Lughnasad 2012

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

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! ***

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