TWO WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL
Birth, Marriage and Death. Hatching, Matching and dispatching as the saying goes, The wheel of life and or death, Just some of the Rites of Passage a Druid is called to preside over,
The reason, the more astute of you will have noticed, that you did not receive a September rant is because I was busy riding up to the land of the Northern Folk on the Iron Steed to perform a Hand-fasting that weekend, as I did also at Stonehenge Autumn Equinox. More Primrose Hill than Notting Hill though, both couples having connections to that area of London.
As for the Funeral, I am often called upon to preside over the scattering of Ashes and/or the funeral service.
One of our Warrior Priestess's Katie Cunningham past recently and I am to attend a Church Memorial this week of Kate Fielden a member of the Stonehenge Alliance both of whom passed recently, and both of whom will be sorely missed and our thoughts must be with their respective families. Death is always present.
Blessings of Adults and Children and Baby naming is something I am oft' times called upon to do at Gatherings and Celebrations and is all part of the Duties of a Druid and Pagan Priest, and this month past likened to any other has been no exception.
Other Rites of Passage I preside over are by way of Initiation, and some take what we may refer to as the 'long route'. Raised Page at seven, Squire, at Fourteen, Knight at twenty one and Druid seven years later, It was one such person I raised Warrior Priest (Druid) at Stonehenge this Autumn, and another whom I 'Blessed' for her Sixtieth Birthday and 'Raised' Warrior Priestess.
These Rites of passage are milestones in our lives and are to be cherished and remembered for many years to come and I am always Grateful, Humbled and Proud to be part of such monumental occasions and will bring a mixture of solemnity, Humour, and Merriment to each occasion in various degrees dependent on what I believe the occasion and participants desire. A form of Alchemy. .One I am certainly practices at; One I do not take for granted; One which changes Organically as I conduct the Ceremony, and One I always question after the event, But thankfully One I do tend to get right.
Aside from Priestly Duties I have been putting in a lot of hours tending to the Iron steed, the old girl's a quarter of a century now and many things (Cables) need replacing, always strapped for cash they tend to break as did the speedo cable which I replaced before riding up to Norfolk and the Clutch cable which I managed to find in Germany and await the arrival, so any help with funding to keep this show on the road is deeply appreciated,
I leave you with a photograph from the Hand-fasting in the Land of the Northern Folk, check out my social Media for photo's from Stonehenge.
Blessings from the Front
Arthur /|\