Awen
Posted: Thu Jun 18, 2009 8:15 pm
There are different paths in Druidry, just as there are different paths in Wicca, denominations amongst Protestant Christians, etc. Not everything will apply to all paths, but many do share certain beliefs and/or philosophies.
One that is fairly common among "Druid Revival" groups is "Awen". "Awen" means spirit, inspiration, and illumination. According to John Michael Greer, in The Druidry Handbook, "Awen is the inner light that gives the mind the ability to reach beyond itself. It's Awen that turns writers of verse into poets and shows glimpses of the future to prophets and diviners."
Sometimes we have these moments of illumination when we look around us... perhaps at the majesty and wonder of nature, or from a spiritual experience with the divine. Other times it happens when we turn our gaze inward, seeing ourselves in a new and deeper way.
Awen is symbolized as three rays of light; Druids use two symbols for the three rays. The first is the invoking form: \|/ It represents the decent of Awen from outside one's self, through nature or the divine. The second is the evoking form: /|\ It represents the awakening of Awen within a person through study and contemplation. When the two symbols are shown together, they form the Triban:
\|/
/|\
Druids often use the word "Awen" as a meditative mantra, by slowly drawing it out in three syllables: "Ah-Oh-En".
One that is fairly common among "Druid Revival" groups is "Awen". "Awen" means spirit, inspiration, and illumination. According to John Michael Greer, in The Druidry Handbook, "Awen is the inner light that gives the mind the ability to reach beyond itself. It's Awen that turns writers of verse into poets and shows glimpses of the future to prophets and diviners."
Sometimes we have these moments of illumination when we look around us... perhaps at the majesty and wonder of nature, or from a spiritual experience with the divine. Other times it happens when we turn our gaze inward, seeing ourselves in a new and deeper way.
Awen is symbolized as three rays of light; Druids use two symbols for the three rays. The first is the invoking form: \|/ It represents the decent of Awen from outside one's self, through nature or the divine. The second is the evoking form: /|\ It represents the awakening of Awen within a person through study and contemplation. When the two symbols are shown together, they form the Triban:
\|/
/|\
Druids often use the word "Awen" as a meditative mantra, by slowly drawing it out in three syllables: "Ah-Oh-En".