Spiritual journeys in tending the living earth, permaculture, and nature-inspired arts
I am going to do a series of posts on trees–I started a second 3rd degree Adept project for the AODA, and its on expanding the traditional Ogham to include plants native to the Mid-west/mid-Atlantic region. This project will also …
Samhuinn is the final holiday that is connected to harvests in the Druidic Wheel of the Year, and this is a time of apples, pumpkins, hawthorn berries (haws), nannyberries, rose hips, and rowan berries. I always like to do some …
A few months back, I was able to visit herbalist Jim McDonald for an herbal consultation, and we spent a lot of time talking about bitters, specifically, digestive bitters. Jim suggested to me that part of the reason that so …
Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) are one of my very favorite foods. This year we have a bumper crop–everywhere I go, the black raspberries seem to be growing! I have been harvesting at several spots, including in my own yard. Black …
The Summer Solstice, known in the druid tradition as Alban Heriun/Hefin, is one of my favorite holidays (ok, I say that about every holiday). But really, its a wonderful time of year because everything is growing and in full bloom! …
A great deal of discussion exists within the sustainability/transition movement concerning the loss of “old” and sustainable skills and the importance of reskilling to help preserve the future and live comfortably in it. The concept of reskilling is a simple …
I’ve decided to learn how to make wine from the dandelions in my yard! Why? When John Michael Greer was here a month ago, he suggested various kinds of reskilling to help us transition to post industrialism. One of his …
About a month ago, I painted piece below hat used the traditional elemental symbols, the four animals in the druidic tradition, the directions, and the astrological symbols of the four elements. I posted this a few places, and people were …
Black Birch (Betula lenta) is one of my all-time favorite trees. In the forest where I grew up, I we had thousands of black birch trees. Any time there was a thicket (or if someone would cut a part of …
In my quest for sustainable items for ritual and mundane purposes, I want to share something that I learned at the Strawbale Studio‘s recent workshop on natural, earth-friendly gifts: cob / earthen candle holders, paperweights, and other useful cob objects. …
I wanted to spend some time in my blog describing a journey I took last summer to see “the source” of a river. My work with the OBOD Druid grade initiated this journey, and it lead me to important insights …
As I’ve argued in this blog before, we should take every opportunity, as druids and other earth-centered spiritual people, to create sustainable practices. This should also extend to our use of ritual tools and other everyday objects. Last week, I …
In my quest for sustainable art supplies and things for daily living, I’m always experimenting with ways of replacing commercially produced materials with homemade ones. And so, my papermaking quest continues. For earlier posts on papermaking, you can read about …
Incenses for Druids The following recopies are most appropriate for druidic work, or those engaging in reading, study, grove leading, serious ritual work, or other work. I also have posted an introduction to incense making as well as recipes for …
Incenses for Ovates The following recopies are most appropriate for ovate work, or those engaging in divination, mysteries, and other spiritual pursuits. I also have posted an introduction to incense making as well as recipes for bards and druids. I …
About a year ago, I posted some general guidelines for how to make incense. This post describes incense recipes for those studying bardic courses or engaging in bardic activity. I suggest growing and/or wildharvesting as much of your ingredients as …
Today, at the start of the “holiday season” we have Black Friday, the epitome of the American consumerist culture. We are are continually bombarded with what to buy. We are presented with the dominant cultural narrative that owning products somehow …
Each of us has a story–a story of how we ended up doing what we do, believing what we believe, walking the path that we travel. These stories are often like richly woven tapestries, and I believe that there is …
On this Samhuinn eve, I would like to share a story. This was a story that was given to me. Behind our sacred grove, about 50′ feet into the forest to the north west, is an ancient maple. She grows …
Earlier this week, I blogged about my visit to the Strawbale Studio. In this second Natural Building post, I’m going to talk about the rocket stove workshop itself. I’m quite excited about rocket stoves, because they use simple materials to …
Yesterday, I attended a rocket stove building workshop at the Strawbale Studio and the sustainability-focused work of Deanne Bednar. In this post, I want to spend time highlighting the Strawbale Studio and Deanne Bandar’s work as an excellent example of …