As a young child, I lived in a fairly bustling suburb of Houston. I had to walk to school, and every day as I walked I would speak to the trees as I passed them, knowing them by 'name' (well, the names I gave them at any rate) and by sight. I enjoyed watching them change through the seasons, through the years, I even went so far as to share my experiences with them, though I didn't dare to stop and walk up to them since they were in other people's yards. I kept walking, up and down my street, speaking to each one from the sidewalk as I got closer. I did the same to the flowerbeds, and the bushes, the birds and the squirrels. A part of me wondered if I was weird in doing so. I guess every child wonders about that at some point, for different reasons. All I knew for sure was it felt good to speak to nature, it felt... right. And so I continued as I always had.

I did this throughout my life in fact. I'd also be present in the moment when I witnessed the raw beauty of nature. I'd pause when I saw falling leaves that looked like rain or the first buds of spring on the tree limbs, the sparkle of dew on the grass and flowers, listening to the soft sound of wind in the trees, giving thanks to Spirit each time that I was given such an honor as to be able to witness such things and appreciate them. My entire life I've paid attention to the progress of nature through the seasons, never thinking it was wrong or strange once I became an adult, because it had always felt like the most normal and natural thing in the world to do. Even the purchase of my home was made because of the land the house was on. The very thought that I could protect the land and the wildlife that lived there if I owned it in the eyes of modern law were what prompted me to decide to buy it.

I am also a Wiccan, specifically a Green Witch, which has me working with nature and the elementals, and I have followed this lifestyle for over two decades. This avenue immediately felt natural to me from the start, and it was incredibly satisfying to learn that a lot of the same values and reverence/respect for nature occur both with being a Green Witch and as a Druid.

Fast forward again to my epiphany, having remembered these things from my past, and it hit me. Becoming a druid in the full sense of the word was something I was meant to do. Once I realized this life changing idea, I started researching what it was to BE a druid. I had ideas, from movies and TV shows, and other means of media, but I wanted facts, not fiction. One of the first books I purchased was John Michael Greer's The Druidry Handbook. It is a wealth of information, from history to explanations of the lifestyle to a how-to guide, allowing me to understand completely what this new path forward would mean.

I am still at the beginning of my journey, and the following pages are not only a record of my experiences as I go along this new path, but also information that I have collected, information that I felt the need to record in this journal. If anyone else besides myself ever reads it, enjoy! I hope you are filled with as much wonder as I have been, and I wish upon you love, happiness and sunny days with cool breezes. Blessed be!