Walking the Caim
The most effective way to utilize the Caim is to walk the sacred circle. Those familiar with nature-based spiritualities will be familiar with this concept, but we are now performing it with the therapeutic approaches explained in the second article. Gather markers to place at the four directional points and at the center. Stones are ideal since they’re the oldest beings in nature, but anything will work. When I use this exercise in a therapy group setting, I give each person a set of colored paper tokens.
Begin by identifying East and place a marker there. You may create a symbolic east if you can’t determine the actual direction. Walk in a straight line to a position in the west and place a second marker. Move deosil to the north to leave another, and then cross straight through the center to the south to place the last. Return to the center and leave your final marker. This ceremony can be accomplished anywhere. While performing the ritual outside is best, it can be done sitting in place inside and turning to face the directions. Once the markers are placed, begin with the Light-Body meditation at the center. Take a few deep breaths and visualize warm, bright light emanating upwards from the earth into your feet and filling your body. When you feel calm and at peace, a vessel filled with light, proceed with the ceremony.
Walk to the eastern marker and contemplate your feelings. What is the dominant tone of your emotions (Happy, Sad, Angry, Afraid, etc.)? What situations in your life are giving rise to these feelings? When did they begin? Have your feelings escalated since the triggering event? How are these feelings affecting you? Do you experience physical sensations, such as panic attacks, pain, or nausea? Are the emotions complicating or disrupting your relationships or your ability to function in your daily life? Take a moment to breathe. Take three deep breaths, in through the nose and exhaling slowly through the mouth. Allow yourself to be “grounded” to the earth, no matter where you are, down through the floor and concrete and into the rich fertile soil beneath you. Now, reach down and pick up your marker. Hold in your hands and continue to breathe. It may be necessary to repeat the breathing exercise. Those of us in the druid community may find it useful to repeat the “Awen” mantra or “Ioho.” Meditate briefly on the question: “What is one thing I can do to bring my emotions into balance?” This must be something within our ability. Choosing an impossible action will not only be counter-productive but harmful. This may be going to see a therapist, or a doctor, learning to set boundaries, or engaging in positive change. It cannot be anything harmful, such as self-medicating with alcohol or drugs or engaging in self-harm to relieve emotional distress. While substance use by itself does not indicate dependency, it can become a problem if used in place of medicine. Once you have a direction in mind, one that will help you balance your emotions, stand and carry the eastern marker to the center and set it down.
Having centered your emotional self, return to the east, and walk deosil to the southern marker. Meditate briefly on the questions: “On what have my thoughts been centered recently? Am I ruminating on any specific thoughts or memories? Am I rooted in the emotional mind or the reasoning mind? How may I center myself?” Remember that Wise Mind is the ideal state in which we think rationally but also consider how we feel. If we consider our thoughts, we may find that we are often dislocated in time. We either ruminate about past events (depression, PTSD, etc.), or we worry about possible future outcomes (anxiety). Rarely are we rooted in the present moment. Therefore, take a few moments to breathe and practice mindfulness. Embrace the present moment without judgment. Release unwanted thoughts as they arise, acknowledging that you are thinking without focusing attention on it. I should note that this is easier said than done. For those who suffered traumas, these memories may be deeply ingrained, almost to the level of core beliefs, and influencing everything else the person thinks and feels. This is why it is critical to embrace a non-judgmental approach. Healing takes time, often a lifetime. These skills are not perfected overnight. That being said, seek the Wise Mind, in which your actions are determined by balanced rational and emotional considerations. Retrieve the southern marker and carry it back to the center, laying atop the one from the east. Emotion and rational thought now sit together, representing Wise Mind.
Proceed to the west. Pause for a moment and reflect on your spiritual journey. Are you religious or spiritual, or would you describe yourself as both or neither? How do you connect with the greater world around you? Have you considered the great questions? What is the meaning or purpose of your life? If you died today, what do you believe happens to you? Will you experience an afterlife? If so, what do you believe? Our task here is to remain non-judgmental and allow the journey to work its magic. Many people have spent a lifetime engaged in denial, self-medicating, or active avoidance, and for those who have suffered trauma, existential questions may be outright terrifying. Sometimes, these questions are extremely uncomfortable. Where was God/Goddess when my life fell apart? Why didn’t they intervene? Don’t they care about me? These are questions philosophers and theologians (and druids) have debated throughout human history. Don’t push for answers. Contemplating the question is enough. When you are ready, carry your western spiritual marker to the center, and place it with the others, symbolically bringing your spirit into harmony with your feelings and thoughts.
To complete the Caim, walk to the northern marker representing the physical domain. We lived in our bodies since before we were born, and much of our experience of the world originates in our sense organs. Research has shown that we recognize our mother’s voice while yet in the womb. Everything we experience in our lives, including those dreamlike in-utero sensations, shapes our adult worldview, our ability to trust, and our phobias. Every change we undergo as we pass through puberty and age throughout adulthood leaves a psychic mark. This is true for healthy development, but painfully so if we suffer from serious health problems. It is natural to feel a sense of betrayal when we experience a debilitating injury or illness, such as a heart attack or a stroke. Coming face to face with our mortality, we may suffer anxiety or depression. Perhaps we receive unwanted news from our doctor, our sugar or cholesterol is too high, and we are in danger of future health problems unless we make positive changes in our diet and lifestyle. We are creatures of habit, and unhealthy ones are difficult to break. Giving up smoking, for example, or late-night snacking, are challenging goals. If we suffer from mental illness on top of physical issues, the race becomes much harder to win. Our core beliefs may devalue our bodies. Perhaps we hate how we look or believe we are “too far gone” to change. Ask yourself: “What is one thing I can do consistently and realistically to positively affect my physical health?” Choose only one. It’s easy to identify our deficits and easier to generate a laundry list of goals. The problem is that we become overwhelmed when we fail to fulfill each and every one. We are discouraged, and we quit altogether, returning to older, more familiar patterns of behavior. Choose one, and work daily to meet this goal. When you are ready, retrieve your physical marker, and carry it back to the center.
Standing once more at the center, hold the markers in your hand, face the east and speak these words:
“I stand at the center.
I live in harmony and balance.
I embrace my whole health.”
Walking the Caim is an exercise we may perform daily, weekly, or whenever we feel the need. If space is an issue, it may be performed sitting on the ground, placing the markers around you in the four directions. If you suffer from physical limitations that make it difficult, or impossible, to physically walk the Caim, draw it on paper and trace the journey, writing down your thoughts as you go. For those practitioners of Druidry, especially those in the Ovate Grove, the healing ritual is actualized whole health recovery. We approach the trek in a different way, not by moving deosil from east to south, and so on, but by weaving a Celtic knot across space and time, incorporating the elements, and uniting their healing properties within us. The Caim is a spell, and like all magical work, the more we invest, the more we receive.
It is my sincere hope that this article series will be of use to the members of the Spirit of the Alleghenies and our associated groups. Please feel free to alter the directional symbolism as needed to fit your personal Caim. Druidry is a non-dogmatic tradition. , and the Caim I present here is how I offer it to my patients in group therapy sessions. May the Caim bless you, protect you, and foster your whole health recovery. Blessings!
Spirit of the Alleghenies 