Below are the 6 most recent journal entries recorded in dedicant_herne's LiveJournal:

Monday, March 21st, 2005
10:50 pm	Ostara Tonight I performed a simple ritual at my makeshift alter in my new home. I meditated for a time on the meaing of the equinox, the balance between light and dark, and the rebirth of so much life around me (especially here in Alaska). I performed a simple divination using the Ogham, with the following signs being given: From the ancestors came Uillean, whose meaning is The Kindreds, especially of Nature; From the Spirits of the Land came Ifin, whose meaning is drawing things together and binding; From the Goddesses and Gods came Coll, whose meaning is Wisdom and Intuition. I take this to mean that through Kindreds, especially the Spirits of the Land, I will be drawn and bound to Wisdom and Intuition. This seems to me to be a favorable omen, and I seek to understand it more fully. As life is reborn all around me in this time of Spring, I seek to rekindle the life within me as well. I mark this day as a day of reconnection-with myself, with those arond me, and with the Earth. May the Blessings of the Ancestors, the Spirits of the Land, and the Shining Ones be with us all this Ostara-tide. Biodh Se! Current Mood: calm Current Music: Crystal Cavern-Gabrielle Roth & The Mirrors-Ritual (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 24th, 2005
11:50 pm	Incredibly Overdue Posting I am ashamed to see that it has been almost 6 months to the day since last I updated this journal. It has been a fruitful, busy, tiring, and exciting 6 months. For a better idea of what's going on, look at my other LJ, herne_in_ak. Anyway, suffice it to say that activity on this LJ will pick up the pace very soon. Lot's of good energy and good ideas. Tonight, however, I am too tired to say much more. Day 2 of the big move is tomorrow, so I'm off to bed. Blessings Current Mood: tired Current Music: The Crone's Lulaby-Gwydion Pendderwen-The Faerie Shaman (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 30th, 2004
2:16 am	Full Moon Ritual Tonight I did a Hallowing ritual, as the moon was full this evening. I was hallowing and consecrating my staff, which I have now dedicated to Druidic and ritual work. The staff itself is one that I cut on my own property, about four years ago. After peeling the bark, I have been letting it sit and season through four summers, falls, winters, and springs. So it has tasted the elements, with temperature ranging from -30˚F to 85˚F, with winds howling up to 130 mph, or blowing gently. After four years of this, it was ready, and so was I. I finished shaping and smoothing the staff, polishing it and decorating it with a triskel, and then mounting a beautiful amethyst crystal point in the end. So that brings us to tonight. I performed the Hallowing Ritual from Ian Corrigan's "Symbols and Rites of Druidry," making the appropriate offerings to the Land Spirits, the Ancestors, and the Gods. I consecrated the staff with oil, and using my Ogham sticks, received the Omen from the Kindreds. It was good, with the Omen speaking of communication, new beginnings, and rebirth. I will post a picture of my newly consecrated staff soon. As a closing note, I will relate what happened later this evening. I lit a fire outside once it was dark, and was enjoying its warmth and light as the full moon rose over the mountains to the South. As the moon was rising, the Aurora glowed faintly in the North. I just drank it all in, and felt it was a good ending to a good day. Current Mood: peaceful (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 25th, 2004
12:31 pm	Lammas I thought I'd post link to the entry I made in my other Live Journal about my Lammas ritual this year, and my thoughts on it. The entry can be found here. Lammas, or Lughnasad, is the festival of the first harvest, marking the final days of summer and the first days of autumn. It is a time to offer thanks to the Goddesses and Gods, the Spirits of the land, and the Ancestors for the gifts which they give us. It is appropriate at Lammas to make a sacrifice of some sort, such as the one described in the link I posted earlier. Living in Alaska, the cycle of the seasons is experienced daily, as the amount of daylight waxes and wanes, and the harvest of fish, game, and fruits and vegetables come all too soon. In fact, one could make an argument that for those of us living this far north, Lammas is the principal harvest festival, as it coincides with our main harvests of salmon, moose, and berries. My comments on the power of the Lammas rite that I celebrated this year can be read at the link posted above. I found this ritual to be especially meaningful, as it resonated with the power that I had felt at the Rite of Offering done at this year's Starwood Festival. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Gwydion Pendderwen-We Won't Wait Any Longer (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 23rd, 2004
10:20 pm	Wisdom Wisdom has many meanings for many people. As defined by the ADF Dedicant Program Manual, wisdom is “Good judgment, the ability to perceive people and situations correctly, deliberate about and decide the correct response.” Simple enough, eh! So, how does one apply this understanding of Wisdom in “the real world?” This brief essay will be an attempt to answer such a question. In my own life, there have been times that Wisdom has seemed scarce. Certainly, when confronted with challenges that were or are out of my range of experience or knowledge, I have felt a distinct lack of Wisdom. For example, as I raise my two children, there are times when Wisdom is defined more by my children than by me! But other times, Wisdom seems to flow through me, coming from some inner well that I am not always able to access. In these times, I do feel as if I exercise good judgment, and can perceive people and situation correctly. Let me try to explain what I mean.. In my professional life, I am a counselor. My job consists largely of sitting and listening to people talk about their lives, and helping them to discern the right course for them to achieve wholeness. Now I would be lying if I said that I always felt “Wise” when counseling my clients, However, I do feel that my ability to perceive the life situations of my clients correctly is Wisdom of a sort, and in doing so, I help them to decide the correct response to their situation. My Wisdom comes not from my ability to fix their problem, but in helping them find the Wisdom within themselves. So, what is Wisdom? Perhaps it is nothing more than acknowledging what you do not know, while helping others discover what they do know. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 19th, 2004
7:45 pm	My Dedicant Journal This will be the online repository for all of the documentation required for my completion of the ADF Dedicant Program. I will be posting regularly, and look forward to hearing from anyone and everyone who reads these words. /|\Triple Blessings/|\ Current Mood: optimistic Current Music: Laura Powers-Winter of Dreams (2 Comments |Comment on this)