Hail To Autumn

At our Autumn Equinox ceremony in March we honour the power and radiance of Autumn and acknowledge the approaching Winter. This year Pamela spoke for Autumn and, at the appointed time in the Working, cast off her cloak to reveal a costume of russets, red, oranges and yellows and unrolling a parchment scroll and walking the circle, spoke thus:

I am Autumn
I am the release as the end draws near
I am the last breath.

I protest my leaving!
And my breath shall not be a whisper or a cry
But a shout made exultant by the power in me.

I rebel against my fading!
In these last moments you will see and feel my brilliance
And as I rebel will you view me in fear and admiration.

I am no spectator, I am the spectacle.
You do not touch me, I touch you.
In awe will you stand back as I begin my throes.
Only the daring will approach me as I embrace the Earth
And share my brief spasms of Ecstasy
For the generosity and fullness of my Relaxation.

All of my animals, too, regret my passing
For they must face the starkness of the time that approaches
The bear eats ravenously for fat, the squirrels store
All Nature quivers as my strength leaves.

I deny my passing!
Even as I go to Earth shall I give form to the future
And my seed shall rise again in another body.

And so I allow the old to fall away
And in my last, withdrawing sigh
I feel the energy of new creation . . .
For I am Birth, Death and Genesis

Then Tom stepped into the circle, head and body completely covered by his cloak to speak for Winter thus:

I speak for Winter at Autumn Equinox

As you enjoy the warmth of the sun on this Autumn day
Know you that I am coming!

Notice how the evenings and nights are cooler,
The days getting shorter.

Soon there will be frosts and the South Wind will howl in
With rain and snow.

I speak for Winter and I am coming fast . . .

 

Welcome

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

– Dali Lama

Welcome to the blog of the Grove of the Summer Stars, based in Pukerua Bay, on the sunny Kapiti coast, near Wellington, New Zealand.

This blog is an opportunity for our members to share our stories, while at the same time engaging with others who may have an interest in what we do. This blog serves both as a living history of our grove, and also as a platform to engage in deeper discussion about ‘druidic perspectives’ on life.

Our content is organised around three ‘streams’:

• Grove life – meditations on druid living, celebrating the seasons at home, grove history, and grove information
• Grove media – book reviews, podcasts, and interesting snippets from the media
• Grove festivals –how we prepare for seasonal celebrations, and thoughts about annual camps

We welcome participation through discussion and your own thoughts for posts. Further information on our grove, and how this blog will be moderated, is available in the “about us” section. In particular, we ask that you respect grove members’ privacy by only using members’ first names, and that in commenting on posts, you are considerate of the opinions of others, which reflect our individual choices, diversity and individuality.

We welcome submissions from grove members – please get in touch with us in person, or through summerstarsgrove@gmail.com

– Nicola