This is a Disabled Pagan Voices Project Submission
When Deenagh first laid her eyes on The Dragon, she was in awe at the beauty of such a creature. Nothing could have prepared her for that moment, because it was her feelings that she was overwhelmed by, as she stood speechless and devoid of all thought. It was as if her mind had shut
down momentarily while her feelings were being processed. Deenagh’s eyes were looking at the giant head of a golden creature whose anger was great and ferocious. In those initial seconds, Deenagh did not feel fear because she knew his anger was not directed at her but at the situation this creature had found himself in, as he had clearly been injured so badly that he was unable to move except to lift his head off the ground and bellow a mighty roar, so loud that he could deafen anyone standing too close.
What Deenagh saw was the most magnificent of all the creatures that she had the privilege to see on her ramblings around her village and the various trips she had made thus far. Not even her imagination could have envisaged such a beautiful life form.
As her feelings could be acknowledged, from the sense of awe and wonderment came an almost need to care for this creature, and then Deenagh’s mind clicked into working mode again. She continued to look at this immense head, and gasped as she thought that this head must be at least as long as three times her body height. She could not even see the rest of the body, and she tried not to think about how big this creature actually was. In an instant Deenagh’s mind gave her a thought that this creature was called a Dragon, and she believed it to be true because her Tree Mother had told her about the Dragons who fought in a great war to defeat the evil of the world.
The Dragon roared again, and his great golden head glowed with the fire that raged inside him as flames burst out from his open mouth. The jaws of this Great Golden Dragon rumbled and moved showing the sheer strength of the muscles that were taut underneath a coat of skin that was like the
toughest of hides, yet seemed flexible. There were colours of yellows like the barley on a Summers day, that shone brightly under the think skin around The Dragon’s face, an almost scale like quality, similar to the mountain lizards Deenagh often saw. On top of The Dragon’s head, Deenagh could see spikes of a darker golden colour, rising like a semi-circular crown to add even more splendour to an already impressive head. This looked almost like a shielding of protection, and to Deenagh it appeared to be like the antlers of the giant elks. She could not see beyond The Dragon’s head, and she could only see one side of his head, his right hand side, but this first sighting gave her a sense of immense power, as well as a sense of The Dragon’s barely contained anger. The clans folk would surely come to find out what was making the noise in the woodland clearing, and Deenagh had a strong sense of purpose that she had to keep this Dragon safe from harm. However, she still could not take her eyes from The Dragon who moaned and groaned his displeasure at having found himself in this predicament, because the last thing that The Dragon wanted was to be anywhere near humans. The Dragon did not want to have to deal with a girl child that stumbled across his whereabouts, and this child human did not appear to be going anywhere despite his attempts at scaring her off.
Deenagh didn’t feel that she was in danger and she knew to respect all life forms, something her Tree Mother had taught her more than anyone else. So she stood very still and continued to look at The Dragon, whose giant head, she had discovered, she was now stood right next to, unaware of her
movements, she had slowly walked forward. She realised that this Dragon was even bigger than she first thought, because Deenagh’s body stood alongside The Dragon’s right eye, and her height still didn’t reach above the huge, blanket like sheath that was his eyelid. The Dragon was not even upright, as his mighty head had remained lowered on the ground, stretched out in front of him.
Deenagh’s sense of wonderment stayed with her for what seemed like a long time as she remained speechless, but she felt as though she was rooted to the spot where she stood, and was then unable to physically move. It was at that moment that The Dragon turned his dark brown eye to look at her
properly and Deenagh stared back into that magnificent Dragon eye. As she gazed into his eye that was almost as big as she was, she saw a glimpse of the Universe itself with it’s countless galaxies and brilliant colours. A connection was made between Dragon and human, and in that moment a special bond was forged. After what seemed to Deenagh like a lifetime that had passed when she looked into the depth’s of The Dragon’s dark eye, The Dragon blinked and lifted himself onto his front legs. Deenagh watched as her wonderment turned to horror and she began to realise the true colossal size of this incredible creature. Deenagh could only lift her head higher and higher, as her jaw dropped and her eyes got bigger, almost popping out of her head. In an instant, she felt herself come to her senses and she ran away as fast as her legs could carry her, the human instinct of flight taking her
over completely. She didn’t stop running for a long time, and when she could run no longer, she slowed down and only then did she look behind and saw that she had put a great distance between her and The Dragon.
Deenagh began to wonder what had happened and how she found herself fleeing for her life, and then she remembered The Dragon towering above her and she shuddered as a new wave of fear threatened to send her into flight mode again. However, she tried to still her mind to help her think
clearly, and she decided that she needed to speak with her Tree Mother as soon as possible. She quickly made her way back to Anoc-Par, and passing the Wizened Hawthorn Tree, she asked if they could speak. The Dryad complied and Deenagh returned to her dwelling, and while she lay on her
bed she recounted the earlier events to her Tree Mother, and the meeting with The Dragon. Deenagh told her Tree Mother everything, from the cries of pain and anguish that drew her to the clearing where she saw the giant head of an injured and angry Dragon, to the glimpse she had of the Universe in The Dragon’s huge eye, and finally to the now embarrassment she felt at running away like a coward. The Dryad firstly assured Deenagh that she was most definitely not a coward, and that she must never think that of herself, and to stress the point, the Dryad asked Deenagh to promise her that she would never again consider herself a coward. Deenagh was surprised at the extent of her Tree Mother’s protestations regarding the coward comment, but she loved her Tree Mother even more for making her feel better, and for telling Deenagh that even the greatest warriors of the Pictish people would’ve fled from The Dragon, but all others would’ve taken flight in the first seconds of laying eyes on The Dragon. The Dryad told Deenagh that she should feel proud of herself for looking The Dragon in the eye. Deenagh had calmed herself enough to express to her Tree Mother her initial thoughts and feelings at seeing The Dragon, how she had a strong sense to help this injured creature, and to keep him protected and safe from harm. The Dryad listened and built a picture, from not just what Deenagh had said to her, but the feelings she was able to sense from Deenagh, and the Dryad was deeply happy when she understood that Deenagh had formed a connection with The Dragon. Of course, what the Dryad didn’t tell Deenagh about, was her own encounter she had with this particular
Dragon, because he was an old friend of the Dryad’s and she knew he was in the area as she had sensed he was close. In fact, as Deenagh was recounting the whole tale, The Dragon had contacted the Dryad to enquire if this girl child was alright, and the Dryad had to smile to herself, as she thought her old friend’s hardened heart may be softening. She chose not to tell Deenagh about her friendship with The Dragon, and she told The Dragon that the child had a bit of a scare but she was just fine, and in the Dryad’s opinion, Deenagh would soon be back to see him.
The Dryad asked The Dragon about his injuries so she could advise Deenagh which healing plants she could apply when she returned to him. Deenagh had no plans whatsoever at that point to go back to The Dragon as she spoke to her Tree Mother, and following the shock that had made it’s way
through her body’s system, Deenagh felt incredibly tired and she fell into a deep sleep in the comfort of her bed and the safety of her dwelling. The village clans folk had not noticed Deenagh return home, because she had developed the gift of being unseen when she needed it, another skill taught to her by her Tree Mother, and so she was left alone and in peace, to sleep as long as she needed to, in restful, undisturbed solitude, which was in part due to the calming energy that the Dryad had enveloped Deenagh in. The Dryad felt that Deenagh had an eventful day and a huge shock to deal with, and the child now needed to sleep as it was Nature’s greatest healer. The Dryad was also absolutely certain that when Deenagh awoke, the first thing this curious child would want to do would be to return to The Dragon.
My name is Deenagh Jackson and the process of my writing has helped me understand my own Pagan beliefs in this modern day, while also helping me to connect with my Ancestors of old.
The Deenagh series of books which I started writing almost 2 years ago are about the main character Deenagh who can remember her past lives and each book tells the story of the lifetimes she has lived and the lessons learned, with her Spiritual beliefs at the heart which are important to Deenagh.
This is the first time I have shared my stories outside my close circle of friends, but as a wise man once told me “a stranger is a friend yet to be”, so feel free to contact me by email deenagh@thepentagrambox.org.uk
Brightest Blessings, Deenagh