About
Hi. In these pages, I am trying to give you a sence of my life, and my magical practice as a modern pagan. I hope that you find it interesting, amusing in places, and also inspirational in others. I am not terribly fond of labels, so I don’t know how exactly one should define myself. However I work mostly solitarily, and on occasion with some others, based on various books and information from people I’ve met along the way. I draw on my Celtic background for inspiration, but can hardly call myself a Celtic reconstructionist. I work a lot with figures from the Celtic Pantheon, mostly in the way that comes to me as being appropriate. Some might say I make it up as I go along, however my own view is that things come to me when the time is right, as they will also come to you, and to anyone who approaches the Ancient Ones in a spirit of openess. When one tunes in to a Deity form, one receives according to one’s nature. I have Irish and Manx on my Mother’s side, which is why I am drawn to the Celtic world. On my father’s side, it’s English. I have always been drawn to things Welsh, though I know of no family connection there.
Anyway, after flirting with ceremonial magic, I spent more than a decade studying Eastern based spiritual paths, including Yoga of various forms and their Western off-shoots, Tibetan Buddhism and Tai Chi. I became interested in Native American Spirituality, and Shamanism, but after a while felt uncomfortable with these studies. It seemed like I was usurping someone else’s religion and way. With the tragic history of colonial conquest of indigenous societies, I began to see that it was not helpful for me to follow an indigenous spiritual path-way. Of course Westerners have much to learn from indigenous people, and so do I. But I felt I could never really “own” the Native American way. The resolution of this discomfort for me was the re-discovery of Wicca and Neo-Paganism. At last, I felt like I belonged somewhere, and could follow a path which resonated deeply with with who I am, and where I come from.
I am a writer, poet and musician, and I hope to share with you some of my creative works as time goes by. I am really excited by my book “The Great Work”, which is a distillation of my pagan philosophy, accompanied by contemplation exercises and suggestions. It is available from Conjunction Press. I am currently working on a book about Australian tree magic, and hope to have this available early in 2008. In the meantime, you may be interested in my on-line Pagan’s guide to some trees of the Brisbane Area. Brisbane is a city in Queensland, Australia, in case you are reading from foreign shores!
In a previous “incarnation”, I wrote and had a web-page under the name of “Robert Fish“. You may wish to access these pages for a look at where I have come from. They are a bit dated now, in that I have moved on somewhat in my ideas and practice, but you might find them interesting. Some articles I wrote at about that time appeared on the web as an e-zine “Another Pagan Voice“, and I include this link for completeness as well.
So here are my thoughts and a snapshot of my inner work. May you find it useful in your own journey. Blessed Be.
Robyn Wood.