Journeys: Thoughts from a Druid Path

Journeys through the world around us, from a Druidic perspective.

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Living in the Way, Part 2: The Terrestrial Way

 

The Terrestrial Way

 

The Terrestrial Way is the way of the Sun and the Moon. This way too, is found overhead. Although it may be classified on the same level as the Solar Way, it is closer to the Earth. The Terrestrial dance is the like Astral dance. This dance, however, seems closer to the Earth.

 

               In as much as the Moon is concerned, it IS of the Earth. The Moon is the child of the Earth. Birthed in some great upheaval eons ago, the Moon is the fruit of the Earth. Perhaps the reason that the Moon is so closely attuned to the feminine side of things, in some cultures, is in this principal of birthing.

 

               The Way of the Moon is the way of cycles and phases. In its unending movement from New to Full and to New again, the Moon moves on and on in its lunar rhythm. It is the luminary of the night sky. It is the evening’s light-bringer. The Moon moves through the night sky like a pale Sun. It mimics the Sun, it is the Sun’s alter ego: luminous, circular, rising and setting, nomad of the Zodiac, tidal force. As the Sun’s light occults the stars during the day, so does the Moon occult the stars at night.

 

               Yet, how many never see the Moon? How many never see the way of the cold orb? The dance is always a four-stage dance: new, first quarter, full, last quarter, and back to new again. On and on, counting out the lunar year, the Moon swings and forth across the evening sky. The power of a full Moon, rising from its Eastern home, is awe-inspiring. Yet, many do not take the time watch the movement, nor listen to the rhythm of the passing Moon. This is a heavenly body, suspended in the sky, medal of the firmament! Grow to know the Moon and her many faces: she is the bridge between the evening world and the world of the stars.

 

               The Way of the Sun is the way of the world. It is a way of cycles. The Sun is the ruler of the world. The Sun is the ruler of the world. The cycles of the Sun are the cycles of Man and of the waking world. All time is driven by the march of the Sun. Day and night are delineated by the rising and setting of the Sun. Rise and fall, rise and fall, like the waves at sea driven by the Moon, and the progression of days rise and fall with the rising and the setting of the Sun. The Sun, many-named God of the ancient world, bringer of life and light, growth and warmth, the sun is surely the most powerful force in the sky. For millennia, the Sun has set the pace for life on Earth. Man, in his attempt to control his own destiny, mimics light, much as does the Moon at night. When the Sun gives forth no heat and light at night, man uses electricity to provide, to mimic the Sun. However, even with the mighty role that the Sun plays in everyday life, the Sun is still a stranger to many. To see the rising of the Sun in the morning is a powerful thing. Night retreats from its ever-present darkness to give way to blazing day. The Sun is the real fire, lighter of the skies. It is the bringer of hope and growth. To see the Sun set at night, to see the Sun move past the edge of the horizon, swallowed by the Earth, replaced by the evening counter-Sun. At sunset, the waking day draws to a close, and the lessons and the events of the day may be summed up. Learn to greet the day as it awakens. Feel the warmth of the Sun as it makes its way up, up in the East. Feel the day slip into night as the Sun exhausts itself in the West. Rise early to great the Sun, heralding the new day. Look to the West to see the day fade and night advance. As the day wakens, ask the gods for success in life and success in one’s endeavours. As the day wanes, thank the gods for success and the chance to see another day.

 

               The Sun is the light-bringer, torch against the vaulted sky. The Moon is the light-bringer, mirror of a darkened sky. To feel the rhythm of the Sun and Moon, to feel the pulse of day and night, is to feel the rhythm of the terrestrial world.

 

               The pagan way is the way of the Sun and Moon. The pagan way is the way of darkness and of light, of brightness and reflection, of waxing and waning. It is the way of the tides, ebb and flow. It is the way of Earth, morning and evening, dawn and dusk, and then dawn again. All that rises, falls – only to rise again.

 

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I am a long-time pagan and charter member of ADF, Ar nDraoicht Fein, a Druid Fellowship. I am a Senior Priest in as well as the Arch Druid of ADF. I am a Druid of the Third Order, RDNA; Druid Grade, OBOD; and a Second Degree Druid Companion in AODA. I love Druidry!  

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