Stories inspire transformations. Spiritual Ecstasy, Spiritual freedom, and front line environmentalism. The Branch of Peace (the silver branch) is shaken to silence those gathered … to call peace. Similarly, Beavers of the oral tradition, keepers of the past. They affirm the identity of our people, linking them with the land on which they depend. They offer a source of stability in a world where the future is less certain than the known. They give the people their roots … their foundation, and encourage people to achieve their potential. Using sensory deprivation has been common among Bard’s for centuries. It forces one to face the single point of tumulus within oneself, thus commonly cracking into Poetic Awen.

The Branch of Peace: Talk of grades within the kinship as “branches”. This is referring to a specific grade within The Branch of Peace.

A critical part of their task is to deepen and enrich the connection with the people and the land. In addition, within their tales are woven the laws of nature, with warnings to the un-weary.

Among our kin is a sense that the stories not only benefit the people, but also the land, as if within their telling it, the Bard is practicing the sacred art of honoring each tree, hill, lake, and lunar tide. In addition, with each reaction, she/he inspires, honors ancestors and all humanity.

Yes, it is so; the Bard is a magician of words. A Bard practices her/his craft to be a master of emotion and movement. Poetry weaves the right (spatial) and left (linear) parts of the brain; shifts perceptions of reality, concepts, boundaries and potentials. She/he uses her/his Awen to inspire others. Bard’s creativity stems from her/his own ability to listen, relax and receive the energy that inspirits her/him.

It is a matter of releasing words with honor, respect and the power to evoke change. It refers to an attempt to change oneself, often by focusing on one’s own human soul.
It pertains to a source of inspiration stemming from the beauty and power of the land (earth). Gorsedd, a word once meaning “high seat”, the ancient mound on which high Kings were inaugurated and where tribes collected together for important occasions; is now better known, or translated, as a gathering (not the mound itself) of Bards.
Not all Bards begin as or become universally good poets. See Principles of Druidry for more on Bards.