Many of the members of A'r nDrai'ocht Fe'in: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. ("ADF")
have come to accept most of the following beliefs. However, it's important to remember that not everyone would use the term "belief" in reference to these concepts, and that every concept mentioned has a wide variety of accepted interpretations within the organization.
Thou Art God/dess
We believe that divinity is both immanent (internal) and transcendent (external), with immanence being far more important for us to pay attention to at this crucial phase of human history. Deities can manifest at any point in space or time which They might choose, including within human beings (through the processes known as "inspiration, channeling," and "possession").
Goddesses and Gods
We believe that divinity is as likely to manifest in a female form as it is in a male form, and that the word "Goddess" makes just as much sense as "God." Women and men are spiritually equal, and "masculine" and "feminine" attitudes, values, and roles are of equal importance.
Polytheism
We believe in a multiplicity of gods and goddesses, as well as lesser beings, many of Whom are worthy of respect, love and worship. We have a wide variety of nonexclusive concepts as to the nature of these entities. While some of us believe in a "Supreme Being," Neopagan Druidism is emphatically polytheistic. We have no figure of ultimate Evil.
Nature Worship
We believe that it is necessary to have respect and love for Nature as divine in Her own right, and to accept ourselves as part of Nature and not Her "rulers."
Many of us accept what has come to be known as "the Gaia hypothesis," that the biosphere of our planet is a living being, Who is due all the love and support that we, Her children, can give Her. We consider ecological awareness and activism to be sacred duties.
Cautious Technophilia
We believe in accepting the positive aspects of Western science and technology, but in maintaining an attitude of wariness towards the supposed ethical neutrality of that science and technology. We also consider it important that scientists (like everyone else) pay as much attention to their means as they do to their goals.
Religious Freedom
We believe that monolithic religious organizations and would-be messiahs and supergurus are a hindrance to spiritual growth. We believe that healthy religions should have a minimum amount of dogma and a maximum amount of eclecticism and flexi- bility. Neopagan Druidism is an organic religion, and like all other organisms is growing, changing, and producing offshoots.
Positive Ethics
We believe that ethics and morality should be based upon joy, love, self-esteem, mutual respect, the avoidance of actual harm to ourselves and others, and the increase of public benefit. We try to balance people's needs for personal autonomy and growth with the necessity of paying attention to the impact of each individual's actions on the lives and welfare of others.
Religious Toleration
We believe that it's difficult for ordinary humans to commit offenses against the Gods and Goddesses, short of major crimes such as ecocide or genocide. Our deities are perfectly capable of defending Their own honor without any need for us to punish people for "blasphemy" or "heresy."
The Good Life
We believe that human beings were meant to lead lives filled with joy, love, pleasure, beauty and humor. Most Neopagans are fond of food, drink, music, sex, and bad puns, and consider all of these (except possibly the puns) to be of spiritual value. However, we do not approve of addictive or compulsive behavior and we support people with dysfunctional histories who have entered appropriate recovery programs.
Magic and Mystery
We believe that with proper training, art, discipline and intent, human minds and hearts are fully capable of performing most of the magic and miracles they are ever likely to need. Magical/miraculous acts are done through the use of what most of us perceive as natural (some say "divinely granted") psychic talents.
Liturgical Art and Science
We believe that there is an art and a science to creating, preparing and performing worship rituals. Our worship celebrations are continually evolving as we search for the most intellectually satisfying, artistically beautiful, spiritually powerful, and magically effective rites possible.
Connecting to the Cosmos
We believe in the importance of celebrating the solar, lunar and other cycles of our lives. We consciously observe the sol- stices, equinoxes and the points in between, as well as the phases of the moon. Such "rites of intensification" are human universals, as are the various ceremonies known as "rites of passage" --
celebrations of birth, puberty, personal dedication to a given deity or group, marriage, ordination, death, etc. Together these various sorts of observations help us to find ourselves in space and time.
Born Again Paganism
Many of us believe in some sort of afterlife, usually involving rest and recovery in the Otherworld before reincar- nating. We have no concept of
"eternal" punishment, refusing to worship deities who could be that cruel.
Hope and Action
We believe that people have the ability to solve their current problems, both personal and public, and to create a better world. Our utopian vision, tempered with common sense, leads us to a strong commitment to personal and global growth, evolution and balance.
Mystic Vision
We believe that people can progress far towards achieving personal growth, evolution and balance through the carefully planned alteration of their "normal"
states of consciousness. We use both ancient and modern methods of
concentration, meditation, reprogramming and ecstasy.
Community Responsibility
We believe that human interdependence implies community service. Some of us are active in political, social, ecological and charitable organizations, while others prefer to work for the public good primarily through spiritual means (and many insist on doing both).
Authenticity
We believe that if we are to achieve any of our goals, we must practice what we preach. Neopagan Druidism, like any other religion, should be a way of life, not merely a weekly or monthly social function. So we must always strive to make our lives consistent with our proclaimed beliefs.
Cooperation and Defense
We believe in cooperation and ecumenical activities with those members of other faiths who share all or most of these beliefs. We also believe in resisting efforts by members of dysfunctional religions who seek to persecute us or suppress our human rights.
There's more to our beliefs than these few details, of course, and a great deal of variation in how these beliefs are extended to cover other topics. Some of our members are pacifists and others are in the military; some are animal rights activists and vegetarians, others are carnivorous hunters; some are committed to conservative and others to alternative life styles. We actively encourage everyone to apply these principles to the practical questions of their daily lives.
(c) 1993 c.e. by A.D.F.
Contents may be freely reprinted by Neopagan media, including BBS's, provided no editing is done and this copyright notice is included. 9306.02
For more information about ADF, contact:
P.O. Box 516, E. Syracuse, NY, USA 13057.
Alternative Tarot
One of the more useful alternative card layouts was one published in the book
'Choice Centered Tarot' by Gail Fairfield, and I thought I'd share it with folks here:
[Numbers represent order the cards are laid out in, 1 being first]
10
Key Factor
9
Probable Result
7 8
Resource for step Interference to step
6
Needed Step towards goal
5
Goal To Seek
1 & 2 3 & 4
What's wrong at Present What's right at Present
Interpretation: The concept of 'right' and 'wrong' is meant as being what is the unnatural and natural events and people in the situation you are reading for to help identify hindrances to the most useful goal to go towards (5).
(7) is a Resource that is present or that must be tapped by the person(s)
involved to achieve the goal, while (8) is any interference, such as personal procrastination or a financial setback that is hindering the movement towards the goal. (9) represents where things may lead towards once the goal has been reached and (10) is a key factor overall to watch for while dealing with the whole 'big picture' of the reading.
Why use this layout? Well for some it is easier to deal with the present more than to reflect on the three states of time (past/present/future) and it is also easier for some people to center themselves by dealing with thoughts as a seried of goals to be reached and then moved past to other things. This layout is more Jungian in construct than magickal, that is it is designed to work well with the psychological triggers of the human mind to assist in making decisions.
Do I use it? Occasionally, and I also use a Variant Celtic Cross and a few other patterns (some of which I may present later), as well as occasional 'free form'
reading forms [Which I've had described as looking much like old fashioned programmers flow charts for computer programming]. It depends on who I'm reading for, the circumstances of the reading, the deck I'm using and the kind of question(s) I'm trying to help them answer for themselves.
This article is excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal. Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by High Plains Arts and Sciences;
P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co., 80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original author.!
POWER ANIMALS
by Alernon
Come to us: Eagle, Wolf, Bear and Cougar.
Dance we now The Power dances.
Eagle soaring above the peaks,
Share with us freedom, majesty and fighting skills.
Teach us lessons we need to learn.
Dance with us The Power dances.
Wolf, cunning tracker, by day or night. Share with us endurance, courage and adaptability. Teach us lessons we need to learn. Dance with us The Power dances.
Bear, trampling along earthen paths, Share with us Mighty strength and sense of smell. Teach us lessons we need to learn. Dance with us The Power dances.
Cougar, lonely tracker of terrains, Share with us Agility, stamina and endless curiosity. Teach us lessons we need to learn.
Dance with us The Power dances.
Movements slow
Movements rapid.
Frenzied swaying
Upward, downward.
Dipping, turning
Round and round.
Dance we now
The Power dances.
Dancing partners,
You and I.
With me, in me
I am you, you are me.
Together as one,
Yet separate, too.
Dance we now
The Power dances.
Awaken now
All Spirit Beings,
To dance the dances
With your human kin.
Dance the Cycles
Of Life and Death,
Hope and Fear,
Good and Evil.
Dance the Cycles,
Now and Again.
Lowerworld, Upperworld,
Journeying now
and forevermore.
Of Time and Space
All is Once,
There is none.
Dance the dances
Again and again.
.......from R.M.P.J. 8/86
Procedure for Removal of Lower Vibration Energies
Conscious Astral Projection, requires you to remove the "lower
Vibration" or "Negative Energies" from your physical and mental self. Failure to do this will no doubtly result in a non-fulfilling experience. Most of the time, unless you release these energies, you are not able to consciously project in the fullest capacity.
I have used these techniques, and have had a very good response by their usage. However, you must follow the steps completely. If there is any chance of fatigue, postpone this procedure until you have rested fully, and can function with a clear head...
PREPARATION:
A quite place to recline undisturbed, without the chance of fatigue..
PROCEDURE 1: Relaxing the inner self...
1. Do not cross your legs or wear tight fitting clothing that might cut off your circulation in any way.
2. Relax you body and clear your mind from the conflicts of the day..
3. Allow your mind's eye to picture a special place..this can be a beach, meadow, or other calm tranquil place of your choice.
4. Imagine that it is a clear day, the sun is warm, and there is a slight breeze blowing across your body. You feel the breeze toss your hair slightly...
** After you achieve a peaceful feeling, proceed to step 2 **
PROCEDURE 2: Cleansing the inner self...
1. Follow the steps in procedure 1 first...
2. Imagine that your body is a glass container, what ever shape you desire... It is helpful at this point to just use your image.
3. Allow your body to fill itself with a warm, orange colored liquid.
There are several major negative energies to concentrate on, however we will use the most common at this point.
4. It is important that you notice the feeling of the liquid, and that it is a pleasant feeling of warmth.
5. Allow yourself to concentrate on the feelings of ANGER, JEALOUSY, HATE, GREED, LUST, and VANITY. You must think of each negative force and release each one into the liquid slowly, one at a time.
6. After you have released the lower vibrations into the liquid, notice in your minds eye...that the liquid has now thickened a bit. It is changing colors from orange to a darker color.
7. Allow your fingers and toes to become as a spicket...allow the liquid to ooze out from your container slowly. You notice a feeling of tranquillity after it is released. Again, do this slowly and note the changes in yourself.
8. Now that the liquid has completely dispersed. Draw on the energies of the light from the sun to fill your glass container. As you do this allow your container to take on the form of your physical body again.
9. The energy from the suns white light is beginning to RADIATE! You must say this to yourself 3 times..."RADIATE RADIATE RADIATE"..
10. You begin to feel the white light fill your body with its pure energy.
All of the lower vibrations are gone, and you may now continue onward with your pre-astral plans...
I trust that your experience was a pleasurable one, and that you will pass along this document to someone that could benefit from its use. If you find that it has helped you...why not leave me a note describing your feelings on the subject, on Astralite...
