The Spirituality of my Journey

 

Hello my fellow travellers

I was having a chat with a dear friend of mine and the subject of spirituality came up, which got me thinking, they said to me that they had wished they had become more spiritually aware when they were younger and how frustrating it was that it had taken so long for this side to really kick into their lives.

I was laying in the bath the other night and started thinking more about this, surprisingly I do some of my best thinking when I am laying in the bath, I don't have any lights on, (nothing to do with the cost of living but it is a good saving) I have incense burning and usually some medatative music. I travelled back in my mind to when I was young and care free roaming around the woods, in a way I guess this is where my spiritual side really started to develop although I was completely unaware of it at the time. The more I thought about my friends words and their frustration about not finding this sooner the more I started to look into it.

I guess its like the old saying a time and a place for everything. I thought more about this and began to think that obviously when I was young it was a time for me to be free from worries or deep spiritual thoughts, a time to be a child and play and learn about having fun, more serious things could wait. It would have probably been the wrong time for me to get too deep into spirituality because my mind wouldn't have been developed enough to fully appreciate the ins and outs of these processes.

With all things, I have found as I have journeyed through my life, things happen for a reason, the universe has its plans and subconciously we all fall into these. I'm not saying we aren't masters of our own destinies, I guess I am just saying that everything we do and everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I'm no psychologist so what I am saying is probably going against all sorts of rules and laws of the human mind, but as I say with all my blogs these are just my thoughts.

Let's look at my initial journey into Buddhism, this came about because I didn't like the idea of being told Christianity was the be all and end all of everything, I had grown up in a Christian household, not strict, but Sunday school, grace before meals the usual thing all of which I had no real interest in, especially when you are standing in front of the whole congregation in just your pants swinging around a little bit of string pretending to be David of David and Goliath fame, (yes that really happened). Looking at it though, if this hadn't happened, then it probably wouldn't have led me to look closer at another belief when I had to do my project at the age of 13ish, which would lead me on to reading about Buddhism and later on to my true path, that of a Druid.

All this time goes by with things happening, but it isn't until I started looking into it that I suddenly had the realisation that all this was meant to happen and it was meant to happen to me when it did, any earlier I may not have appreciated what it was all about and any later and I may have been too old to really do too much about it. Is this making sense? I really hope so.

So to try and round this off slightly, if I can, I think what I am trying to say is, no matter where you are on your journey, whether it be inquisitive about Druidry/Spirituality, already starting on your path as a Bard or further on, whatever is meant to happen will happen. Please take your time and don't try to rush or force these things, all will work out in the end. Look at a flower (I love looking at things in relation to flowers as you can probably tell) You plant the seed and you wait, if it is meant to be it will germinate and start to grow, if the seed is planted at the wrong time it will lay dormant for a little while until the time is right and then it will germinate and start to grow, and as long as you let it run its true and rightful course you will end up with a beautiful array of flowers, but if you try and force it, the chances are the results will not be as glorious as you wanted. This is the same for your spiritual path, the seeds have been planted now you wait for the right time for them to germinate and grow and believe me it will be worth it.

I appear to be rambling on a bit today, but does it now make sense?

I will leave it there and let it start to work its magic.

I was thinking while writing this what would be a good poem to end on, then I thought about the oak tree, I know I had previously shared the short story I turned the poem into, but it might be the right moment to share the poem, I know it is pretty much the same thing but the oak is an important part of my journey. To a Druid the Oak is a sacred tree, the very word Druid means "one with the knowledge of the Oak" so excuse my repetition and enjoy this one from me to you, and remember that the wisdom of the Oak spans many centuries and it started from a small acorn, much like what we have been looking at in this blog.

 

THE MIGHTY OAK

A mighty Oak in splendor stood

As I approached his leafy hood

I politely bowed and said my name

And gave the reasons why I came

In silence I waited for a sign

And there beneath his mighty shroud

To be allowed within this shrine

My eyes now closed; my head now bowed

I sat in quiet contemplation

And cleared my mind of all temptation

Breathing deeply in and out

To natures heartbeat all about

I heard the wind and felt the rain

Birds would sing a soft refrain

Through darkest night and brightest day

And there I knew I had to stay

To gain the wisdom from the tree

That was now protecting me

I ask oh mighty Oak of thee

To share with me the things you see

Of knowledge from the days gone by

Of strangers that beneath you lie

Of birds that nest in branches high

The secrets of the sun so bright

Their fledglings that from you first fly

And of the moon who lights the night

As each new day begins to pass

I hear the whispers from the grass

The birds now come and sit with me

And sing me songs of what they see

Oh, mighty Oak I feel at last

I have gained the knowledge from the past

And slowly starts to make me whole

A knowledge that relights my soul

The wonderous pictures fill my eyes

Of land and sea and spacious skies

I’m filled with a newfound energy

As mother nature welcomes me

and feel a very special bind

Man and tree once more entwined.

 

Thank you again my friends for staying with me, if indeed you are. I will never know, for all I know I am writing this for myself, but I sincerely hope not.

Take care for now

Blessed be /|\