I'm getting excited about celebrating Samhain, figuring out what I'm going to do where and when. It's better than Christmas, in my opinion. I worked a bit in the faerie garden trying to do something with the compost. I wish I had someplace else for it but it's there and smelly. I plan on covering it up for ritual but very soon it will be used to cover up the newspapers I plan on putting down to enlarge the vegetable garden space. Anything to avoid renting a roto-tiller. We did it the hard way in the Spring, with physical labor and a lot of sweat.
I had an opportunity to talk to Tom this morning about Druidry and what it is. He seemed receptive although I thought I saw a smirk on his face when I mentioned magick. I could be wrong. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but there is still no doubt in his mind that Christianity is the only real path. At least he's not preachy or judgmental about it though. He knows that's one thing that will drive me into silence and put distance between us. It was good to have someone to talk to about it in spite of our differences.
I'm hoping to start making some charms, talismans and other things very soon. I asked Tom if he would wear a talisman for deer hunting and he said he would. Now I just need to research one to find out what to put in the amulet bag. He hasn't shot a deer in close to 9 years. I need to include protection in the talisman for all the wacko hunters out there who don't follow safety rules.
I decided to stop reading a book I got from the library that, while the information in it was somewhat useful, was couched in such terms that made any neo-Pagans look silly. And the author kept applying nearly everything in Paganism to Christianity, which is not the way I think it goes. I think it's the other way around. In fact, I'm convinced that Paganism has more importance and credibility based on the fact that no religion out there exists without incorporating Paganism into it. Without Mithras and Osiris/Dionysius and other myths, Christianity wouldn't exist at all. Without including Pagan holidays (albeit Christianized ones) into the church calendar, I doubt if Christianity would have grown as much as it did. So in my mind (and I'll admit it's a vastly empty place these days) Paganism is the more prevalent religion. Various Pagan religions date far earlier than the Abrahamic, some being contemporary with Judaism.
One thing I love about Paganism is the way it grows and evolves instead of remaining stagnant and rigid. I believe the God/desses grow up and evolve as well. I had my fill of the letter of the law and the insistence of not changing one iota from the imagined founder's rule-book. I'm not a reconstructionist by any stretch of the imagination, which is why I find myself aligning more closely with OBOD and The Druid Network rather than the American Druid organizations.
I'm far from being educated about my path but I do know this: I plan on moving forward, not looking backward. I did that already; I won't do it again. If someone feels strongly that they need to do things the way the ancestors did, then more power to them. But I feel like the ancestors enjoy seeing us grow and take things to a new level. I'll ask them on Samhain to make sure.
In the meantime, I'll work at learning and growing and hopefully as my path unfolds beneath my feet, I'll make progress at being the person I have it in me to be.
Just as soon as I get a good night's sleep.
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