Cody’ Column: Spring Forest Walk Into Coherence
Cernunnos, Runes, Fungi, and Crocuses…
Long walks in the forest…
Finding medicines…
Research…
Ritual…
Writing…
Observing the birds…
Looking for nettles and trillium…
Tarot, Dragons, Moon Phases, Astrology…
Welcome to this month’s column! This article will be more of a side-by-side journey of a magick wielder to encourage my readers to immerse themselves in their practices and maintain their sovereignty against all odds of confusion and incoherence.
We begin with the Fool, or empty mind, the creative and regenerative force that guides any adventure worth traveling on.
March was my birth month and as such, prompted me to evaluate my cycle or Jera in the cosmos. I have been carrying around my rune stone Jera all last month, contemplating, observing, and listening to cycles. As usual, I sought guidance from my land spirits, dragons, Tarot, and frequent trips to the Underworld with Cernunnos. Each time I emerged from the cave of subconscious, I brought tiny slips of shadow to fill in the contrast of light emerging with the increasing Sun energy. The moon phases of last month brought an increasing awareness to this upcoming set of moon phases in April. Pay close attention to the cycles that mark significant events for you and your practice.
April is marked by Eihwaz for me, the rune of the Yew Tree, signifying life and death, acceptance, and the tree Yggdrasil a tree of unity. The concept of connecting cycles and unity will be present in this article and Eihwaz is the perfect rune to describe the energy of Spring in the Pacific Northwest. We are cosmically watching the death of old ideas and the birth of new ones.
Our days have begun to warm and all over the farm signs of rebirth are present. The nettles have emerged strong this year, just after the crocuses revealed their prized saffron. Robins returned along with the song sparrows gleefully greeting the day as the chorus frogs sing throughout the evening. I watched the Trillium push through the forest soil, unfurl their leaves, and open their fairy like blooms. We received our only snow accumulation for our elevation, watched a lunar eclipse, and became aware just how depraved many leaders have become in their quest for power over transformation.
Maintaining coherence has become the utmost priority during this phase of transformation. Akin to the formation of galaxies, solar systems, as well as molecules and atoms, transformations often involve extremes in the spectrum of energy. Science took the word energy from the mystics and used it to describe work, then put a price tag on it and demanded the people to pay for it, never considering what would be demanded of them in return. Separation from self, Source, and sensation it seems was their price. Rather than share wealth, they extracted. Instead of finding themselves through connection and letting go, they found themselves wanting more because they lost sensation and began grasping for more. This leads to incoherence. Coherence requires cycles, cycles work because of frequency, and frequency requires observation.
Regular practice of letting go is helpful, balancing, and offers us guidance. We don’t need to let go of just our worries and woes however, but also our riches and boons. Cernunnos has been my psychopomp in letting go, offering to reveal what entraps in exchange for showing what hides in the shadows and ultimately leads to wisdom. In Norse Mythology, after Ragnorok, Gimli will be the new plane of existence. The Gods and Goddesses that survive will reside there along with people who no longer fight for valor or power, but who conduct themselves through coherence. Interestingly, Gimli in Old Norse means “Place protected from fire”.
As we move into Aries season, I notice some interesting paths appearing. The Greeks had a God Ares, who was all about destruction and war while the Egyptians held Amun-Ra in esteem symbolizing fertility, creativity, and the spark of life. A fusion between the hidden God Amun and the Sun God Ra, the constellation we know as Aries was referred to in Ancient Egyptian writings as the constellation for Amun-Ra because it marked the equinox and return of the Sun’s energy to Earth.
My own health also seems to follow the path of the stars, revealing a need of cleansing fire to restore my lymphatic system. All the signs were there indicating a system in stress mode, swelling, tightness, indigestion, foggy head, skin irritation. As I walked down to the river open to suggestions from my plant friends. Alder, a tree of powerful fire energy, alerted me to its beauty and elegance. I was drawn to the East side of the magnificent tree and there the buds and twigs spoke to my sluggish lymphatic system and offered a solution. I made an offering in thanks and began pruning the side of the tree it indicated until my basket was full. In haste I almost began making the twigs into a decoction, but something nudged my consciousness. A little research of my herbalism notes reminded me to dry the twigs first to avoid vomiting and diarrhea. Wow, fire energy can be explosive! Glad that I remembered to dry the twigs I patiently dried them and as I was doing so, I asked my Druid Craft Tarot cards in a Cernunnos reading for any more guidance. There, my companion at my desk, Dandelion who bloomed on my birthday, chimed in saying they would assist alder in making medicine for my body.
This whole time I had been avoiding the Fool’s path, the medicine of letting go of old paths, patterns and limiting beliefs. Now the medicines will ask me to radically accept what they reveal. The method of delivery, a tea each morning, a decoction once a week, and several drops of tincture after that to provide maintenance. Pair with lymphatic shaking in the forest, belly breathing, and lymphatic massage. Realizing this, my journaling also suggested consulting my Fungi spirits who ask me to identify what feeds me spiritually, what I need to let decay, and next steps for growth from decay. These cyclical reminders to draw my awareness into Eihwaz, accept the Fool’s path, and grow again are what continue to refine my consciousness, not through war and greed, but through a gentle warrior’s-like resilience to never give up and seek to have something to show for my struggles.
As I walk with these medicines, guides, and connection I begin to see Dragons all around. Clearing paths, providing safe places to rest, connecting to source, breathing coherence, demanding accountability. My generation is building community amidst technological revolution, looking for elders to support who hold a connection to the Earth, and raising a family using communication as a navigation tool for the first time in generations. We listen to bird songs, interpret our dreams, watch the moon through its phases, and yes, we know how to use fire appropriately.
I am a husband, father, farmer, and friend. I live on the banks of the Magic Skagit River, ancestral lands of the Upper Skagit people. I practice rune reading, tarot, land magic, and work with many spirit guides. My life began Pagan, but I veered off into the Christian church in college. I found my way back to my Pagan and ancestral roots in 2005 and have journeyed along this path since then.
