Profile

This is the journal of Rick Derks, A.K.A. Skyllaros, a Hedge Druid, Magician, and all around spiritual mutt. The title of this blog actually comes from the article Feral Druidry by Craig Cartmell on the Druid Network’s website. Go read it, it’s great stuff. This article pretty much sums up my path this far, as well as my ideal and inspiration for continuing on the path. SO, random things you might want to know about me and this blog:

Personal Statements of “Belief”

1) Druidry is my “core” spiritual practice. I’m an Ovate with OBOD and a Druid Apprentice with the AODA, but I don’t consider my Druidry to be based on orders or either set of teachings, they merely inform and inspire my own Druidry. My own Druidry is based on worship of the gods, working with the spirits, engaging in the pursuit of magic, and forming a proper healthy relationship with the Otherworld for the good of myself and my community.

2) I am Pagan, or Polytheist, or whatever the cool kids are calling it now a days. Fact is, I worship the Old Gods, and I like it that way. I’m not a Soft Polytheist and I’m not quite a Hard Polytheist either. I’m more of a “Squishy Polytheist”.

3) I am an animist. Specifically bio-regional animism is important in my personal practice. See point #7 for more on this.

4) I mainly practice within the Druid Revival and Western Mystery Traditions. While I am Pagan I do not practice re-constructionist or Neo-Pagan (ADF style) Druidry. I have great respect for those traditions and their practioners, its just not my bag personally.

5) I am a Magician. Many (Revival) Druids I’ve encounter take the view that magic should not be messed with and work with the natural order only. I do not hold this view. Magic has been the main passion of my life for as long as I can remember. Literally my first memories are of magic, and sometime when I was a teenager I decided to formally dedicate my life to the pursuit of magic, which apparently the universe decided to take seriously and has kept me to that oath. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without magic. Really I don’t know how other people do it!

6) I practice both Ritual Magic and Witchcraft. Both high and low. Thus most of the content on this blog will be a mixed bag of all of the above. I see Hermetic magic as being the best vehicle to interact with Celestial spirits, and as a Western Mage it simply calls out to me at a deep level. I also believe that the old Druidic Ovatic mysteries are echoed in practices of the European Cunning Folk. I see Witchcraft as being the best in which to work with chthonic spirits. Thus, my own witchcraft takes on a “traditional” witchcraft inspired flavor. While specialization can indeed be fulfilling, my own practice has evolved such that eschewing one for the practice of another would not be fulfilling (for me).

7) I believe in spirits and working with spirits is a large part of my personal practice. I work with the spirits of my ancestors and the dead, the spirits of place, I work with bones and the spirits that reside within them. I work with both angels and “demons”. I believe working with spirits is important and has it’s place. Though important to magic, I am not of the mindset that all magic works by spirits alone however.

8) I also still have a soft spot for Chaos Magic, being a die hard Chaote myself back in the day. I still use a lot of it and it’s mindset in my practice, and I’ll talk about that from time to time too. I enjoy this new Post-Chaos phenomenon that’s been going around and look forward to seeing where it leads.

9) By engaging myself in all of the above, I pursue the Great Work, and through this practice my Will in made manifest.

10) I do not now or ever think I have all the answers. My path is constantly changing. I do not speak from a position of authority or “knowing it all”. I’m a student, nothing more and nothing less. I’m just here to share my path as I go along. Feel free to walk along with me, but realize that everything I say is spoken from a position of figuring it out as I go along. I make mistakes. Often in fact. It’s part of being a magician.