Amanda Thomas

Amanda Thomas | STANDING IN THREE WORLDS

Amanda Thomas is an ADF Druid as well as the Grove Organizer for the Ad Astra Protogrove. She also serves on the Topeka Interfaith Council. Blogger, mother, wife, and explorer.

Ancestors, Asphodel, and the Afterlife

By Amanda Thomas
January 18, 2012

Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
— Epicurus, "Letter to Menoeceus"

My family is a bit odd, and always has been. We tend to be rather non-contact, and by that I mean we don’t talk or get involved in each other’s lives. I have Uncles I have never met, a brother I talk to once every couple years, parents whom I talk to maybe twice a year, and see only every 3 or 4. It isn’t that we’re mad at each other, or in some sort of feud. We just are not connected by anything other than genetics, and that makes relationship hard when you don’t even live in the same state. We have no reason to just sort of run into each other, and so the only contact is that which we are willing to work for. We seem to just be too lazy to work that hard at it.

I think it is this family dynamic that has made ancestor work so extremely difficult for me. My contact with my living family is so nebulous, so how could I possibly know where to start with those gone into the grave? Enter National Geographic and their gene/deep ancestor test. I figured it was as good place to start as any. Being a woman I could only trace my female line, and somehow that seemed appropriate. The women are so easy to loose in the paper trails because of name changes and being lost to the emphasis placed men’s lines. So, I spent my money and swabbed my cheek expecting a result of England or extreme Western Europe. I was extremely surprised. The men’s last names in my family (especially on my mother’s side) almost come exclusively from western Europe, but my genetic test showed that the furthest west the female line comes from is possibly Romania, and that might be pushing it. I have more in common genetically with the Bedouin then I do with anyone from England, according to the test.

This allowed me a chance to focus on something a little more substantive during my trance work that focused on my ancestors. It didn’t solve all of my issues in trying to connect with this rather elusive group, but it did help. Part of the issue I do have with ancestor work is...how long does someone stay dead? Is it forever, or do people eventually reincarnate. Do they just devolve/solve after time into the ether of nothingness?

What happens after we die is a question that almost every major religion has tackled at some point. Each has come to same very different conclusions. My first response to what happens is, Who the hell knows, and even those who do know, don’t exactly tell much about it in clear terms. In the books I have been reading on Thanadoula work, I have learned of what is called, "Nearing Death consciousness." People who are in the process of dying often will see visions of those who have died before them, as well as a place that they cannot describe, but only speak of it as an amazing, beautiful place beyond words.

If we follow Terry Pratchett’s views on the subject (and I tend to think the man is on to something profound), everyone gets what they are expecting. If this is true, I most as like end up no where near the place that many of my more recent Christian ancestors found themselves after the great ending. Will I wake to find myself on the plains of Asphodel when I die? I doubt I will have been virtuous enough to get Elysium, or evil evil enough for Tartarus. Will I wind up in the heaven of my childhood faith? ~Shudder~ I certainly hope not. Will I eventually drink from the River Lethe, forget who I was, and be reborn? Will I simply slip into nothingness? I certainly have no issue with this last one.

This brings me back to my ancestors, and my work with them. Are the deepest, oldest of them still there to work with? I have no fast or ready answers. I just know that in my work, I feel something there. Perhaps the most recently dead, or those who have died and been reborn so many times that they can choose to stay as spirit? Hard to say for sure, but I guess I’ll know the truth of it, or lack there of, when I get there.

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Pagans and Interfaith

By Amanda Thomas
January 1, 2012

Chas Clifton over at Letter from Hardscrabble Creek recently asked (rhetorically, I should add), “What Do Pagans Get from Interfaith Activities?”

I am currently active in the Interfaith of Topeka, and I find this an interesting question, mostly because it was very hard for me to answer at first. What do I get from being involved? It isn’t more acceptance of Druidry as a religion, because those who attend would probably be fine with me calling Druidry a religion. Those who disagreed with me using those terms for my faith left a long time ago. I don’t get recognition within the community (either Pagan or general) for my once a month time spent with a group of mostly Christians. So, what do I get?

I think for me, Interfaith activities allow me a chance to share my experiences of my Gods while listening to how others interact with theirs. I like the conversation and the company. Where else in Topeka can I sit face to face with a Mormon, a Jew, a Protestant Christian, an Atheist, a Muslim and a Wiccan and have an extremely lively and civil conversation? This doesn’t mean we agree with each other, or don’t on occasion get offended, but we listen to each other. We respect and accept what people are saying as honest and heartfelt, even if it does not fit neatly into our worldview.

The thing that I don’t get from Interfaith is contact with some of the more conservative versions of (cough-Christian-cough) religious faith. These are the faiths that for whatever reason are scared to even sit at a table with people like me. These are the ones who see my pentacle and get an antsy look in their eyes; that somehow the action of sitting across a table to discuss our different faiths with respect and civility might somehow taint them, or make my faith somehow more legitimate. Of course, I would argue that my faith is legitimate with or without their approval. Have I ever told you how much I love the first amendment?

I grew up in one of these types of churches. I was raised with the idea that we couldn’t even visit other types of Christian churches, especially if they were one of those mainline ones, because they were not “real” Christians. They were deluded somehow and not quite reading the Bible correctly, or following the Spirit, or maybe even secretly or unbeknownst to them serving Satan. Fear ran high in that church. There were demons everywhere waiting to pounce and tear a good Christian down. I can’t remember how many times I was “saved,” because I was never sure if it had taken or not. It was constantly thrown in my face that I needed saving, because I must be backsliding. I was a teenager after all. Talk about a weak God, let alone faith. Today, the more conspiracy-prone side of me feels that this was more about power than any real theology.

For a long time I thought most Christians were of this ilk; afraid of their own shadows. This is something that Interfaith has given me, a chance to see that there are those out there who walk their faith humbly and without paralyzing fear of the other, and who can talk to another human being of a different religion without the need to convert, or burn. It doesn’t mean that they agree with me on how I view deity, sin, and everything else that their faith is about. It also doesn’t mean that I agree with them on who Jesus was/is or who Zeus was/is, but we can at least share space in peace.

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So You Say You're a Druid (pt. 2)

By Amanda Thomas
December 20, 2011

"With regard to their actual course of studies, the main object of all education is, in their opinion, to imbue their scholars with a firm belief in the indestructibility of the human soul, which, according to their belief, merely passes at death from one tenement to another; for by such doctrine alone, they say, which robs death of all its terrors, can the highest form of human courage be developed. Subsidiary to the teachings of this main principle, they hold various lectures and discussions on astronomy, on the extent and geographical distribution of the globe, on the different branches of natural philosophy, and on many problems connected with religion".
—Julius Caesar, "De Bello Gallico", VI, 13

There is very little known about the early Druids. Most of our information comes from hostile sources like Julius Caesar, and there is still some debate on how much of it was wartime propaganda, and how much was true. What we do know is that there were Druid colleges and that it took some Druids twenty years to finish their training. They never wrote anything down, so we don’t know exactly what was taught, but reports say that the Druids were the keepers of the law, genealogy, and stories of the people. The Druids were the educators, lawyers, priests, doctors, and political negotiators of their day. There exist several sources that speak of how armies and battles could be stopped by the intervention of the local druid. We are told by the Greek and Roman sources that they believed in reincarnation, giving them a reputation for being Pythagoreans, even though this was not possible. The Druids were suppressed by the Romans and completed destroyed by the second century. Although our information is limited, modern archeology has allowed us to tease from old stories some of what the ancient Druids believed and how they performed their religious rites. Peter Berresford Ellis, in his book, “The Druids,” makes a strong case for both male and female druids, and posits that the druids of old were much like the Hindu caste of the Brahmin.

After the their demise by the Romans, the views of Druids became something of myth and romantic legend. We have no direct linage between the ancient Druids and those who call themselves Druids today, but our studies allow us to reconstruct some of their beliefs. We base much of our religion on the studies of the Indo-Europeans and what their religions looked like before Christianity. Not only do these cultures share a common language base, they also seem to share a common cosmology. Druids were very much in the Indo-European system and so probably shared a great deal in how they practiced with the others who share this language base. So, the question then becomes, without Druid colleges and a complete picture of Druids believed, how does one become a Druid now?

Short answer...pay ADF $25 and get a membership card. Okay, yeah this no more makes a person a Druid then a person going to church makes them a Christian. What makes a druid is the application of the value system. We have what is called the Dedicant’s Path (DP). The DP is just the beginning of how we train, but is well worth the time. It consists of a variety of essays that are submitted and graded. Some do not pass the first time round, and have to resubmit. My DP came in close to 32 pages and this is fairly short compared to many other submissions. The DP consists of the reading of three scholarly books chosen from a long list of acceptable research-quality texts. These books consist of one Indo-European studies title, a hearth culture title (we accept any culture that is Indo-European), and one study of modern paganism. We talk about what the nine Virtues mean and how to apply them to our lives. The part of the DP that was the most fun for me was the nature awareness section. Well, you can’t really call yourself an Earth based religion without some experience of the great outdoors, even if that outdoors is just in your own backyard. After the DP comes a series of choices for what path to take next. There is the generalists path, the initiates path, or training as clergy.

Our religion is structured around right action instead of right belief. We preform our rituals in certain ways and are asked to live our lives by how we interpret the virtues and the will of the Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits (even what those beings are is open to interpretation). Next time, I’ll talk a bit about what my Hearth Culture is, but I would like to hear what you want to know about as well.

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Yule & the returning of the light Dec. 21st

By Amanda Thomas
November 28, 2011

Yule is the darkest night of the year, when it seems the light will never return. The Sun drops to the lowest point on the horizon and stays there for three days, but then the miraculous happens. The Sun slowly starts to rise higher in the sky. It is almost imperceptible at first, and the biting cold of winter can sometimes blind us from the fact that the light is returning.

I once heard someone describe Yule as being half way out of the dark. I struggle without the warmth of the sun and the gentle kisses of its light on my skin. I crave and need that light, so for me Yule is one of the most joyous celebrations. This would be doubly true for the people for whom there was no such thing as the electric light. There is an ancient German custom of singing the sun up during the longest night. The Yule Log was lit, and the Yule hog, which has become the Christmas Ham, was served. Actually, many Pagan traditions have since become Christmas traditions.

"Two popular observances belonging to Christmas are more especially derived from the worship of our pagan ancestors—the hanging up of the mistletoe and the burning of the Yule log,” wrote Robert Chamber in his Book of Days (c. 1901).

The evergreens used for Christmas have Germanic as well as Roman influences. Saturnalia was a holiday at the time of the Solstice in which evergreen boughs were brought into the Roman home. The celebration would include masquerades in the streets, big festive meals, the visiting of friends, and the exchange of good-luck gifts called Strenae or lucky fruits. Masters and slaves would temporarily exchanging roles, which could be seen as a precursor to boxing day. The use of evergreens to decorate the streets and houses was also very noticeable during this great winter festival.

On the darkest night of the year, the winter solstice, we will gather in order to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun, as seen from societies of old. The rebirth of the great giver and sustainer of all earthly life, and the turning of the wheel of the year again. To paraphrase one of my favorite writers on the subject, if we did not celebrate the solstice, then the Sun would not rise again, and all we would have is a mere ball of flaming gas that would illuminate the world.

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So, you say you're a Druid (part 1)

By Amanda Thomas
November 16, 2011

There is a small, but growing, minority in Topeka that knows what a Druid is and what we stand for. My religion is an important part of my life, and defines me in ways that even I don’t completely comprehend. The majority of Topekans have probably never heard of Druids (let alone know that we are an Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) recognized church), so I thought I should provide answers to some questions people may have.

As many other members of my generation would probably do, I asked my Facebook friends: “If you could ask any question about Druidry, what would it be?” Forty or so questions later, and still counting, I now realize this might have to be tackled in several posts instead of one. I’ll probably intersperse them with things that affect Paganism and Druidry in society today, but a basic understanding of what those two terms mean might be helpful for the reader of future posts.

Druidry is a small part of the larger umbrella of religions called Pagan (or Neo-Pagan). Pagan religions are often extremely hard to define, and even some religions that I would consider Pagan would be rather upset by my using that description for them. What I would include under the umbrella would be faiths such as Wicca (which has many different “denominations”, for lack of a better word), various reconstruction faiths such as Asatru (the ancient Norse and Northern traditions), Hellimos (Greek Tradition), the various Celtic Reconstructionists, Vodoun, Santería, and so many more that it is impossible to list them all. Each group has their own ways to worship, just as different Christian denominations practice their faiths differently.

So how is my Druid faith different from these other kinds of Paganism? Many forms of Wicca are mystery faiths, though not all are. Mystery faiths are those where secret information and teachings are passed on through an oral tradition only to those who have been initiated. Wicca is also a rather new religion and many of its various sects are based on the religion of Gerald Gardner (1884-1964). Reconstructionists tend to use archeology and ancient texts to try recreating the older religions from before the invasion of Christianity. Druids fall somewhere in between Wicca and the reconstructionists. We are creating a new religion based on the practices and beliefs of the older faiths of the Indo-Europeans. There are certain aspects of the druids of old that we don’t want to bring back, such as human and animal sacrifice, so we are not true reconstructionists. Our rituals are always open to the public, so we are about as far from a mystery tradition as you can get.

The next question might be why did I choose to be a Druid instead of a follower of Wicca, or Asatru? Truth is, I did try the Wiccan faith for a time. I found a great deal of value in that practice, but it wasn’t the best fit for me. There were parts of it that just didn’t seem to be what I needed, and when I found Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), it was like finding myself. There was a scholarly aspect that called to me, and sparked my desire for more. ADF follows Orthopraxy and not Orthodoxy. That means we follow a certain way to worship (the Core Order of Ritual) and do not require everyone to believe the same things about the nature of the world both physical and spiritual. There are members who are agnostic, hard line polytheists, "squishy" polytheists, and everything in between. Some view the Gods as nothing more than archetypes, while others are firmly convinced that the Gods are full beings separate from human consciousness. The wiggle room that allowed me to explore my views on the Divinities was something I found very refreshing.

 Another draw for me was the nine virtues. The nine virtues are what our morality is based on. They are Piety, Wisdom, Hospitality, Fertility, Perseverance, Vision, Courage, Integrity, and Moderation. These words challenge me to be a better person and affect my religious practice as well. Hospitality features in how I do ritual. Piety affects my daily devotions and prayers. Wisdom calls me toward compassion, and perseverance calls me to continue to do the right thing even when it gets hard or emotionally draining. Fertility asks me to grow not just my own faith path, but to support others on theirs. My vision pushes me forward toward greater deeds and courage allows me to step out and do what needs doing to make that vision become reality. Moderation insures that I don’t burn out on any part of this. 

I will leave this here and come back to some of the other questions that my wonderful Facebook friends have given me another time. I hope that you, dear reader, will ask questions as well. Mine is a minority faith, so most people don’t know much about it. Learning about each others' faiths can deepen our own. I await your replies.

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