Month: November 2010

Note on the Journey and hope all is well with you…

On By PaxIn everydayLeave a comment

Hello dear friends,

So Thanksgiving has come and Gone here in the U.S. and it is now, officially, the mad rush of days of the Winter Holiday Season…

I have some posts I am working on and some synchronicities and experiences involving Practice and the past and the WitchFather that I am integrating and trying to understand more fully before I decide whether or not to share them… nothing BAD, just personal and spiritual and kind of in the Keep Silent/Spiritual Mystery category… at least parts of it…

In the meantime dear friends I hope you are all having a wonderful week and will be back soon…

Peace,

Pax

Please, take a moment to Pray and Work for Peace…

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Dear Friends,
One of my dear, dear, friends… Lady Rhavyn is working and living abroad teaching English in South Korea.

She co-Priestessed my dedication ritual when I dedicated to Witchcraft.  She was a dear mentor and guide when I was finding my faith and losing my mother.   Later, she became a dear friend and sister to my spirit.

I am asking each and every person who reads these words to join my in my Prayers and Workings and Spells for Peace in the coming days.

Thank you,

Pax

And now an Important Message….

On By PaxIn An Important Message...Leave a comment

Dear Friends,

I recently encountered this wise, weird, and wonderful message from The Wombat; it needs to be shared…

“The wombat speaks, and he’s smarter than you, so listen up! In less than a minute, this rapid-fire animation tells you everything you need to know about how to get along on earth for the next million years. By Jason Ables. (For more information, visit www.global-mindshift.org)”

Notes on the Journey and poems…

On By PaxIn Creativity, Notes on the Journey, Poetry, remembering, Unitarian Universalism, witcheryLeave a comment

(Plus, Pax plays with the new linking set up and labeling system for WordPress…)

Dear Friends,

In addition to discovering Veles’ little gem, I have had a both lazy and eventful Friday… working the 11pm-7am shift Friday and Saturday nights means that I sometimes get a nice long Friday to relax a bit it… especially as the week-ends can be chock-full of things..

I awoke to this depressing news on NPR of the recent effort by the Republicans and Teabagger’s to cut NPR funding, probably because they prefer to maintain the conservative media dominance that they have worked so hard to establish.  So this put me in a bit of a mood today.

In order to try and lift my mood I listened to one of Rev. Kathy’s Sermons from the 1U New Membership Service “What we Freely Choose….“, a very inspiring sermon on the power of choices we make and how we have power to change the moral arc of the Universe…

After that I ended up chatting with Veles on Facebook for a bit, always a delight… and finally HAD to sign off there in order to get some writing and copying done as I poked through my archives for old articles and such.

Then since I was in further need of inspiration, and given that the WitchFather as I am coming to call Him (influenced no doubt by some young rascal or another)  is also the Bringer of Wisdom and Inspiration, I re-listened to episode 4 of the Druidcast podcast… the segment where Ronald Hutton gives a talk about the Wiccan/Neo-Pagan Horned God and his modern history… which always brings a smile to my lips and helps inspire me… and I was also looking for a little extra information and inspiration as I want to contribute to that Horned God Devotional, which of course took me over to of Oak and Ivy… where I found a reference to this poem….

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

~William Ernest Henley

Which poem I very much like and find inspiring and in keeping with the themes of Power and Choice and True Will for today…

I also found, as I poked around the archives that I have surprisingly little written down… at least in the computer about the Horned God, so I shall poke around in the old BoS’s and see what I might see to share, and I will hope that some time presents itself in the wee-hours at work where I can work on some poetry and journaling… although this could be a busy week-end with the Thanksgiving Holiday coming up here in the U.S.

although I did find an old piece of mine I had forgotten about and will be including in the new BoS and Grimmoire I am working on for myself….

Let the Circle Be Cast

In this night and in this hour,

I weave once more, Magicks power,

Between the worlds this Circle stands,
A Sphere of light, a ring of clasping hands,
Here incense sweet and bitter brine,
Shall bless each atom, each cell, and empower, and re-awaken the Divine

Remember, Remember oh blessed space,

That you are of, and beyond, all time and place.

Watchtowers and Powers of Earth and Sky, of Sun and Sea,

Please join in this Circle, and Guide, and Guard,

And celebrate with me.

Mother Celestial and Father Divine,

I call on Thee, as I am Thine.

I cry out welcome to thee,

Welcome to the Powers and Principalities!

With the Fruits of the Earth I welcome Thee,

With sweet scented incense in the Air I welcome Thee,

With the warmth and light of the Fires within my Hearth and Heart I welcome Thee,

With cool and refreshing and holy Water I welcome Thee!

Hail and Well Met and Blessed Be!

~ Pax 2007~

~ed. 2010~

And so now I am off to Dinner and to contemplate poetry and spirituality and how best to work and Work and how to engage in Service in order to help to bend that famous and much talked about moral arc of the Universe towards justice..

Peace,

Pax / Geoffrey

 

Holy Father….

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Holy Father, you who lives, moves, and has being within every dancing atom and every singing cell of Creation.

I thank You for the gifts You have given and the lessons You have shared Sweet Sacred Lord, and as I find my feet and place and path I cherish Your nearness to me.   You are as close as an indrawn breath and the simple sensational touch-stone of my feet upon the ground.  The kiss of wine and the warm embrace of physical exertion and the erotic inspiration of intellectual stimulation.   In the warmth of wine and the cool rustle of leaves in the trees and in the simple strange cledons of this information age, You are there.

Blessed be, now and always, Sweet Sacred Forceful Father of Us All.

Alyss asks, “8 Virtues Prayer?”

On By PaxIn everyday1 Comment

Hello Chrysalids,

In response to my last post Alyss writes…

“Its always so inspiring to hear how others work to better themselves in whatever form that takes. I totally know what you mean about the physical exercise part. I walk my dog every day but trying to fit in anything more seems so difficult – I have to work! And sleep! And watch Anthony Bourdain on the Travel channel ;)

I would love to hear more about your 8 virtues prayer. I’ve never heard of this before at all.”

I know what you mean about inspiration from others, and the questions that you come up with in response to some of those inspiring pieces!

The 8 Virtues prayer is a prayer I developed years ago in my practice as a Solitary Witch, whose craft has been inspired by the popular writings from a number of Wiccan authors.   In particular I found the Doreen Valiente Charge of the Goddess a powerful spiritual touchstone.  At one point, desiring to dig deeper and not having much direction in my studies at that point I just started reading over and thinking about The Charge.  A primitive form of Pagan Lectio Divina (here, here, here, and here).

One of the passages I noticed was…

“Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” ~ from Charge of The Goddess by Doreen Valiente

From that I ended up developing a daily prayer….

Mother Celestial and Father Divine,

Let me walk in Strength and Beauty,

Let me exercise both Power and Compassion,

With both Honor and Humility,

Let me always remember Mirth, as well as Reverence,

That I may be worthy of Thy Perfect Love and Perfect Trust,

And that of those in whose hearts you dwell,

Blessed Be,

So Mote It Be.

As I originally wrote and recited it…

Now what’s wrong/different/interesting about the order of them?!

Yep, I transposed Strength and Beauty…  which has brought up the interesting question in that am I feeling the need for greater spiritual or physical Strength; or do my issues around my looks cause be to place the concept of Beauty as it relates to me as a secondary and less likely characteristic?

Although my original Craft name was Pax Et Fort, “Peace and Strength”, which were what I sought in the Craft in the firstplace… although as I’ve grown and changed so has my name... but still interesting that I still sometimes see myself as needing Strength…

I have been doing a fair amount of meditation on this over the years even as I approach and engage with those questions!

I usually recite it with “Beauty and Strength” in the proper order… although lately I was writing it in my new personal BoS I transposed them again!  More thought and contemplation going on,  on that topic right now I assure you…

So I would say that exploring the inspiring texts and poems that have influenced your Paganism can be a powerful tool for finding the words to engage The Holy Powers in conversation and in moving forward in your Spiritual Practice.

Peace,

Pax


Notes from the Journey: Daily Practices and forgiveness

On By PaxIn Blame Sannion, everyday, Love Unto All Beings, Notes on the Journey, spiritual practice2 Comments

Hello Dear Friends,

So the scent of Lavender incense wafts through the apartment as the Laundry machine rumbles and I sort some laundry into appropriate places and piles…  I sip my coffee and breathe into my Center and contemplate my journey and journal…

I have started listing a whole bunch of things in my, until recently, on-again off-again journal/diary; the categories are based on things I desire to do with my time and life…

I note when I wake up, what work hours if any I have, the date (or when I work the overnight the dates), and the moon phase.

Then it’s on to the categories of activity I am increasing my awareness of and working on including in my life..

Prayer: any and all formal prayers like my 8 virtues prayer and the ‘Who is this Flower above me’ prayer are listed, as well as some notation if I engaged in any other prayer that day…

Energy: any basic energy work or magickal exercises are listed here… splatter vision, dropped attention, grounding, basic centering, sheilding, …. sometimes Soul Alignment work although that usually flows into

Chakra & CLF: Any work with my Chakras and the Cleansing Life Force exercise variations that I practice, my variation on the CLF seems to also work to align my Soul… although I occasionally experiment…

Meditation: here I list the type and how long I meditated… if I did, still exploring why I have such trouble stilling myself… perhaps its the lack of,

Physical Excercise: At this stage anything beyond my all too sedentary routine counts… went shopping and walked through the grocery store?  Counts.  Walked around the block for a cup of coffee or whatever?  Counts…

Nutrition: Everything I eat or drink in a day… whatever it is… no judgements just recording…  food and beverages; I have also been studying up on proper nutrition and trying to change my diet, but even when I am off the wagon at least I am maintaining my awareness of what I am consuming so I can go back and go…”Wow, ok last week was a carb-a-palooza… why?!”

Writing: I have identified writing as an activity the nourishes and nurtures my spirit, so even if I just am able to shoot off an e-mail I include it here although I am trying to make space in my day where I sit and write… even if it’s just jotting down lines or ideas or making a list…

Professional Development: This is where discussions with my manager about training or the company, or work on my L:inkedIn profile or Resume or other professional life related work goes…

Journaling: Separate from writing because this is recording observations on any of the above that strikes my fancy or writing down ideas.

~~~~~~

Now I rarely get everything done each day.  I am happy that, with the exception of one day I slacked after having a very busy 22 hour day, I have been journalling almost everything I’ve eaten in the last couple of weeks and that I have been writing keeping track of all of the above daily.

This is where the forgiveness comes in.  See in years past when I have tried to change or improve things I would tend to despair and give up at the first mis-step or the first few times I failed to follow through on my wishes for more exercise or healthier eating… or to establish regular spiritual practices.

One of the lessons I have learned is that it is not about succeeding in the 1st or 2nd or even the 32nd try… it is about returning, again and again, to those things that nurture and nourish us in body and soul and help us along the path to where we want (or need) to be.  Instead of despairing or giving up or telling myself that I am a fuck-up or a failure or that I can’t do it… instead of all that doom filled negative self-fulfilling prophesying; I write, I smile, I breath and I remind myself that the fear and the doubt are honest reactions but that they do not define me… I look at the entries and I ask myself the why’s and wherefore’s of my actions and reactions.

I see for example that I am rather good at finding ways to include energy work, prayers, and chakra work in my day; physical exercise is another matter.  This leads to questions and contemplation of my motivations, my living situation, and the many many influences affecting my life right now.

I feel like I have finally flipped the bird to the overculture and am begining to live in a way that will help lead me to a healthier and more authentic and prosperous future.

So that is what is working for me right now.

What in your life and practice and journey is working for you?

Peace,

Pax

Witchfather fan alert…

On By PaxIn An Important Message...Leave a comment

Hey fellow devotees,

So Seillean over at of Oak and Ivy has extended the deadline for the Horned God devotional to December First!

This is spurring on a number of ideas and poetic possibilities in my own mind, so I may be unleashing some rough drafts here, and encouraging some of my fellow devotees of the Horned God of the Craft… heck this might also force me to get the Pax Theologica page up here sometime before Yule… or the Turning of The Year as I think of it…

I had seen this project earlier in the year but had forgotten about it… I really need to add reading through the blogs to my daily practices… then again I’d need a catheter to stay at the computer for that much of the day, never mind the winning numbers for the lottery!

Anyhow look for random prayers and praise of the God of Witches .

Yours In His Service,

Pax

Inspiration vs Frustration round #???

On By PaxIn An Important Message..., everyday1 Comment

Dear Friends,
So I was involved in a group until recently…

“damn near every time I have opened my mouth in the meetings or written something on their e-list I have had negativity rained down on me… I couldn’t say ANYTHING right or meeting with their approval… their basic attitude is that the group has reached some sort of plateau of perfection in its events and workings and any suggestions that things could be improved are treated like some sort of attack…

I’ve had my ideas, experience and education brushed aside as being without worth or dignity… ‘You just haven’t seen how wonderful we really are yet you need to attend more events and be a member longer and then you’ll understand how practically perfect in every way’

I’ve been lectured too about how the group works on a consensus basis, by which they mean majority rules because in a consensus process the opinions of the dissenters and minority or listened too respected and effort is made to come to a FULL consensus and not simply bully the dissenter’s into silence or ignore their points…”

As I posted on Facebook, to my personal account which several of them are linked to.  Notice how it keeps the group name anonymous, that’s call trying to be classy even when you are incandescently pissed off.  They are the same group where one of the groups leaders and founders yelled at me that I had…

“…Unreasonable expectations…”

…when I suggested we should expect professionalism, communication with stake-holders, organization, and pride-of-service, from volunteers and organizers in the Pagan community like that I have seen in my U.U. community at Church.

So anyhow, ONCE AGAIN, I find myself dissapointed and frustrated by my local Pagan community and the short sighted, selfish, self-satisfied, unprofessional-ism I find in most some (BUT DEFINITELY NOT ALL) of the local Pagans I run into.

On the other hand I am deeply grateful and inspired by the friendships and connections I have made online, in part through this blog and through some of my other projects and explorations online.

Thanks folks,

Pax