#adfdruidry
A simple prayer for the coming new year. May you take forward what you need, and leave behind what you don’t.
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A simple Beltaine Blessing for the year.
A Prayer on Vaccination
I call out to my Good Friend:
Protector of bodies,
Settle into me,
Comfort of my soul!
With eager heart I have sought you,
And I have found you here in my community.
You bring forth the gift of strength,
And the open path of connection.
Kindle the fire within me,
Draw forth the flame that heals,
The light that brings fellowship,
The blessing of community.
May these blessings flow to all,
For the work they can do is good.
So be it.
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I ask you all, if you are able, eligible, and ready, to start the process of obtaining a vaccine. It’s genuinely important for us all, whether we like this pandemic reality or not, to do our best to be good to each other.
I was thwarted in my attempts to schedule a vaccine as soon as I was eligible by my son being potentially exposed to COVID in school (2.5 days into the “all-in” model at school, of course; no symptoms or illness, though, thankfully); as a result, my quarantine overlapped my eligibility, and I had to wait.
For those still waiting, I know this is hard. I felt it myself when my age group was announced as eligible and my son was put into quarantine the same day. It’ll come. It’ll be here. You can do this. I see you, friends.
Until then, we’ll be safe, we’ll be smart, and we’ll wash our hands and mask up. Everyone’s important here.
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Random conversations end up with the strangest memes.
“Hot, lonely Druid Masons in your area! Call now to erect your stones!”
What’s my ritual vibe? :)
Listen: there isn’t space for white supremacy, anti-trans bigotry, or angry misogyny in modern Paganism.
Grow up. Work for others. Build inclusive spaces. Reach out with helping hands.
That’s what our ancestors did. It’s how they survived. And it’s how we’ll continue on into the future.
Take your fake-ass Nazi propaganda & knock off some other religion.
Thank you.
Healing is something that changes you, that makes you different and gives you new perspectives.
The act of healing is healing.
A simple illustration of what Modern Druidry looks like to me:
- A fire that burns at the center of all, a place of sacrifice and blessing.
- The waters of the deep well of the earth that draw forth inspiration and the flow of the cosmos.
- Hands out stretched to give and receive: reciprocity with the cosmos, the spirits, and our fellow humans.
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Image text:
- Do sing with your group
- Don’t mix cooking and conjuring (in the same pot)
- Do help with cleanup after
- Don’t over-bless the congregation (with drink/alcohol)
- Do make your ritual site accessible
- Don’t over-analyze the omen
- Do both physical and mental cleansing (like handwashing)
- Don’t over-offer to the fire (lest you get burned)
Just a short list :)
It’s a constant cycle of work, re-work, and finding ways to open again and again. It’s deeply rewarding.
There’s so much more to do.
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Prayer to the Ada Spirits
Tiny Spirits, lined up together,
Filling altars and standing on shelves,
Touching lives and opening paths:
Come alive with each quiet touch.
Rough-hewn godden of strange places,
I call you from the dark of the wood
And ask that you come to the surface,
Facing the light of devotion and joy.
Whether you kindle the flame of devotion,
Or howl at the moon in the dark of night,
I see you here, sliding from the wood grain,
Dancing forth to seek altars and pocket prayers.
Aromatic cedar is your calling card,
A joyful connection of fire and wood
That reminds me of piety and work.
You open the paths to inspiration.
So however I encounter you,
However I open your door,
However you find an altar home:
Know that you take flight with my blessing.
Ada Spirits of wood and fire,
I honor you.
[Image description: Ada Spirits from The Magical Druid, carved by Rev. Michael J Dangler; find Ada Spirits at The Magical Druid]
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A Prayer From My Center
We know the world came to be,
For we persist within it:
Cosmic beings, centered with internal flame,
A spark of inspiration
Quenched in the Spring of Renewal,
Rising again and again with new vigor.
Here I sit, centered at the center,
Alone with the flame in a wind-swept circle.
The dome of the cosmos rises above me,
A giant’s skullcap, his mind floating by
And his eye shining a light upon me.
And here, I feel my home.
Each of us, light reflecting on stardust,
Has a place in this cosmos.
Our actions maintain it and continue it
No matter how small they seem.
I work my way with quiet confidence,
Hoping that each action improves the world.
Be centered within me, Spirits;
Help guide my work as I hold myself together,
And accept my offerings
As a part of the larger cosmos.
[Image description: a fisheye (rabbit hole) sky dome of the stone circle at Trout Lake Abbey’sWhite Mountain Druid Sanctuary by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Gathering Light at a Distance
Today we give thanks for connection,
A light that cannot be dimmed.
Though kindled apart and distant,
We come together through phone and screen.
This time is like no time before,
When we held hands around a table,
Hugged hello and goodbye,
And offered support to one another in person.
But our times have called for this,
And we still settle in together, if afar,
And our memories and connections
Carry us through in new ways.
What once were flickering candles,
Kindled in fellowship and family,
Are now flickering screens with lit faces
Brightening our homes and tables.
Our distance is painful,
But our connection remains strong.
We are thankful for your presence
Here in our home and heart.
So thanks we give for connection,
Our light that holds us against the dark.
Together, our shining love overcomes.
[Image description: #TheFlameOfHope held together at Midnight Flame Festival in 2018, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Prayer for Treating
I call to the Spirits of the Land,
You who hold the Long Bargain,
Who stood in this space, connected,
To weave hearth, home, and heath together.
As I have worked this land at your leave,
And you have kept it safe,
I honor the bond we have built
To maintain this space and relationship.
As we continue this connection
Deep into the years that come,
Know that I still come to the edge
My hands full of gifts and joy.
Take these, my offerings,
Draw them under the mushroom cap
And know they are yours to retain.
May our alliances forever flourish.
And so I leave you this fine milk,
A side of honey and of treasure,
And ask that you keep us in your grace,
And help us understand your needs.
[Image description: Mushrooms in macro, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Prayer for Spiritual Sight
Winding round the center,
We call to the Spirits:
Our voice echoing in the wind,
Our flame warm in the dark.
We give way to their voices,
Listening as they move us,
Swaying with us in the quiet
Of the moon’s gentle light.
The path is open to the Spirits,
A way that winds through the world;
Sliding down the silent starbeams
Into the sacred grove to dance with us.
Unfastened from the mundane,
Exposed to the cosmos,
Filled with a gnostic understanding,
We begin to speak for the Spirits
Here in this place, let our Sight be clear,
Let it flow like water from our mouths.
May prophecy and vision be a waterfall
That hews close and strong to Truth.
In all the things we do, our voices raised,
May we know the path our feet wander,
And may we speak it clearly, by your leave.
[Image description: a planchette among herbs, with the words, “Oracle of the Spirits” on it, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Prayer for Traveling Spirits
The light of our hearth and home,
A healing flame that brightens us,
Provides the warm glow of fellowship
To all those who travel with us.
As we close the door on one home
And open it on another,
Kindling the fire and claiming the space,
We ask the Spirits who lived with us to come along.
You who have known our joys and sorrows,
You who have stood by us in hard times,
You who have opened your hearts to us,
We offer the chance to maintain this connection.
Though we know you will not all come along
And brighten our new hearth with your light,
We honor our deep relationship,
And the work you have done for and with us.
So this box, warmed by a blessed light,
Is here for you to stow away in:
Empty of things, but full of love,
A hopeful gesture to offer you welcome.
Should you wish, be welcome with us.
Should you stay, bless those who come after.
So be it.
[Image description: two children hold a lantern, lit, in an empty box for the Spirits to stow away in, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Journey to a Distant Shrine
Above the shrine,
A hanging moon;
Lifted to the heavens,
My soul begins to sing.
Here in this space,
Quiet in contemplation,
I listen to the Spirits around me,
And breathe deep in their presence.
The bells sing in the wind
While the quaking leaves
Fill out the soundscape;
Here, I am not alone.
Centered in my center,
Animated by the edges,
I find myself open and ready
For whatever may appear.
And here before me,
Facing this shrine,
I find myself ready
For whatever lies ahead.
And I open my eyes,
Far distant from this place,
And remember those Spirits again.
[Image description: two antlers of the Cernunnos Shrine at Trout Lake Abbey’sWhite Mountain Druid Sanctuary, with a moon above, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Blessing of the Good Striker
Sucellos, Good Striker,
Firm hand and guardian,
I call to you with a bright voice,
And ask that you hear me now.
Your hammer-strike sparks the night,
And serves as both warning and welcome:
For you stand with us, and hold us close,
Helping us walk the line in confidence.
With one side you strike the nail
And craft community together.
With the other you strike our foes
And keep our borders safe and sound.
Come, open wide your cask
Filled with drink for all:
Let it flow in hospitality
And deep connections!
For you will always swing wide the door
For those who seek a better life,
And offer them both a full cup,
And the best seat beside our shared fire.
Sucellos, keep our community whole,
And keep it safe and welcome.
[Image description: Sucellos wood carving by Rev. Michael J Dangler, available at The Magical Druid]
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Strange Owl, or The Spirit of Trying
What the heck are you,
You strange, long-necked bird-thing,
Looking down on the square from high
Above the cathedral’s central window?
Someone who had never seen an owl before
Must have been your sculptor;
He was deeply confident in his accuracy,
Much to the likely dismay of his patron.
Wings wide-spread at the center,
Wide-eyed, loudly shouting,
Carrying your song, such as it is,
To the highest of heavens.
Placed where all eyes are drawn to you,
You are a crowning glory,
Clearly intended to convey
The importance of this endeavor.
But I thrice name you differently:
Spirit of Trying,
Spirit of Not-Actually-Failure,
Spirit of Ostentatious Confidence.
For you stand tall and proud in your space,
Awkward and hard to define,
Just like us, when we are at our most assured.
Be with me, Spirit of Trying, as I do my work today.
[Image description: a long-necked owl gargoyle from Collegiale Notre-Dame de Mantes-la-Jolie, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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The Fairy House
“A space to play,” they asked,
“That’s all we small ones seek:
A wall against the wind
And a winding path that leads to me.”
And so we set about to build the home
That the Fey had asked for sweetly.
We found leaves and branches, root and stem,
And set them down carefully, neatly.
We arranged it all as best we could,
The autumn colors pleased our eye.
A picket fence, a smoothed out trail,
And a walnut table fit their size.
“The roof is high,” they shouted loud,
“And the mossy threshold keeps it clean.
You’ve made a lovely home for us against the hail,
It’s the loveliest abode we’ve ever seen!”
So they moved in, our Good Neighbors,
And we know they live their still.
But the space is theirs and theirs alone,
In the forest, beneath the hill.
Our neighbors good, though others may joke:
Remember our connection, you Good Folk.
[image description: a child-built fairy house, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Spirits of Delicate Balance
The early morning sun breaks over the horizon,
Finding the earth blanketed in frost.
The white crystals refract the light,
Fresh from the cosmic waters at the edge.
Blades of grass crunch beneath my feet,
Fresh in the quiet daylight.
A sparkle of ice in the fading colors of morning,
Small rainbows linking the green and the white.
Here the edges blend together,
A symphony of light that dances.
The morning’s peace is in its balance,
And the give and take of the cold and heat.
To you Spirits of Delicate Balance,
I call to you: I see your heart and soul
In the spaces you inhabit.
I inhabit them with you today.
The voice of the frosted morn
Speaks softly to my heart.
May I find myself as even-keeled
And yet mysterious as you.
#PrayerADay #ADFDruidry
[Image description: frost on the grass, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Traveling Spirits
Arising with the dawn,
We lift ourselves into the heavens,
Seeking a space above the clouds,
As the world falls away.
The blue sky awaits
Above a blanket of clouds,
With clear and easy passage
Into new worlds with new friends.
The winds that lift us,
Flowing around our wings,
Drive us into the sky;
A wonderous earth unfolds below.
Traveling past mountains,
Fields that grow and rivers that flow,
I watch the world turn below me,
And know that this passage is blessed.
To the Traveling Spirits,
I sing your praises today.
Let my flight through your domain
Be as smooth and gentle as the winds allow.
Walk with me, bring me home,
And set me gently into new adventures.
So be it.
[Image Description: a woman looks out an airplane window at clouds and a distant mountain, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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A Prayer for Departure
My friend, you take this journey now,
And though I do not follow you yet,
I will one day. Guide me then, as I guide you.
The firelight has called to you,
Carried you forth on its smoke,
And opened the way for you to travel.
Come first to the Ferryman,
The old man who waits beside the shore:
Give him these coins I gave you.
Across forgetful waters, he carries you safely,
To the hungry dog who waits,
Spots above his eyes, to greet you.
You shall pass this hungry guardian,
Whose watchful gaze prepares you,
And find yourself with choices to make.
To the left, I ask you, turn your feet,
And skirt the House of the King;
Do not stop with others to drink at the Cypress.
Travel forward, instead, to your destiny,
And, challenged at the next pool, speak:
“A Child am I of Earth and Starry Heaven,”
And drink deep of your memories there.
#PrayerADay #ADFDruidry
[image description: an otherworld map, with challenges marked, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Finding the Light
Through the long night,
We seek the light.
Trying to draw back the curtain,
And reveal it to the world.
It is never far from us,
This light we hope to find,
But the journey we take
Is what brightens our deepest spark.
Whether we kindle the flame ourselves,
Or simply shine out from our center,
The cosmos within us
Connects us to one another.
Draw it out within me, Spirits,
You who know where it is held.
Let it shine for those who need it,
And lift me up as well.
No matter how we come to it,
The we find our space
Within the dark that holds us:
A ray that renews the world.
#PrayerADay #ADFDruidry
[Image description: The sunset on Ashton Pond, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Emergence
Drawn from safety,
Flinging wide the doors,
Stepping out to greet the world:
I come into my own.
My unfolding wings.
Prepared to help me rise,
Dry in the early morning sun:
Primed, ready, excited.
Confinement falls away from me,
The locked box of fear
Empties itself completely:
I blossom in its absence!
The Spirits who have lifted me,
Who have shown me these wings
I never knew I had:
I praise your presence in my life.
And from this all,
I arise: I am here!
[Image Description: Cicada, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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The Spirit in the Wild Space
Playing in the dark,
Lifting a song to the wild spaces,
Filling the world with music,
We hear you at the edges.
Opening the Ways,
Welcoming the wild things,
Drawing the edges to the center,
We know you have come.
Wherever you are,
You come to our lives,
Helping us see convergence
And connection in the cosmos.
A light in the wild dark,
A space given over to the weird:
We stand there, together,
Soaking in the revelry.
Let me grow as feral as this place,
As unbroken as the untamed world.
[Image description: Pan statue at Tredara, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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Protection for Children
I pray today for the Children,
Those who come after me upon this path.
May all they do be bright in your eyes,
And may they always be a friend to good Spirits.
May the Spirits of the Ancestors stand guard,
Protecting those who follow their footsteps.
Open the doors for them, your children,
When they find their way locked and barred.
May the Spirits of this Home surround them,
Keeping them in comfort and good food.
Keep their work light, their home secure,
When the travails of the world bring challenge.
May the Godden of our Family hold them tight,
Remembering the offerings made and the small joys.
Bless the fires they kindle as they grow older,
And strike out on their own paths through life.
Let them have an easy path, Spirits,
One free of obstacle and hardship.
But if that path be hard and toilsome,
Let them have good friends in you to guide them.
[Image Description: Changelingbanes, by Rev. Michael J Dangler]
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In Praise of Peace
Drawn from the well of perseverance,Offered at the altar of truth,
Open to the ways of ancient obligation,
Peace is available to us all.
Whether we find it in the shade of a calm tree,
Beside a lily-filled lake of solitude,
Or hidden in our deepest center,
It is there for us to find if we seek it.
Pour upon us from your rhyton,
Hold your torch on high.
Let your scepter rule our world,
And bring about a new age of Peace.
When we set aside arms and animosity,
Quietly honoring those who went before,
We remember that the work they have passed to us
Must be done with care, compassion, and joy.
So reach within, find your peace,
And open to the feeling it brings.
What lights your way is your north star,
And it shines to bring you home each day.
#PrayerADay #ADFDruidry
[image description: Monet’s water lilies, Giverny, France, by Rev, Michael J Dangler]
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