Eld Naðr

 

Good Dreaming fellow traveler, I am known in the Grove and ADF as Eld Naðr (pronounced:  ĕld năthr). Allow me to tell you a bit about myself and how I came to be a member of Whispering Lake Grove, ADF.

 

I have a good number of personal interests besides Paganism. Not shockingly, I enjoy just about any activity that gets me close to nature (hiking, blading, swimming, even white water rafting). I love to read many kinds of fiction that run the gamut from fantasy to hard science fiction. I am an avid science buff (especially where astrophysics and quantum mechanics are concerned) and rarely have I encountered a Popular Science magazine that I didn’t read cover to cover! I also enjoy computer and console games that tell interesting stories as you play them. And of course (shock of shocks), I am still an avid role-player (I squeeze at least one gaming session in a month whether I need it or not!!).

 

Anyways, I began my Pagan Path at the age of 17. Most of my early development was spent trying to find my Way and developing my personal connection with the Spirit World and the world around me. I soon came to realize that at heart I was (and still am) a shaman, but was unable to find a system of worship that "Called" to me. Witchcraft had much to offer but I did not "See" myself as a Witch and so was reluctant to join an official coven. Then my wife and I met a group who wished to create an eclectic temple based on the use of Dragon Magic. In 1997 we became charter members of the Temple of the Dragon. By 1999 we had both obtained our 2nd degrees becoming High Priest and Priestess within the coven and were later left in charge of the coven as Temple members and leadership quickly drifted away on the tides of Life. Unfortunately, today the coven only exists in our hearts.

 

 

 

I had always been interested in Druidic practices but could never find what I felt was proper information; nothing I came across felt right or rang True until I happened to begin attending public classes with Whispering Lake Grove (still a proto-grove at the time). Then one evening in November of 2003, Raven Mann showed us the recently used Nemeton, and something finally clicked into place within me. It was not, however, until the Introduction to ADF Druidry class held on February 8th of 2004 that I knew, without any trace of doubt, I had found the Path that matched my Heart & Soul. I joined as a Local Member that night.

 

It did not take me long to discover that I had not only found my Way but I had found my Life’s Work as well. For the first time in my life I could see what I wanted to be doing in five, ten, even twenty years. I not only had a Dream, but was shocked to feel an almost alien emotion welling up within me… ambition. I had found my Dream and the desire… the spark… the will to chase it.

 

It did not take me long to take my first step on this new found path into my own future. On June 14 of 2004, I challenged for the Seer position on the Council of Elders. Just over a month later I was given the opportunity to prove my worth before the rest of the Grove during the mandated Challenge Event. The Grove was unanimous in their decision, and I am proud to be Whispering Lake Grove’s first Seer.  Then, almost a year later, I found myself also stepping into the role as the Grove’s Assistant Senior Druid.  Nope, didn’t See that one coming… ;-}

 

I’ve learned a lot since that day in 2004 (trial by fire and all that!). Not only about the duties of my new position (s), about ADF, or even the new vistas that have been opened to me… but mainly about myself. For that is the true gift of any Path one walks… self- discovery.

 

So feel free to walk with me, even if only for a short distance. You may not find what you are looking for, but who knows? Maybe, like me, you’ll stumble across a Path that can lead you in the right direction…

 

Just remember.  The destination is merely somewhere to be, and that can change in any given moment.  It’s the Journey that makes you who you are.