A Druid's Blog

By the time you read this Samhain (Halloween) will have largely come and gone for most. But the date of October 31 is a vestige of the Christian Gregorian calendar. In older times the festival was celebrated the eve of November 11. Further back I am fairly certain folks would have taken advantage of the nearest Full Moon, because the light of the Moon makes it easier to travel.
This year the Full Moon fell on October 29, in the teeth of a giant hurricane (named Sandy). I found myself outside in the woods, invoking the Gods (I was pretty surprised when Odin showed up, not one of my regulars) and I realized that the Wild Hunt was upon us. I knew that death and destruction would follow, happily I was spared here on the mountain with just a downed tree and a few fallen branches.
My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes, their neighborhoods, their businesses, and their loved ones. As of today at least seventy have perished in the storm, here in the USA, and another sixty or so in the Caribbean. Many suspect that global warming is a root cause, the waters of the Atlantic are much warmer now, feeding larger storms.
New York City is still half underwater and a sea wall will likely have to be built, or they will face this again. The Appalachian mountains are getting snow as I write, though the media has mostly ignored their plight, concentrating instead on the disaster in their own backyard.
If you missed the celebration of the ancestors on October 31 due to the storm, you can still observe the festival on the ancient date (from my book Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore – Pendraig Publishing):

Martinmas, Hallowmass Foy (also called Old Samhuinn) 11-12 November

This is the last legal “Quarter Day” when rents and contracts were once due. Since cattle and sheep were often killed at this date, it was the traditional time to make Haggis out of minced livers, hearts and lungs. The offal was mixed with oatmeal and suet and seasoned with salt and pepper. It was then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled. Black Pudding was also made with sheep’s blood.

To Make a Haggis: Lady Login’s Receipt, 1856
1 cleaned sheep or lamb’s stomach bag
2 lb. dry oatmeal
1 lb chopped mutton suet
1 lb lamb’s or deer’s liver, boiled and minced
1 pint (2 cups) stock
The heart and lungs of the sheep, boiled and minced
1 large chopped onion
½ tsp. each: cayenne pepper,
Salt and black pepper
Toast the oatmeal slowly until it is crisp, then mix all the ingredients (except the stomach bag) together, and add the stock. Fill the bag just over half full, press out the air and sew up securely. Have ready a large pot of boiling water, prick the haggis all over with a large needle so it does not burst and boil slowly for 4 to 5 hours. Serves 12.

Black Pudding (Marag Dubh)
1 lb suet
1 lb oatmeal
2 onions
Fresh sheep’s blood
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop the suet and the onions finely. Mix the dry ingredients then add the blood. Stuff into a casing and tie. Put into a large pan and boil in water gently for three hours. Remove and cool. Cut into slices and fry in hot fat. A classic side dish with fried bacon and eggs. Serves 4.
If you slaughter your own animals, use fresh blood, or get fresh blood from an abattoir (ask your local butcher shop where you can purchase sausage casings).

A banquet is held after a day of fasting. A wether (a male castrated ram) is sacrificed. Guizers enter from the kitchen, hobbling and dancing in pairs. They are dressed in white with petticoats beneath their robes and tall, woven straw caps, making noises like human grunts and bird calls and rapping on the floor with a staff. One of them plays a fiddle and another has a straw basket on his back. They beg for money and food and are given coins, butter, mutton, and cakes.
Cattle are given their feast of an entire sheaf of grain each. Turnip lanterns (the original Jack O’Lanterns) are lit.
All blessings of the Celtic New Year, whenever you celebrate it!
*ELECTION ALERT*
I have been very concerned about the fact that millions in the North East still don’t have power, and the chaos that will result on election day. I called the DNC and was referred to this number 1-800-311-8683 which they tell me folks can call to find out where their polling place will be, if the old one is underwater, without power, snowed in, etc. Please spread this around! Thanks.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND BOOK NEWS

• The first review came in on Amazon for the new book The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen:
  “A colorful, attractive book that explores the world of popular herbs,fruits and vegetables by a professional herbalist. Includes cooking hints, historical notes, and suggestions for using herbs to help in healing. A cheerful welcome gift for cooks, for anyone curious about herbs and especially a suitable introduction to herbs for young people”. – Lucy Vecera
• Changing Times, Changing Worlds
  November 9 – 11
  Conference at U. of MA, Amherst, MA (I will be doing three workshops at this conference)
• Crystal Falls Wellness Center
  Saturday, November 17 Southampton, MA
  1- 3:30 pm
  author fair, I will sell and sign books
  285 College Hwy (Rt 10/202)
  For more info: Lori (413) 536-7192 X 1117
  *Reminder – you can purchase all my books via this website. You will get a signed copy and a personal note.

HERB NEWS

• Turmeric reduces post-bypass heart attack risk
• Herb and drug interactions – what you need to know
• Echinacea really does prevent colds (results of a clinical trial)
• A nice monograph on Goldenrod
• A great article about False Solomon’s Seal
• All about woad

PAGAN NEWS

• Magic in ancient Iceland
• Oberon Zell weighs in on the 2012 prophecies (video)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOhQDSVmbuA&feature=youtu.be

LANGUAGE NEWS

• Scottish man dies, takes his dialect with him (link removed by source)

NATURE NEWS

• Lakes appearing in the Arab desert
• Wolf hunt starts in Wisconsin
• Irish Ash trees infected
• Tara Chestnuts threatened by die off

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

• Europe’s oldest town and its burial practices
  More on the town…
• The Celtic roots of Samhain (Halloween)
• Businessman vandalizes Neolithic stone circle
• Ancient ritual site discovered at Tara
• The ancient Gauls were just like the USA – they killed their prisoners
• Swedish Stonehenge may predate the one in Britain
• Or it may be a Viking ship burial
• Top ten archeological finds in Ireland
• Carbon dating re-examined
• The Celtic calendar (has nothing to do with trees)
• Pictish symbol stones may represent a written language
• Huge stone circle discovered under the sea in Orkney
• A Teutonic Stonehenge?
• Oldest brain found (to date)
• Stonehenge was a place to celebrate Solstice
• Evidence for female metal workers in the Bronze Age
• The Ness of Brodgar – Orkney

HEALTH NEWS

• Do compact fluorescent bulbs damage skin?

POLITICS/ETHICS

• Mercury will be retrograde on election day. Get ready for a bumpy ride
• Why we should all vote for Obama
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9G8XREyG0Q
• Tar sands opposition heats up – with a tree sit

ARTS NEWS

• Photographs of Ireland in 1913
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB0UfT3BJAw&feature=youtu.be

May the dark season bring you peace, introspection and renewal!

The view from the mountain
The garden and nearby fields are still giving up their summer bounty here on the mountain, even though the maples are a fiery red. For the last Moonth I have had goldenrod flowers steeping in apple cider vinegar. The vinegar builds the immune system and, like local raw honey, helps to prevent allergies and even seasonal depression according to some. I will use it to make salad dressings all winter.
I have gathered, peeled and frozen a fresh batch of green walnut hulls and a bag of horse chestnuts for use in salve making. I bought several pounds of fresh bee’s wax from a local bee keeper to add to the salves. Bee’s wax and honey have amazing medicinal properties, for healing of wounds and skin conditions.
There are still asters to be found in the fields, ranging from bright purple to lavender and white. My roses are still blooming and I am looking forward to a few rose hips in the coming months.
I stopped composting anything but vegetable scraps, because two years ago something killed my cat and neighbor’s cats. I have not seen or heard a coyote or coydog, nor seen a raccoon or fox in the yard since. Live and learn.
Book News!!!!
I am thrilled to announce that my newest book The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen is now available for pre-order! You will get 10% off if you order now. Remember, Yule is coming!
The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen is filled with recipes and home remedies that you can make from the foods and spices ALREADY on your kitchen shelf. In these economic times these simple, inexpensive and effective home remedies are very much needed.
And finally, the election. We in the USA are confronted with a stark choice. There is a male oriented party that says “I did it all by myself, no one helped me, and I am free to put my money in the Cayman Islands or in a Swiss bank account so no other American can touch it” and another more female oriented party that tries to ensure that every citizen has housing, food and shelter and a chance at a decent education.
We have one party that wants to leave women’s health care decisions to the (mostly male) legislators of the individual states, and another party that believes women should make their own decisions about their bodies and lives.
Please remember to vote!
Below you will find a round-up of this Moonth’s events, Celtic, nature and archeology news. Enjoy!
HERBAL HEALING CLASS

• A Six month intensive (near Amherst, MA) with Ellen Evert Hopman M.Ed. ~ Registered Herbalist AHG
  October 13, 2012 – April, 2013
  Two Saturdays a month, 1-5 PM
  COST: $1,000.00 (includes a $100.00 non-refundable Xeroxing fee)
  Covers Western herbal Materia Medica, formula making, case taking, Chinese Five Element Theory, Homeopathic First Aid, Flower Essence Counseling, plant identification, ethno botany, and hands on herbal techniques such as poultices, tinctures, salves etc. An herb walk outdoors, slide shows of plants and hands on preparations are included.
  Over 400 pages of handouts are included with the course. A certificate of completion is offered at the end.
  MA NURSES CAN GET CEUS BY TAKING THIS COURSE
  Please contact me for further information.

OTHER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Wiccanfest, October 5-8
  Ontario, Canada
  Facebook
• Changing Times, Changing Worlds
  November 9 – 11
  Conference at U. of MA, Amherst, MA
• Crystal Falls Wellness Center
  Saturday, November 17 Southampton, MA
  1- 3:30 pm
  author fair, I will sell and sign books
  285 College Hwy (Rt 10/202)
  For more info: Lori (413) 536-7192 X1117

CELTIC NEWS

• Anne Ross has passed to the Otherworld. One of my favorite Celtic scholars.
• The tales of the Tuatha de Dannan (Robin Williamson)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY7YM0L9sVI
• A new Celtic magazine
  • Samhain (Halloween) discussed
• Celtic prayers and poems

DRUID NEWS

• Things to do at Full Moon
• Miranda Green and Barry Cunliffe discuss Druids
• The story of Taliesin
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvHYTxg9Zg4&feature=share
• Druid prayers at the paralympics
• Sacred Trees in Ireland (for more on this please see my book A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine)

HEALTH NEWS

• Goldenrod for seasonal allergies and cat allergy
• Bhutan goes organic
• Russia bans GMO corn
• Whole Foods bows to Monsanto, sells GMO corn
• Honey speeds wound healing
• Herbal remedies for bacterial infection
• Tree hugging really does make you healthier
• Forest bathing

SCIENCE NEWS

• Gender bias – all women know this – now there’s proof

ARCHEOLOGY NEWS

• Bronze Age burial shroud has fabric from a long distance away
• Fall Equinox alignments;Equinox in Jersey
• Loughcrew, Ireland
• View the interior of Knowth (which also has Equinox alignments)
• Bronze Age burials in Scotland
• Ancient humans were already recycling
• Ancient scroll fragment suggests Jesus was married
  
• Or was he?
  More…
• Spanish Mesolithic DNA explored
• A Guide to Scottish sites
• A new Henge discovered in Kent
• Another sign of our collapsing civilization
• Bronze Age cremation site found
• Roman Brits ate luxury foods and had lap dogs
• Most Neanderthals were righties

RELIGION NEWS

• Is Burning man an Art event or a neo-Pagan event?

NATURE NEWS

• How Trees Communicate

POLITICS/ETHICS

• Valerie Dunn’s Letter to the Editor – all women should read this. Then go vote.
• Even apes understand ethics

As we slide into the growing dark, may your dreams be filled with power and insight. May you carry the light of the sun within you, through all the dark times. May your ancestors guide you and keep you well, HAVE A BLESSED SAMHAIN!

Please remember – you can purchase all my books and DVDs directly from this site via PayPal. You will get a signed copy and a personal note!
September
Last night we had our first night in the 40’s here on the mountain, and the maples along the roads are already showing faint washes of orange. The crab apples, still mostly green, are starting to blush red, and the Russian Olives, trees denounced as invasive, “illegal aliens”, are providing a vast crop of tart, vitamin packed jewel-like orange berries, a feast for birds and humans alike.
The flower garden is now producing nosegays of purple and white asters, Echinacea, Queen Anne ’s Lace, Goldenrod and Phlox and I am still getting orange and pink roses. I have seen large funnels of hawks and massive flocks of song birds, cresting in waves at sunset, practicing for their imminent migrations.
This summer I experimented with making fennel liqueur, a friend provided me with long stalks and I put the feathery leaves and flowers into jars of vodka, later adding well water and organic sugar. The result was fantastic. I also have Thai Basil liqueur that I will pass along as a Yuletide gift.

Basic Herbal Liqueur Recipe
30 leaves fresh basil (I use more)
1 1/2 cups vodka
1 1/2 cups sugar (I use less)
3/4 cups water

Place herbs and vodka in a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Let stand 6 weeks in a cool, dark place. Shake every few days.
Combine water and sugar in a pan. Heat until the sugar melts completely. Allow to cool.
Strain the vodka and herbs through a cheese cloth or strainer. Combine with the sugar-water mixture and keeps up to 1 year.
You can use Thyme, Basil, Fennel, Bee Balm, Rosemary. I use only organic sugar and herbs and well water. This is an old medieval recipe, in the old days they would have used honey I suppose. My favorite so far has been Thai Basil liqueur.
There are moose tracks in the mud along the stream behind the house. Last night there was a loud thump on the roof followed by the distinct patter of feet. The cats growled and ducked for cover because clearly something horrible was out to get them. I looked out the kitchen door and saw an enormous possum, waddling towards the pile of vegetable scraps in the side yard.
In Memoriam
It is with sadness that I must report the death of an old friend and mentor of mine, the largest White Oak tree in Massachusetts. Some heartless and cruel person thought it would be fun to use the old tree as a fireplace and they lit a fire inside the venerable oak, a tree that was older than the United States.
This tree held magical and spiritual significance for many. I would often go to it and find groups of people, families with kids, basking in the wonder of the giant presence. The place where the tree lived and thrived for centuries was a special location, I remember going there in late autumn and finding that the area surrounding the tree still had blooming flowers when the rest of the hillside was already bare branches. It was as if a cone of protection existed around the tree, or maybe it was the tree itself that was creating the special summer-like conditions. I also suspect that the Fairies and Nature Spirits had a hand in keeping the atmosphere just right. When we photographed the tree mysterious Fairy lights would often appear in the images.
As I got older I appreciated the tree more and more. There is a phenomenon that we all experience as we age, the “thinning of the canopy” of our own family tree. As children we have many older adults to look up to, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents. With time these branches of our human family start to make their way to the Otherworld and eventually we find ourselves as the only ones remaining at the tree top, with youngsters looking up to us for a change. It’s an odd feeling.
When I would visit the old oak I got to feel like a kid again. I was just a tiny sprite next to its ancient gnarled trunk. Now I have lost a wise and patient counselor, mentor and friend. It feels like a murder.
To add to the tragedy, this is the tree after which the Whiteoak Druid Order was named. I founded the Whiteoak mailing list in 1996. By 1997 we had spent a year discussing “What is a Druid” and “What a Druid is not”. We had created teaching materials, rituals and tools and realized that we had become an Order. We dedicated the Order at Samhain, 1997.
The name “Whiteoak” had come to me in meditation. I live in a forest of red and black oak and I mentally asked the trees what to call the Druid mailing list I had founded. The answer came as a surprise. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the largest Whiteoak in Massachusetts was twenty minutes from my door, the Archdruid of trees in our area.
I feel privileged to have known the tree in its final days. My lifespan is so short; it’s a minor miracle that I got to know it at all.
You can read newspaper accounts of the tragedy here and see the effect this has had on our community;

• Massive White Oak in Central Mass. Torched (achived)
• State’s grandest white oak felled by arsonist

Here is a beautiful Native American chant that someone sent me, for the spirit of the tree;

• Sacred Oak Chant
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im_orhfMIZA

Please send your own prayers for the spirit of this tree. And everyone who reads this please reflect on the children around you and how they are being educated to revere and take care of nature. I can’t help but wonder what kind of upbringing the person had who torched this wonderful old tree. Their heart was closed to the beauty and sensitivity of the life of the tree, the forest, and the people who loved it all.
Here are some links to places children can go to experience the soul of nature and better understand its life and value;

• Wildlife Awareness
• Outward Bound
• Earthwork Programs

Book news!
The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen will be out in mid October from mPowr Publishing, London, England. The book features home remedies you can make from foods and spices already in your kitchen. It will soon be available for pre-order – stay tuned!
FALL CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
Below you will find some upcoming speaking events followed by the usual collection of the past Moonth’s news.
I am busily gearing up for this year’s herb class, I just visited a local bee keeper to get fresh bee’s wax and I have bags of walnut hulls and horse chestnuts in the freezer. Take the class and find out how to use them!

• Herbal Healing Class
  A Six month intensive (near Amherst, MA)with Ellen Evert Hopman M.Ed. ~ Registered Herbalist AHG
  October 13, 2012 – April, 2013
  Two Saturdays a month, 1-5 PM
  COST: $1,000.00 (includes a $100.00 non-refundable Xeroxing fee)
  Covers Western herbal Materia Medica, formula making, case taking, Chinese Five Element Theory, Homeopathic First Aid, Flower Essence Counseling, plant identification, ethno botany, and hands on herbal techniques such as poultices, tinctures, salves etc. An herb walk outdoors, slide shows of plants and hands on preparations are included.
  Over 400 pages of handouts are included with the course. A certificate of completion is offered at the end.
  MA NURSES CAN GET CEUS BY TAKING THIS COURSE
  Please contact me for further information.

OTHER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• September 15, Forbes Library (near Smith College)
  Northampton, Massachusetts 2:30 – 4:30
  I will present a talk and slide show on the herbal uses of our native trees
• September 22, CHARMED IN NEW ENGLAND
  163 Main Street, Marlborough, MA 01752
  Phone 508-263-9491
  I will speak about Druidism at the store ( if any Druids are in the area would love to have you join in!)
• September 25, Awentree, Easthampton, MA
  Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Wood and Spirit, A lecture on Chinese Five Element
  Email
• Pagan Pride Day near the Lilly Library
  September 29, Florence, Massachusetts Western MA.
  
• Wiccanfest, October 5-8
  Ontario, Canada
  Facebook
• Changing Times, Changing Worlds
  November 9 – 11
  Conference at U. of MA, Amherst, MA
• Crystal Falls Wellness Center
  Saturday, November 17 Southampton, MA
  1- 3:30 pm
  Author fair, I will sell and sign books
  285 College Hwy (Rt 10/202)
  For more info: Lori (413) 536-7192 X1117

MAYAN NEWS

• More debunking of the Mayan “end of the world” prophecies
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdsD-nm33k0

DRUID NEWS

• Attention Bards!
• Irish Fairy stories
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmWmlY3Id88
• Lore of the Yew
  More…

VIKING NEWS

• What Vikings really looked like
• What they drank, maybe.
• Viking Burials in Dublin

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• Dad wins the right to have a vegetable garden on his front lawn

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

• An important new book about Newgrange (nice video if you follow the link)
• Scotland’s Irish Origins
• Pictish symbols found
• Similar symbols
• 2700 year old weed stash found in China
• Ogham inscription found in Uist, Scotland.
• Roman curse tablet found. (Sometimes I think I need one of these).
• Pickled brain found in bog.
• 2500 year old tattoos found on Siberian princess
• Scottish DNA shows surprising findings
• Neanderthal flute music.
  
  Gorgeous. My cat came over to the computer to listen.
• Roman altar to the god Jupiter found
• A Celtic noblewoman’s grave found in Germany
• The Hochdorf Chieftain’s grave
• Hochdorf, Germany mound explored
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VNukx9El2M&feature=related
• Celts in the Balkans
• Evidence for Irish sweat lodges/houses
• Mass grave in London shows after effects of a thirteenth century volcano (link removed)
• Gorgeous pictures of Irish stone circles
• Ancient Irish metalwork
• Ness of Brodgar, Orkney
  More info about Orkney
  And more… (links removed)
  

HEALTH NEWS

• Whole Foods caves to Monsanto. Read this and weep.
• Us scores dead last in health care study. Again.(Obamacare is a good start but we still need national single-payer care)
• Walmart starts selling GE corn to consumers, with no warning label. Gross.
• Honey that kills virtually all bacteria

NATURE NEWS

• Largest Whiteoak in MA was torched by an arsonist.This is so sad and I am still in shock. The tree is 20 minutes from my house… (link archived)
  State’s grandest white oak felled by arsonist
• Scientists decide that animals “have consciousness”. Well. Duh.
• Loss of sea ice 50% greater than predicted.
• Green roof symposium (my brother David speaks at the 1:52 mark!)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj76xSyPyJs&feature=youtu.be
• Squirrels or woodpeckers at work (great video)
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZkAP-CQlhA&feature=share

POLITICS/ETHICS (it’s the same thing you know)

• Brilliant encounter between a Tea Partier and an Irish politician
• Robert Reich on the GOP
• Bernie Sanders on inequality in our “Democracy”
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y-u0UnKZ_U

Please remember – you can purchase all my books and DVDs directly from this site via PayPal. You will get a signed copy and a personal note!
May your harvest be fruitful, may all beings be happy. Have a joyful Fall!

Its Lughnasad, a festival of special significance to me because I was born on Lughnasad Eve (as were Harry Potter and JK Rowling, by coincidence). Lughnasad is a time of tension when the crops are not yet in and we are all waiting to see what the harvest will bring. The tension in the air is especially thick this year, due to record heat and withering crops. And we have all been assaulted by yet another mass murder, this time by a madman in Colorado.
I have been urging folks to contact their representatives and ask that the assault weapons ban be reinstated. There is just no reason for average citizens to be armed with guns that shoot hundreds of rounds per minute. They are not used to hunt a meal, nor are they intended to protect one from burglars. They are military weapons of mass killing power.
When the Constitution of the United States was written the framers were afraid that Britain would return to invade the colonies. They wanted each farmer to be part of a well organized militia, to defend the fledgling country. In those days they used blunderbusses, rifles that took minutes to load. The founders did not imagine Americans using rapid fire military weapons against each other. Its time to stop this madness.
The rights of peaceful non gun carrying folk are being violated every day by the obscene proliferation of guns in this country. It has to stop. Putting the assault weapons ban back in place and closing the gun show loop hole (40% of gun sales are still done with no background check) would be a place to start.
Up here on the mountain it has been an amazing year for wildlife. One evening I came home to see a huge male moose crossing the driveway. Hummingbirds have been visiting the patch of bee balm out back, and I saw what looked like a mink strolling along the edge of a wild pond I was swimming in recently. The water lilies, my favorite flower, are in their pink, yellow and cream glory down at the beaver pond. To me the water lily is the most mystical of flowers, and they bloom at the time that I reincarnated on the planet, this time around.
Preparations are underway for a big Druid camp out this weekend, here on the land. We will send up our prayers for the parched Earth and for the well being of all the Earth’s creatures.
Below you will find this Moonth’s news and I hope you enjoy the links.
LUGHNASAD

• A traditional tale for Lughnasad
• The Armagh Rhymers celebrate Lughnasad in Northern Ireland

BOOK NEWS
The big news is that The Secret Medicines of Your Kitchen has been picked up by an English publisher. It will soon be released in a re-edited format with gorgeous hand drawn illustrations.
*** Please remember to order books from this website – you will get a signed copy and a personal note! ***

• Radio interview July 8, 2012
• Priestess of the Fire Temple – A Druid’s Tale gets a nice review on Booklolly
• And a wonderful mention on an Irish blog!

I stumbled on this anonymous review of A DRUIDS HERBAL FOR THE SACRED EARTH YEAR on the Barnes and Noble website:

I wanted to place my review of this book as part of my own studies with the Henge of Keltria. This is one of the books you are given the option to study in their correspondence coursework which I am finding very personally satisfying. I have owned this book, or a copy of it, since it was first published. What attracted me to this book initially was the fact it was on herbs. After having read it a few times, including this last read, I find it an invaluable a wonderful resource not only for herbal lore, but also for actual usage for healing. This makes it an excellent resource for both the herbalist as well as the Pagan/Druid. Allow me to summarize this lovely tome for you. The book opens with a wonderful invocation to Brighid. I have used this invocation for a number of different reasons from ceremonial invocation to prayer. Truly a blessing. The book is organized by chapters with the first covering what a Druid is and isn’t, how to’s and definitions of various herbal preparations, moving on into seasonal celebrations ‘Pagan associated times of the year’, a bit of astrology and plants connections and on into information on groves, circles, marriage, blessings and rites of passage. I cannot say one chapter is more a favorite than another, but I am partial to the Samhain and Imbolc chapters myself merely because those are favorite times of year for me. This book is not laid out by herbs found at certain times of the year, but by the use of herbs ceremonially at certain times of year. This is not to say those herbs are used only at that time of year, but in the Druid path they are more typically associated with these seasonal celebrations. For instance we see mention of Yellow Cedar, Ash, Bay Laurel, Blessed Thistle, Chamomile, Frankincense, Holly, Juniper, Mistletoe and Pine all discussed at the Winter Solstice chapter. I did find it interesting that she uses Irish lore to teach and relate the tales of these festivals throughout the book. This makes it excellent for those who seek knowledge with a more Irish perspective. After going through seasonal recognitions and herbal uses both medicinal as well as magical, she moves into Druidic uses for these herbs medicinally as well as continuing to mention the magical properties. Next she moves into the astrological and planetary alignments of the herbs presented. I did not see any new herbs presented here but she did use herbs that were mentioned before and now associated with the astrological correspondence. Her following chapters all involve rites of passage be they marriage, puberty, death or others. There are no new herbs presented but the ones already mentioned are reinforced in their uses for these various rites. I do love how she opens each chapter with a bit of history or lore as well as Bardic poetry. The book ends with a lovely concise pronunciation guide, resource guide and excellent bibliography that will allow a reader to pursue further studies. All in all, Ellen has written a very nice introductory book to herbs of the Irish as well as their uses for various healing or ritual aspects. I have and will continue to recommend this text to students of herbalism as well those seeking to know about herbs of use in various types of rites of passage. This book is an invaluable resource for its many facets it presents and does so very clearly and concisely. There are many more herbs, but this book focuses on those that are useful to people on the Irish path as healer or pagan.

DRUID NEWS

• The quest for the Druid symbol on military markers continues
• More…
• The Gods of Roman Britain
• The Black Book of Carmarthen, the oldest book that mentions Merlin. Arthur is also named in it.
• Food for thought about Druids in this latest issue of the Druid Inquirer
• Fire Art installation at Stonehenge – Personally I wish the site were respected as a religious temple…
• Learn the runes
• Welsh Fairy stories

PAGAN NEWS

• Witch hunters in Scotland

RELIGION NEWS

• A very important video about the Mayan prophecies, spoken by the Maya themselves
• Rare white bison born in CT

ANTHROPOLOGY

• 5th century woman buried with her cow
• The people who walk with the reindeer
• The Horned Goddess in Britain
• Elen of the Ways

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

• A nice view of ancient reconstructed roundhouses
• Pictish stones
• Questions about the Picts
• More…
• Pictish Language still not explained
• Viking and Celtic Medieval weapons on display
• Neanderthal medicine
• Evidence for iron working in Inverness
• 300,000 year old flints discovered in France
• 2000 year old coins found
• Ogham, the ancient alphabet of the Irish (if you want to learn more please read A DRUID’S HERBAL OF SACRED TREE MEDICINE, available from my bookstore on this website!)
• Anglesey treasures on display
• An entire army found in a bog. Or maybe its Zombies.
• Neolithic remains in war-torn Syria
• The First Celts
• More…
• The La Téne Celts
• Irish Bog Bodies
• Ancient Huron city discovered in Canada
• Scientists puzzle over composite mummies found in Scotland
• A fascinating computer made over 2000 years ago
• Index of sites in Scotland
• Inequality in the Stone Age
• Doggerland, a country under the waves, discovered off Scotland
• More…

ARTS NEWS

• Stunningly beautiful photos of the Blasket Islands, Ireland.
• Gorgeous nature video
• Your e : book is reading you

HEALTH NEWS

• What is Obamacare (The Affordable Health Care Act) and what exactly does it do?
• Using Japanese Knotweed to treat Lyme Disease
• Japanese Barberry linked to Lyme
  • plant identification
  • herbal uses
    *note: Native Americans used to regularly burn the understory of forests which kept the ticks down. We refuse to do that with devastating consequences.

NATURE NEWS

• The drought in Texas (and elsewhere) is likely man made
• TOP TEN REASONS YOU SHOULD ADOPT A BLACK CAT

POLITICS/ETHICS

• After the unspeakable horror in Colorado I am sharing this very important video essay from Bill Moyers
• Follow the violence – see who the promoters of gun killings in the USA really are.
• Michael Moore on guns in the USA
• The Quantum Mechanics of Capitalism

*** Please remember to order books from this website – you will get a signed copy and a personal note! ***

May your harvest be all you desire. May your future be filled with peace, love, and bounty! Happy Lughnasad to all!

The July 2012 blog is posted a wee bit early for a reason. I am trying to qualify for a grant (see details below) and need 250 votes of confidence in my “small business” (teaching, writing and selling books from my online bookstore, etc.) I hope everyone will consider helping out with a vote.
Its been a weird summer so far. First we had record heat then a few days ago I came home to a carpet of hail stones all over the lawn. Tender leaved plants like comfrey took quite a beating, every leaf is now Swiss cheesed with tiny holes. It actually went down to the 40’s in my neck of the forest.
Its amazing to think that the light is already disappearing, now that Solstice is past.
Below you will find the usual collection of archaeology, nature, Druid and religion news.
Enjoy!
BOOK NEWS

• Upcoming Radio Show!
  Sunday July 8
  I will be on, after the musical break, approximately 8:25-8:30.
• A nice little review from Mike The Fool of Reformed Druids of North America;
  Mike wrote: “Finally got my copy of book 3 of Ellen Ellen Evert Hopman’s trilogy taking place in the 4th/5th century AD, during the time of the Druid/Christian transition. Only up to chapter 3, but her skill with words matches her folklore knowledge, simply loved this phrasing:
  “It was as simple as that. The world of my childhood melted away like the mist on a lake at sunrise.””Priestess of the Forest” and “Druid Isle” were great stand-alone novels too, and for an immersion, as-if-I-were-there, experience, I have enjoyed her series far more than the more racy, less scholarly, novels of Morgan Llywelyn. They would be in the required reading for any Druid course I teach. I especially like the dynamics of religious transition, societal tension and her emphasis on sticking in little customs, herb lore, festival tidbits, Irish terms, and archeological items. You often get the feeling that she has so much more lore to convey, but this is not a textbook, so she teasingly moves on to the story again. It’s entertaining with the right bit of education. She has plenty of guidebooks available to follow up with”.

Reminder: you can order all my books and DVDs from this website! Just surf over to my wee bookstore….if you order from here (via PayPal) you get a signed copy and a personal note. If ordering from outside the USA you will need to add another $6.00 per item for postage.
And now a favor….
I am applying for a grant. Just to be able to submit the application I need 250 votes by June 30. It won’t cost you anything and I hope you will consider helping!
Thanks to a program sponsored by Chase and LivingSocial called Mission: Small Business?, your support could translate into a $250,000 grant. But I need at least 250 votes at www.missionsmallbusiness.com BY THIS SATURDAY (June 30, 2012) to qualify. To vote for my business:

• Go to www.missionsmallbusiness.com click ‘Log In & Support’ and log in using Facebook.
• Search for my business by name (Ellen Evert Hopman) OR filter by my State (Massachusetts).
• Click on the blue Vote button next to my business name to show your support for my business.”

If I get the grant I can travel back to Europe to do more research and can offer scholarships and free classes on herbalism and Celtic spirituality.
thanks so much!
And now for this Moonth’s recap of the news….
DRUID NEWS

• The first ever female Archdruid for the Welsh Eisteddfod
• In honor of the Solstice – Stonehenge decoded (video)
• How the Tuatha De Dannan became the Fairies
• A blast from the past…the Archbishop of Canterbury is a Druid
• Desperate Druids Episode 13 – preparation for Lughnasad
• Austrian Druids use trees to heal

RELIGION NEWS

• Russians are reviving Kupala Night (Summer Solstice)
• The Pope’s war on the Catholic Church (and what to do about it)
• The fastest growing religion in America is…
• What is human intelligence? Tibetan wisdom.

CELTIC NEWS

• Find your clan’s castle in Ireland

ARCHAEOLOGY NEWS

• Knowth, 50 years later
• So glad they finally figured out what Stonehenge was for (being ironic).
• Summer Solstice in Ireland
• Solstice at Tara
• At Carrowkeel in the west of Ireland, Cairn G is aligned with the setting sun at the Summer Solstice
• Iron Age fashion in Denmark
• Arthurian Britain re-examined
• Coronation Stone at Tara vandalized (is nothing sacred in this degenerate age we live in?) More…
• British long house that pre-dates the pyramids found
• data base of Pictish stones
• How did the ancient Gauls live?
• Bronze age had refrigerators, central heating, saunas.
• Young lovers eternal embrace – for 5000 years
• Were the first Native Americans Europeans?

NATURE NEWS

• How trees communicate
• City of Tulsa trashes a garden
• How to green the desert

VAMPIRE NEWS

• How medieval Bulgarians dealt with vampires
• How modern Romanians deal with them

ARTS

• The Fifth Element – Love (film)
• Song of Aimhirghin
• lovely nature footage and classical music More…
• Simon’s Cats

POLITICS/ETHICS

• Bill Maher on the need to go beyond Occupy Wall Street.

I agree with him. However I am old enough to remember how we stopped Nixon from dropping an atomic bomb on Hanoi because we turned out by the hundreds of thousands (some say a million people showed up) to protest the inane war in Vietnam. There IS a place for marching, camping and protesting. But without political action OWS cannot become a powerful movement in this nation’s history.
Please take some time to stop and enjoy the fireflies, summer stars and sunsets. Life is short and the dark is already drawing nigh.
Summer blessings on all who read this!