G&R's 2020 Retrospective: Judith O'Grady
"Hail and Farewell, Goddess!
We surely are about to die."
Yesterday, December 4th, 2020, we had to say goodbye to our beloved writer and friend — Judith O’Grady.
Her legacy will forever be etched on our hearts
With heavy hearts, we announce the peaceful passing of Judith O’Grady on December 4th. Loving mother to Matt DeBarth and David DeBarth, sister to Gail Cavanaugh, loving Nana to four grandchildren. Head of Lake of Oaks Grove, ADF. Author of God-Speaking and a regular contributor to Gods and Radicals.
She’s dancing in Tír na nÓg now.
— Matthew and David
Judith O'Grady: a retrospective
“Hail and Farewell, Goddess!
We surely are about to die.
Caught in a trap that we have made.
Some few are listening, yes.
They have raised a hue and cry,
And have launched a failed crusade.”
But world leaders and their minions,
Counteract the people’s will.
Dig coal! Pump oil! Use more plastic!
This is an offering to Her, the bouquet
wrapped in a holder made from the receipt from the Food Bank.
They tout out their flawed opinions.
Remake the Earth into landfill,
‘Till all the world and seas are sick.
You can’t cover all the ramifications of a new and different world in one essay; these are just a few ideas. I could also write about religious and magical practices, talking to the local ecosystem, and planting nut and fruit trees now as a guerrilla and perhaps afterwards as a contribution to what will become the commons.
It’s on everyone who comes out the other side to make a better world.
[Here you will find our first Photo Essay, by Judith O’Grady.]
Our Druid Grove tries to be respectful to all— not just the Gods and the land and the season but also all of the various peoples on Earth. We routinely acknowledge the original inhibitors of the land and the Watershed we are on, and often have a Working for what people are doing locally and globally (the pandemic, the children in cages, one of our members graduating from college).
So it seemed obvious to ask for Larger Allies for BLM. Our ritual and beliefs include the Kindreds, or not-gods, as well as the Pantheon […]
We talk about what I/we do (I do the making, as you can see he does the hoicking). I love discussion, I find it clarifies the ideas and points out errors in logic—it’s like the moment that you read the poem you’re working on out loud and suddenly the flaws leap out into your ear.
He says:
“But don't we talk to the Gods every time we go to the shore?"
“We talk to the River Spirit and the Goddess of the Urban Animals, that's not such an undertaking. At this level, we have to talk to your dedicated God, Manannán mac Lir, and also The Great and Terrible Queen about the topic. Addressing the Great Gods is a different undertaking...."
Householder is, for me, the tipping point of personal religion because I garden. In gardening I have gone from being a rabid de-grasser, wildlife supporter, and native plantings proselytizer further into the mystical zone, acknowledging my Paganism by entering into communication with the Spirits of my yard and the Spirit of the tiny watershed I live in. This leads to communication and obligations undertaken for the Larger Gods, the Goddess of the Wild Animals and the Sea God, Manannán mac Lir, Whom I see as also presiding over the StLaurence Seaway, the huge watershed that my little local creek drains into.
I communicate with my surroundings and the Spirits and Gods of my surroundings as a Druid, the other half of my spirituality. These are my roots, although I selected the Irish Grandmother from Inishskea (may she be singing with the angels) from among my several mongrel-Celtic ancestry choices.
Some animals live largely unthinking lives governed by instinct. Chickens, for example. Butterflies; cold-blooded animals like snakes etc; insects in a huge way. Living by instinct (clearly the numerically popular choice) allows you to react very quickly to your prompts and to not need much care as an infant but it rules out learning by experience. Instinctual animals generally keep going by having lots of babies that are also a food source for someone else. Their Species Spirits watch over them and comb out the threads of generationally-driven shift.... dark-coloured moths in response to dirty air, food choice shifts in response to population failure, et al. Instinctive animals also make good signalment; the Butterfly Spirit can move around a butterfly to act as an ‘omen’ and ze will hardly notice; hir free will is barely ruffled. Whereas if Raven Spirit is asked to or wants to use a raven as an ‘omen’, negotiations have to be undertaken with the chosen raven and agreement obtained.
May be that the human nation,
Will hear a sound begin to swell. Ringing out Earth’s detestation, Singing humankind’s death knell. She may start a new gestation;
The Earth may build a different shell.
Not blank and bare, as is the Moon,
But full of wings, leaves, and water. Perhaps, though, we will change our tune; Turn away from filth and slaughter; Weave ourselves a safe cocoon;
Make ourselves better than we were.
I have no clear idea how Druids acted, believed, and worshipped in the Olden Days; not much instructional lore exists because Druids had a gease
(like a taboo but which was something that they might have to do as well as being forbidden to do and also varied from person to person)
against writing down their religion, dogma, beliefs, rituals, etc.
But I have read about history.
Before Modern Times common people mostly stayed where they were born all of their lives. Even as late as Pre-Industrial Age most non-noble, ordinary people travelled 15 miles or less from their home-place in all their lives. Travel was difficult and news disbursal was slow; so only what happened in your neighbourhood was well known. Then Market day would permit news from the surrounding area and near villages and towns to be traded along with speciality goods. Big fairs once or twice a year brought further news, imported goods, and professional performers.
More classes of people went to big fairs so the news would be different in scope. On market day you would talk over your own tradespeople, farmers, and miscreants but at a Fair the news would include kings, far-away wars, clan fights, all that constitutes history. Before Common Era you might see a Druid or hear what the Druidic opinion was about the history.
I was in the depths of Morning Meditation (dozing) and the thought came into my head that our Druid Grove doesn’t have a specific processional for MidSummer (this is one of my ongoing projects). Suddenly my head was singing a protest song from my teen years (I was in the March on Washington in 1967).
“Hardly appropriate to Longest Day.” I thought. ...more singing, with Fierceness added. I listened harder. “O, You have volunteers for the fight against the caging of children..... I see.”
Our processional song is now ‘Like a Tree Standing by the Water, We Shall Not be Moved’ with some new topical couplets in the verses. I also changed the Statement of Purpose:
Guiding Druid: Why are we here?
All: We are here to honour the Gods!
Guiding Druid: As our ancestors once did, so do we do today, and so will our children do in the future. This is the Holiday of Midsummer.
The Great Mother Earth will, if we don’t act fast to clean up our lifestyle as well as start behaving as if we all sink or swim together, flick us away with Her fingernail. There are no more new frontiers of resources and land, there are no more Empire-building plans to gradually educate the others into Proper Whiteness being accepted, there are no more excuses that we were just acting according to our nature and that the blame really lies in the actions of the victims that will be allowed. It’s the End Times for us. What is true in small is true in large: when I used to be testifying inside the conservative small-town system I would ask the women who had just, at the coffee klatch or the Tupperware party, identified their husband as ‘treating them well’, “When you all go out as a family and have a day of adventure together, who drops into a chair with a sigh of relief when you get home and who goes and starts dinner?” Once you see it you can never again unsee it. Further, if you see the imbalance of one act/attitude/ bigoted belief you may suddenly see it all.