I want to share with you some of the creative work I’ve been doing, making jewelry for my business, Forest Spirit Jewelry. I have been making jewelry like this since 2011, so that’s 12 years at the time of writing. It’s always been a pleasure, and what I love the most about it, is how inspiring it is to do the work. I am always interested in what is needed by my community, and the lessons in life that we share together and that can be told through the stories of crystals.

This year I have been involved with the organising of the Southern Hemisphere Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) Assembly, where we invite members of the order to gather together for a weekend of learning, rituals and initiations for those moving into a new grade. I am part of an OBOD “seed group” which is a “grove” in the making. A Grove in OBOD, is a group that has at least three Druid grade members. I am just about to start my Druid grade, and I know a few of the others are not too far off it, so we will be a grove with OBOD one day too. We are working on organising the Assembly along with our friends in the Wollemi Seed Group who live in Newcastle. They are hosting, and we are supporting.

It’s a great thing to do for your community, if you ever get the chance. It’s a not-for-profit event, so there are a lot of volunteer hours involved, and we all still pay for our own tickets, but it’s worth it. It’s all done by the community, for the community, with everyone who comes contributing in some way, not just the organisers. Whether it’s running a workshop, being a speaker in the rituals, helping with the initiations, sharing creative work in the Eisteddfod or Bardic Circle, being there for each other, and helping out when needed; everyone is part of making the gathering what it is.

I’m feeling so inspired by our community getting back together. Our last in-person gathering was in 2019 in New Zealand, and before that in 2018 in Adelaide. In 2020 the pandemic saw us cancel the in-person Assembly that would have been held in Victoria. We instead, held the gathering online, and another the following year, but nothing matches the magic of being together in-person in nature for the weekend. It’s wonderful that we will be meeting again.

I have made many Druidry-inspired jewelry pieces over the years, but at the moment I’m feeling particularly inspired to make them. We have so many people taking their Bardic initiations this year, it’s made me even more aware of how important this learning is for all of us. Druidry is such a healing path that gives us direction and purpose in our lives, and shows us magic and deep meaning inherent in the natural world. I so hope that those discovering it now will find the same joy in it that I have found.

To begin with I have created various Bardic themed pieces for inspiration and creativity, shown above. Lapis lazuli is a stone I associate strongly with Awen. Its deep blue colour is the colour of our Bardic tabards and it is a stone of wisdom, insight, inspiration, expression, eloquence and the voice of the higher self. Citrine is also used a lot as it is a stone of creativity, confidence, courage and originality. It helps us to clear the mind and find that flow state needed to really harness our creativity. Labradorite is also a favourite for initiations, as it encourages us to seek out the mysteries, hidden wisdom and magic. It’s a stone of insight, wisdom and shifting perspectives.

I’ve also created some Elemental necklaces. I have Earth, Air, Fire and Water themed pieces that have stones of those elements and help the wearer to work with that element in their lives. Earth has rainforest jasper and green aventurine; Air has honey calcite and tigers’ eye, Fire has red agate and red jasper, and Water has Amazonite and rainbow moonstone.

The Ovate pieces explore various concepts relevant to the Ovate grade. Ovates, in classical courses were the seers, healers, diviners and magicians, working with the otherworlds, augury and the magic of nature. The pieces reflect these aspects of the role of the Ovate. I have used various stones as there are so many ways this part of the path can be explored, so much so that it covers an immense area of spiritual learning. There are many green stone in the pieces. Green is the colour of the Ovates’ tabards. Green stones help us to connect with nature, which is so important to the role of the Ovate, as they work with plant and animal magic, augury (the reading of nature as divination), ritual and the seasons. There are also many stones that help us connect deeper with spirit as the Ovate is the magician and seer in the inner worlds. If you’d like to read more about the individual pieces, and their meanings, you can see them on my jewelry website www.forestspiritjewelry.com .

I have not yet created pieces specifically for those in the Druid grade, but I do plan to. The Druids in classical sources, were described as community leaders, spiritual teachers, guides, advisors, philosophers and judges. As such I will create pieces that reflect compassionate judgement, peaceful justice, teaching with humility, guidance and guardianship, activism and action, inner reflection, and community building. These concepts are key to the Druid role as I understand it. In time, my work may reflect more of the OBOD Druid course however I will never be explicit about this, as the course is a process of personal development that is kept a secret from those who have not yet completed the grades. For the same reason I have not been explicit about the Bardic or Ovate grade work above. We honour each persons experience of personal transformation by speaking minimally of the process one will undergo, so that each person can meet it without expectation. But as you learn on the course, you will no doubt see more of the relevance of my jewelry to what the courses offer. Please keep these connections to yourself or only share with others who have completed the courses to the same point as you.

Another theme I have made a few for is the Three Ancestors. A concept I have explored in my book Australian Druidry: Connecting with the Sacred Landscape, and in my blog post named Cauldron of the Ancestors. The pieces have stones for our bloodline ancestors, the ancestors of the land, and the ancestors of our inspirations, helping the wearer to find wholeness and ancestral healing. Some people call the inspiration ancestors our “milkline” ancestors. Philip Carr-Gomm of OBOD recently did a lovely talk about this on the order’s You Tube series, Tea with a Druid. Find the episode here.

I am excited to share my creative work with the community. It’s been through Druidry that I have found this artform that I love so much. It is my Awen to make these pieces and I love sharing them and what they mean to me. I love seeing them find their way to people whose journey reflects the stories that they tell, and that they can be worn with deep intention and meaning. I hope that they bring magic into everyone’s lives who wears them. Druidry is a wonderful journey of creativity, nature and community.

The jewelry will become available on my website www.forestspiritjewelry.com tonight (24/07/2023) from 7pm, and there will be more to come as we approach the Assembly in November.

There are still a couple of spaces left at the Assembly at the time of writing. If you’re an OBOD member and would like to attend, the website to book on is www.druidryaustralia.org. To become a member of OBOD, go to www.druidry.org.

Note: Yes, I know “jewelry” is spelled “jewellery” in Australia, but in the early days of my business, hashtags made me make the choice for the American spelling. Anyway, it’s been that way for 12 years. I can live with it. I hope you can too 😉

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Julie Brett is the author of Australian Druidry: Connecting with the Sacred Landscape, and Belonging to the Earth: Nature Spirituality in a Changing World. These books help Australian Bards, Ovates and Druids to better understand how Druidry can be practiced in Australia, with its unique plants, animals, seasons, special places and history.