The Lord of the Dance

Reclaiming the generative force of nature in modern Druid practice

We've all heard the popular tune - we've sung it in rituals a dozen times or more. But have we really grown familiar with the true nature of the Lord of the Dance?

The Lord of the Dance encompasses many characters of the Celtic myth structure. He is Herne the Hunter - the Lord of the Greenwood. In this guise, his playful, joyful nature is celebrated. Less often noted are the more sensual aspects of this nature, yet they are still present - and a part of the true nature of the Lord of the Dance. He is also Pan, and Hu, Pwll, and a host of others: all unique, yet all bearing the regenerative force of the male energy.

A fine example of the multifaceted nature of the Lord of the Dance is the one presented by the talented Michael Flatley in his stage show: aptly title "Lord of the Dance". Flatley's Lord of the Dance shows both the sensual and powerful natures of the Green Lord. He also shows a gentle, caring nature as the protector of the Fey.

The popularity of the Lord of the Dance show may also be indicative of a renewed appreciation for symbolized generative force in nature. Many modern Pagan groups have reduced the generative side of their cosmos to little more than an exalted boyfriend - some have completely negated his activity within their worlds. By returning the Lord of the Dance to his true place, we once again come a bit closer to that elusive point of balance.

Modern Pagan traditions frequently tend to downplay the male aspects and personages of the divine life force. some believe that this may be an unconscious response to hundreds of years of oppressive patriarchal religions - the opposite swing of the spiritual pendulum, so to speak. This is, however, not necessarily a good response. By negating or discounting the importance of the male, generative forces in nature, we approach our spirituality in a way which is just as imbalanced as that of the former oppressors. Given this fact, plus the essential fact that most of our early thinking has been coloured with the overly-patriarchal bias, how do we then restore the balance of our spiritual traditions while avoiding the patriarchal pitfalls?

Restoring our traditional balance, and the exuberant joy of the Lord of the Dance, requires a continuous, conscious action. In modern Dridry, far more so than in Wicca, we focus not only upon the polarity of divinity, but upon the totality of the divine. All things, all persons, possess this divine nature- no matter their gender or sexual orientation. Perhaps this in and of itself may help in restoring the balance of the spiritual world. More importantly, if we are conscious of, and embrace fully, those male and female polarities within ourselves; then perhaps the wholeness that we envision as the centre of Pagan Spirituality will more fully take root in the consciousness of the present day.

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