredible amount of detailed information about the herbs and foods listed in the book!Another odd bit of information is that Ms. Hopman recommends saving the seeds from your oranges and planting them in a flowerpot. “When the trees are about 3 inches high, snip the leaves and add them to salads.” Information about when and how to harvest some of the herbs and food mentioned is included such as harvesting peach tree leaves before the Summer Solstice.
    I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to achieve maximum health in natural ways. It is perfect both for the beginner and the advanced nutritionist/herbalist or anyone who would just like to know more about the nutrients in your food and what they do for health. I applaud Ms. Hopman’s latest effort, who seems to excel at whatever books she writes, whether it is fiction, non-fiction, herbs or Druidry. All in all, I recommend this book for everyone; we live in an environment today that is polluted and saps many nutrients from us. This book will go a long way towards helping to keep the reader healthy.
    – Ariel Monserrat greeneggzine.com

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

 POLITICS/ETHICS

 NATURE NEWS

February 2013 blog

Last month I reported that a tiny Saw Whet owl had struck my car. I associated the death of the bird with the then recent gun murders of children in Connecticut, and tried not to see it as a personal omen of impending death. But sadly I was wrong. Within a few weeks my thirteen year old, tortoise shell Soul Cat started going downhill. I took her to the vet and he diagnosed Lymphoma. She had to be put down right there in the office.
The vet was very sensitive to my loss. He wrapped her in a pink towel and placed her in a tiny white cardboard coffin. I brought her back home and buried her in the garden, under the Hawthorn trees that bloom with white blossoms in the Spring and are covered in red berries in the Fall. It is a spot that has become a cat cemetery, two other cats of mine are buried nearby, with natural rocks to mark their graves.
I should have known about the warnings from Owls. A few years ago I had a similar Owl experience as I was washing dishes one evening. It was summer and the kitchen door was open, with only a screen between myself and the three miles of woods behind the house. An Owl started to hoot, right outside the door. I had never heard an Owl that close to the house and I thought it must be on the roof, calling for its mate or its children. The hooting persisted. I thought to myself “Wow, that is a very loud Owl” and I kept washing the dishes. Finally the hooting got even louder and more persistent. It went on for several minutes. Finally I said to the Owl: “OK, I get that this is a message, thank you!” and I knew that someone close to me was about to die.
The next morning I turned on my computer and found out that Celtic scholar and linguist Alexei Kondratiev had passed to the Otherworld the previous day. Alexei was a very important person to me, he collaborated on every one of my books, providing Old Irish and Scottish terms for the glossaries, with pronunciation guides. He was generous to a fault, and never asked for payment. I would send him a smoked wild Alaska salmon after each book came out, by way of thanks. Celto-philes will recognize the symbolism of the “Salmon of Wisdom” and why the gift was so appropriate for him. He was my Druid, the touchstone to whom I went with historical and spiritual questions about the ancient Celts and Indo-Europeans.
(Excerpt from my book SCOTTISH HERBS AND FAIRY LORE, Pendraig Publishing)
Owl – In Scottish Gaelic the owl is called Cailleach Oidhche (the night hag) and is generally associated with Goddesses. In Welsh tradition Lleu had a magical wife created for him out of flowers by the magician Gwydion. When his wife, Blodeuwedd, plotted with her lover Gronw to kill him, Llew escaped by transforming himself into an eagle and flying into a magical oak. After regaining his human form Llew turned his wife into an owl. 9
Seasonally, February first to second (because all Celtic festivals begin on the eve of the festival day and last until sundown the next evening) marks the season of Imbolc, the ancient Celtic festival of the lactation of the ewes, of candle blessings, and of the Goddess Brighid. Here in New England we have a “January thaw” about the end of January each year and I like to think its because Brighid herself is walking across the land, greening the hills where her feet tread. After Imbolc the cold descends again and the world is frozen until early March.
There are very subtle changes happening on the mountain. While the ground is still slushy with melting snow, the Kinnikinnick bushes (Red Osier Dogwood, or Red Willow, Cornus stolonifera ) which the First Nations use to make smoking mixtures for personal prayer and ceremony are flaming red against the backdrop of fog and snow. I suspect the reddening of the branches has to do with the lengthening daylight. Flame-red twigs are also a fitting symbol for the Fire Festival of Brighid, the ancient Celtic healing Goddess who is Patroness of the hearth, the forge, and the fires of poetry and inspiration.
I was privileged to watch a family of muskrats down by the pond, as they added dried rushes to the roofs of their lodges, taking advantage of the thaw. I have found Coyote tracks in the snow behind the house. Beyond that, everything is still frozen in its winter stasis and nature is quiet, slumbering into Spring.
Gwyl Mair (Imbolc):

In my books and articles I have generally been focused on the Irish aspects of the Celtic Fire Festivals. I wanted to understand the “British” take on things so I visited Imbolc in Wales on 12/14/2012 and revisited The Apple Branch – A Path to Celtic Ritual, by Alexei Kondratiev, in order to understand the Welsh aspects of the season. According to tradition Sant Ffraid (Saint Brighid) floated over from Ireland on a piece of turf. (Presumably that is how the Irish Imbolc customs came to Wales).

In Wales Imbolc is called Gwyl Fair y Canhwyllau or “Mary’s festival of the candles” and Gwyl Mair Dechrau’r Gwanwyn or “The Feast of Mary at the Beginning of Spring”.

In English the festival was called “Candlemas” when folk brought their candles to be blessed by placing them on the altar of a church. Candles were also carried in processions or placed in kitchen windows. The mistress of the farm would give the head maid a lighted candle to be used later in the autumn. That candle was to be used during the darkest part of the year, the time for working by candle light, and handed back on February 2nd, when it was light enough that the animals could be fed without the use of a flame.

Divinations were done; two candles were placed on a bench or table and each family member would take a turn sitting between the candles. They would take a drink such as beer from a beaker or horn and then throw the goblet behind them, over their head. If it fell upright that presaged a long life, if it fell bottom up, that meant an early death.

Sunshine on Candlemas Day that meant there would be a good harvest, but if a single crow circled or hovered over the house on Candlemas Eve, that was a bad omen.

* Remember – when you purchase books and DVDs from this site you get a signed copy and a FREE personal note! *

*** Upcoming Workshop Announcement ***

I and my friend Crystalline Ruby Muse, an outstanding Celtic Bard, have created a weekend workshop that will take place this Fall at Earthlands Institute for Environmental Awareness September 20-22, in Western Massachusetts. The workshop is timed for the start of the Fall foliage season, with six vegetarian meals and lodging provided (and airport pickups for those who need them). Folks are registering already, a deposit will hold your space. Find the flier by opening the link below and please share widely!
Celtic Tree Magic Flyer

Celtic Tree Magic Workshop
With Master Herbalist and author Ellen Evert Hopman
And Celtic Bard Crystalline Ruby Muse

Workshop Overview
The ancient Druids of Ireland used the Ogham Tree Alphabet to share coded messages hidden from outsiders. Each letter is named for a tree or plant, and is surrounded with medicinal and spiritual lore. For centuries this language was only transmitted orally in order to protect its secrets.
Using the Auraicept na n-Éces, a 7th century work of Irish scholars, as well as other traditional sources, we will reveal the meaning of this language. We will teach the poetic, spiritual, medicinal and divinatory meanings of these Celtic trees, all of which can be found in North America, in a context useful for modern seekers. We will venture outdoors where we will lead participants in connecting with the trees through meditation, observation, singing and dancing amongst them. Participants will make wands for individual use using the Ogham divinatory meanings as a guide.
We will teach traditional and modern songs and incantations in Irish, Scots Gaelic, and English to deepen the cultural and spiritual context of our work together. The entire course will be interwoven with ceremony created through Celtic Reconstructionist scholarship, offering participants insight into original Celtic polytheistic spiritual practices.
Students will leave with homemade wands and experience in using them; knowledge for using the Ogham as a divinatory tool; deeper awareness of and connection with ancient and extant Celtic culture; some understanding of how to use these trees as medicine; traditional and original songs to sing in Gaelic and English; insight into ritual in a uniquely Celtic context that they can continue to develop in their own spiritual practice; and a greater sense of connection to the spiritual realms as expressed through nature, song, and community ceremony.
This workshop is appropriate for people who are completely new to the Ogham and Celtic Reconstructionist ceremony, as well as people who have some experience but would like to expand their knowledge and skills. It will be roughly one-third lecture, two-thirds participatory experience, which will include space for a question-and-answer format in which to cover the students’ preferred material.
For information on costs, more about the presenters, and the location of the workshop (in Petersham, MA at the beautiful Earthlands Institute for Environmental Awareness) please download the flyer.
Below you will find this Moonth’s assortment news, freshly gleaned from the internet;
NATURE NEWS

CELTIC NEWS

ARCHEOLOGY NEWS

HISTORY

LANGUAGE NEWS

DRUID NEWS

RELIGION NEWS

HEALTH NEWS

POLITICS/ETHICS

May Brighid spread Her cloak of healing, peace, and inspiration over everyone who reads these pages. A blessed Imbolc to all!
* Remember – when you purchase books and DVDs from this site you get a signed copy and a FREE personal note! *

New Year's 2013 – musing on Owls and Guns

Of Owls and Guns and a Brave New Year

As I was driving home late one night after attending a local contra dance I felt something hit the front of the car. I pulled over and discovered that a small grey spotted owl was stuck in the grill. I pulled it off and felt for a heart beat but it was already dead. The creature had beautiful yellow eyes that were still open, and beautiful little orange feet. It was no more than eight or so inches long and felt like a tiny child in my hand.
I took the owl home and placed it on my altar for two nights. Then I buried it in the center of the stone circle behind the house, wrapped in a cloth. I sprinkled some tobacco and sage on the ground and sang a few songs to its Spirit. I felt great sadness at the passing of the tiny perfect creature and it occurred to me that the owl that had passed was somehow connected to the terrible shootings of children in Newtown, Connecticut. I also felt that the Owl Spirit was working with me as an ally. I have been actively calling my political representatives demanding gun control and posting about this online ever since.
It was awful to hear a Whitehouse representative say “Now is not the time to talk about gun control.” the day after the shooting. That is exactly what they have said after every instance of mass murder and then they did nothing further to stop the carnage. It was even worse to hear the NRA’s insane prescription; that there be an armed guard or armed teachers in every school. These killings have taken place in movie theaters, shopping malls, parking lots and fast food restaurants. Are we supposed to have an armed guard on every corner? Is this the country we want? The NRA is now obviously nothing but a lobby for gun manufacturers.
The ancient Druids were the political advisors to royalty and nobles. As a Druid I have long felt the calling to speak up on issues that affect my community, state and world. I hope that everyone will make their voices heard on this, otherwise the only advice the politicians will hear is that of the gun lobby. (see below for links to online petitions and articles related to the appalling number of guns and gun murders in the USA).
We live in a culture that revels in violence. The Newtown, Connecticut killer was a fan of violent video games. A child who grows up with those begins to see that world as “normal”. Many young men in our culture can no longer see a future for themselves so the way to fame and glory in their minds is to kill those who are defenseless.
We have removed art and music from many schools because so little value is placed on creativity, even though art fosters critical thinking and music helps with math skills. Artists, creative writers and musicians are usually the most peaceful and gentle of souls and creativity fosters a sense that you can seek unique and different ways to live in our society, other than killing people to gain fame.
The killer’s mother was a gun “collector”. She thought that having more guns around would keep her safe. Obviously the more guns are at hand the more chance they will be used against a family member. Why weren’t her guns locked up? Why weren’t they kept secure and away from her mentally ill son? Why did she think six guns in her home were a good idea? This addiction to guns is a national illness that needs to be addressed.
A family that needs to hunt for food is using guns ethically (provided they know what they are doing, can kill the animal cleanly and not shoot fellow humans). The Newtown killer bought hundreds of rounds or stole them from his mother, anyone who buys hundreds of rounds should have to undergo a background check. No one needs an assault rifle or rapid fire pistol to hunt food for the table.
The Second Amendment calls for a “well regulated militia”. It is time that limits were once again placed on that amendment. The First Amendment has limits (you can’t cry “fire” in a crowded theater) and we all accept that. It was only recently, under pressure from the NRA, that the Supreme Court decided to ignore the first half of the Second Amendment and promote the last sentence as if the “right to bear arms” means every lunatic, child and untrained person has the “right” to walk around with a weapon. To read more, visit So You Think You Know the Second Amendment?
We need rational measures to stop the gun violence in this country. Close the gun show loop hole that still allows 40% of weapons to be sold with no background check. Re-instate the assault weapons ban (no one needs an assault weapon to hunt a deer or turkey for the table). Ban rapid fire pistols and clips. Investigate anyone who buys hundreds of rounds of ammunition over the internet (make sure they have a background check). Buy back the assault weapons that are out there and incarcerate those who buy, sell or use them in crimes from now on.
Also, the “R” rating should be placed on all videos and movies with massive violence. At the moment slight nudity earns an “R” rating while mass murder and mayhem earns a “PG-13″. That needs to be reversed. And look at the societal stresses that are causing young men to go berserk because they can’t imagine a future for themselves. Why is it just to have a tiny number of millionaires and billionaires who fight to keep wages so low that most of us struggle just to have a home, food and health care? The men who commit these crimes are symptoms of a very sick society.
The Owl that found me was apparently a Saw Whet Owl;read more on Owl symbolism.
On a more spiritual note, I had a beautiful Solstice a few weeks back, spent on a high windy hill in a house with about one hundred other folks. We invoked the ancestors who celebrated Solstice 26,000 years ago at the start of the previous cycle, and thanked them. Then we invoked the people of the future, 26,000 years from now, who will celebrate again on our planet. We visualized the planet that we wished them to have with clean waters, healthy land, and peace.
I put out a blue glass bowl and left it overnight to collect the rain, snow, moonlight and the sun light of the Solstice morning. An auspicious brew to herald the start of the new 26,000 year cycle. I will use it to anoint persons and things at the start of new projects.
I was blessed to spend New Years Eve in meditation at the Sirius Community, a Findhorn offshoot right here in Massachusetts. It was very spiritual and quiet, just the way I like it!

SCOTTISH NEW YEARS CUSTOMS

In my book Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore I discuss “The Airts” or the twelve winds of ancient Celtic cosmology. It is an ancient tradition to step outside at midnight to test the wind, and make a prediction for the coming year. I like to do this when starting a journey and any time I need to begin an important undertaking.
By tradition the winds have the following qualities;

  • East Wind (gaoth an ear)
    Its color is purple (corcur) a color that implies nobility (because only nobles were allowed to wear the color purple) and art.
  • East South East Wind (gaoth an ear ear-dheas)
    Its color is yellow (buidhe) and it is a good wind for fruit, fish and corn.
  • South South East Wind (gaoth a deas ear-dheas)
    Its color is red (dearg) and it is a good Wind for fishing, luck and prosperity.
  • South Wind (gaoth a deas)
    Its color is white (geal) and it brings a rich harvest.
  • South South West Wind (gaoth a deas iar-dheas)
    Its color is pallid (glas) or grey-green. It brings blight, battle and poor harvests.
  • West South West Wind (gaoth an iar iar-dheas)
    Its color is green and it brings healing. It is the Wind of the Mothers.
  • West Wind (gaoth an iar)
    Its color is dun (pale) (odhar) and it brings the death of a king, bloodshed, and justice.
  • West North West Wind (gaoth an iar iar-thuath)
    Its color is grey (liath) and it brings death, slaughter, and the fall of blossoms.
  • North North West Wind (gaoth an iar-thuath)
    Its color is dusky, swarthy, sable, gloomy (ciar) and it brings grumbling, quarrels and sternness but also strength and vindication. It can sweep away disease.
  • North Wind (gaoth a tuath)
    Its color is black (dubh) and it brings battle magic and drought.
  • North North East Wind (gaoth a tuath ear-thuath)
    Its color is dark grey (teimheil) and it brings sickness and battle venom.
  • East North East Wind (gaoth an ear ear-thuath)
    Its color is speckled (aladh) and it brings enchantments and magic.

(From Hopman, Ellen Evert, Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore, Pendraig Publishing, Los Angeles 2010, PP. 37-38.  Please do not copy or reproduce unless properly attributed!)
And finally, here are the past Moonth’s gleanings from the media and elsewhere;
ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

HEALTH NEWS

NATURE NEWS
 

DRUID NEWS

PAGAN NEWS

POLITICS/ETHICS

NATIVE AMERICAN NEWS

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Wishing all who read this blog a very healthy and happy and prosperous and peaceful New Year!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acxnmaVTlZA

Preparing for Solstice 2012

Winter has finally arrived up here on the mountain. Frost is sparkling on the brown leaves and desiccated greenery of the forest. I love to walk outside under the Moon and experience the crackle of frozen oak leaves and play my flashlight upon shimmering ice. Late at night when I step outside to bid goodnight to the sky and the stars I can often hear deer or moose crunching on the leaf litter around the house.
The pond down the road freezes at night but by day it still melts back enough that the resident waterfowl can take a swim.
The bird feeders are swarming with visitors; the goldfinches are now muted and beige, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, juncos, sparrows and nuthatches come by in a steady stream. Several sizes of woodpeckers frequent the suet tray.
My long haired black cat and the neighbor’s snow white cat both wait hopefully just under the feeder but in weeks not one bird has fallen prey to them.
Everyone around here is looking forward to Solstice on December 21 at about 6 AM. The world will not end on that day but there will be more focus than usual due to all the Mayan calendar end of the world hype. We are going to focus on creating a better future for the planet and all of Her creatures. I hope everyone who reads this will offer up a special prayer for the oceans, land, trees, plants, animals and people on that morning.
Below you will find the latest book, nature, health, archaeology and other news. As usual, ENJOY!
BOOK NEWS

*You can order all these books from me and get a signed copy and a personal note*
ANTHROPOLOGY

HEALTH NEWS

CELTIC NEWS

PAGAN NEWS

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

ARTS NEWS

POLITICS/ETHICS (it’s the same thing)

NATURE NEWS

May the Winter bring you every blessing of the dreaming dark. May peace truly descend upon all creatures.

A Druid's Blog

My Moonthly update of archeology, anthropology, herbal, health, Celtic, religion, nature, politics/ethics and book news along with the latest happenings on the mountain where I live.
Please visit Willow’s Grove online shop for books, dvds, and elixirs. You will receive a signed copy and a FREE personal note from the author when you order here.