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oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Ferdiad
@oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
210 followers 110 following 76 posts
Druid, time-traveller, Social Justice Eisbär 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
(he/him)
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oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
This year’s Samhuinn tumpshie lanterns. /|\
While I remain team #NeepsNotPumpkins all carvable veg are welcome: I’ll be on the lookout for kohlrabi and manglewurzles next year!
#Samhuinn #Samhain #Ancestors #JackOLantern #druidry #UrbanDruidry #TumpshieLantern #DruidSky
Carved turnip lanterns Carved turnip lanterns Carved turnip lanterns Carved turnip lanterns
November 1, 2025 at 12:35 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Jack-o-lantern carving as a warmup for carving the tumshie lanterns tomorrow 🎃 /|\
#NeepsNotPumpkins #Samhuinn #Samhain #JackOLantern #Druidry #UrbanDruidry #DruidSky
Small pumpkin carved into a smiling Jack o lantern and lit with a candle
October 30, 2025 at 8:53 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Blessed feast of Artio Retiring /|\
#Arctolatry #Artio #Druidry #UrbanDruidry
Altar to the bear goddess Artio with candles, incense, offerings of nuts and images of Artio and bears
October 22, 2025 at 9:44 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Never not a good evening for a walk beside the river.
🩵💚🤍💙
#Thames #TamesisGrove #UrbanDruidry #Druidry #DruidSky
/|\
The River Thames facing west from Blackfriars. It is early evening and low tide with the gravelly foreshore visible.
May 8, 2025 at 9:02 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Low energy kind of day so I thought I’d make pickled rhubarb
A preserving jar full of thinly sliced rhubarb pickling in brine.
May 4, 2025 at 1:34 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Fortunate Fires marked the gateway to summer as #TamesisGrove celebrated our #Bealtaine ritual.
May the blessings of the flames bring us what we need as the wheel turns. /|\
#UrbanDruidry #Druidry #obob #beltane #ritual #DruidSky
Bealtaine fire burns safely in a small cast-iron cauldron on the woodland floor Bealtaine altar wreathed in hawthorn blossoms: a tea light candle lit in a white lantern Druid altar on the woodland floor wreathed by hawthorn blossoms. Within, a lit lantern; bowl of water; decorated stone and smouldering herb bundle mark the quarters
May 3, 2025 at 11:11 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Ready for the Tamesis Bealtaine ritual /|\
#TamesisGrove #Druidry #UrbanDruidry #Bealtaine #Beltane #obod #ritual #pagan #DruidSky
Druid Awen badge, Tardis police box badge with rainbow coloured door panels, badge reading “support your local Druid”.
May 3, 2025 at 11:35 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Hedgerows full of Hawthorn blossoms for Bealtaine.
Blessings of sunshine and thorn as the gates of summer open! /|\
#bealtaine #beltane #UrbanDruidry #Druidry #DruidLife #DruidSky
Hawthorn blossoms Hawthorn blossoms Hawthorn blossoms
May 2, 2025 at 5:52 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
The love of all existences. 🏳️‍⚧️/|\
#TamesisGrove #druidry #UrbanDruidry #DruidLife #DruidSky
Trans flag gradient background with the text: Today is an important day to re-affirm that Tamesis welcomes and affirms the sacredness of our trans, genderqueer and non-binary members. Tamesis stands in a circle of fellowship, inclusion and equity: both in our grove and in the wider world. It is not a space where we will debate the existence or human rights of any person, especially not people who are marginalised in society. If your druidry does not include "the love of all existences", then it is not a druidry that will find a comfortable home in Tamesis.
April 17, 2025 at 8:10 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
The balance of light and dark, gratitude for spring time and dramatic thunder and lightning. All part of a lovely Spring Equinox celebration with the Tamesis Druids. /|\
#TamesisGrove #SpringEquinox #AlbanEilir #UrbanDruidry #DruidLife #obod #pagan #druid #druidsky
A spring equinox altar on bare earth showing magical tools and decorations: a lantern, incense censer, bowl of earth and bowl of water. Three empty pots wait to have seeds planted. Flower petals are scattered in a circle Heavy thunderclouds over the London skyline as viewed from Primrose Hill in the late afternoon
March 22, 2025 at 9:42 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Blessed Feast of Artio Rising /|\
#Artio #arctolatry #NewMoon #Ritual #Altar
#UrbanDruidry #Druidry #BearGoddess #ArtioRising #DruidSky #PaganSky
An altar with an offering candle depicting a women wearing a bear mantle and the name Artio (the Celtic bear goddess) printed at its base. The altar objects include various carved bears in wood and stone, pictures of bears and offerings of water, incense and fresh spring daffodils.
February 28, 2025 at 10:09 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Happy Birthday Pamela “Pixie” Coleman Smith, 1877-1951. Visionary artist and member of the Golden Dawn who illustrated the 1909 Rider Waite Smith #tarot which is arguably the most recognisable modern deck.
An illustration of Pamela Coleman Smith in the style of one of her own tarot cards, labelled The Visionary. Other tarot cards from the “Pixie Pop” deck and the “Vintage Tarot” deck are displayed around her. They sit in a cloth patterned with peacock feathers.
February 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
I never see #PlayingCards just laying in the street. Some folk seem to find them all over the place. Nothing so evocative as an Ace of Spades ♠️, just a cheery yellow one Uno card. But it made me smile. #UrbanDruidry /|\
A yellow one Uno playing card lies discarded on the pavement.
February 16, 2025 at 9:12 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
There were worse places to celebrate Imbolc. /|\🕯️🌱🕯️/|\
#imbolc #druidry #UrbanDruidry #StoneCircle #Druidsky
Later afternoon overlooking Hilly Fields stone circle: a small stone circle built atop a hill in a South London park as an art project for the Millennium. The grass is lush green from rain but sodden and muddy; the trees are dark, bare boughed silhouettes. The sky is pale blue as the light fades, with bands of clouds tinted in pinks and golds by the setting sun.
February 2, 2025 at 8:18 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Celebrating the waking of the land with the Tamesis Grove druids. Windswept hilltop? Check. Stone circle? Check. Mud? You better believe it.
The magical so often meets the mundane. /|\
#druidry #UrbanDruidry #imbolc #TamesisGrove
Imbolc altar on a cracked stone slab in the ground showing various objects including a Brigid’s Cross, lantern, wand and Awen symbol.
February 1, 2025 at 6:32 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
A very nice wassail yesterday in a community garden and orchard /|\
Slices of toasted bread with cutout shapes of stars and hearts hanging in the bare boughs of an apple tree in a small orchard
January 19, 2025 at 2:41 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Solstice things did occur /|\
A small glass candle holder patterned in yellow and gold and containing a lit tea light candle is held up towards the midwinter sunrise in a park. The sunrise itself is very overcast and grey.
December 22, 2024 at 7:45 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Solstice Blessings from that most mysterious of sacred sites: Pengehenge /|\
A trio of brutalist upright concrete pillars with uncomfortable concrete benches built into the base of each in a rather bleak paved square surrounded by railings and bare trees
December 21, 2024 at 8:56 AM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Celebrating another circle around the sun at the magestic Pengehenge. /|\
#DruidSky
Three somewhat dilapidated brutalist upright concrete slabs with uncomfortable concrete benches around their bases are situated in an open area covered in fallen leaves and surrounded by tall railings and other concrete uprights. It is raining heavily. The caption reads “Celebrating another circle around the sun at the majestic Pengehenge”.
December 1, 2024 at 2:07 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Reintroduction thread:

Name: Ferdiad
Pronouns: he/him
Location: London, UK
Interests: Druidry, folklore, witchcraft and the occult, geekdom, TTRPGs/ D&D, board games, cookery, plants, herbalism, socialism and social justice, X-Men comics
Vocation: Teacher, druid, celebrant, and lapsed writer
Photograph of Ferdiad: a middle aged, white cis-male with glasses, short white hair and beard.
November 16, 2024 at 6:48 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
People of Bluesky, let’s get to know each other better. What is your favourite movie?

Quote share your answer in GIF form only.
Stop-motion demon from the 1957 film “Night Of The Demon”.
November 16, 2024 at 6:19 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Stop-motion demon from the 1957 film “Night Of The Demon”
November 16, 2024 at 6:15 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
/|\🔥🕯️🔥/|\
#UrbanDruidry #DruidSky
November 16, 2024 at 5:58 PM
oldmanferdiad.bsky.social
Autumnal colours
November 16, 2024 at 3:58 PM