Aontacht ISSNVolume 2044-1339 4, Issue 4 Sacred Places Aontacht • 1 Volume 4, Issue 4 aontacht creating unity in community Z 3 Contributors Page 8 Jenne Micale Feature Interview 5 From The Desk Richard Fox Editor 7 News from the Druidic Dawn 15 Sacred Space and Sacred Place Management Team Charlton Hall, MMFT, LMFT Nigel Dailey Druidic Dawn Representative 24 Cape Split, a sacred part of Nova Scotia's Ocean Playground 31 Community Calendar Debra Lewis 35 What is in our next issue 27 Swallow Spring Llewellyn ap Dafydd 17 Nature as Living Story: Lectio Divina in the Natural World Alison Leigh Lilly 23 Sacred Vision 26 Tea Tree Oil 30 Shadowland: Wales 3000 – 1500 OBC Cover photo: Under the Oak © Faye Boyd Aontacht • 2 Volume 4, Issue 4 aontacht Contributors creating unity in community Editor Richard Fox Jenne Micale is a writer, singer, priestess Co-Editor and musician whose endeavors include the Vacant ethereal/wyrd music project Kwannon Production Manager Druidic Dawn Rep. and, in former times, the wyrd folk band Nigel Dailey Belladonna Bouquet. She us a member of Feature Editor - Wild Earth the Henge of Keltria. Alison Leigh Lilly Feature Editor - Formulary Faye Boyd Feature Editor - Poetry Llewellyn ap Dafydd was born in the par- Sarah Ward ish of Llanwonno and brought up in the Publisher mining valleys of South Wales. He now Druidic Dawn, CIC lives in self-imposed exile in a Yorkshire Original Layout Design Aestas Designs full of the reminders of its days as a part of aestas.dieromantic.com the ancient kingdom of the Celts. He is the General Inquiries author of the Wisdom of Rhiannon, All questions, comments and et- (www.wisdomofrhiannon.co.uk) and can cetera can be sent to the follow- ing address: be contacted at [email protected] [email protected]. Advertising At the moment we are offering ad space. To the community of Maya St. Clair resides in Kuwait, is an Irish Druidic Dawn. This is subject to change. Polytheist, and a mechanical engineer with a love of history, mythology and culture. Aontacht is published four times a year by Druidic Dawn, CIC. She is editor of the Oran Mor, the official Aontacht, Volume 4, Issue 4 © newsletter of the New Order of Druids. She 2012 Druidic Dawn, all rights re- served. All contained content is also serves on their Council. Maya is an copyright to its respective own- Irish Gaelic student and regularly writes a ers, including art and photos. The wide variety of articles and book reviews contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in on Celtic and religious topics. part without the consent of the copyright owner. Charlton Hall has been on the Druid path Environmental Benefits since 1979. He is a Family Therapist, jour- Statement Aontacht magazine is only nalist and author. Charlton Hall, MMFT, available online as a free .pdf LMFT, aka Sencha the Druid, was initiated download; thereby saving into the Emerald Coast Grove of Druidry trees, water, solid waste and greenhouse gases. It is de- on Samhain 1979 in Pensacola, Florida. He signed on an Energy Star rated is the Chief Druid of the Black Mountain computer. Druid Order and the Executive Director of Opinions and views expressed the Culture Artist organization are not necessarily those of (www.cultureartist.org) the editors, publisher or staff. OAontacht • 3 Volume 4, Issue 4 Editorial Notes Contributors You do not have to be a Caroline Queen of Celtica has a great love of member of the Druidic nature and meditation, and lives in Y Drenew- Dawn community to submit ydd in Cymru, in the beautiful Welsh moun- to the magazine. tains. Presently runs the record label Great Please submit contribu- Oak, with a mission to create a sustainable tions directly to the edito- green Celtica, filled with Great Oaks and High rial staff via email to: Consciousness. [email protected] Faye Boyd has been interested in Nature and all Refer to the last page of things Celtic for many a year. She is a member this issue for writer’s guide- of OBOD, Druidic Dawn, Ord Brighideach lines and more informa- International, Celtic Reiki Master, Hot Stone tion, before you submit Therapist, Guided Meditations and is a spoken inquiries or contributions. word artist. Fae resides in Canada. Below is the theme for the next issue Debra Lewis is originally from Nova Scotia, Canada and has lived in the Northwest of Eng- land since 2005. Currently studying the Ovatic path of Druidry with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Deb also works as a medical labo- ratory assistant with the NHS. Debra other great joys include writing, online shopping, baking and ceaselessly reading fiction. Alison Leigh Lilly resides in the lovely, thrice- rivered city of Pittsburgh. She devotes her time to cultivating a spiritual life founded on peace, poesis, and attentive engagement with the inner and outer landscapes of wildness, wilderness and nature in all its complexity. She explores these themes through essays, poetry and photography, and her work has appeared in a number of publications both in print and online. More information about Alison and her work can be found on her website: alisonleighlilly.com Sarah Ward (Heddwen) is a Pagan Priestess who lives in the mountains of Mid Wales. She practices an earth based spirituality and en- joys poetry, writing, mask making, belly danc- ving and walking in the sacred landscape. Sarah is a member of OBOD. Aontacht • 4 Volume 4, Issue 4 News from the Aontacht Production Team where spiritual and metaphysical ceremonies and cultural passages were marked for many genera- tions by our ancestors. Think of the stored up This issue of Aontacht is focused on sacred sites. memories and power that must reside there. But what is a sacred site and what makes it sacred? That said, some sacred sites may be energized by In many cases, the site has unique physical features shorter duration, but high intensity activities that where natural forces are more potent or present. took place there, like the passing of a powerful Every natural hot spring is special in this way, Priest, Priestess or King. though few would class every hot spring as a sacred site. Some people believe that Earth herself (GAIA) purposefully communicates with us at sacred In other places, like the vapor caves of the Oracle places. In other situations it might be a place of Delphi, the unique and very potent characteris- where she is doing her evolutionary magick and is tics that were found there reacted with humans in observed by us. a profound and mystical way. As to why GAIA might step forward at any partic- In many cases, it is these powerful activities like ular place, far be it for us to know the will and those at the Cave of Prophecy that occur at these ways of GAIA, the four billion year old intelli- special physical places that combine to make a spot gence and spirit of our planet. sacred. There are surely many ways to define sacred sites Most of us experience to varying degrees the in- beyond my brief structural look. tense power that exists at sacred sites. I believe this power is often built up by powerful forces In his book Places of Peace & Power for instance, being played out over an extended time. A nature- Martin Gray lists 32 categories of sacred places based example is the feeling you get when you are including: standing in a grove of extremely large and very Ÿ Ancient ceremonial sites, such as Machu old trees, like the Redwoods and other legendary Picchu in Peru, species. Adding in human based activities, anoth- Ÿ Ancient astronomical observatories, such er example is the power that is gathered up in a as Stonehenge in England, ceremonial area like many of members and friends Ÿ create and use in their spiritual practices. Beyond Sacred mountains, such as Kailash in the today's use, think about the old Druid oak groves Himalayas, Aontacht • 5 Volume 4, Issue 4 Ÿ Human-built mountains, such as the Great Go visit this sacred site, where Bards were trained Pyramid in Egypt, and Druidry in Wales last bloomed. Visit in rever- Ÿ Sacred bodies of water, such as Lake Titi- ence where the Romans destroyed the sacred oak caca, on the border of Peru and Bolivia, groves after slaughtering all who lived on this legendary Isle of Power. Ÿ Oracle sites, such as Delphi in Greece, Ÿ Labyrinth sites, such as Glastonbury Tor The island has been almost barren of trees ever in England, and since the razing of the groves by the Romans. But Ÿ Sacred islands, such as Iona in Scotland. now, due to the strong leadership overlooking the island these days, a reforestation project has been I believe that many of these and many other sacred successful and as part of those trials, the first new sites still retain a direct link to those past activities oaks have been restored to Bardsey Island. Let us and the people who lived then and that much of join in visiting and welcoming these new trees and their accumulated power lies dormant, yet capable especially the new oaks who are descendents of of being accessed, explored and revitalized. the Sacred Oak Groves of Bardsey Island. Who can say what memories are waiting out These new and relatively frail oaks are a living there? What memories might be tapped of past bridge to the great oak groves that once grew Druid, Pagan and other earth based spiritual paths there. Let us work to keep them healthy and and practices? strong and awaken the memories of power and the presence of our past great teachers and caretakers.