Learning Shamanism

This is a shamanic journey that I have previously shared on The Way of The Buzzard private Mystery School page on Facebook. This was a guided journey we did on 18/07/2026 - the intention being to meet my Spirit Teacher in the Upper World and to ask for guidance. Just caught up with the July Journey to the Upper World. Not a place I visit often as I much prefer the Lower World. But I went with it and entered a desert landscape that reminded me of New Mexico (never been there but I'm a Breaking Bad fan ).  Crow was with me all the way from my Axis Mundi and was guiding me through the Cactus and scrubland towards a well constructed wooden house. A man came to meet me as I approached. He was short, wore jeans, shirt and a leather hat. He seemed familiar in some way. At this point Crow sat on my shoulder and sqawked into my right ear "Listen!". Strange as Crow doesn't usually use language as such. I greeted the man and thought I recognised him as Carlos Castaneda - (I was...

This was my experience of a guided shamanic journey I did on 4/7/2026 with Jason from The Way of The Buzzard Mystery School. I have previously shared this on TWOTB Mystery School private Facebook page. The subject of the journey was Grief - the intention being to discover how grief has affected me. I wasn't sure whether to share this or not as I don't usually share my journey experiences, but, as others have shared their experiences from the July journey circle, I thought i would give my experience. Firstly, I have to say I have never been a fan of "guided" journeys but as grief was a subject I would never normally explore, I gave it a go. I chose to journey from my regular Axis Mundi - an ancient hollow Yew tree in the village where I spent the first 8 years of my life. From there I travelled with my Animal guide to a nearby stream with a man made waterfall where the stream splits into two before powering a disused watermill. As I sat in the meadow on the bank of t...

 On August 12th 2026, the day of the new moon and an almost total eclipse of the sun around 7pm in the UK, I decided to perform my Initiation into the Druid of The Birch Grove. This is the first FREE course in Druidry offered by the Isle of Wight Druid Order . As stated in my last post, I drove to the physical setting of my Axis Mundi in a small South Oxfordshire village. The temperature was 34C (the UK has been experiencing unusual heatwaves this summer) so the first thing I did was immerse myself in the waterfall that cascades into the village millpond. There was nobody about so I indulged myself in naked wildness - the water crashed into my body and cleansed my soul, preparing me for the Initiation. Next, I walked to the ancient Yew (approx 1600 years old) in the village graveyard. The invading christians build a church on this sacred spot about a thousand years ago and at least three of my ancestors are buried there. Unusually, there were some people visiting the graveyard, so ...

 I have been looking into Druidry as a spiritual path that can complement my Animist beliefs and my shamanic practice. Having found the Isle of Wight Druids offer FREE courses in Druidry, I have decided to follow this path for a while and see where it leads. The first course the IOWD offers is called Druid of The Birch Grove and it is conducted by email and is based around the 13 moons of the year. So it lasts about 14 months. The next 2 courses are Druid of The Yew Grove and Druid of The Oak Grove - both lasting for a similar period of time. I may and may not live long enough to finish this training programme, and, of course, I may just give it up if I feel it isn't right for me. Anyway, I am prepared to dive into the work and see what happens. There is an Initiation Ritual that one conducts alone with the Spirits of Nature. I decided to conduct this ritual on August 12th 2026, the day of a new moon and a partial solar eclipse. The UK has been experiencing an unusual and prolonge...

So, what is Druidry? Here is a great explanation from a blogger called Woodlarking Modern Druidry is a nature centred spiritual path inspired by the cultures, traditions and landscapes of the ancient Celtic world. While it takes inspiration from history, folklore and mythology, it is a modern religion that has developed over the past few centuries rather than a direct continuation of the priesthood described by classical writers. Many druids seek to deepen their relationship with nature through observing the seasons, spending time in wild places, celebrating seasonal festivals and cultivating a sense of reverence for the land. Creativity, poetry, music, storytelling and the pursuit of knowledge also hold an important place in many druid traditions, reflecting the role of wisdom and learning associated with the ancient Druids. There is no single authority or set of beliefs that defines Druidry. Some druids honour Celtic deities, while others follow a more animistic, pantheistic or phil...

 It's been a while since I have added anything to this little blog but life has been gifting me with new directions and old reflections concerning my spiritual path. In June this year of 2026 as I reached my 74th birthday I decided to rejoin The Way of The Buzzard Mystery School as I felt a need to belong to a "Tribe" - not having anything in common with the many thousands of "normies" that surround me in my mundane world. While getting back into the Buzzard teachings and talking to other Buzzards, I found that the teachings were not only based on Core Shamanism (as seemed the case back in 2020) but were also heavily influenced by Celtic Shamanism - with striking similarities to Druidry! I also discovered that some of the other Buzzards were also Druids. This led me to do more research on the various Druid organisations in the UK. I had previously dismissed Druidry as a bunch of nutters who liked to dress up in white robes and dance around stone circles - but i...