Mists and Ice

The meet-up went well, but we ended up discussing other things than Spring Myths, so I’ll be posting what I was going to talk about there, here.

Myths of the seasons were quite common in the ancient world. I think it is wrong to say that all myths could be ascribed to natural phenomena, though many authors, such as H.A. Guerber, disagree. However, some natural events were chronicled in the annals of analogy, a way for those before us to share and entertain with the wonders of the world.

I’d like to share something from Oak Leaves #44, albeit in reduced form: Brighid and the Cailleach. The goddess Bright Brighid was imprisoned by the Cailleach for many years. She was kept in the bleak mountain passes of the north lands in perpetual cold, and every day she’d walk the passes, and the winter landscape would grow weaker for moments as she passed. One day, her passing was observed by a young man called the Mac Oc, the Cailleach’s own son, who swore to free the gentle creature, and began a year-long courtship. On the final day of winter, the two resolved to run away, and the Mac Oc covered Brighid’s face with her cloak (or mantle) so that the land’s enchantment, which kept her imprisoned, could not snare her. The Cailleach was soon on their heels, following the great trail of flowers that sprang at Brighid’s feet as she passed. However, the old crone was soon taken by the land spirits, who rebelled against the winter she brought: as she rested upon a boulder, she was pulled inside and turned to stone. Thus Brighid and the Mac Oc were able to live and love together, amid the spring that heralded her passing.

Another myth to share is the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone. There are many versions, but this is the one I’m most familiar with: Hades found Persephone playing in the fields one day, grabbed her, and made off to his underworld kingdom to take her as bride. Demeter searched everywhere for a way to enter Hades and retrieve her daughter, but while she searched and mourned, the earth languished under the lack of her care – winter had come. Hermes was finally sent to retrieve Persephone, but came to find the young lady had fallen head over heels for the dark lord of the underworld. She also had eaten six seeds of a pomegranate. So, while she was retrieved and returned to her mother, giving the blessing of spring to the earth, she returns every six months to Hades’ arms, and her mother Demeter resumes mourning until she returns.

There are other Norse examples that I hope will be shared on this blog soon; however, a central theme surrounds these two examples above, that of change from one state of being to another. Before the spring, winter comes, and the change from the dark half of the year to the light is apparent in both the Celtic and the Greek. Spring myths are about change and renewal, a switch in focus from the cold winter months to the warming and longer days that lead eventually to summer. In the Celtic example above, the winter crone holds all, including the goddess who heralds springtime, in an icy embrace, but in the Greek, winter is the result of a goddess neglecting her responsibility to the earth. Yet both transition to spring time with the arrival of a goddess of brightness, goodness, and light. It is her arrival that marks the certain end of a wintry world, and encourages the flowers (such as the snowdrop) to grow from the renewed soil.

Myths are a way to record the spiritual drama of transitions, and the myths involving the return to spring are, to me, especially compelling. For me, this is one of the primary reasons mythic thinking is still relevant and helpful to modern minds.

The February meet-up is tomorrow. The topic will start off with Spring Myths, and will likely move on as things tend to do. As events such as this approach, I am reminded of why these things are important in one’s spiritual life.

Neopaganism is in turns a very personal and a very social form of religion. In the personal arena, there is a lot less guidance and (dare I say) dogma to usher those new to the religion in a spiritually profitable direction. There are few elders in the religion compared to others, which gives rise to a lot of self-initiation, self-dedication, and even self-declaration. In such an environment, we become free to make our own choices and do our own research on how to believe and proceed with that belief. Individuality is cherished rather than alienated; self-reflection and meditation are encouraged as paths to growth. Of course, the downside is, we have our share of “gurus” and “masters” of the art that do more harm than good to this set of religions.

On the social side of things, in the days when the religions we currently emulate and draw inspiration from were practiced, religion was a matter for the tribe and for the nation. People came together at regular intervals to mark the passing of the seasons, give offerings, and ask for boons of the Gods. In many ways, this need for interaction with others who believe similarly to ourselves has not diminished. Some Wiccan covens try to collect in groups of 9-13 members. Neopagans of many types and stripes attend Pagan Pride Day, local events, even conventions half a world away. Many pagans learn that there is a viable path other than a Judeo/Christian/Muslim one by talking with other pagans. Some only realize that the religion is right for them after attending and experiencing Neopagan ritual (a few close friends of mine admit to this).

One’s world-view and belief system is something that can tie us together in a way few other social gatherings can, whether that gathering be a full ritual or a simple meeting over coffee and biscuits. Sometimes, one can feel closer to the others that are in a group due to like-mindedness, or even – as Neopaganism has shown – just open-mindedness to others’ beliefs. Sometimes, we learn something new that jives with how we believe, something we then incorporate into our own system. Sometimes, we just enjoy being together as a community.

Imbolg was quite a ritual. We had several new people, only a few of our usual regulars. I hope those that could not make it had a decent time, themselves; as for those of us that made it to the Grove rite, I was happy we had so many participants. The ritual went very well, I thought, and after ritual our feasting was a lot of fun! I may, for the next Imbolg Bardic Circle, pare things down to one turn per participant, but all in all we had a great time together, as a community, and community is what these things are about.

Community is also why we are continuing to progress towards provisional grove status in the ADF. Going from a protogrove to a provisional one is a big step. There are several steps a protogrove needs to go through, including writing bylaws, registering with the federal government, gathering members, and so on. Membership is a big thing; if members move away or quit attending, the grove can lose its provisional status. Provisional is also not our final step in the process – to become a fully-chartered grove requires even more commitment on the part of the grove’s members.

Commitment is the drive for our next goal; I believe everyone on the Protogrove’s Executive Council shares a desire to see our grove prosper, and more importantly, see our mission of public worship for pagans continue to be realized. It’s nice that not all of those who come to rite are necessarily ADF members: it goes right back to being orthopraxic rather than orthodoxic. It doesn’t matter that I might be Celto-Norse and another participant might be Wiccan, but we can find common ground in our discussions and in ritual, and we can agree to disagree on more debatable points of interest. What matters to me is that the community comes together, despite attempts (real or imagined) to drive wedges based on differences of belief between us.

Our next meet-up is at the Gypsy House Cafe on Marion and E. 13th, and we should be discussing – among other things – the myths of the spring that inspire our community and sometimes bring us together. I’m looking forward to it as another chance for our community to enjoy each other’s company and perhaps to attract more members that are interested in ADF.

Hello all!
Thank you to all who came to Imbolg. I could have been happier with it. Bridghid being my main patron, I was more nervous than usual that all go well. Its kind of ironic that the more we want something to be perfect, the more likely we are to flub a little. Anyway, I hope that it sounded smoother to you all than it did in my head.

On other topics, as some of you may know, we are getting the work done to become a provisional grove. This will mean that we have better non-profit status and official recognition as a “church” in government parlance. A big hold up has been bylaws, because the council has wanted them to be perfect. While I’m sure that we have seemed to move ‘as fast as a speeding oak,’ we are now a week away from having them in a form that can be submitted to Mother Grove.

We hope that as many of you all that can will join us at our meet up on the 20th, be there or be square, which is the worse thing you can be in a circle oriented religion.

Happy Imbolg, and May Bridghid Bless You