Welcome friends,
Welcome to this guided meditation journey with the gods of the greenwood.
Like many ancient deities,
The gods of the greenwood are created from history,
Superstition,
Folklore,
Fairy tale and fiction.
A weaving of ideas,
Dreams and passions to create well-loved figures.
So to prepare for our journey through the trees,
I invite you to settle into an easeful place and close your eyes.
Let the breath become unhurried.
Give yourself time to relax and perhaps to let busy thoughts drift from your mind.
Within our mind's eye,
We may envisage ourselves walking through luscious greenwood.
Greenwood is a name for a forest or woodland in full summer growth,
Luscious and green,
Bright and beautiful.
And as you walk gently through this space,
You enjoy watching the green leaves dancing in a warm breeze and sunbeams shining through branches.
You take in your surroundings as you walk,
The sounds of leaves and moss underneath your feet,
The sights of green leaves and blue sky and deep rich browns of wood and bark and tree.
And on this path,
Perhaps you see a stick or a branch before you that speaks to you.
You pick it up and it is smooth and weighty in your hands.
And without too much thought,
You carry this stick or branch with you.
And now before you,
You see two great arching trees that are tall,
Steady and strong.
They create a pairing and their branches seem to reach towards each other to create an archway.
And you know instinctively that this is a doorway.
It is a gateway to a place that is sacred.
You pass through mindfully and carefully.
And see before you a sacred place.
Indeed,
There is an altar of some kind here.
It might be an altar of stone or rock.
It might be an altar hewn from a great tree stump.
Or even a mound of moss and bracken.
You take in this beautiful sight.
And then notice that the branch or twig that you were holding is now an arrow.
A beautiful arrow made like nothing you have quite ever seen before.
It might be carved with intricate detail or shine as though with an inner light.
And it is now that you understand this sacred grove.
This is a sacred grove of Kanunos,
The antlered god.
He who represents both the hunter and the hunted.
The keeper of wild things,
The guardian of the wildwood.
This is his place and you feel honoured to be here.
And taking your beautiful arrow,
You kneel before the altar and place it upon the earth before you.
And you say aloud,
Kanunos,
Guardian of animals,
Keeper of the wildwood,
God of the trees and growing things,
I ask you to join me here.
Great hunter and hunted,
Be welcome.
I rustle in the trees,
You hear life appearing.
And through the sunlit branches,
The blackbird appears.
The owl takes gentle flight to perch before you.
The raven,
The crow,
The eagle.
They all join you,
Creating a circle of shining eyes to watch you with kindness and care.
Kanunos will appear to us all differently.
You may see him as a tall standing figure of a man.
With great cape of moss and firm.
You may see him in the swaying branches of the trees,
Whistling in the wind.
You may see him as a deer completely.
Shining eyes and graceful,
Walking silently into the sacred grove.
Allow yourself time to see,
To meet,
To be in this space with the god of the greenwood,
Kanunos.
And with hand or swaying branch,
Kanunos gently touches your shoulder.
You know that you are welcome here.
And then this wise and ancient god gently takes up the arrow you have placed on the sacred earth.
He thanks you and then gifts you back the arrow.
It is for you now.
The arrow is for you to wield.
And should the god have any words of wisdom,
Perhaps he offers them now.
This could be a word,
A phrase,
Or simply the sound of the wind rustling through branches and leaves.
Perhaps his presence and his gift are all you need in this moment.
And as if speaking the same words to each other,
Kanunos says,
Be well,
Go well,
Find your strength in the wilds.
And however the god appeared to you,
He now gently disappears back amongst the shadows of the trees.
And the birds gently take flight,
Bidding you farewell.
You leave the sacred grove underneath the trees.
And the beautiful arrow once more becomes a twig or a branch,
No less beautiful for it.
And as you make your way out of the greenwood,
You know that you will return here to this place of wilds and woods,
Of hunters and hunted.
Here where the old gods dwell,
You will walk this path again.
For now,
I wish you farewell,
And strength and good fortune in the days to come.
Thank you for joining me,
And I'll see you soon.
