-dom suffix denoting condition or state, as in freedom, wisdom state of being free, wise, passing to the sense of domain, realm, territory
I have noticed that I have passed into a sense of a domain, too. I have passed through one state of being – always learning – into a state where knowledge is beginning to coalesce and interlink. In my previous state of mindfulness my synapses fired randomly, seeking out links but finding few connections except coincidence. Recently, these coincidences and seemingly random pieces of information have begun to weave themselves together using the wyrd of the world until I can begin to travel like a spider along their fine and newly-formed threads to reach junctions, correlations, realisations.
I believe that what I am noticing is a passing from one stage of druidry into another. I have begun the move from neophyte to initiate. Oddly for me, at one level this means moving into a tutorial role – I am beginning to come out of myself in order to teach others the beautiful things I have found. That’s partly what this blog is about – you get to travel with me on my excursions and to be privy to some of the secrets that I uncover. This year has already shaped up to allow me to teach people on a one-to-one basis too. I am in the process of setting up a web site from which I will be contactable for tuition or consultancy. A major step for me. There is also the promise of two dowsing courses to be taught this year. Another prospect I could not have considered last year, and not simply due to modesty, but to a true belief that I was not in any position to teach yet. Now I feel more confident about it.
Stages of Learning
When I began my learning process I thought that there were only the three traditional stages of druid learning – the first being Birch, then Yew, and finally Oak. These three trees do indeed seem to have framed my first three stages of learning. Now I have reached the Oak stage I think things might work a little differently to what I had anticipated. This is certainly not the last stage of learning, so one of three things may be happening:-
- The spiral begins again and I go back to the Birch level, but at a higher state of learning, and I learn in more depth the lessons that I needed to undergo at that stage, and so on the the other two stages too.
- The Oak stage is further sub-divided, like the divisions in martial arts when the student reaches Black Belt, and an area of specialisation begins to develop. This would mean that the Oak stage could then continue indefinitely as more and more skills are refined, or deepened by further learning.
- There are other trees to learn from and thus many more stages to go through before I reach any level of competency. In some druid systems there are twelve (zodiacal) or twenty sacred trees that could all symbolise (indeed ‘personify’) teachers in their own right.
At the moment my intuition is that the last idea feels the most correct for me. I feel that I will develop an affinity for other trees at various stages of my druidic training and that I will learn skills and lessons from each of them at some time in the future. However, both Kal and I have noticed that we are moving around in spirals of understanding, so maybe there is an element of the first concept happening to – that we are going back to things we thought we had learned but learning more about it at a higher or deeper level. It’s all very intriguing. Only time will tell.
As it stands now I have passed into another level of freedom – the freedom to be more …me. This is the “IS-DOM”. I am more assured of my knowledge and how it all works together than I was only last year. This is the coming of the “WISDOM”. However, there is no end to the learning process, that is another aspect fo acquiring wisdom – knowing that you know little, and offering everything you do know to anyone because you have established your sense of self.
Why am I telling you this? Self-promotion? Glory-hunting? Fishing for compliments? None of that. Reflection. If you too are in my position then it may be time for you to stand up for yourself, be proud of who you are and who you are becoming. On this path of Druidry may you discover your inner Is-dom and forever walk the eternal path toward Wisdom.
Please tell me your feelings and thoughts on your own progress this year. What are your hopes, expectations, and how have you felt yourself grow? What do you think about the stages of druidic learning – which feels right for you and why?
Gwas Myrddyn, Hedge Druid, growing in his gnowing.
Resources:-
- A Zodiac based upon twelve sacred trees : The Celtic Zodiac
- “The Religion of the Ancient Celts” by J.A.MacCullough – Chapter 13 – Tree and Plant Worship
- The Sacred Grove Project run by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
- Celtic Tree Worship on Wikipedia
