Interview with the Vate Carolyn Gurney

1 What does the Grove community mean to you...

It's brilliant to be able to meet with like minded people. My first ritual with the grove was Samhain

2012. Before that I had been mostly solitary pagan since I was a teenager. It's good to have the

support of such a helpful and friendly bunch of people.

2 How does your spiritual path impact on your home family life

As a family we enjoying getting close to nature. We spend a fair amount of time exploring the Box

Moor Trust land in Hemel Hempstead, and sometimes visit the Ashridge Estate. At home I'm busy

tending my garden, and the children are getting involved with that too, planting seeds, watching

them grow, and keeping an eye out for the frog that's moved into our little plastic container pond.

3 Tell us about your grove Vatic participation you went through and still give too, in visions, shamanic journeys you have shared in ceremony

Whilst following the Vatic path with the grove I have learned from the other Vates that I could share

freely whatever images I saw on shamanic journeys. We are a friendly bunch and there's no need to

be apprehensive or feel silly about sharing what you have seen. Sometimes a particular image can

have an obvious meaning for yourself, at other times the meaning is not always clear, but the other

Vates are very welcoming and supportive.

4 Tell us about your grove bardic participation you went through and still give too in poetic prayers, storytelling or chants and music

I enjoyed the Bardic course more than I thought I would, as I'm not much of a performer! It was

good to spend time researching a subject and then working on something to present at ceremony,

whether it was a poetic prayer about a particular subject or reducing a long tale into something that

could be easily told to others.

5 a little about your relationships with nature spirits, e.g. Animal totems, tree spirits, working with

the sacred land

I've always felt close to nature, probably because I spent so much time out and about in the

countryside as a child. It's nice just to get out there and connect; to touch the tree bark or the earth,

to listen to the birds, the wind through the trees, the smell after it has rained. It calms my mind.

After some work with the Oaken Heart, and meditations on my own, I feel a affinity with the fox.

Initially wary, but sometimes bold, the fox is a useful signpost in my meditations and helps to focus

my mind before travelling on to seek further images.

6 a little about your relationship with ancestors e.g. Of your blood, the land and spirit guardians

I grew up Nottinghamshire near the border with both Derbyshire and South Yorkshire. My parents

would often take me on day trips out exploring the local countryside, or learning about the people

who came before us from places like Beamish and a coal mining museum. I find it fascinating to

learn about the people who populated this land before we were born, and how they lived their lives.

Sadly I lost both my parents in 2016, so my ancestor practice now centres more on the ancestors of

blood, and my connection to the people who gave me life and shaped the person I am today.

7 a little about your relationship with deities, such as Mother Earth, spirit of place we call chiltona

and gods in general

Perhaps because of my love of nature, I find myself being drawn to the Green Man. It was after a

visit to Sherwood Forest (a place, at the time, that I hadn't visited since childhood) and finding a

pewter Green Man in the gift shop, that I felt inspired to find other pagans in my local area, and this

lead to me finding the grove. I find the Green Man to be a wise and calming presence who helps

me to reflect on issues and find solutions to problems.

8 how does your spiritual life impact on your political, environmental and life style

I'm not sure it is just the spiritual aspect influencing this, but I like to reuse things, whether it is

recycling household rubbish, using old objects for a new purpose, or donating clothes to charity. I

am also taking small steps to help wildlife in my garden I have installed a small pond, and I've let a

patch of garden grow wild. I'm planning to plant more shrubs with berries to provide habitat and

food for the birds and small animals around us.

9 how do you see your spiritual development could potentially develop in the grove and your

personal interests.

I am have enjoyed participating in the Oaken Heart course, and I am looking forward to completing

the final part, hopefully in the not too distant future.