Ants as Outsiders

I believe the mystery of the ants in the ritual room has been solved.  What drew them to my den, you wonder?  Why, an offering to the Outsiders!

First, for my readers who are unfamiliar with Druidism, in Ár nDraíocht Féin's Druidic tradition, the Outsiders are the forces of chaos.  Often, in myth, they were the beings who had confrontations with our deities.  In Irish legend, they are the Fomorians.  In Greek myth they are the Titans.  They are also, I believe, any spirits, both corporeal and numinous, who are disruptive of our households or tribes*.

This brings me to the ants.  While not an infestation, my invertebrate intruders were a tad nettlesome.  As you know, they took it upon themselves to use me as a hiking trail during meditations.  Although I welcomed it as a practice in focus, and recognize that combatting such intrusions while meditating in forest or field would be in vain, it was a challenge to deal with.  Most irksome were the moments of contact just as the links between body and mind were at their fuzziest.  One little ant and snap -  back to "reality".  This says something about my experience, I'm sure.

I said that an offering to the Outsiders had attracted the ants to my home.  What I am about to relate should stand as further proof of the ditziness of this Druid.

As stated, in ADF we believe in the Outsiders as forces of chaos.  In ritual, we present them with an offering of sorts.  Every Druid seems to have his or her own interpretation and methodology for this interaction.  Some would say the purpose is to make momentary peace so that the rest of the ritual may be executed without disruption.  Others would explain that the offering is to keep the Outsiders distracted.  I use this part of the liturgy to acknowledge the powers of chaos in the world.  I recognize their importance as part of the cosmic balance, but I request peace for my ritual.

Since moving to my new home, I have been using a green, glass votive holder for my offerings to these forces.  There is no reason for the color or material - it's simply what I had on hand.  I pour a little ale or other alcohol into it, say a few words, and place it on a windowsill away from my altar.  Well...  I seem to have forgotten about it following my most recent rite.  The Outsiders, in this case ants, took advantage of my long-standing hospitality and started to use my sacred space as a watering hole.  I discovered this last night while cleaning.

The moral of the story?  Given that I want the Outsiders outside of my house, I should really take the initiative to place the offering outside.  As it can be disruptive of my mental state to exit my ritual area during a rite, I think it will be most conducive to open the window by the offering as a symbolic gesture. "You - yes you.  Take this outside and let me be.  Here's the exit."  Having to shut the window will remind me of the offering which I will promptly move outside.


*My latest experience is another good example of how the dividing line between the Kindreds and other cosmic forces can often be fuzzy.

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

ADF Chats and Strange Dreams

I found out that the CUUPs group in Watertown was having a meeting last night. At first I really wanted to try and make it but then I realized how last-minute it was and decided to stay home and relax with my husband. I ended up getting on the ADF chat towards the end of the night which was a lot of fun and helped to remind me that I'm not alone, even if I'm the only ADFer in Northern NY (which it sometimes seems is the case...) We talked about the nature of deity, specifically whether or not Zeus was the same as Jupiter and Tyr, etc. It was a fun intellectual exercise but one we all agreed wouldn't lead to any true conclusions. All the same, I believe that such discussions are important. They force us to contemplate our faith and even question it. This, I believe, helps to ward off stagnation and unflinching dogma.

Somehow, we ended up talking about the Fomoire, I admitted that I had an interest in them, in particular Bres. In much of the lore I've read, he is Brighid's husband. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a horrible king. Bres is part Fomoire and part Tuatha de Dannan. He decides to enslave the de Dannans and favor the Fomoire. He was also not very hospitable which, to the ancient Irish, was a big no-no. After a war, The Fomoire are defeated and Lugh gets the secrets of agriculture from former king Bres. It's a trade - Bres' life for, basically, the secrets of taming nature.

I explained to my fellow ADFers that, while I've not made tribute to him and do not worship him, I have an interest. Perhaps I can compare it to the interest people have in someone like Iago from Othello. He's the antagonist and I can't help but wonder at his motives. More importantly, I wonder at Brighid's relationship with him. Yes, in the myths, it was most probably symbolic of a political marriage and, perhaps, sovereignty. But, if the Gods have feelings like us, how did she feel? If it's all just a metaphor, what does it mean to people devoted to Brighid? What does it mean to a feminist to worship a Goddess who married an asshat? Was he always like that? We know she invented keening when their son was killed. But that's it. Brighid is such an important Goddess to me that I can't help but wonder at it all.

Anyway, shortly after the chat I went to bed and I had a horrible dream. In the dream, I became aware of a shadowy figure watching me through the windows at night. No matter where I went he (because I somehow knew it was male) knew and fallowed. At some points he was just a silhouette behind a blind. Other times I felt his presence. Then there were times when he seemed to be reaching through the windows from the darkness. It was very frightening. Finally, in an attempt to flee I got into a car with someone else (I can't remember who - my sister, maybe) and the person/thing chased after me. The car was going and I couldn't get the door closed. The thing was at the door, a shadow, reaching through the spaces. I woke up shortly after that.

At work I ended up daydreaming for a bit. I was thinking about the dream. I hardly ever seem to remember my dreams and I suddenly remembered the discussion on the Fomoire. Was it Bres? Or was my mind still thinking of the "Outsiders" ( the term we often use in ADF to describe the "powers of chaos" like the Fomoire or the Titans)? Did I get their attention? If so, and if I had a dream like that as a result, I don't think I'll ever want to think about making offerings to Bres.

Tonight, as it gets darker, I think of Brighid, my patroness, and I ask her, as I always ask her, to protect my home and me in it. I can't help but wonder what it means to ask the wife to keep the husband out?