Category: Great Writers

I’d like to think I am another, budding, Gospel Pagan!

On By PaxIn Bouncing off the Gods, Chrysalis, Creativity, Gospel Pagan, Great Writers, Pagan Evangelical, Pagan Pride, Seeking, The Gifts of Giving1 Comment

Notes from a Pagan Evangelical 12/10/2008

Now, in some ways I don’t feel like I am a very good Gospel Pagan.  I have a tough time accessing that Spirit filled part of myself that Sara, and some of the best Pagan authors and bloggers out there, seem to be able to write from so blessed easily.

This has been getting easier, recently, as I have been working on this site and building up some of the pages and contemplating things like my daily practice and my relationship with the Deities.  In some cases though I still feel more like a pallid imitation of folks like Sara Sutterfield Winn, and Diane Sylvan, and Sannion, and Phyllis Currot, and Evn, and Sia, and Pagan Mehgan and Markys ny Deseret; more like an imitator rather than a Spirit filled Pagan writer.

Then, every once in a while, some kind soul will post a comment, or nominate me for the Meta-Pagan feed, or e-mail me a note.  Then will I know that some magic has happened.

Other times I will feel the magic and the Spirit come upon me, it will be a sudden burst of inspiration; although as I write more about my Witchcraft and Faith and Spirituality, recently, I have begun to find some small somewhat consistent stream of Inspiration and Spirit.

Like that moment in Spring when the drip, drip, drip of the icicles and snow becomes more of a steady stream, not unlike a barely open faucet slowly blossoming with The Sun’s love into something new and wonderful.  In those moments some small wonderful thing begins to happen.

When I participate in or write of the Gifts of Giving, about making my offerings of incense to the Gods, or when I pour my libations and I feel touched and embraced by my nearest and dearest Deities.   It’s happening.  When I cast Circle and honor the Esbats or Sabbats of Witchcraft, it happens.  When I talk or write about establishing a Loving and Stable relationship with The Lady and Lord of Witchcraft ~ or of my budding relationships with Hecate and Dionysus, its there too.  When I seek to speak or write or live the gospel truth of my Pagan self seeking, not to convert, but to simply share the joy and wonder The Good News of my own Pagan experience, in those moments I am most true to the Gods, and to my self, as a Pagan and as an Evangelical.

On The Road: One Witches Thanksgiving Journey

On By PaxIn Chrysalis, Great WritersLeave a comment
A Bit of Autumnal Color on the Louisianna Border
A Bit of Autumnal Color on the Louisiana Border

The Big Guy, and I have returned from our road trip to central Texas to visit some of his family.  It was a good trip and a good holiday spent with some nice folks.  I even was able to make some time quite late Thanksgiving night pouring a little Libation of water to the Lady and Lord, and to Dionysus and Hecate, underneath the glorious night skies of Texas.

For the record, the stars do shine bright deep in the heart of Texas!

I poured a simple libation of water and thanked the Divine for the blessings in my life.  For the feast we had shared and those I had shared it with.  For the Big Guy, and for his family, and for my family and friends.  It was a simple but wonderful moment of gnosis with Them as I said my simple thank yous to Them.  It was a great moment, and one of many little lessons kind of moments on this trip.

See, on the way down we had had some trouble with The Big Guy’s truck.  Thus we not only decided to head back a little early (Friday afternoon) we also decided to take some of the U.S. and State Highways rather than the Interstates.  Less traffic and lower speeds were the main selling point for us given the kind of coughing slow down sputtering fit that the Truck was occassionally throwing.

(although given the fact that since we got back to the Orlando area we haven’t had a peep out of it, indeed even the check engine light has gone back out, we think the truck may have just been homesick!)

But while I missed the access to those touristy rest-stop/welcome-centers that you see at the State borders off of the Interstates (Hello, my name is Pax and I am a minor league pamphlet-aholic); we both quite enjoyed the scenery and the chance to actually see some of the States we were driving through.  The wetlands around New Orleans, the dozens of wooden pier legs that had had houses on them once upon a time, small town street lights decorated for the Holidays, stretches of woods where you can just about smell the Gulf, or those little momentarilly deserted resort beach towns where you hear the surf pounding just outside of the Circle of your headlights.  The small and large towns along the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, and Mississippi, and Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle; where folks have faced so much in the last few years and yet life is still going on.   All the colorful, and couragous, little pieces of this great big beautiful patchwork country of ous!

I was reminded, at one point, of Jack Kerouac‘s mind blowing On The Road, and The Big Guy and I talked about this book and how it helped change a generations view of travel into one where the journey is as at least important as the destination.

The Journey, itself is important…

Not too alien an idea for someone who sees his identity as a Witch as an ongoing journey of growth and transformation and learning!  I am still letting certain parts of this journey percolate in my mind and heart.

I hope each of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving (those in the U.S.) and that the Soltice-tide finds you well!

The 7 Habits and the Witch

On By PaxIn Book Reviews & Recommendations, everyday, Great Writers1 Comment

So, I got that planner/personal organizer I mentioned in my previous post.  I chose a FranklinCovey introductory planner, with a small notepad and a wirebound blank weekly/monthly planner.  I’ve been carrying it with me as much as I could, thats one of the things organization experts suggest you do with your new planner.  It’s been a lot of fun actually, filling out the months and days and putting in notes from my home-made calendar on different events and observances I want to honor.

 

In filling out my organizer, especially when I put in a Full or New Moon, or when I note U.S. Flag Day or an upcomming open circle, there is a sense of reconnecting or recommiting to things that matter to me.  Not just getting organized but of becoming more centered. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

 I also recently picked up a copy of 7 Habits for Highly Effective People.  Strangely enough there is a lot in this book that I had already had some realizations or thoughts about, largely as a result of my pursuit of the Witches path.  I especially like where Dr. Covey talks about how we choose how we react to the things that happen to and around us.  This was one of those realizations I had years ago when contemplating the intersection of “An ye harm none” and the idea of Threefold Return.

 

 

The 7 Habits

… and a link on each…

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin with the End in Mind

3. Put First Things First

4. Think Win/Win

5. Seek first to understand, Then to be Understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the Saw.

 

If you don’t feel like wading through all those articles, you can read a short article about them here…

 

It’s a good book and has been added to the “Books!” page here.  I really think that the ideas in it are fundemental to becoming a whole and effective person.  In each chapter, detailing one of the Habits and how to cultivate it, Covey discusses numerous ideas and techniques that I think would fit well into the mental altar-cabinet of any Witch or Pagan.  In some ways it seems to me Covey has provided a framework for Acting in Accord with the spiritual framework of Pagan Spirituality.  A philosophy, and attitude, that is accessible to a modern mind and also widely available.

 

Peace,

Pax

Words of Wisdom from Dianne Sylvan

On By PaxIn Great Writers, witcheryLeave a comment

~from Dianne Sylvan at Dancing Down The Moon~

Witch, Please.

Here are the things I don’t care about:

I don’t care what the name of your religion is.
I don’t care what the names of your gods are.
I don’t care how old your religion is.
I don’t care if your great-great-whatever grandmother passed down your famtrad Book of Shadows under the watchful eye of the Inquisition.
I don’t care if an entire civilization worshipped your Goddess for ten thousand years.
I don’t care if you made Her up based on manga or Tolkien or a dream you had.
I don’t care where you place your altar.
I don’t care which direction you call Earth.
I don’t care how psychic you are.
I don’t care if you’re smarter than me.
I don’t care why you eat meat, or don’t.
I don’t care how many shields you think you need.
I don’t care how your childhood trauma made you a powerful magickian.
I don’t care if you spell “magic” with a k.
I don’t care if you were an Atlantean Magus in your last life.
I don’t care if you’re brand-spanking new.I don’t care how much you hate Christians.
I don’t care how many degrees you have.I don’t care if people call you “Lady” or “Lord.”
I don’t care if you’re King of all Londinium and wear a shiny hat.
I don’t care if you can read minds or light candles with your breath.
I don’t care how the world owes you a living.
I don’t care if you’ve been studying the Craft for thirty years or thirty minutes.
I don’t care what your totem animal is, especially if it’s a wolf, raven, or unicorn.
I don’t care if you can trace your lineage back to Gardner.
I don’t care if you think I’m a moron, fraud, or basket case.
I don’t care how many books you’ve read.
I don’t care how much or how little money you have.

What do I care about?

I care that your religion has made you a kinder, more compassionate person.
I care that you can hold down a job.
I care that you’re growing past whatever happened to you as a child or last year.
I care that your gods help you become stronger without coddling you.
I care that you are willing and able to adapt and change as your life does.
I care that you care about the Earth.
I care that you care about someone and something outside yourself.
I care that you practice your religion with devotion and reverence.
I care that you respect others’ paths.
I care that you never stop learning.
I care that you can conduct adult relationships with respect and understanding.
I care that you get how hilarious life is.
I care that you know when to ask for help.
I care that you realize that someone will always be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you.
I care that you realize it doesn’t matter, because tomorrow you’ll be smarter, more powerful, and more together than you were yesterday.
I care that you have reasons for everything you do, even if those reasons are purely intuitive.
I care that you can admit when you’re wrong.
I care that you know you’re both a tiny speck in a vast universe and a rare, precious jewel in the darkened sky.
I care that you’re making a difference.
I care that you know when to speak and when to shut the hell up.
I care that you are seeking a relationship with Deity and with Nature.
I care that you are healthy.
I care that you’re contributing to your family and community.
I care that your capacity for love and joy increase with every passing year.
I care that you believe in yourself.
I care that you’re doing the best you can.

©2008 by Dianne Sylvan
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dianne also has some good commentary on this piece. Heck everything she writes is, in my opinion, good. Well written and well thought out. Seriously, check out Dianne’s blog!

An update, and see~you~another~time, to a voice I love

On By PaxIn Chrysalis, everyday, Great Writers, Pagan Evangelical, Pagans of NoteLeave a comment

I have updated the list of Pagan Community Links. I am also in the process of thinking about writing a number of pieces about the Pagan Community and my thoughts upon it. I like to, and try to, commit thought before I commit my words to the Internet. It is a virtual vault of the ages after all.

I am also trying to find words as eloquent as those of Sara Sutterfield Winn.

Sara is an author and fellow Pagani whose blog Pagan Godspell was invaluable help to me in rekindling my spirit and creativity and faith. She has inspired me, and her blog is a part of the inspiration for this blog. Her personal website’s discussion of the concept of Pagan Evangelism helped me to identify an important part of my own philosophy of faith and of Pagan Pride.

She has set aside the blog and is working on other projects, but I must encourage each of you to read her rich words and the powerful and sensual descriptions of this wonderfully vast world of ours…

…nope still trying.

Peace,
Pax