Alban Elfed: Autumn Equinox
Posted: 23 Sep 2018, 15:12
My eldest daughter and I are both members of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. When I joined, I signed up for lessons in CD and text and paid a nominal fee to be able to procure membership for her and to share my Gwers. Each month, we received four lessons and, where applicable a ritual for an upcoming equinox, solstice or other sacred day. As a rule, we don’t share contents of the Gwers: not because of any secret, woo-woo, exclusive sacred knowledge but because many hours of labor and love and a great many GBP have gone into the production of these materials.
I encouraged my eldest to decide if she would be more comfortable adapting the solo adventure or doing the group ritual. She chose the former. It was very simple but also very enjoyable sharing this with my kid. (She is 25 so she is hardly a kid but a kid to me, she will ever be). I placed cards from my Druid Animal Oracle in the quarters, Bear for the north, Hawk for the East, Stag for the South and Salmon for the West. We also placed items in the quarters which were representative of the harvest we experienced in those areas of our lives over the year. A potato
represented our physical sustenance (nod to my Irish homies) because we are probably the most potato eating family I know. When in doubt, make potatoes. Hungry? Out of meat? Go cook a potato. I’m not going to share every other item we selected (ahem tarot cards were one) but I felt like it was funny that when we had to pick something to represent physical nourishment, we looked at one another and said “potato.”
I have received every Gwers for the bardic grade and this is the first time my daughter and I have done this together. I have had wonderful opportunities here at Cult of Tarot, which I feel led to this. The Sacred Days of Autumn Equinox group reading is an example. That helped me begin tuning into the season. Interestingly, this opportunity arrived on the heels of me making a decision to share Christmas differently with my seven year old. In order to avoid gift overload/overwhelm, we are opening a gift daily beginning the 21st and ending the 1st. We will do unboxing videos because she’s into that and also mark each day with a family activity...baking, crafting, hiking. There are several celebrations we will be including in those days. We are really embracing seasonal changes here at home.
Other opps I have had here which have been meaningful and.have motivated follow through include hosting the TdM Reading Circle and posting to the TdM Card-by-Card study group. (I hope to see several folks sharing their voices in these areas). So overall, at this time of equinox, I get to see an increase in my creative activities and a decrease in me allowing myself to fall short (what a great pun) based on whims. It is really exciting to experience life unfolding through sacred times and in sacred spaces, knowing that the most sacred space is wherever I am. That applies to us all.
I encouraged my eldest to decide if she would be more comfortable adapting the solo adventure or doing the group ritual. She chose the former. It was very simple but also very enjoyable sharing this with my kid. (She is 25 so she is hardly a kid but a kid to me, she will ever be). I placed cards from my Druid Animal Oracle in the quarters, Bear for the north, Hawk for the East, Stag for the South and Salmon for the West. We also placed items in the quarters which were representative of the harvest we experienced in those areas of our lives over the year. A potato
represented our physical sustenance (nod to my Irish homies) because we are probably the most potato eating family I know. When in doubt, make potatoes. Hungry? Out of meat? Go cook a potato. I’m not going to share every other item we selected (ahem tarot cards were one) but I felt like it was funny that when we had to pick something to represent physical nourishment, we looked at one another and said “potato.”I have received every Gwers for the bardic grade and this is the first time my daughter and I have done this together. I have had wonderful opportunities here at Cult of Tarot, which I feel led to this. The Sacred Days of Autumn Equinox group reading is an example. That helped me begin tuning into the season. Interestingly, this opportunity arrived on the heels of me making a decision to share Christmas differently with my seven year old. In order to avoid gift overload/overwhelm, we are opening a gift daily beginning the 21st and ending the 1st. We will do unboxing videos because she’s into that and also mark each day with a family activity...baking, crafting, hiking. There are several celebrations we will be including in those days. We are really embracing seasonal changes here at home.
Other opps I have had here which have been meaningful and.have motivated follow through include hosting the TdM Reading Circle and posting to the TdM Card-by-Card study group. (I hope to see several folks sharing their voices in these areas). So overall, at this time of equinox, I get to see an increase in my creative activities and a decrease in me allowing myself to fall short (what a great pun) based on whims. It is really exciting to experience life unfolding through sacred times and in sacred spaces, knowing that the most sacred space is wherever I am. That applies to us all.
