|
Welcome to Dragonswood
Dragonswood is a friendly resource for Pagans of all Paths and for those of you who may be exploring a new spiritual direction and want to know about Paganism, Witchcraft, Shamanism, Druidry or Heathenism. It matters not because all are welcome.
Flaming of other members is never tolerated here. Trolling of members will result in immediate deletion of your account. Once you have registered with us please introduce yourself via the 'Say Hello' forum. The rest of the site will then be visible to you.
Enjoy your stay with us, we look forward to seeing you on the forums.
Posted on Sunday, December 09
 |
 |
 |
|
The Vernal Equinox
The wheel has turned.
The Vernal Equinox happensThursday morning at 05.48
The Sleeping Lord
Hail to the sleeping Lord of the Land,
whose forehead is radiant with inner light,
who rests with morning in his right hand,
and calls to bring forth summer’s might.
His body is strong and fortified,
in care of the living turning wheel,
and his rising cannot be denied,
as up through the earth the new seeds feel
Their way through the slumbering form,
of the Lord recumbent in his dreams,
in the folded strata of rocks transformed
down ages through which wisdom streams.
And narrowed now, our eyes await him,
to help him to rise from a long wide bed,
where over the horizon he can brim
and ascend to the skies in a blaze of red.
©Cradlehag(Ali Sutherland)2008
In the northern hemisphere the vernal equinox marks the start of spring and has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth. Many cultures and religions celebrate or observe holidays and festivals around the time of the vernal equinox, such as the Easter holiday period.
The astronomical Persian calendar begins its New Year on the day when the vernal equinox occurs before apparent noon (the midpoint of the day, sundial time, not clock time) in Tehran. In India, the colourful festival pf Holi is celebrated at this time whilst the Japanese have the day off on this day for visiting their relatives.
A change is also coming at this Equinox. From now on, as it fills the skies on its similarly endless cycle, it is the Sun which will become the main influence upon the land. Even in March the Sun's presence in the sky is a little more obvious and feels just a bit stronger too. Leaves begin to grow again. Buds begin to knobble branches and the birds have returned. Things are starting to wake up again.
And if this is a time of rebirth for the Sun, it can also be utilised as a rebirth for the self: the beginning of, perhaps, a creative project, an ambition, a new career or a new relationship. It may take a spiritual form and bring deeper understanding or present an opportunity for physical movement, a change in direction too.
In Paganism, Male and Female are constantly symbolised and that is, perhaps, the most important basic aspect of our spirituality. This can be represented literally in Rites and Festivals with a Male and Female taking on the roles of God or Goddess but, more importantly, it can also be found in the self. We take particular care to appreciate and develop both of those aspects within ourselves. There is a balance to be found here and, following the cycle of the year, we see how that balance can be found inside whether we are male or female. In this way, if there are projects to be developed or changes to be made in our lives, we can use both of our opposite aspects in harmony to achieve the best results.
This combination, often between Nature and Science, can work wonders and we Pagans go to great lengths to develop it in our Rites. Fire gets out of control without water to keep it safe; water can produce steam when fire is added! In the same way the land will be watered over the Spring months and then the corn will be ripened by the sun. Just enough of each element and we get our harvest.
Contemplating these things is what the Equinox is all about, as well as the excitement of seeing blossoms coming out and the fields suddenly blooming with flowers.
The Sun is returning to wake us up again!
comments? |   | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 (03:47:46) (92 reads)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Druid Grave Unearthed in U.K.?
Druid Grave Unearthed in U.K.?
Historical records tell of a mystical, priestly and learned class of elite individuals called Druids among Celtic societies in Britain, but there has been no archaeological evidence of their existence. Until, perhaps, now.
A series of graves found in a gravel quarry at Stanway near Colchester, Essex, have been dated to 40-60 A.D. At least one of the burials, it appears, may have been that of a Druid, according to a report published in British Archaeology.
Mike Pitts is the journal's editor and an archaeologist. He studied classical Greek and Roman texts that mention the Druids in early France and Britain. The most detailed description, Pitts found, dates to 55 B.C. and comes from Roman military and political leader Julius Caesar.
"Druids, he says, were prestigious ritual specialists who performed human sacrifices, acted as judges in disputes, were excused action in battle and taught the transmigration of souls -- when you die, your soul is passed on to another living being," Pitts told Discovery News.
Other historians link the Druids to soothsaying and healing practices.
Within the wooden, chambered burial site, researchers have excavated a wine warmer, cremated human remains, a cloak pinned with brooches, a jet bead, divining rods (for fortune-telling), a series of surgical instruments, a strainer bowl last used to brew Artemisia-containing tea, a board game carefully laid out with pieces in play, as well as other objects.
"This person was clearly a specialist and also clearly wealthy and powerful, as indicated by the special grave and its apparent location within the compound of a 'chief.' That would all fit Caesar's Druid," he said, adding that Caesar likely also visited Stanway during his lifetime.
The surgical kit found in the grave includes iron and copper alloy scalpels, a surgical saw, hooks, needles, forceps and probes. Pitts said the collection mirrors basic medical tools from other parts of the Roman world.
Read More... (1.94 KB) | comments? | | Score: 1 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Thursday, February 14, 2008 (10:10:19) (155 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excommunicated pastor praised and condemned by Pagans and Christians
Pastor Phil Wyman would be the first to agree that he’s a black sheep among clergy. An expert on Wicca, a well practiced interpreter of dreams, Wyman has been an avid participant in the city’s annual Halloween celebration, supporting a holiday many Christians believe to be a symbol of darkness and the occult.
A little over a year ago Wyman was excommunicated from his church, accused of getting too amicable with the city’s Wiccan community because of controversial missionary tactics that included operating a pagan-Christian discussion forum, offering Web site links to pagan sites and fostering personal friendships with witches.
Today the church continues to operate, although it no longer has a parent church, and has about 45 members.
Wyman’s mission is to break stereotypes about Christians and Wiccans. He says many Christians don’t realize Wicca is a nature-based religion.
Read More... (6.93 KB) | 3 comments | | Score: 5 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Saturday, January 19, 2008 (10:32:14) (245 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return Of Shaman's Mask Magical To King Islanders
Four decades after it was abandoned, King Island holds an almost mystical pull for former inhabitants and their descendants, its crumbling homes still perched on stilts, clinging to the steep, rocky terrain.
Until recently, little else remained of the island, an Inupiat Eskimo village, except for traditions, memories and artifacts scattered at museums around the nation. Then came word from a stranger nearly 2,000 miles away who said she possessed an ancient mask a relative brought back from Alaska more than a century ago.
On the back of the relic was a faint inscription: "Taken from a medicine man's grave on King Island."
The woman from northwest Washington e-mailed Charlene Saclamana, tribal coordinator with the King Island Native Community based in Nome, a city 80 miles southeast of the tiny Bering Sea island where many of its residents relocated.
Marilyn Lewis said she wanted to return the wooden mask to its rightful owners. Two weeks later, she traveled to Alaska to deliver the artifact, which is now on display at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum in Nome, named after the museum's late founder, a gold rush pioneer.
"It gives me and my family something tangible from our past. We've lost so much of the culture," said Saclamana, whose parents lived on King Island. "We were eager to have the mask back in our possession. We never had anything that well preserved from the island."
The island, home to about 200 people a century ago, was abandoned for various reasons.
Many of the men were drafted during World War II and didn't return. Tuberculosis killed some people and hospitalized others. Fewer residents returned from traditional summer camping grounds near Nome, where there were jobs and doctors.
Everyone was gone by 1966, several years after the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the village school because of declining numbers and concerns about a potential rockslide.
Lewis, of Port Townsend, Wash., declined to discuss her family's role in the mask's return with The Associated Press, saying "it's not about us." But she told The Nome Nugget that her father's uncle traveled by steamship from Seattle to Alaska in 1898 to try his luck in the gold rush.
The uncle spent three years in Alaska, apparently not searching for gold but instead working as a bartender, probably in Nome or Skagway. He kept notes about his travels but never mentioned King Island, leading his family to theorize that someone sold or gave him the mask.
The uncle gave the mask to Lewis' father in 1927. Her parents kept it until late last year, when they asked her if she would help find its origins.
An Internet search led Lewis to Deanna Kingston, lead researcher in an Oregon State University study of King Island and its former inhabitants.
Kingston put Lewis in touch with Saclamana in early November. Around Thanksgiving, Lewis met a King Island representative at an Anchorage restaurant and turned over the mask.
Saclamana consulted with tribal elders and anthropologist Matt Ganley of the Bering Straits Native Corp. Everyone agreed the mask was the real deal.
Clues include its red-ochre face, beaked nose and black painted hair, which was probably colored with graphite or condensed soot, Ganley said. The mask was likely carved from driftwood.
"It's the style, the whole thing, the types of pigments used, the way the face is presented," Ganley said. "One person told me this looks like a lot of people from King Island."
Read More... (1.14 KB) | comments? | | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Saturday, January 19, 2008 (10:13:28) (184 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tribes seeking return of bones
BERKELEY — There is a legend at the University of California, Berkeley, that human bones are stored in the landmark Campanile tower. But university officials say that's not true — the bones are actually stored beneath Hearst Gymnasium's swimming pool.
The remains of about 12,000 American Indians rest in drawers and cabinets in the gym's basement. Many of them were dug up by university archaeologists and have been stored under the pool since the early 1960s.
The bones now are at the center of a dispute between American Indians who want to rebury their ancestors and university officials who have been slow to hand over the remains.
Some tribal leaders contend the university is violating a federal law that governs the repatriation of artifacts and remains.
"We don't appreciate them keeping our ancestors locked up in a drawer," said Ted Howard, cultural resources director of the Shoshone-Paiute tribes. "This is a human-rights issue to the tribes. All we're asking for is to be treated fairly."
The bones, along with 400,000 American Indian artifacts, are held by the university's Phoebe A. Hearst Museum, which has a small exhibit space on campus but one of the largest collections of human remains in the U.S. outside a cemetery.
Under the 1990 federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the museum is required to identify the tribal origins of its bones and artifacts and return them to federally recognized tribes that request them.
So far, the museum has repatriated the bones of about 260 individuals. The museum's possession of so many remains troubles American Indians who believe that the spirits of their ancestors cannot rest until their bones are properly buried.
Lalo Franco, cultural heritage director of the Tachi Yokut tribe, calls the bones' current resting place "a dungeon" and the scientists who took them "grave robbers with a license."
Read More... (9.18 KB) | comments? | | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Thursday, January 17, 2008 (02:22:04) (199 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Rollrights damaged again
A Site Inspector for the Heritage Action group visited the Rollrights (Oxfordshire, England) on 29th December 2007. He reported that following the recent fire damage there, some follow-up damage and a further attack have occurred.
The King's Men standing stone which was previously burnt by the tire attack has been significantly chipped on the top. The King Stone notice, where previously cracked, has now been broken off completely. The warden's hut has again been attacked. Cavity Wall foam was sprayed into the collection box, and also into the locks. This subsequently solidified, breaking the locks and rendering the collection box unusable. An oil fire used by the wardens was lit and placed next to a wooden cabinet and a gas cylinder within the hut, with the obvious intention of causing an explosion.
These attacks apparently occured on the 9th December according to the warden on duty. The police are now willing up increase the charge from one of Arson, to Arson with Intent. However, they have no real leads. The only solution may be to install CCTV cameras at the site, which no one really wants to do.
This damage continues a sad tale of vandalism at the stones over the last few years: in 2005, yellow paint was spread over every stone in the circle. In 2006, the warden's hut was burnt to the ground in an arson attack. This was subsequently replaced by a Portacabin. In 2007, A tire was placed on a stone and burnt, the sign at the King Stone was attacked and the Portacabin was broken in to. Now stones have been chipped, the signage damaged further, and the portacabin damaged once again in another arson attack.
Source: Heritage Action (4 January 2008)
Read More... | 3 comments | | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Monday, January 07, 2008 (10:32:53) (249 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Workers left cross with goings-on at 'haunted house'
GHOSTLY goings-on at a Manchester care home are being recorded by the city council after staff are said to have been petrified.
For 10 years, there have been reports of things going bump in the night.
And a care worker was so scared that she drew a cross in felt tip on the wall in a private staff bedroom. But she now faces a disciplinary hearing – for allegedly damaging property.
It is understood that two members of staff have reported experiencing paranormal activities and town hall bosses have now asked council workers to record unusual happenings at the house.
The frightened woman worker had neatly drawn a crucifix at the property where two adults with learning disabilities live.
It is claimed staff had been left petrified by banging noises, flashes of light, items moving and being poked at while they lay in bed.
But the worker was sent home by bosses from Manchester City Council’s social services department and initially accused of gross misconduct, wilful damage to property and displaying a religious image.
She was reinstated the next day and all of the charges except the damage to property were dropped – but she has been told there will be a disciplinary hearing. The hearing has been postponed as the woman is off work with stress.
The property in Blackley is staffed by five people and one has to sleep over every night. The council do allow staff to have religious images with them – such as a crucifix – while on duty sleeping over.
A source said: “For the last 10 years, there have been reports of paranormal activity at the house - banging, noises, light flashing around rooms, things moving and even reports of staff being touched. A member of staff took a crucifix and put it on a wall in the staff bedroom. Staff felt safer and the activity subsided for a while, but then someone moved the crucifix.
“Then there was a disturbing incident, with heavy banging in the kitchen and no one there.
“Soon after, a member of staff came on duty and was worried about the incident and having to stay overnight. She drew the cross and ended up being suspended. She did it in all innocence to protect herself.
“The cross was in a private bedroom to which no one has access except staff. Everyone is in total disbelief that she could be treated in this way.”
The cross was drawn where the crucifix had been and council investigators took photographs of it as evidence.
The case is being treated as vandalism, as the house is owned by the adults who live there and need 24-hour care.
A council spokesman said: “The council does not believe in paranormal activity and we are dealing with this purely as a case of damage to property.”
http://www.middletonguardian.co.uk
Read More... | 1 comment | | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Saturday, January 05, 2008 (10:34:59) (244 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scotland's Whirling Goddess or the Holy Grail?
STARING into the terrifying thunderous tumult of the Corryvreckan whirlpool, it's easy to see why its sheer primal energy has fascinated people for centuries.
Now Edinburgh folklorist Stuart McHardy has suggested a startling new theory - that the awe-inspiring natural vortex between the islands of Scarba and Jura in Argyll and Bute was the true origin of the Holy Grail.
At its wildest, some say the whirlpool forms a spectacular swirling cauldron 300 feet wide and 100 feet deep. The cause is hidden beneath the waves – a giant rock pinnacle rising from the depths to within 95 feet of the surface. Water on the seabed is forced upwards when it hits the submerged rock, causing huge waves. The noise can keep the neighbours awake up to 20 miles away.
Read More... (4.43 KB) | comments? | | Score: 0 |
Posted by Autumnlady on Tuesday, January 01, 2008 (12:48:21) (319 reads)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coppermine Stats
DW Gallery
 Albums: 21
Pictures: 84 · Views: 1791 · Votes: 35
· Comments: 23
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
DW Members
Search
Web
Membership:
Latest: 
New Today: 0
New Yesterday: 1
Overall: 128
Online Now [1]:
Visitors: 1
Members: 0
Page Views:
