Sorry I haven’t posted in a while–I got married at the end of September and so I was busy with wedding planning! After that I started a temporary job which only lasted two weeks, so now I have time to post.
I completed the Dedicant’s Path of Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF) on March 14 of this year. Last Tuesday, October 15, I submitted my letter for the next step of my training–the Initiate’s Path (IP). ADF’s IP is a training program that is much more in-depth than the DP, especially in the areas of trance, magic, and divination. I will also learn more about ADF liturgy and myths of the Indo-Europeans. The IP is a very personal path, one that only I can walk. I expect to be confronted with my deepest fears and my happiest dreams. If you would like to read my letter, I will be posting it at the top with my First Oath and Dedicant’s Oath shortly after I finish this post.
There is a discussion period of at least two weeks after the letter is submitted to determine my suitability for the Path of the Initiate. This time period will also see a review of my Dedicant’s Path work to determine if it is the required caliber. I plan to begin reading for the course I plan to undertake first, Divination 1, while I am waiting for my letter to be approved. I’m also getting back into weekly devotionals (finally!) starting today, later in the afternoon. I will probably post a recap of the ritual here afterwards.
This past Thor’s Day, I did a divination with my new oracle deck, the Vibrational Energy Oracle by Debbie A. Anderson and Heather Brewster. I’ll be honest: the name of the deck, along with the booklet it came with, is pretty New Age. However, I found the illustrations spoke to me in a way the runes and various tarot decks have not. I mostly use my own interpretations from the pictures, and only turn to the booklet when I am really not sure of something.
Back to the divination. The question I asked was: What should I expect from the IP?
This was my result (apologies for the blurry picture; it’s from my phone):
I needed help with Perfect Storm, so I turned to the booklet. My interpretation of this is that it is the right time for a sudden change. A storm is perfect when all the necessary elements are in place, resulting in an intense natural phenomenon. This extends to my decision to complete the IP.
Homeward Bound says, to me, that I will find my true spiritual home after completing the IP. The IP itself is the Path that will lead me to this home.
Finally we have Rain Dance. An innocent child is seen dancing in the rain without a care in the world. The rain symbolizes the difficulties I will face along this Path, but I will be the child–delighting in the knowledge and experience I will gain about myself and the Path I have chosen.
I feel that taken together, the results of my divination indicate that beginning the IP is the correct thing for me to do at this time, and this Path will be difficult, but worth it.
The Druid's Cosmos 