I was quite hesitant about producing “the usual” summary of the year. It has clearly not been a normal year. In fact, I would go as far as to say that the first half was good, but the second half took a much more dark and difficult turn. I’m not used to that.
In all the years I have been reporting on my druidic life the challenges have always been ones of motivation, problem-solving and spiritual doubt. This year “life”, or rather “death”, stepped in a took hold of the reins for a while. The power of The Crone has been almost overwhelming in the dark half of the year.
Nevertheless, I want to fulfil my expectations of producing a summary of where things have been going over this year. It can be a valuable tool for catharsis and for orienting oneself at the start of the new year. I’m going to do it all as three posts – this one concentrating on the themes, and the next concentrating on the quests. Finally, I will show my interpretation of the tarot that I drew at the start of the year, and see whether it foretold any of the events.
The Dominant Theme
As I was compiling this post I had a random playlist running in the background. Coldplay’s song “The Scientist” started playing at the moment when I began to write about Kal. The words brought a tear to my eye as I remembered my disappeared friend. He did like to consider himself as a scientist. A seeker of knowledge.
Kal’s death in August was clearly the defining moment of the year. For both of us! It took me a while to recover from that. I think I still am, and it won’t be until I’ve been through a year’s cycle that it will have worked its way out, I think. Let’s see.
I’m not going to turn this post into a eulogy, but I need to say a few words about Kal from “the inside”, as someone who was privy to his thoughts and witnessed his deeds. Kal was the bravest person I’ve ever known. He was always challenging himself on every level – physically, mentally and spiritually. My hope is that I can continue in that vein – to challenge myself to excel and to be as brave as he was. New worlds, new people, new ways. That’s my pattern for this year. I’m going to seek the new, and to re-test old ideas to see if they are worthy now.
Themes of the Year
I started the year in a cave experimenting with new shamanic companions, leading them to a place of energy, and which I knew would suit them. This would be reflected later in the year as I finally took a group out on a megalithic tour. Responsibility, sharing, openness, guiding others. New themes for me this year. All linked with this being an “Arthur” year – leadership, boldness, courage, new horizons.
The Morrigan made herself known to me. At Imbolc while meditating in the depths of a dark forest she came through the fire, and then has re-appeared all year, especially after Kal went. Her dark presence has been felt but not yet faced, I think. This may be my opening theme of 2016.
The Solar Eclipse of Spring showed me that everything could get turned on its head in a moment. Subtle energy polarity switched for the duration of the event. Of course, that was also reflected in Kal’s demise – how everything can quickly change. Change, and sudden change, must be be expected and embraced, no matter how disorientating.
Interpreting the signs. I had foreseen Kal’s death while visiting the Llangernyw Yew tree. I mis-interpreted it as a close family member, but that’s what happens with trying to turn a feeling into words. It would be someone very dear to me, as though related by blood. All year long I would reliably get signs and then equally reliably I would take the first superficial interpretation of them and assume I was right. When the events got realised I would then see that with a bit more care or investigation I could have got a more accurate knowing.
Here are some examples of the signs that now can be interpreted as a shamanic process of unburdening and preparation amidst the signs of death:-
- Predicting a death at the Llangernyw Yew in March
- Seeing a dark angel at Dale Hermitage in March
- Having a theme of sudden death, immortality the power of pyramids on a holiday in the south of England.
- Cailleach smashes the timeline of Kal’s DNA and destiny
- A vision of Kal’s future gets wiped from his mind!
- Drawn to a gravestone and being with The Dark Lady at Loughcrew
- A final visit to Alderley Edge to shed all burdens, and discover that everything was ready for the big event
In Ireland Kal had also learned to interpret the signs. His most astonishing story of the year encompassed this idea as a gold coin was magicked away! Magick can sometimes be about deception. We are not always the magicians, sometimes we are the audience.
Ancestors. I seem to have been working with my ancestors throughout this year. Firstly it was felt at Beltane at Vale Crucis when this stirred up a memory of my first ancestral quest years before, then I did more work with those ancestral spirits a Summer Solstice in Ireland. The same theme was in operation for Kal too, for example at Dinas Emrys, and his plans to visit his ancestral homelands.
Reparations. Kal and I had spent much of the year going back over old energetic mistakes and ensuring that their consequences were set right now that we were much more experienced in such work. We felt that the slate had been wiped clean when we finished, and we both breahted a sigh of relief. It was like unburdening our souls!
So many of these themes were shared. We had come so far together that our fates had become entwined, our paths crossing continuously. Until we finally walked the same path and Kal peeled off to take his own course. The Union became the Division. This is the natural way of things. We will meet again.
