Danu's Flow

by Jon Keeyes

Danu's river flows through my veins. My blood is the same blood, the same waters, that flow through the veins of every living, breathing creature. My blood is her waters. Her waters the sap of the trees and the plants. We are the rivers of Danu; flesh born of Bile's desire. But, do we heed the call of Danu? Do we listen to her voice within our veins? Do we hear her calling to us upon the breeze which gently caresses our cheek? We are all connected through her waters, each upon a raft floating down her stream.

Robert Jordan says, "The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills". Danu's blood shall flow freely, and none may stop it. The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills. Danu's river shall bend, shift, flow and change by her will. She is the main force of nature. She is the primary motion of life. And, she shall move our lives by her own accord for our lives are her lives. We become an element in the water. Are we the stubborn mouse that fights a losing battle against the snake, or are we the leaf which flows with her waters whichever direction she carries it.

Stephen King calls it ka. Ka; the force of life which moves people together, unfolds events, rebuilds laws by its own accord. Ka is the unbending flow of Danu that knows better than we. Yet, do we live by her ka? Do we pay attention to her ka? A ka-tet is a group of people brought together by ka for reasons known only by Danu. It is in the end (or beginning?) that we understand her reasons. It is our faith in her that we accept her ka.

In modern runic lore, this is Wyrd. Wyrd is the universe directing our paths for the better good of ourselves and life. In old futhark, it is pedhro. Living life by being in motion with the flow. Both wyrd and pedhro are flowing webs of the universe that cross paths in each persons life. But do we see the crossing? Or, do we ignore it and thus miss Danu's Truth.

We are not puppets of the Wheel or of Danu. We are a melody sung by the song of life. And, as our own melody, we have free will. But to truly be free, we must be aware of Danu's flow. When we see her flow, when we live within the universal motion, then we have true freedom. It is at this new level that we can choose to accept her ka and flow as the leaf or, resist her ka and fight against the river which will not cease.

There is a type of water snake in the Indian Ocean. At a point in its life it begins to move. It will travel nearly 3,500 miles to a lake in the middle of Australia. Its journey to reach this place will last nearly three years. The snake listens to the call of Danu; listens to her blood which lies within. The snake becomes apart of Danu's motion. The snake will travel through unknown waters, unknown rivers, to reach her destination. At times, the snake will take the wrong stream needed to reach the lake. Does the snake stop its journey? Does the snake turn around and head back for the ocean? No. The snake moves back into the correct river and continues moving.

We are like the snake when we live in Danu's flow. We are aware of her call and follow her flow. If we faulter, if we step out of the river, we simply listen to her call once more and begin moving down her river again.

Our lives are filled with messages. These are her messages. We are surrounded by her always, and all we have to do is look and listen. Once, when in need (for I had stepped out of the river), I cried out to Danu for direction. I looked up and heard her call. I checked myself into a hospital for drug rehabilitation. A short time into the program, I was told that I would have to leave for insurance would not cover it. I became angry, bitter. How could this be? I asked. But, I had stopped living in her flow again by resisting her. My perspective of things had been skewed for they did not appear as I envisioned them. I stepped into her rivers again, and she carried me to a new rehabilitation center completely different than what I had believed I wanted. It was in this new center that I truly found my freedom from drug addiction. It was by accepting her flow that I found peace and Truth.

It is not to say that we have to do nothing. She will not carry us free of charge. We can not sit in our homes and expect a source of income to simply fall into our laps. We must still take the steps necessary to live in her flow. I can put my head back and flow down her river, allowing her to carry me as she wills, but, I must use my own strength to stay afloat so that she can carry me. Without my input, I would become like the rock and sink to the bottom of the riverbed.

It is through living within awareness and acceptance that we live within Danu's ka. When we seek the Truth, the Truth we shall find. All we need is to open ourselves to the life that moves in motion around us to see, hear and feel her. It is through her perspective that we allow the Wheel to Weave us as the Wheel Wills for the Wheel knows the Truth; it knows better than us.