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 . . .

 

An Ode to Balance

Balance, a precious state, not to be found easily, or handed out as a gift, no, balance flows, balance is born of wise choice and actions, it is dynamic, it moves through our whole lives in many forms. The wisdom of our ancestors to be balanced with the excitement of our anticipation, the masculine and the feminine inside us all, emotion and intellect, creation and accomplishment, hearts love for ourselves and for others.

Often we are very aware of the balance we seek as we find ourselves swinging past it frequently in one direction or another, never quite managing to settle before the spot moves on with life’s flow.

At Alben Elfed, the Grove of the Summer Stars celebrated the balance of light and dark once more, committing ourselves to balance, to be blessed with it’s gifts in our own lives and with us, the lives of all around us.

 

An Ode to Balance

I search for balance, often with a frown
An illusive state, is it ‘verb’ or ‘noun’
‘Equilibrium’ or ‘stability’
‘Justice’, perhaps ‘impartiality’
So many meanings ‘balance’ has for me

But to know that my soul has stabilized
Is to be in a place so dearly prized
Where all my emotions and senses strive
Passions, temperance, together contrive
for that ‘Balance,’ that makes my spirit thrive

~ Les

 

Autumn Equinox

Last weekend we celebrated Alban Elfed/Autumn Equinox in the Grove. It was a beautiful autumn day, with barely a breeze and the sun was warm but not too harsh. Of course, being sun conscious Druids we all donned sun hats for our trek outside.

Our Grove had been attended to by Les, who had mowed to grass and redesigned our centre altar using our old brazier. We decorated it with bounty from our harvest, wine and bread.

We came together to celebrate the balance of light and dark that is present at this time of year. The evenings are starting to get darker earlier as we begin to move towards winter. Pamela spoke of how this year, on the actual Equinox we can celebrate the balance of femininity and masculinity as we celebrate the male energy with the sun as it enters the 3rd quantrent of it’s cycle, and on the 21st the moon, who we honour the female energy, enters the 3rd quantaint in her monthly cycle.

Tom and Richard spoke of how Autumn looks in New Zealand with the trees. Most of our trees are flowering at this time, and they don’t shred their leaves for winter. Tom shared some science with us to help is through the winter – when stressed find 5 minutes to spend watching birds play.

We also talked about healing, calling in energy and atua to help with the healing of a few members of our Grove or extend families who are in need of it at the moment. Moria spoke of connecting with the roots of trees that go deep into the earth and connect with each other to help with healing. She recalled an earlier conversation which talked about drawing energy from natural things like glass windows and wooden furniture in sterile environments like hospitals. Anne chipped in that glass is something that uses all the elements to create – sand from the Earth, added to the hot Fire, blown into shape with Air and cooled in Water. What a beautiful object to pull energy from!

While we were having eisteddfod I noticed a tried bee crawling along the blanket, as a sad reminder of summers end.

~ Mary