bardry

3CG Bardic Performances

I’m part of Three Cranes Grove Bardic Group. I was the Grove Bard, until the position was passed over to the very talented Mike Bierschenk in 2017. We are a collaborative group that writes and performs songs (outside of any solo work), both liturgically in ritual, as well as in concerts organized for livestreams or festivals. So, while I’ve tried to post some of my songs separately, I would be remiss to exclude the contributions to my creativity and my work. Besides, I like to promote the good stuff that others are doing.

Continue reading “3CG Bardic Performances” →

Seeking Peace

This sonnet was written as an interpretation of a divinatory reading. I asked “How might [person] find peace in their current situation?” I received Epsilon, Rho, and Tau. The first quatrain interprets Epsilon, the second quatrain interprets Rho, and the third quatrain interprets Tau. The final couplet is the three taken together. I would like to experiment with this style of reading more. I’m drawn to the idea of “prophecy in verse” and enjoy working with Euterpe in this way. It requires a certain amount of time to write the sonnet after taking and interpreting the omen, but I found it worthwhile, and it allowed me to delve deeper into meanings and explore more poetic language as a Seer.

“Seeking Peace”

Come together now and tell of your dreams:
Of desire and the fire within,
Of cool waters, the deep and flowing streams
Shining with blessings as they swirl and spin.

Know sweet Nature’s song is quiet and strong:
A patient voice that nurtures. It carries
on the wind, whispering that you belong.
Walk this path slowly, as the way varies.

Companions by your side, they come and go
as they must, each teaching you a lesson.
Be not afraid, for as they leave, you grow.
A tree: reaching the dawning sun again.

Join with a patience, the long view showing
Peace in acceptance, even when going.

Immortality Through Bardry

Many of us hope to live in such a way that we will leave the world a better place that we found it. But even if this is the case, even if you manage to leave some lasting, positive impact, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be remembered for it. It doesn’t mean you’ll be remembered at all.

One of the things that I find the most comforting about Our Druidry is the concept of Ancestor veneration. When we die, we don’t have to lose touch with those who are still alive. And when we’re alive, we don’t have to lose touch with those who have died. We may lose touch for awhile, especially close to the time of transition, but transition is a confusing time, and we often lose touch with people when one of us is at a transition point in our live.

We maintain contact with our Ancestors by remembering them, honoring them, and sharing their stories. This is one of the reasons I think Bardry is so essential to My Druidry, to my practice as a pagan. This importance is two fold. As a bard, it is important for me to be able to learn and share the tales of those ancestors. They are remembered and honored when I tell their stories and share the works they have done. When I continue to participate in and pursue their Vision, I honor them. As a bard, I also hope that my own works will be remembered after I have died. The songs and stories and essays that I sing and tell and share. They are a part of me and a part of my practice and a part of my Vision. I hope that I can be remembered through them.

Last weekend I and four other ADF bards spent a large chunk of our time at the Trillium Festival learning a song by Bess Closs, the daughter of Anna Gail. She died a couple of weeks ago in a car wreck, just shy of her 19th birthday. This song, “A Kindred Prayer,” she wrote when she was 12. It starts out with a fairly simple melody line, and then adds in harmonies and counter-melodies as the song progresses. We learned all the parts and sang it at the memorial for Bess, as well as recorded it.

The five of us have already decided that we are going to again rehearse it and sing it at Wellspring this year. We’ve added it to our repertoire to be sung when we are together. And through that continued sharing, Bess will be remembered and honored, and share in our continued honoring of the Kindreds.

“I sing of your virtues, I sing of your flaws.
I sing of your life so that you may live on.
Live through my words and live on through my line.
Love will circle ‘round and keep your soul alive.”
~ from “A Song for Your Passing” by Rev. Jan Avende