Druidry for Beginners – Spiritual Cartography

Druidry for Beginners – Spiritual Cartography

What?

Let me explain.

As we step out on our spiritual path the road ahead may look straight, or it might only be a short distance before the way disappears into the mist. We may be happily walking along when we begin to notice side routes that lead off into less well-trodden areas of the forest. If we are feeling adventurous we may well leave the main path and go exploring. We may have built our own point from which we start each meditation and to which we return, or we may just open our inner eyes each time and see where we are before we go exploring.

In a physical sense our spiritual journey can be like a dream. How many times have I woken up remembering my dream, not writing it down (thinking I will remember it), only to have the details melt away like clouds burning off on a Summer’s day. How many times have I forgotten lyrics that had come to me, or a melody that I just knew would make a great basis for a new song only to forget it completely? That is before I began to write things down, and recording stuff.

That’s what I mean by Spiritual Cartography.

I started writing my magical books back in the late 80s. I wrote down experiences, rituals, the results of pathworkings, everything. At the time I just thought it was interesting to keep these records. But now, 25 or so years later, I find myself reading those books every couple of years. They remind me of my Journey. Where I started, and where I have been. If I hadn’t written those things down much of those experiences would have been lost to me. But now, each time I read those books, memories return, visions return. It’s invaluable.

So if you’ve been doing the senses mediations from the first post in this series, and maybe you’ve built your home altar, I would suggest that you buy a nice book, and keep a record of your Journey. You might have been doing this for years and haven’t written anything down. Give it a go. Write stuff down, as it happens. Don’t wait a week, for even then some of those feelings and memories will have faded. You can write it on a computer of course, but for me reading my own handwriting 25 years on adds to the power of those memories.

Start to build your map.

Start to take note of your Journey.

If you’ve already been doing this do let us know how it’s helped in the comments below.

5 responses to “Druidry for Beginners – Spiritual Cartography”

  1. I left Druidry for Heathenism for six years. At the time, I thought it was my final destination. Eventually I made a choice to return to studying Druidry, but the depths of the path of Heathenry are very different from those of modern Druidry. Luckily I had been recording dreams, thoughts and experiences for about 15 years. I went through them all, and it reminded me what and why and how. It’s been about a year, and while I still work on getting back to routines those writings were invaluable.

  2. As someone studying the OBOD Bardic grade I have been keeping a journal of my experiences. One of the few things I don’t record is my own rituals that I’ve come into as my practice has developed. I sort of viewed it as giving up some of the power of those words and actions. I hadn’t been taking the long view of the journaling process though. Thinking about it I can see the value of keeping a record of them. How they’ll change over time, what works, and what doesn’t. Thanks for pushing me a little further down the path!

    Blessed be, may harmony find you!

  3. I have been doing this for years and have wonderful memories and amazing experiences and yet I never wrote any of them down. Thank you for saying, simply, “give it a go….”

  4. In my 30+ years of practicing paganism I have taken many of these side paths you speak of. I have always been a searcher for spiritual knowledge and wisdom, even as a child, and this constant thirst has taken me into many places some would fear to tread. But always along the way there have been the journals. Sometimes I would simply write down the experience as it happened and sometimes it would take the form of a poem. I find that sometimes the words come easier in the form of poetry. Some experiences are so ethereal that they don’t express themselves well in prose. Later when I go back to read them I find some hidden wisdom among the metaphors and analogies. I firmly believe in the concept of the muse and when one picks up a writing utensil and puts it to paper magical things can happen. As any writer will tell you, sometimes it feels as if someone is dictating to you or has control of your hand as you write. Maybe it’s a spirit, a god or maybe it’s our own inner wise one, but who ever it is they are far wiser than we consciously are. It is good to let them help us. Sometimes we write things we aren’t aware of at the time and going back to it can bring an aha moment. I have literally said to myself while reading past writings, “Did I write that?”

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