Bojutsu on the Scáthach Training Blog

Dear Friends:

I've been receiving a lot of e mails from people interested in the martial arts training that we do in the Order of Scáthach, so I just added 2 bojutsu training lessons to the Order of Scáthach Training Site (lessons 5a and 15a). Here's some photos from the session.

BB Kerr

Warrior Article

Dear Friends:

There’s an interesting article on “Being a Warrior” by Tanrinia at the ADF Warrior Guild site: http://www.adfwarriors.org/beingawarrior.html Check it out. I’ve also included a link to the ADF Warrior Guild in the sidebar.

BB Kerr

Scáthach Training Blog

Today I edited the Lessons and Rituals pages on the Scáthach Training Blog to more clearly define the objectives of each lesson and the nature of our various rituals and assist the on line student in figuring out how to use the blog. As a yardstick for progress: Novice training is lessons 1 through 6. Squire training is lessons 7 through 12. Mastery training is lessons 13 through 17.
BB Kerr

Eostre 2009

Here’s some photos from the Eostre ritual at the Surrey Motherhouse last Sunday. You can find our Eostre ritual by Dame Janus on the Scáthach training blog (http://dunscathach.wordpress.com/rituals/). The theme, as you can see, is planting. Everyone planted seeds in containers and either took them home or left them in the greenhouse at the Motherhouse.

BB Kerr

Wannabes

There seems to be two groups of people out there. There are those who want to be Knights and there are those who want to tell people that they are Knights. Those in the first category dedicate themselves to the precepts and code of chivalry or our Order and through hard work and discipline become Knights. I recognized these two groups when I wrote the “Challenge” at the beginning of the Armoring ritual for the Order of Scáthach. The Challenge reads:

“I can see in some of your eyes that haunted look that tells me that you’ve been victims. You’ve been set upon, bruised, harassed, suffered setbacks. That’s a terrible thing. But if you came to this place to claim the title “Victim” and expect to have us feel sorry for you, then you’ve come to the wrong place. You may as well turn around and leave. Yet if you came here to empower yourself, to take charge of your life, to say “Never Again!”, then you are very welcome. We Warriors are here to show you how.

“And some of you have that inward look which tells me that you don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror. You consider yourself weak or flawed or insignificant. That’s a difficult thing to deal with, to be sure. But if you came here to rub shoulders with us Warriors, hoping that you’d gain some respect or honor by association only, then I suggest you get lost. We’ve no time for that. But if you’ve come here to reinvent yourself, to rise from your own ashes like the Phoenix, to be glorious, then you are very welcome indeed. We are here to witness your triumphs and cheer you on.

“And some of you have fear in your eyes. You’ve found the world to be a chaotic and dangerous place. But if you came here hoping that we Warriors will stand between you and that scary world, then think again. Yet if you came here to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, face your fears and not back down, then you’ll find yourself amongst friends. We Warriors are here to stand with you and watch your back.

“At this point in many rituals the priestess or priest pokes you in the chest with an edged weapon and says things about it being “better to rush upon this” than enter with fear and demand secret passwords.... There are no passwords that will get you through life. What you need to enter here is not a secret. To enter this Circle you need to bring seven things: Loyalty, Justice, Sincerity, Courtesy, Compassion, Courage and Honor. If you have these, then enter...”

The reason that I wrote that was because of people in the second category: People who wish to call themselves Knights but aren’t willing to make any effort to earn that title. The Order of Scáthach is not a place for “victims” to seek sympathy and feel sorry for themselves. It is a place of healing and empowerment. The Order of Scáthach will not be used by people who want to sit around on their ass and wave a membership card around to impress others. Honor is earned. The Order of Scáthach is sworn to defend but has little patience for members who won’t make an effort to defend themselves. To us, the terms Warrior and Knight aren't just titles: They are terms that describe what we really are.

The Order of Scáthach isn’t a club, it is an order of Wiccan knighthood. It isn’t for wannabes, its for Warriors.

Prosperity Book

Those of you with prosperity problems in this current econonmic fiasco might want to check out Ian Edward's book The Wizards Way to Wealth. You can check out a review at: http://www.capallbann.co.uk:80/inspiration.cfm

Eostre Greetings

Greetings:

I’ve heard from many Pagans in the last few weeks and it is appalling how many have either lost jobs, had hours cut back, or have friends or relatives who are in this situation. We’ve been doing some prosperity and healing magick for several people who asked for it. We’ve also had to do some warding magick for several people. All in a day’s work for us Pagan Warriors.

It’s been a cold winter with a lot less rain than usual so far. The last two days we set records for low temperatures.

I’ve got a new greenhouse up. It is entirely solar, with a small composter at one end (for heat and CO2 for the plants) and thermal mass (a large black barrel of water to radiate stored heat). I’m pretty excited about doing herbs and vegetables in there (particularly tomatoes) and starting bedding plants for the Motherhouse garden. Do any of you out there have a greenhouse? I’m just learning. I’ve found an excellent reference book: The Greenhouse Gardener’s Companion by Shane Smith.

Several times a night a police dispatcher like me at ECOMM will be asked to do a BOLF (be on the lookout for) broadcast for other channels and various other agencies. Many of these relate to missing persons. Usually these missing person BOLFs include the missing person’s name, date of birth, physical description, and clothing description. So the other day I get this BOLF from Coquitlam RCMP. It related to an elderly missing male. It had his name, his age (82 years) and the following description: “Has all of his teeth and is not circumcised.” That’s it. No height, weight, hair color, clothing... nothing but that. So I figure, what the heck, that’s what they’ve given me to work with, that’s what I broadcast. So I do. Silence on the air. Then a police officer sends me a message from his lap top: “OK. I’ll check for the teeth, but I’m not checking for that other thing.”

I’m gradually discovering more and more Pagans on Twitter, where I’ve been posting what I’m up to as well as various thoughts on my Warrior path. If you go to www.twitter.com, look for warriorwitch for my deliberations.

I’ve been updating our Order of Scáthach web site, and various blogs. We still have our members-only blog and I’m still posting news on my blog: http://kerrcuhulain.blogspot.com/ You can link to the blog from my web site: http://kerrcuhulain.com/. The Order of Scáthach continues to grow steadily and is attracting a lot of talented and committed people. Our on line training blog where our students download lessons and rituals has received more than 2300 visits since we set it up last November. I’ve just updated that too, with photos and updated lessons.

We’re off to Seattle, Washington, to do a half day training session on the 10th of May to conduct an Armoring ritual for the members of our new Seattle preceptory. If you are interested in participating, just drop me a line.

I’m still waiting on the editing on the upcoming Law Enforcement Guide to Pagan Religion. Acorn Press tells me they’re busy on editing it. I’m also waiting to hear back on a proposal to Llewellyn for a new book of ritual and recipes.

As I mentioned in my Imbolc note, my wife and I will be in New Orleans in October 2009. Several other members of the Order of Scáthach will be attending the Pagan conference there with me. I’ll be teaching some Warrior classes and conducting an Armoring ritual. If you are interested in participating in this, please let me know.

I hope that you have a wonderful Eostre.

Bright Blessings, Kerr Cuhulain

Chivalry is Simple Things

It is amazing to me how many people look surprised when I hold the door open for them at the store or at work. It clearly seems that people aren’t used to having people show courtesy towards them these days. It certainly seems to be something lacking in their life. Likewise people that I let merge into traffic in front of me seem surprised. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised by this. In my line of work as a dispatcher I am certainly aware of the growing number of road rage incidents out there. Many people have become so self centered and isolated. The more discourtesy they experience, the more this feeling in them grows.

I always arrive early at work and let someone on the dispatch line go home earlier than they are accustomed to. Some fellow workers that I do this for seem upset and guilty: They tell me that they can’t come back the next day and return the favor, because they are going on days off. I tell them I don’t expect a “pay back”. I tell them that when they come back they should let someone else go and “pay it forward”.

Courtesy, in other words showing respect and consideration at all times towards others, is one of the keystones of the Order of Scáthach’s Code of Chivalry, just as it was one of the keystones of Bushido (rei). Compassion is another key principle of Bushido (jin). Compassion is another key principle of our Code, as well as being one of the ethical principles named in Doreen Valiente’s Charge of the Goddess: “Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.”[1] These two Warrior concepts fit seamlessly into the other thirteen principles of chivalry in the Order’s code: Sincerity, Courtesy, Compassion, Perseverance, Industriousness, Justice, Loyalty, Courage, Self-Discipline, Humility, Largesse, Truth, and Honor. Our Code of Chivalry grows out of the fourth Warrior Precept of the Order of Scáthach: “Develop a sense of right action.” Right Action is what Robin Wood describes as finding the balance point: “The spot where all the possible outcomes on one side of a decision are weighed against all the possible outcomes on the other side, and they come out even.”[2]

The current world situation was largely created by people who violated some or all of these principles. This is why it is so important for Pagans everywhere to embrace these principles and set an example for the rest of the world to follow, to lead us back into stability and security.

BB Kerr

[1] Stewart FARRAR. (1971). What Witches Do: The Modern Coven Revealed, pg 197-8.
[2] Robin WOOD. (1996). When, Why...If, pg 22.

Ostara 2009

The Order of Scathach's Ostara/Eostre 2009 ritual is being held at the Motherhouse in Surrey on 22 March at 7 PM. If you are interested in attending please write to me.

BB
Kerr

Christian Hate Mail

I just got the following e mail from a Christian person whom I’ve never met. This is typical of some of the mail that I’ve received over the years from Christian strangers:

“They must let anybody become a cop in Canada. I mean come on, a pagan cop. Yeah, that is what I want, a cop who talks to false gods, and bashes christians. How many misleading things did you give out as a wiccan cop? Come on, you occult types love to deceive and mislead. Deny Christ, accept the devil's lies and whatever form they may come, wiccan being your fun form. You were an investegator, but cannot even see past the lies of the greatest deceiver around. Let me guess, wicca has nothing to do with satan, right? Thought so. Yeah wicca is just a harmless little religion that hurts nobody. Anywho, I hope you come to your sense and find Jesus, accept his salvation, drop your ego, and realize you are a sinner. God Bless”

People like this are one of the reasons that I’m not Christian.

BB
Kerr