Lesson Five-Final Exam in Bard 101

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Okay Kiddies...

Have you crammed for the final?????

Are you ready for this?

Are you sure?

Okay, if you're sure...

Now, we have covered four of the five elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, in order. Now we cover the Fifth, the one that ties them all together, Spirit.

This one is going to be entirely different from the other four, yet, like I said, this will tie all the others together. This will show your true Bardic nature. Now, as with th rest of the lessons, there is no right or wrong answers.

What I want you to do, and this is why I wanted you to do the lessons in order, is take elements of all of your other tales and make your own "Song of Taliessin" (IF you do not know of the Song of Taliessin, you need to look it up. RESEARCH is a Druid's middle name.To know you have the one I'm talking about, it starts out "I am...") Naturally yours will not be as long as Taliessin's, but make it MOVING! Make it RICH. Tell me Who and What YOU are of those four elements. Make me know you from these four elements.

I have seen exquisite work from all of you in these lessons and have enjoyed reading all of them thus far. And, I look foreward to any new additions to these threads. They are far from over, and far from dead. I know more will be attending these lesons, enriching them with their own brand of fun and insight.

DO NOT WORRY!!!
I fully intend on adding more "lessons" in the Druid's Forum here in MW. I certainly hope that you all thus far have had FUN! I have!

Dragon's Blessings...
Myrddyn Emrys

[SylverStar]

I'm still on lesson 2 :(
Oh well I finish sometime
Is there a time limit on the class?:)

[Myrddyn Emrys]

You must finish the entire course in this lifetime, or you will have to pay an additional course fee to continue them into your next life.

Myrddyn Emrys

[SylverStar]

How much is the additional fee? :lol:

I'm pretty sure I'll finish in this lifetime though

[Fianna]

<bribes her rock with a warm bath and a back scrub to get it to at least say "ahhhh">

[SylverStar]

:lol: I'm still working on Air
However there has been no wind (in a windy city) so it's beening stubborn for me, which is odd. probably jealous I gave the rock so much attention.

[JimWA]

I am the north wind
I am the air
The air is me

I am the mountain
I am the earth
The earth is me

I am the bright Sun
I am the fire
The fire is me

I am the cool Ocean
I am the water
The water is me

I am all of these
And nothing at all
The Spirit is me

Hope this helps to get the ball rolling. Jim

[fairyofthefountain]

I am the pebbles that are your kin
I am the earth you like to nestle to
I am apart of you

I am the oxygen that gives life to the flame
I am the hand that can put you out
I am the wax that can be your home

I am the power behind the wind
I am every where
I am loud and soft

I am the motion that ripples the water
I am the sun that shines on you
I am the ice that covers you

I am freedom in each and every one
I am the spirit of all
I am the spirit that moves you

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Jim!

:thumbsup::nonono:

Myrddym Emrys

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Tammy!

:bouncybob :yourock:

[JimWA]

Where is everyone else? I just posted to get the ball rolling. Mine was just a variation on an old theme. I'll post some more later after I see more form others. Jim

[Killing_Yggdrasil]

it doesn't quite follow the same exact form as the other's i've seen...but, it's what came to me.

I am
do you fear it?
do you hear it?
The wind that blows
the water that flows
that's me
and I am
The fire that
burns to the bone and more
that is danced around
with feet pounding into the earth
stamping me flat
in a passion filled massage

I am
i have been
and i will be
because I am
sitting on a rock
sitting on myself
Watching a tree bend in the wind
my hands push against him
and he looks just like me
if i stare into the right mirror
I look at you and i see
myself
just with a different nose,
new eyes
and the hair isn't quite the same
close but no cigar
which is good since i don't smoke
just burn.

I am.
three by three
by three
still me
because three moves so nicely
into four
and that four is missing a
fifth
that's me too.

I am
raining down
screaming like thunder
and whispering like the ocean
as it crashes agaisnt the rocks
i crash against myself
pummel and plummet
and
burn in the candle flame
sing in the sea
and dance
like a hurricane.

I am.

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Another superb addition! Thank You!

You have now passed Bard 101. You may advance to the next course if you wish. (that is , once I get around to posting it!)

Thank you, again, for your participation.

Myrddyn Emrys

[DawnBringer]

I know I should have spent a day or two at least with this, but I couldn't resist doing it after reading the origional song. (I'm obsessed with writing poetry, so sue me :))

~*~
I am as the whimsical and flowing wind, following my path by instinct and luck.
I am as the blazing and persevering fire, evolving yet adamant in what i feel is right.
I am as the stoic and watchful stone, choosing a wise decision over a quick one.
I am as the graceful and flowing water, adapting to whatever situation I come to.
I am the whisperer of many worlds, who speaks best the langauge of the heart.
I am that which is and that which is not, centering the universal and cosmic scales.
I am the evening and the dawn, both working in harmony to create a balance.
I am one who can create or destroy, but chooses to let things run thier own course.
I could be an example of perfection, but yet would never wish that upon myself or others.
I could be part of love or part of war, but would rather sit and study others doing so.
I could be chivalrous or malicious, but I choose to be peaceful over both or either.
I could be a faceless follower or a lone leader, but don't believe in giving people labels.
I was the young child, brimming with curiosity, wonder, and joy.
I am becoming the yougn adult, becoming more attentive and aware.
I will be the hunter, cunning, watchful, talented, and creative.
I shall become the sage, gifted with the wisdom of many worlds.
I am one with the trees.
I am one with the flowers.
I am one with the animals.
I am one with the storms.
I am one with the whispers.
I am one with the heartbeats.
I pose the question "who am I ?" to the ancients.
I am given the reply "those who are one with all, and one with us."
I am he who quests for and abstains from becoming one with the ancients.
~*~

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Gotta love it!

Superlative!

You too have passed Bard 101!:fpartyhat

Myrddyn Emrys

[Myrddyn Emrys]

...or are still working on it!

I am in process of planning the next set of lessons. I sincerely hope those of you that have contributed here will follow along and continue to share your wisdom in these new lessons. I have enjoyed each and every post and feel we have all gotten to know each other through it all. I count each of you as friends and colleagues. I have learned from you as well (as I hope you have from me!)

The next lessons will be a little more focused on some of the more standard principals of Barding, such as Clan History, Bardic Praise, and Satire. I still intend on keeping the same, Informal, fun atmosphere that we have had here. I have enjoyed all of this and I hope you have.

Your Colleague and friend,

Myrddyn Emrys

[Kaylara]

Done hon... Just let me know when you need the other ones done...

[JimWA]

Ok, so I've already posted once, but I can't help myself from posting more.

I am marvelous
I am the cloud in the sky
I am the breeze in the cool of the day
I am the lightening in the night'
I am the ground where it lands
I am the ghost in the night
I am the sun's bright light
I am the call of the crow
I am the bird on the wing
I am the cat on the prowl
I am the one who says meow
I am in you and with you
I am in me
I am the great mystery
I am the one. Jim

I can't wait for more lessons

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Kaylara, Jim, and all else who have completed the final lesson here...

You can move on to the next session any time you want. I've already posted the first part. Feel free. I'm anxoius to see your works on the next set.

Myrddyn Emrys

[younghawk]

I merely "AM"! ! ! ! !

Become one with thy spirit and the others will come. Do not try to talk or listen to the wind, fire, water, or earth.....in spirit become them and your thoughts will be theirs and theirs will be yours.

I am everything and nothing at the same time.
"I AM"

Love and Light
YoUnGhAwK

[tree_guy]

i will sit,
all gallant in past glory,
humming tunes to myself,
and my gracious friends,
red byrds,
attend my presence.

sing thee a melody,
entrance a lady fair,
words of hope best thy ear,
a wynd like no other.

eyes and mane,
as scarlet as the feed,
which her hawks dine upon.
morality is my fire,
earth, its fuel, spread rampant.

cold and calculating,
i seem so i am told.
and gone in a mist.
blessed to wander.

---------------------------------------------------

so maybe that is done in a different format, but this is how i feel.
methinks it was taliessen who quipped,
"I would rather die of thirst before drinking from the cup of mediocrity."
...........words to live by.

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Tree Guy,

You have now passed "Bard 101"

Congratulations, and keep going at it. Let these teachers keep teaching you, for their combined knowledge is boundless.

[DianaStormDancer]

Ok now Tully.....if there is a fine to be rendered on those who multiply post the same post then this would incure it Im sure....but in completing this bardic course 101, in your final lesson you ask of us to express ourselves in the tradition of the "Song of Taliessin" to which I proceeded to begin writing new prose to fit your request....however,my higherself....screamed at me practically bashing me over my head to say I have done this......" you have done this already" do not deny what you feel to be fit into a format....ok, ok, ok....Good Goddess I hear you and I have understood the message....I am listening....so I repost this work of mine once again.....in answer to your plea of expresiving ourselves through our elemental connection....yes the format isn't exact.....but then again love....."I" am not "Taliessin"...."I" am.........

I am she who calls to the wind and hears the wolf answer.
I am Diana, Huntress, woman of the woods.
I walk with spirit and dance with fire.
My soul is the river and the earth.
I am the Mother suckling our children.
One of the Learned and daughter of the moon.
My body is the root of creation, and my heart the well of compassion.
I am she who has lived forever.
I am Wild Woman.
I was there at your birth, for it was my birth.
I am she who nurtured you, taught you, loved you, and let you go.
It was my hands who attended you as your daughter was born to renew the cycle.
I am she who walks with death, the one who at the end of your time guided you home.
I am every woman... you have but to call on me and I am there.
I am your free will, your muse, and the voice of your soul.
I am she who calls to the wind and hears the wolves answer...............

[Ladyvi]

~~ smiles mysteriously~~ .. give me a few hours .. ~ raises her eyebrow slightly as she walks away disappearing in the mist. with multiple orbs of light surrounding her. smiles again knowing her stance.

[Phi]

I am the river I flow a path toward ocean vast and ocean vat of life
I babble with the stones
Their wisdom purifies me. I churn and polish that wisdom and become one with stone.
The stone tosses me and air comes into me I bubble and I am air.
I conquer fire it comes into me and together we are steam.
I enter ocean and I am ocean
The salt of a thousand stony wisdoms flows through me and around me and I and stone are truly one at last.
Wind tosses me high and higher and carries me to destruction and I am one with wind.
Fire comes to me in lightening and from below me.
An inconstant lover heating me as I cool and slake fire's burning in steamy mists of water/salt/cloud/fire.
All are one. All are in me in body and in spirit.
I am one with the elements of my spirit.

[Ladyvi]

you wanted a piece of who i am. here it is.

she stands amidst reality
hidden webs signal her true nature
she turns around towards the intrusion
garnishing information whoe what when where

her eyes gain a focus and synergy
she stands straight hands up to the sky
the trees echo the herald of the wind, knowledge rising
it lifts her hair as she intakes its essence

her right hand lifts to becon the next
the sun peeks out form the gathering clouds
fire lights her soul, the warmth, the power
energy signatures become clear as the offender comes into sight

her left hand airs beconing the heart
the cool depths of intuition marks their intent
her mission is clear in the center of creation
that which must change

palms down the earth resonates
the power of the ley course through her body
lending her pure power, unlimited power
she smiles, an unsettling guise

who is she
they dont know
the watchers know
the know to a silent few

she pulls a sword longer than she
begins despensing unto the violators
that which she has been given
the guardian strives for the balance to be restored.

[Forbiddenlore]

I may be a bit lat ein starting up with the class for those of you who have not seen my posts ch.1-4 as in their requisite threads and I thank all of you for the chance to be able to glimmer a bit of the you that i can.I hope that my inspiration will carry to this piece as well.

The cycle of a Phoenix

I am crying out loud as the shell shatters around me
I am looking with many eyes upon the world before me
I am feeling the grass beneath my feet as i learn the body
I am smelling the lilacs as my mind begins to sort things out
I am stretching my wings as i feel the whisper of the morning air
I am stumbling through the forest as i try and lift off the ground
I am smiling wildly after my first meal
I am smoldering with heat as my shell assumes its true form
I am pealing in the distance a cry of joy and hope
I am taking to the air my being coming to one
I am Soaring the air watching the worlds around me
I am bringing hope to those who see me
I am shedding a tear to the earth to heal its wounds
I am loosing a feather that others may benefit from my love
I am diving through the waters seeking my dinner
I am thanking the waters for its generous and tasty gift
I am set ablaze by the wrongs that many have caused
I am burning to cinders those that needed to be righted
I am exploding in a volcanic eruption to save the lives of others
I am crawling out of the ashes in a little shell once more

Thank you for reading as it has touched me to even participate in this exercise

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Diana,

You know me better than that, and I know you have a repitoire of your personal verses...

You posted just as I expected...good job...

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Eeek! Running out of time before work!

Gonna condense a bit here...

Vi,

Phi,

Forbiddenlore,

Excellent tales, all!

Thank you all for allowing me (and everyone else here) to get to know you on this level.

I await the posts of those who are to still make it to the end of this set, and look foreward to the next set of lessons with everyone here. (which I've got three days off this week, so I can spend some time on them.)

Peace... (gotta go to work...ugh!)

[Ladyvi]

well when you get back .. one thing i didnt make too clear is that poem of my guardianship . all that indeed happens and it happens very quickly. a lot more so than it takes to write.

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Well, Lady Vi,

What you did convey in those words was excellent.

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Lesson Set Two;

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=30331

See you there.

[{Tigress}]

I am the majestic mountain defying the winds of time
I am the grain of sand ever shifting yet ever the same
I am the tiny acorn providing food for the squirrel
I am the mighty oak stretching my limbs towards the heavens
I am Earth

I am the rustle of leaves in the forest
I am the kiss of a cool breeze on your skin
I am the uncontrolable power of the tornado
I am the raging winds of the hurricane
I am Air

I am the solitary flame of a candle
I am the raging energy of a bonfire
I am the furnance in the core of the earth
I am the life force of the sun
I am Fire

I am the drop of life bringing rain
I am the song of the rippling brook
I am the calm serenity of the lake
I am the roar of the ocean
I am Water

I am the essence of all
I am the voice of all
I am the pulse of all
I am the thoughts of all
I am Spirit

I AM All

[Myrddyn Emrys]

:fprtyman2 :boing: :drinking: :clapping:

Selene,

You have now passed Bard 101!

[Living Dawn]

I couldn't get a word out of it hardly! It was scared...

[Phi]

I couldn't get a word out of it hardly! It was scared...No wonder! You have moved faster than the rushing water! Go back and finish lesson one, then two, then three, and so on. I guarantee that these are not "one-minute" lessons. If you are sincere, then you must have patience. Relax, slow down. Go back and do the listening. Follow the instructions. :hugz:

[tree_guy]

I couldn't get a word out of it hardly! It was scared...

you first have to learn how to crawl.
then to walk.
then to fly.

baby-steps are key to unravelling the twisting path of druidry.

druidry is not the FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH, it is wholly, the ESSENCE OF LIFE, in my own humble opinion, take it as you will.

tree guy

[blackroseivy]

I am milkweed down fluffing by.
I am an earthquake - I am the calmest stone.
I am the sound of the whistle, the sound of the flute.
I am glowing in rage, I am pressed into the ultimate Philosopher's Stone -
I am the Diamond.
I am impervious to all that changes...
I am Gold, as mutable as a cloud.
I am a cloud, blowing over the horizon.
I am the good Spirits in the best wine.
I am war on the rampage.
I am peace, calm, tranquility.
I am you, I am me.
I am the desert's blazing heat.
I am the tundra's frigid cold.
I am the black of night, I am the brightest day's white,
I am all the colors in the spectrum.
I go down on my knees to you,
You go down on your knees to me.
I'm everything you cannot see.

Still lagging along & hoping to keep up...!!

[Myrddyn Emrys]

Well, Danubhe, you have now passed these "lessons". Very good.

Remember, now that you know the basics of communicating with rocks and the like, don't stop. Go find some places out in nature to hone your skills.

[blackroseivy]

Will do, thanx!! :D Say, should I continue with the thread above, too? I looked ahead: I know it's about ancestry. I can tell you a thing or two about my family going waaaaaaaaaay back!! :D

[ShadowDragon999]

I think this is more based on the Song of Amergin,so I hope it will do here...


I who am a rager upon the deserts,
I hold fire and flame!
Mine is but the hawk in a farrow,
Mine is a motion from the Winds amighty!
I am a spiral in the desert mist henged!
None may know me,I am of all!
I am of the Stones that Whisper,
I am a wreaked Dolmen to the mountains share!
Who knowest the weal words of 4 poets speak?
Who art the round hewed sighs of the plains pon high?
Who can dart the many holders of the dust-flamed spirits?
Each secret known,despair of its leavings!

I am a fox of the piercing veils!
I am a hidden road amongst the straight tracks!
I am the keeper of untold traditions!
I am the warder of the 'tribes of many comings'!
I am the tender to the deserts many Temples!

Holder of the One,art thou many,as One!
Choser of the slain,council hither!

I am a crow upon the cliffledge!
I am a shrieking of judgement prevailings!
I am cold-spring of dark dreamings!
I am a seer of the many folded ones!
I am the keeper of the wells hidden imaginings!

Who but I know the secrets of the 7 folded lyre?

[Myrddyn Emrys]

SD, dear friend and colleague....

Love your work, no matter what board you post it on....