Today I took part in my very first Pipe ceremony and as I type this I am feeling so calm that I could be back on the site where we stood this afternoon. I have had an ‘urge’ for a couple of weeks now to visit the Clava Cairns which are almost on my doorstep but which for some reason I have never visited in all of my years living in Nairn. Why is it the beautiful things that are right under our noses are always the last things that we take notice of ?
I have to admit to nagging Laughing Blossom a little bit (I think she might say it was a big bit) to get her to agree to go to the Cairns in the middle of winter but she gave in and graciously agreed I can’t tell you how happy I was when she said yes because I had been looking at a picture of the site nearly every day over the last two weeks and was feeling more and more drawn to it. The pictures were a bit like the Longstone that Great Bear posted, I could see so much going on at the Cairns that I had to experience it first hand.
We asked another friend along, Vicki, and today my wish came true.
Well we arrived at the site at around 12.40pm and it was really cold and damp but the ground was quite firm and the rain had stayed off, so like the intrepid adventurers we are we went through the gate (no stiles much to our relief – I am short stuff too) and went walkabout.
Vicki had an immediate urge to walk around the Cairns in a figure of eight motion, like it was a never-ending cycle she said so we followed suit. LB and I wandered a bit after that amongst the trees and got a feel for the place, LB was already flying, she said she was tingling with the energies, and me, I was just so happy to finally be there that I just kept smiling. Vicki was like a greyhound out of the gate, we were so slow she was at the other end of the field when we were only half way around. The trees all around the Cairns seemed to be watching over the stones and watching over us, it was a warm feeling.
We all met back in the middle of the field and LB began to lay out the things she needed for the pipe ceremony, I sneaked a quick look inside the largest Cairn and was immediately aware that I was feeling very calm and so relaxed within its walls. I hadn’t expected that with it having been a burial chamber but it was not threatening at all, quite the opposite.
LB got us to take a direction each and she took the East as she was leading the ceremony and this is the direction where you enter or begin. First LB smudged all the things we were going to use, the pipe, the feathers, the rattles and bells (and it only took about two dozen matches and two hankies to set fire to the charcoal and herbs and the blanket that the pipe was laid on -oops).
Then LB came to smudge me and I was just flying at this point, the scent of the herbs was intoxicating and the energy all around was electric. I wanted to just shut my eyes and drift away but I knew that LB wanted me to smudge her afterwards so I had to pay attention. LB finished smudging Vicki and came back to me and I smudged her – I felt very honoured that she trusted me as I had never done this before.LB told Vicki and I what to do for the pipe ceremony, how to honour great spirit father sky and mother earth, all animals and nature with the pipe.
Then the fun began.
About 20 more matches, 10 goes with the gas lighter and several huddles later LB was lit up and so was the pipe.
It was amazing to watch as LB began the ceremony, it was all so natural to her, her confirmations to spirit were very moving, how could I possibly follow her – so when I took the pipe from LB I was scared that I wouldn’t know what to say. But I needn’t have worried, the words came and my heart felt uplifted and I’m sure as I finished honouring all with the pipe that my heart chakra had linked in with the energies of the cairns and my light was mingling with the energies there. I was feeling so in touch with everything as I watched Vicki take the pipe for her turn.
The pipe decided that it needed more fire but the fire was not readily forthcoming. The gas lighter went on strike and the matches made little impression and when Vicki sucked she also blew back by mistake which meant that as the fire began she extinguished it. What a hoot! It was like a scene from the three little pigs – Vicki huffed and she puffed and she went cross-eyed trying which made us belly laugh and started Vicki off so she couldn’t focus on smoking the pipe.
Vicki was very apologetic about the hilarity she had caused but the energy was so good I don’t think spirit minded, my eyes were watering, LB’s hand was shaking like a branch in a high wind and she was shouting ‘suck’ ‘suck’ ‘suck’ like Vicki’s life depended on it and Vicki couldn’t stop laughing long enough to suck on the pipe. I dried my eyes and went to Vicki and together we all managed to light the pipe and get her to suck long and hard enough to complete her part of the ceremony. LB finished the pipe and completed the ceremony by taking up a rattle and singing. 
I have to say I was surprised by the volume. LB is such a little thing but the voice was so strong and her words resonated around the site, she was chanting and I felt myself drawn to join her but instead began to sway. I was standing within the roots of a tree on the site, my feet placed where the roots had broken the surface and I felt like I was rooted and that I was like the tree, I continued to sway – it seemed the natural thing to do. LB had stopped chanting but was now shaking her rattle and the noise and the energy was like a shining light in my head, my eyes were shut and all I could sense was the light, it was all around and the sound of the rattle was all around. A noise came out of me and I was aware that I hadn’t consciously done it but it was more of a grunt I think, but I didn’t break into song I was too happy swaying away. When the rattle stopped LB said that the ceremony was finished.
Well that was my cue for a hug, so we all hugged and it was lovely and while we hugged the cold subsided and we were just there, just there amongst the stones and trees and it felt really good.
Before we left the site we walked around again, meandered I suppose you might call it. I visited the smaller Cairn and went inside, I must have been there a while because the girls didn’t know where I’d gone. I found myself speaking to the Cairn and thanking spirit and all the energies on the site for allowing us to do the pipe ceremony. Many of the stones were warm to touch which I hadn’t expected as it was a dank, cold day. As I stood inside the Cairn I began to sing ‘ring-a –ring-a –rosies’ in my head and I could see children running hand in hand around the outside of the Cairn, they were laughing and happy and so was I.
I toddled back to join Vicki and LB we took some piccies and we said our goodbyes to the stones, until our next visit.
Thank you LB from the bottom of my heart, you made my day and have taken me a step further along my path.
http://www.henge.org.uk/highland/clava.html
I have never been to a pipe ceremony before but it sounds very moving indeed 
, she said afterwards that she was aware of a circle of braves surrounding us and also what she would describe as a circle of Grandmothers WOW!!! there were many elementals watching us from the trees and the bushes which surround the cairns 
