The Mad Trad-Traditions of One Modern American Druid
My friend the old head
There is a split between the Personal Spiritual communication- connection We Honor ,Work and Love,
and Our Habits, customs,practices, traditions and beliefs we learn and share with others.
Our Language, Our systems of understanding, World view, notions of reality,
Things that seem very intimate and personal to us, are in fact not Our Own.
It is not Our property, It is not Our Ideas,It is not Our discovery.
We, the living, only share,
and know, there is Conflict in claiming.
Who is the Head of the governing Body ? are their thoughts , opinions ,
memories truly their own?
Can they speak for themselves?
To the best of My memory,The current Arch Druid Announced that he had received Material from the Widow of the founding Arch Druid,on one or two of it’s many E- lists.
Bone fragments of the Father of the Cyberhenge and Author himself.
Everyone wanted a little piece of Him.
I composed a reply ,to the thread, in which I suggested that the “ fragments of the founder” be individually scanned ,bagged and numbered, named.
These pieces should perpetually be considered the property of the Religious organization,
They could be shared, if safely kept, and unaltered. Like a Library Book,
enshrined relics for display. inspired by the temporary housing ,not the possession and ownership of the object.
There was no reply
I built and fired two big porcelain skulls that could have served as containers, that would have nested inside a wooden Head of the Founder, that could have been a monument, if the Religious organization actually owned a piece of land to keep it on.
Our ability to Direct our focus , Move our awareness, Give of our attention,
is Life Sacrifice.
If I remember correctly ,The current Arch Druid posted that He had taken it upon himself to let the remains go privately ,to some special ,scenic place, in some public park ,
somewhere out West.
There should be something on the organizations extensive Web site, The sort of sacred space Our Own Druidism has invested in!
I don’t think any remains were deposited at the closing memorial for the Founding Arch Druid at the Gathering that hosts the Members Meeting.
That Place, Our Old Sacred Center seems to have grown from a recreational seasonal exhibit operator at a Neo-Pagan Theme Park. A place where the Religious Organization’s collected Hopes and Dreams have met the cool squishy Mud.
Lots of bodies ,lots of heads, in a clothing optional place of pilgrimage,home of the east coast’s biggest Pagan Party.
Playing , Community, Tribe and Family , Cultural Festivals,conventions and gatherings, Hosting,event organizing,Religious organizing, Hub of a larger Social Scene .
The Location and the Organization, Head counting, an emphasis on commercializing Festival , Vendor, Exhibitor ,Space. and competing for scheduling and attendance,Time and Traffic.
Again claiming
To possess, own and occupy are inherently divisive , extractive means of distributing energy of the commons to the individual consumer.A comodifying of the Two dimensional plane, The Land ! Mapping is recognizing artificial boundaries and divisions. Systems of Humans, not the order of nature, or life forces of the Earth,
It is about Human control, a renting of space from which you hope to earn a livelihood, or camp is an expectation. This is not the collective pooled resource being celebrated or defended. It seems to have strayed from the Pot Luck Pagan , Stone Soup Spirit.of collective , collaborative, creative sustenance into a social economic system and strata.
A sense of “Special” and “Service” that was more Market than Magic or Mystic.
It was in that kind of Environment that the organization’s Dedicant program was dreamed,decided and developed, The notion of getting or giving Credit.
Apparently the Organization has been renting a Shed that acts as our Museum for a number of years.
I think this started happening with the fourth Arch Druid,
who got Me back up to that Place , That Sacred Space,the last time over ten years ago
where I was Ordained as Clergy,
where I was anointed Chief Artificer, by the Founding Arch Druid ,Ten Years before that.
Where The Private Property Owner, the Founding Arch Druid and I made that a special spot.
It was not claimed for the organization
it was claimed for a function
A Sacred Depository , a Holy interface, a space that was not Ours to claim as our own. In the Earth Mother We Trust.
Now that the second Arch Druid, the Vice Arch Druid that the Founding Arch Druid turned the office over to, has developed His Private Sacred Space, the Gathering which hosts the annual Members Meeting may take place there, the Clergy retreat has for years.I slept on the floor of His Home, in front of the fireplace at the only Clergy retreat I have attended, many years ago where I was given a Stole embroidered with My name , contract manufactured by the current Arch Druid.
I learned from a on line-list poll on preferred dates for the next Clergy retreat, from some newish Clergy who I don’t know.
She will not be attending the next retreat ,as She has committed to organizing the main ritual at a private pagan,( invitation only) Gathering, that is taking place ,ridiculously near My out of the way home, at the Center, that I am, an off site – on call instructor for their educational programs.
I doubt that the current Arch Druid may have pieces of our founder stashed away in his Sacred enclosure- Bed and Breakfast , that has a crowd sourced shrine to a liminal God concluding it’s drive for contributions.
He has just announced He will not seek a new term as Arch Druid, He will pass on the Arch Druids Sickle , held in it’s leather sheath ,I hand painted, to a new Head of our organization , A new Arch Druid to be nominated ,elected and installed somewhere.
Where is the White Beret of the Founder?
Where does the Organization keep what it values?
Perhaps fund raising is the main function of a not for profit religious organization as was suggested at the last board of directors retreat.
Praying at the Altar of Commerce?
Is that what a Professional Priest Does?
collect contributions for the cause? pass the Hat around?
