he Bell Branch Once you have developed a relationship with your birth tree, and have lived with it for a year and a day, you should know it well enough to befriend it. After your period of Dedicant study of Druidry, the Bell Branch will be your first magical tool. Should you decide to walk the path of Druidry, you will select a Bell Branch to begin your journey. The Bell Branch is not just a tool of Druidry. It is also a symbol of the journey of a Druid. It is a living record of the life of the Druid who carries it, and a reminder of the sacred journey. In ancient times it was said to have been a silver tree branch with gold bells upon it. It is used to summon the Spirits of Place, and to chase away any negative influences. The Bell Branch is used to open and close rituals, or to purify a person on a spiritual level. The music of the Bell Branch unites this world with the Land of the Living, the Otherworld that lies beyond. As Manannan Mac Lir is said to have described this land, “There (The Otherworld) is nothing but truth, and where there is neither age nor withering away, nor heaviness, nor sadness, nor jealousy, nor envy, nor pride.” This land is known to the Celts as Tir Na n’Og (pronounced ‘TIR-nah-nog’). Some Druids choose to see the Otherworld as the realm of the unconscious mind, where all our memories are stored. In either case, the Bell Branch is used to open the gateway. Because of the Bell Branch’s magical power to unite the realms, its music is said to remove troublesome and depressing thoughts from those who hear it. For this reason, when designing your Bell Branch, select bells and chimes that produce a sound that is pleasing to you. To make your own Bell Branch, return to the tree with which you have developed a relationship during the year of your Dedicant studies. You may be tempted to cut your Bell Branch from your tree before you have spent a full year with it, but remember that your patience will be rewarded if you wait. The more you know about your tree, the more powerful your Bell Branch will be. When you have spent a full year and a day with your tree, you may wish to have a small celebration. Invite your Druid friends if you wish, but let them know that this is a sacred occasion. To begin your ceremony, ask the tree if you may take a branch, and wait for an answer. Once you have found a tree that will offer you a branch, examine its branches until you find one that is right, and cut it. It should be no longer than your arm. When you have taken your branch, don’t forget to leave an offering or a libation for the tree. Take the branch to your sacred space. Make the branch your own by carving your Druid name into it. If possible, learn the Ogham alphabet well enough to be able to write your name on your branch. Decorate the base of your Bell Branch with colored ribbons. Traditionally the branch is decorated with colors representing the Four Directions, but this is your branch, so the colors you use should have meaning to you. There is no right or wrong way to adorn your branch. When you have attached ribbons to the branch, complete this rite by attaching a single bell to the branch. This bell represents your initiation into the path of Druidry. Now shake the branch and announce to the cosmos that you have begun your journey! As rites of passage occur to you on your journey, add bells to your branch to remind you of these events. A wedding, the birth of a child, or the death of a loved one can all be me memorialized on your Bell Branch. As your branch is used for rituals and ceremonies, you will be carrying the memories of these sacred events and rites of passage with you. Each shake of the Bell Branch will recall these events and will carry the significance of these memories into the Otherworld for the Ancestors to hear.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 03:10:40 +0000
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