Introduction

[Gwdihw Cleddyfwr]

Hello!

I’m Gwdihw Cleddyfwr. The name is made up and translates roughly to ‘Owl Swordsman’. The owl is a deeply symbolic animal in the Celtic culture; it is particularly important to me because it’s part of my family’s last name and has been our symbol for many hundreds of years.

The swordsman bit is a nod to my hobby of practising German long sword. I suppose Celtic sword and buckler would be a more appropriate martial art, lol. Maybe I’ll buy an Irish ring-pommel longsword one day to make up for it 😉

I’ve joined BDO because I agree very much with the emphasis on applied Pagan experiential spirituality. Our ancestors and deities are meant to be known and lived with by us. They are an intrinsic element of each of us, and relegating them to the dustbin of antiquity is a shame and a dishonour.

At this stage of my life, I’m beginning to wind down my warrior aesthetic and have begun to look inward and beyond this incarnation. I want to prepare myself for the next journey by studying our ancient pre-Abrahamic folk faith so that I might spend the second half of my life in service to my family and community. I feel confident that the BDO home study course will help me along the path I see before me.

Cheers 🍻

[david poole]

Cead mile failte, Gwidhw, I hope that you have a great time with us.

[Dowrgi]

Welcome Gwdihw! Croeso! Dynnargh dhis!

So now you are putting down your warrior’s sword, so to speak, to take up the bardic sword of peace?

Welcome again.

Bennathow.
/|\

[Anonymous]

Hail Druid Gwdihw Cleddyfwr, may you walk in the otherworld that is interwoven with this world and find its many blessings, for no longer will the gods and goddesses be across the great abyss. Magic awaits you, and the higher consciousness of the trees, stones, and stars call your name. May you come to be great friends with the faeries and elves, playing, dancing, and singing the faery tunes, all with a new found deep respect for the natural world. And may you remember your past Celtic reincarnations. You will find great peace and purpose and new freedom with the druids, a happier way of living, a positive morality. As it harm none, do what ye will. You are now traveling one of the oldest spiritual paths in the world, a path that leads you to a new relationship with nature and the Celtic gods and goddesses, a double spiral trail. I hope you will always keep an intuitive mind and never let druidry become a dry logical intellectual path because that is when the magic and the awen dries up and goes away. Remember to breathe and take time to be still here in the now, for there is myth and magic all around you. Star Tree

[Gwdihw Cleddyfwr]

@david poole @Dowrgi @Startree:

Thank you for the kind welcome! Many blessings to you and yours.

@Dowrgi:

“ So now you are putting down your warrior’s sword, so to speak, to take up the bardic sword of peace?”

Well, I’m trying. Perhaps, more accurately, I’m using the sword less on other people unless they really really deserve it. At the risk of sounding cliché, the aesthetic of the Far Eastern warrior monk interpreted in the Western context appeals to me.

I do seek to learn the way of peace and self-betterment from those further along the path than me. I appreciate the intellectual quality and empathy of the posts I’ve read so far, and I’ll endeavour to contribute to the high tone of discourse expected.

[Dowrgi]

The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death you’ll find him;
His father’s sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him.
Land of song! said the warrior-bard,
Tho’ all the world betrays thee,
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard,
One faithful harp shall praise thee!

The Minstrel Boy – Thomas Moore (1779–1852)

[Gwdihw Cleddyfwr]

That’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I’ve saved it for future reference.

[Author]

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