Along the Amber Road

Written by Alaunocerdos Uocassanos – Toution of BNG

On honeyed hushed words you bind me 
To a path that has no length
And on the Amber road I listen
For eloquence is far stronger than strength 

To all who don’t know how to begin the journey of writing one of these, I am right there with you. Let us embark on this path together.

I write this on the 14th of Equos or the 9th of February in the Gregorian calendar. I felt that it would be a nice and reasonable time to reflect upon my journey thus far. 

It’s been about a year and a half since I set down this path of Gaulish Polytheism. To look back from where I initially set off, I was already along another path of reverence towards the world around us. Animism and the teachings of Awen made me feel home no matter where I was. The philosophy of an ever flowing cycle of taking and giving back to the world fueled me forward. 

Throughout this path, another name kept popping into my head. Ogmios. A name I had no context for before diving deeper into the history of the Gaulish Celts. I tease, but it feels like the bards of old couldn’t have written it better. I learned of his persuasion and the power of spoken word, how the Celts revered it. 

And with that, the amber chains had my ears hooked. I yearned to learn more, to dive deeper along this path. I talked to people about their own path, I asked questions. And eventually, that led me here. Bessus Nouiogalation has provided a warm hearth of community. In return, I hope to provide an active voice to tell stories around the fire. 

Looking forward, there’s so much I want to work and to deconstruct on. I seek to learn all I can in this path, to create art and stories that we all can share, and to fail. To be vulnerable on a path alongside people I can trust around the fireside. Through practice and genuine intention. It can be imperfect, all I need to do is try.