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Post by potia on Jan 18, 2012 9:22:08 GMT -1
At the moment it seems to me that many of us are being kept busy by life away from computers, which is not necessarily a bad thing but what of your faith (for want of a better term)? Are you developing new abilities to weave your beliefs into your daily life? Are you experiencing the gods and other beings in different ways? Are you finding it easy or hard to weave religious practice and general life together? Perhaps if are willing to share some more of our expereinces here we can get a bit more discussion going?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2012 1:34:07 GMT -1
I seldom post, but the timing on this is perfect. I've been thinking about ways to add more daily practice other than my morning and evening devotionals. I recently bought a loom, and found inspiration in the Carmina Gadelica for a couple of loom blessings that I have started to use when I'm dressing it for weaving and when I start and stop work for a time. I'm also planning to make all of my candles for use on my home altar around Gwyl Ffraed. I'll have to rely on the goats across the way giving birth as I have no sheep to gauge the proper time. I'll also be making soap for the rest of the year during those days. My gardens are another place I hope to incorporate some rituals. I'm still researching and doing a bit of thinking on that front and would love to hear what those of you who work and live close to the land might have to say. My livestock are small (chickens and angora wool rabbits), but they are of the utmost importance to me. It's so easy to be caught up in the whirl of everyday life and feel distant from my spiritual path. Although I never make New Years resolutions, I hope that I can find more ways of weaving my beliefs into the fabric (somewhat literally now) of my daily and seasonal life. Moving out to the country has helped so much, there's a definite rhythm to life here that is unavoidable.
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Post by Sìle on Jan 22, 2012 18:59:01 GMT -1
As it happens, over the winter holidays (that I never usually take) I had a bit of a moment, which developed into a bit of a month. Daily rituals do play a place in this, but there is now an intensity to what I do day-to-day that wasn't there before, along with a different way of thinking: about gods, the nature of my faith, my commitment to my chosen path, etc.
It has meant less concern for the whirlwind of life, as it were, and a concentration on more important matters, though I will admit to still spending more time than I'd like at FB (but that's because when it's quiet at work, I have only the net to entertain).
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Post by Heron on Jan 23, 2012 19:22:22 GMT -1
OK then....
Thinking about different strands within paganism, many of us who’ve been around a while may have come through the wiccan structure of a God with two aspect and a Goddess with three aspects. Moving from there into polytheism where many gods are acknowledged makes you think differently about the gods. Then there are the traditional practices of wise women and cunning men which are focused on magical practice more than religious observance. These might as well (and did) use christian elements in their spells as well as pagan ones.
I think many in the ‘pagan community’ have taken on board some sort of mixture of these possible paths of practice. And few choose to be too specific or ask too many detailed questions about the path they are on. Here, we are ostensibly discussing a practice centred around the Brythonic gods. But I suspect many also have fingers in other pies to some extent or other.
Do people thinks its OK to be eclectic or should we stick to one path exclusively? And if we do choose to be eclectic, how conscious should we be about the intersecting paths we are on, or should we just ‘go with the flow’ and be happy with ‘whatever works for me’?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2012 20:55:16 GMT -1
For myself, I worked exclusively with the Irish pantheon for 15 years, but for the last few I have felt drawn to several Brythonic deities and at least one Norse. Having been a purist of sorts for many years, this caused a lot of internal turmoil, but I also understand that there are people in my distant ancestry who very well may have been involved with those particular gods. I've also practiced Traditional (as opposed to Wiccan) witchcraft for the last two decades, but see that as almost an entirely different thing. I suppose I view it as a job description rather than spiritual path, even though there are spiritual aspects to many of the practices. I also find it interesting that this happened when I started regularly adding more ancestor veneration practices to my usual seasonal and daily practices. Perhaps the ancestors on my father's side finally stepped in and introduced me to the rest of my heritage, I honestly do not know. I've also started playing more Welsh and English trad music (and learning Welsh in order to sing along) on the various instruments that I play. Who knows what effects that has on the spirits I keep company with. ;D As a CR, I look at syncretism warily. So often (especially here in the States) it's used to formulate a "buffet" of deities to choose from to suit different purposes. I find that... somewhat arrogant and disrespectful. That being said, I cannot deny being drawn to several of the Brythonic deities rather strongly. I'm also drawn to this group's method of determining seasonal holidays and such. I have no idea what to call the path that I am on, and I would not presume to be included in Brython, but you do provide a lot of valuable information even for those who may not worship Brythonic deities exclusively. And I thank you for that, very much. Especially your poetry, Heron.
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Post by Heron on Jan 23, 2012 22:42:13 GMT -1
I also find it interesting that this happened when I started regularly adding more ancestor veneration practices to my usual seasonal and daily practices. Perhaps the ancestors on my father's side finally stepped in and introduced me to the rest of my heritage, I honestly do not know. I've also started playing more Welsh and English trad music (and learning Welsh in order to sing along) on the various instruments that I play. Who knows what effects that has on the spirits I keep company with. ;D I'm sure it does have an effect! It's surprising (or perhaps not) how much changing one aspect of your practice affects all the others, as if one small adjustment here alters all the other things, however subtly. I don't think you would be 'presuming' - anyone who takes part here can be included as far as I'm concerned. And thanks for the comment about my poetry
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Post by redraven on Jan 24, 2012 16:41:20 GMT -1
OK then.... Thinking about different strands within paganism, many of us who’ve been around a while may have come through the wiccan structure of a God with two aspect and a Goddess with three aspects. Moving from there into polytheism where many gods are acknowledged makes you think differently about the gods. Then there are the traditional practices of wise women and cunning men which are focused on magical practice more than religious observance. These might as well (and did) use christian elements in their spells as well as pagan ones. I think many in the ‘pagan community’ have taken on board some sort of mixture of these possible paths of practice. And few choose to be too specific or ask too many detailed questions about the path they are on. Here, we are ostensibly discussing a practice centred around the Brythonic gods. But I suspect many also have fingers in other pies to some extent or other. Do people thinks its OK to be eclectic or should we stick to one path exclusively? Sticking to one path is very much down to the mental make up of an individual. If life shows us anything, it is that being static is not an option, leastways long term. Speaking personally, my spiritual path is still framed within a Brythonic framework and I don't think that will change as I am now very much settled into this. And if we do choose to be eclectic, how conscious should we be about the intersecting paths we are on, or should we just ‘go with the flow’ and be happy with ‘whatever works for me’? To an extent, I think the answer to this depends upon how you react to change. Sometimes going with the flow is entirely the right thing to do, but again, speaking personally, I don't have the sort of personality to adopt a "whatever works for me" attitude because I'm not in this for what I can get out of it. It's more for the development of a relationship with a life force who happens to have some commonality with me but also has enough differences to make information exchange mutually beneficial. RR
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Post by nellie on Jan 25, 2012 15:02:43 GMT -1
this one cuts a little bit close for me at the moment I've been struggling personally to bring two sides of my practise/spirituality into harmony. At the moment I am thinking that one can work withing a Brythonic framework, yet the approach to this is likely to differ from person to person. Is it ok to pick and choose? No, I don't believe so. But after careful and deliberate consideration of what you are doing and why I don't think there is anything 'wrong' with also worshipping a god that is not part of the cultural group you primarily work with. I think the key to this is to do things with consideration and respect, and not just because you 'feel' like it. I have been experiencing the gods differently. My framework is still Brythonic, but my approach is changing I think...
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Post by redraven on Jan 25, 2012 17:29:56 GMT -1
Is it ok to pick and choose? No, I don't believe so. But after careful and deliberate consideration of what you are doing and why I don't think there is anything 'wrong' with also worshipping a god that is not part of the cultural group you primarily work with. Just over 12 months ago in a moment of meditation, I had a name given to me very directly. That name was Odin. What would people here make of that then? RR
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2012 20:49:04 GMT -1
Just over 12 months ago in a moment of meditation, I had a name given to me very directly. That name was Odin. What would people here make of that then? RR That is precisely who has appeared in my thoughts, as well. A close friend who is Heathen has developed a relationship with him over the past few years, after trying to avoid it for a while. It would appear He tends to hit people over the head when they try to avoid a connection. She is a police officer in Manhattan, and just after mentioning His insistence on appearing in her dreams in an email to me, a woman quite literally dropped dead right in front of her on a sidewalk in Times Square right after asking her for directions. Subtle, no? My own experience has been through dreams and meditation as well as what I consider omens. My path involves seeking personal experience with deity and spirit of place. I do not think we can control who decides to speak to us. We might influence things a bit, but my personal experience has on several occasions felt like I was being pulled through a hedgerow backwards by the hair. Of course this is all UPG on my part, but I think when you put yourself out there as receptive, you do eventually get noticed. And it may be by someone who surprises you. I certainly have been. Working with the same pantheon for so long and then slightly changing my personal practice resulted in some major surprises for me. I'm still acclimating to the new.
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Post by nellie on Jan 26, 2012 7:52:56 GMT -1
I would say you haven't picked or chosen RR. Sounds more like you are being picked.
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Post by potia on Jan 26, 2012 9:00:22 GMT -1
Do people thinks its OK to be eclectic or should we stick to one path exclusively? And if we do choose to be eclectic, how conscious should we be about the intersecting paths we are on, or should we just ‘go with the flow’ and be happy with ‘whatever works for me’? If we are to grow and develop I don't think we should ignore other paths but at the same time I think we need to be careful about what, or how we bring, things together in our practice. For example if we are in the middle of a conversation with one being it's a bit rude to suddenly pop into the party next door and then back again. But much of what we do is about our relationships with other beings and if we are in a natural pause with one then why not pop next door to that party for a little and say hello. It doesn't mean you are staying there or ignoring your other relationships, you are just expanding your circle of freinds. Am I making sense there? The Heathen gods to me are like the party next door. I can hear them and sometimes bump into them and exchange greetings but they are not my closest freinds and if I was holding a party of my own for my closest freinds I probably wouldn't invite those from the party next door. I might invite them round another time though. But then I have a practice that is focused more with beings that are less strongly tied to the land than some. I'm developing a stronger awareness of presences in the land and any relationship with these has to be tied to the aspects of the land they are tied to. My daily practice at the moment tends to be heartfelt pleas to whoever is listening to give me a calm day with no emergency phone calls! I still do my monthly devotions for ancestors and certain deities and I've added in a weekly practice of offerings to a group of detities and visits to particular place for a few minutes communing with them. I do find it hard to combine spiritual and practical things at times though.
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Post by redraven on Jan 26, 2012 17:12:58 GMT -1
I would say you haven't picked or chosen RR. Sounds more like you are being picked. Picked by whom exactly? RR
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Post by Heron on Jan 26, 2012 20:30:06 GMT -1
Just over 12 months ago in a moment of meditation, I had a name given to me very directly. That name was Odin. What would people here make of that then? RR If Odin has called you you presumably have no choice but to respond. But you say 'a name given to me'. Has the name cropped up since, and how did you feel you needed to respond to the mention of this name? As Anwylyd mentions, people usually know when Odin has called them in the testimony of those who have had that call. This also dovetails in with the comments Potia makes about 'the party next door'. Is that party firmly divided from us by brick walls, or are there connecting doors? Some on here seem to have have thought so. Re-focusing on my earlier thoughts in this thread might also be relevant here. I mentioned the difference between wiccan and re-contructionist practice. I remember many years ago being told that a deity doesn't mind how he or she is addressed, whether or not you think of them as gods, spirits or something else, just as long as you acknowledge them.Now that is a major difference between wiccan and deconstructionist practice. For the wiccans there is an acknowledgement of different aspects of 'The God' and 'The Goddess' and covens often feel free to make up their own names with which to address them. For those of us working with inherited god names from the pagan past the question is rather how we can recognise and address specific gods, and whether some apparently different god names are different names for the same deity. My earlier thought was to wonder whether those two approaches are incompatible or whether that is a boundary that can easily be crossed.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2012 21:50:46 GMT -1
Wonderful discussion.
A good example for me has been the introduction of Taranis into my personal practice.
I live in the land of thunderstorms and tornadoes. There's a storm about to rage overhead any moment now. I've always held the power of the storms in awe, but I never felt much of a connection to a deity with them until I started exploring the Brythonic tradition. Taranis is a name that I'd seen many times in general history reading regarding the history of the Celtic peoples, but I'd never given it much thought until the last couple of years.
Since thunderstorms impact my life on a fairly constant basis, for good and ill, I spent a lot of time meditating about the issue, and Taranis definitely came to the fore.
Something clicked, and a "vacancy" for lack of a better word felt filled in my practice. Taranis is perhaps a very good example for this since he was revered across a vast area. I know that comparisons can be drawn to the Irish Tuireann and perhaps moreso with Thor, but those two have never connected for me. Perhaps they are all one and the same. I would not venture to say one way or another, the Gods are far different than we are and I honestly don't know if we can ever know. I'm considering a votive offering to him at the beginning of our serious storm season.
I like Potia's comparison to a "party next door". For better or worse, I've been peeking in next door quite a bit. I certainly hope no one at either party will be upset at my gregarious nature. There's also the fact that I come from fairly mixed stock. My mother's family came to the states in the not so distant past. The last native Gaelic speaker was still alive when I was a child. My father's side of the family is of Welsh and English origin and has been here far longer. How do those of us who are not physically present in the lands that are so connected to the deities deal with being pulled this way and that? And yet, we know some gods travel quite happily. Taranis seemingly is one, as well as all of the Norse. Iceland and Greenland seemed to please them as much as Scandinavia.
I do hope I'm making sense. I've never had experience with spirits of place other than the ones near me, and they are here in abundance. Very different from those you all are near, but definitely Present. The only deities I've had a lot of experience with have been the one who seemingly have been widely accepted in different locales. I include the Irish Gods and Goddesses I've worked with for a long time in that. Many of the gods the folks here (and all of the other European pagan traditions) work with appear to be so connected to place they never figure into what I can do here.
I want to add that I still have a lot of trouble reconciling some of this to my longstanding belief that "whatever works" is not a good way to approach things. My work with deities other than the ones I've worked with for a long time is slow going and somewhat tentative. It's an issue I've discussed with several CR folks here in the States as well. I think it's especially hard for me as I have never been a Wiccan and never viewed all of the gods as aspects of the same being(s).
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Post by dreamguardian on Jan 26, 2012 22:14:18 GMT -1
At the moment it seems to me that many of us are being kept busy by life away from computers, which is not necessarily a bad thing but what of your faith (for want of a better term)? That is me at the mo! Still around but living life. Interesting questions. With my main work as a paramedic, the two are often at complete odds. My 'faith' becomes completely fragile and regulary vanishes! Over time, I found it far more beneficial and mentally valuable to not to try to 'force' it or contemplate too much. Basically just get on with my life as it is tangible and consistant. My religious faith or what ever it's called usually re-charges itself over a period of time. Does this make sense? If it does, it explains my absence of posts of late.
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Post by dreamguardian on Jan 26, 2012 22:26:52 GMT -1
OK then.... Thinking about different strands within paganism, many of us who’ve been around a while may have come through the wiccan structure of a God with two aspect and a Goddess with three aspects. Moving from there into polytheism where many gods are acknowledged makes you think differently about the gods. .... Do people thinks its OK to be eclectic or should we stick to one path exclusively? And if we do choose to be eclectic, how conscious should we be about the intersecting paths we are on, or should we just ‘go with the flow’ and be happy with ‘whatever works for me’? Heron as always you narrow the thread to the important issues. I think what has happened with brython of late has been summarised in you questions posed here. I think it far better to keep things simple. Do what you personally feel moved to do at that given time. I don't mean in the context of 'just ‘go with the flow’ and be happy with ‘whatever works for me’, though. It's easy to look at more established paths & try to make things fit into a recognisable 'pagan' standard. Add bits from elsewhere because eveyone else seems to include it etc.
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Post by redraven on Jan 27, 2012 21:13:57 GMT -1
If Odin has called you you presumably have no choice but to respond. Just because I was given the name, why should I suppose the originator who gave me the name is that entity? But you say 'a name given to me'. Has the name cropped up since, and how did you feel you needed to respond to the mention of this name? As Anwylyd mentions, people usually know when Odin has called them in the testimony of those who have had that call. I believe it was an association with Odin that was at the crux of the exchange. It's interesting though that many a person may have considered the giving of the name as a sign to engage in another path. This also dovetails in with the comments Potia makes about 'the party next door'. Is that party firmly divided from us by brick walls, or are there connecting doors? Some on here seem to have have thought so. I would have to agree with that latter statement. Re-focusing on my earlier thoughts in this thread might also be relevant here. I mentioned the difference between wiccan and re-contructionist practice. I remember many years ago being told that a deity doesn't mind how he or she is addressed, whether or not you think of them as gods, spirits or something else, just as long as you acknowledge them. Now that is a major difference between wiccan and deconstructionist practice. For the wiccans there is an acknowledgement of different aspects of 'The God' and 'The Goddess' and covens often feel free to make up their own names with which to address them. For those of us working with inherited god names from the pagan past the question is rather how we can recognise and address specific gods, and whether some apparently different god names are different names for the same deity. My earlier thought was to wonder whether those two approaches are incompatible or whether that is a boundary that can easily be crossed. To an extent and referring back to my earlier comment, I do believe the mental makeup of the individual is key. RR
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Post by redraven on Jan 27, 2012 21:20:02 GMT -1
With my main work as a paramedic, the two are often at complete odds. My 'faith' becomes completely fragile and regulary vanishes! Over time, I found it far more beneficial and mentally valuable to not to try to 'force' it or contemplate too much. Basically just get on with my life as it is tangible and consistant. In your sphere of life, I would imagine that a rigid faith structure would almost be an impossibility. RR
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