What then have we learned about Awen? We know that it is a flowing spirit, a kind of life essence, a source of spiritual strength, prophetic insight and poetic inspiration associated with deities called Ceridwen and Taliesin in Britain, and Brighid and the Dagda in Ireland, all of whom are associated with magic cauldrons and intoxicating liquors. It is quite likely that individual tribal groups had their own deities associated with the `flowing spirit.’ Meadhbh and Dana have already been mentioned, and it seems not unreasonable to suggest that our Druid ancestors regarded all deities as sources of, or conduits for, Awen. We have seen that Awen can manifest in a variety of forms such as liquid, a hawk, a woman, or the taste of honey on the lips. We also know that it can be contacted by drinking from the cauldron of the Goddess, by singing or chanting, by controlled trance induction, by vision quest, or by sensory deprivation. Modern Druid groups also use various forms of meditation, visualisation and ritual. The ways in which we have envisaged Awen have, perhaps, made it seem occult and mysterious, and so it is, yet its inspiring energy is all around us if we can but learn to sense its presence and open ourselves to its gifts. It may be experienced in the thrill of standing on a windswept hilltop, or walking through a moonlit wood, or by the sea-shore, or being out in an electrical storm, or performing ceremonies at ancient sacred places, where it accumulates like water running into a hollow. It is sensed in that strange, tingling thrill that comes on first hearing an inspired piece of music, or a poem, or on seeing a magnificent painting. Awen, the Holy Spirit of Druidry, that provides our true link, not only with the past, but with the deeper reality of the present, and with the infinite possibilities of the future, and which gives as its ultimate gift the recognition of our own divinity.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 05:44:03 +0000
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