I have decided to give the full texts of the daily observances I used previously, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN). These Observances are clearly not the only way to do these kinds of daily prayers. I give them just as an example of how I began my own monastic work, and so that they may provide some helpful ideas for others beginning along the same path. Late-Evening Observance ‘Wise Crone of the Winter Mound’ by Jill Smith (Original was in black and white only) (On lighting the shrine candle) ‘Bright flame, fragment of the eternal and ever-lasting fire, symbol of the Divi ..read more

I have decided to give the full texts of the daily observances I used previously, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN). These Observances are clearly not the only way to do these kinds of daily prayers. I give them just as an example of how I began my own monastic work, and so that they may provide some helpful ideas for others beginning along the same path. Dusk or Evening Observance Sunset (Picture already in my computer when I bought it) (On lighting the shrine candle) ‘Bright flame, fragment of the eternal and ever-lasting fire, symbol of the Divine, I welcome you.’ (Facin ..read more

I have decided to give the full texts of the daily observances I used previously, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN). These Observances are clearly not the only way to do these kinds of daily prayers. I give them just as an example of how I began my own monastic work, and so that they may provide some helpful ideas for others beginning along the same path. Afternoon Observance (This follows my Midday or Noon Observance) ‘Ker, Mother of the Grain’ by Foosiya Miller (Original in black and white only) (On lighting the shrine candle) ‘Bright flame, fragment of the eternal and ev ..read more

I have decided to give the full texts of the daily observances I used previously, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN). These Observances are clearly not the only way to do these kinds of daily prayers. I give them just as an example of how I began my own monastic work, and so that they may provide some helpful ideas for others beginning along the same path. (I am sorry that this is out of sequence. I was getting ahead of myself and mistakenly posted the Midday Observance in the previous post! The Late-Morning Observance fits in between the Dawn Observance and the Midday Obser ..read more

As I continued working with the daily Observances I began to add to the spoken words used. I tended to draw inspiration from the OBOD Druid ceremonies which I was working with seasonally. For example, at the beginning of the Midnight Observance I began to use the opening; ‘Facing the place of the starry night sky, of midnight, of Alban Arthuan, of winter, I greet the spirits of the North and of the Element Earth. Dear Spirits, I send you my love and greetings and ask that my Intuition might shine within my Spirit.’ This was followed by a short visualisation connecting with the Element Earth, v ..read more

By this time (a few years into my Druid monastic practice) I was wearing habit-like garments; a long shift/dress, a shorter tunic over that, and a cowl and hood over that. I also had a rope-type belt. These were all black as that seemed the most practical colour (it doesn’t show the dirt as lighter colours do and it is easier to match it for patching and mending). Black felt like a sacred colour relating to the dark and fruitful Earth and to the darkness from which all creation came. There was also the mention of the Druid women on Angelsey described as wearing black during the Roman attack re ..read more

Once I had the basic four-fold structure of daily observances relating to the Solstices and Equinoxes in place this then brought up the subject of, what have come to be called, the ‘cross-quarter festivals’; Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhuinn. Observances corresponding to these festivals could be fitted in between the four main Observances each day. In order to keep things manageable I decided to keep these extra Observances to set times; the Early-Morning Observance I added on to the end of the Midnight Observance, mainly to allow for a sensible amount of sleep; the Late-Morning Observ ..read more

I am now in a position to re-start posting so I am continuing with short pieces describing the development of my Druid monastic practice, begun in 1996, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN).  It might be worth looking again at the first post on this blog which describes the beginning of this process.   My prayer times, which I called ‘Observances’ at that time, did develop further to use spoken prayers and invocations of various sorts. I began to add to the Observances by first adding a list of what I called ‘correspondences’ at the beginning of each. These were base ..read more

Beginnings, beginnings, how to get started? Although I am now with the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN), a contemplative Druid monastic Order, I had been working on my own, developing a Druid monastic practice, for some years prior to that. I became a novice with the OSN in 2010 and took my full vows in 2012, but I had been studying monastic practice, mostly Christian monastic practice, since the 1990’s. I looked at various Christian monastic Orders, mainly the Benedictines, Cistercians, and Carthusians, looking at their daily timetables and forms of prayer, as well as other aspects of their ..read more

I have decided to give the full texts of the daily observances I used previously, before I joined the Order of the Sacred Nemeton (OSN). These Observances are clearly not the only way to do these kinds of daily prayers. I give them just as an example of how I began my own monastic work, and so that they may provide some helpful ideas for others beginning along the same path. Noon or Midday Observance (Photograph of the Midday Sun above the trees of a local park) (On lighting the shrine candle) ‘Bright flame, fragment of the eternal and ever-lasting fire, symbol of the Divine, I welcome you ..read more