We are near the completion of our 6 month online course “The Cauldron of Cerridwen” at our online mystery school “Blossoming Bones“.. It was ambitious! It expected a lot of participants! It was grand! It will likely be a stand alone for that length of time. Four months is more doable for everyone as a max we think. And offering shorter, more manageable ones throughout the year, too. But it was fun! And it is a story that renews and thrills with each time I work with it. So Yay!! And yay for its conclusion as we get to move on to the next one. *grin*
Month: March 2015
The Pagan Experience: March wk 4; the letter E or F
On Being Fragile
I stand on the edge of the cliff,
look down at the waters who,
dare me,
will me to come to them,
I know I will land safely,
wrapped as a newborn in a mother’s loving arms
Still I hesitate
It is such a long way down,
Up on toes I go
arms stretch above my head,
thumbs almost touching,
slight bend forms in my knees and
in the pause between heartbeats,
I push off and reach for the sky.
©Pamela V Jones 2011
The Pagan Experience blog project: March wk 3; Deity
SOMETIMES A WILD GOD
JULY 19, 2012 TOM HIRONS
Sometimes a wild god comes to the table.
He is awkward and does not know the ways
Of porcelain, of fork and mustard and silver.
His voice makes vinegar from wine.When the wild god arrives at the door,
You will probably fear him.
He reminds you of something dark
That you might have dreamt,
Or the secret you do not wish to be shared.
He is awkward and does not know the ways
Of porcelain, of fork and mustard and silver.
His voice makes vinegar from wine.When the wild god arrives at the door,
You will probably fear him.
He reminds you of something dark
That you might have dreamt,
Or the secret you do not wish to be shared.
He will not ring the doorbell;
Instead he scrapes with his fingers
Leaving blood on the paintwork,
Though primroses grow
In circles round his feet.
You do not want to let him in.
You are very busy.
It is late, or early, and besides…
You cannot look at him straight
Because he makes you want to cry.
…………………….. con’t. at Sometimes a Wild God.
I kept a stone on my tongue most of the weekend so my ears had little competition and now it’s acting like a toddler
The Pagan Blog project, March, Wk 2- Mar. 9- As Above, So Below What do you seek from the Divine? How is that reflected in the mundane? Where do you find your place of synthesis?
I kept a stone on my tongue most of the weekend so my ears had little competition and now it’s acting like a toddler.
I wrote this in a reply to one of my Facebook posts and as I wrote it I realized how very true it was. I was at a spiritual intensive and my part was to support, observe, and not lead or do the talky bits or in any way step into center. I relaxed into my role. I really leaned into that role because frankly, if you’ve stood in leadership in community, stepping back and not leading can be the equivalent of a week long rest for the soul.
Part of this stepping back for me involves pulling my aura in just a bit because my presence can be a distraction. I am a transition priestess; a border-walking, dead-talking priestess. When one walks with the Dust of the Dead in a cloud around one’s feet (picture Pigpen from the Peanuts™ comic strip), well it can be a distraction.
Another part is I am a very verbal person. It is a gift to be so and not so much the curse I, until recently, believed it to be. (Some other blog post I’ll talk about why I thought it a curse.) Being so verbal is not always appropriate so I’ve learned to curb it for periods of time. Here’s the thing, though. It is a key piece of Who I Am. When I curb it I have to later let it loose. If I don’t pay attention to the loosening it is indeed unruly and loud like a toddler. And thus the sentence came out: I kept a stone on my tongue most of the weekend so my ears had little competition and now it’s acting like a toddler.
It reminded me that “As above, so below”. It reminded me that we are exactly who we are and if we push too hard to be other, it squishes out the other direction. It reminded me that we are reflections of the curved black mirror of space, sometimes squished and pulled, but always always reflections of the divine, and always always ourselves.
After all: it’s just a fun house mirror.
As above, so below.
The Pagan Experience; March wk 1; Words!
Knowledge, Wisdom and Gnosis – What do these words mean to you? How do express these principles in your spiritual work? Is any one more important than the other? Why?
I am fairly loose in the definitions of these words and straightforward.
Knowledge: what you know, not to be confused with Truth. Knowledge can be be “book learnin'” (possibly true) or knowing in your core (true). I don’t try to guess what lives in other people’s core. I concern myself with my own. Especially when I am in teacher/facilitator mode. Role modeling awareness of my truth is the most (best?) I can do.
Wisdom: I don’t claim it, though I think we all have at least some of it. It’s not a label I’m going to be comfortable bestowing on myself, “wise one”. Not because I think it is untrue, but it hits in a weird place like self-proclaiming the label of “elder” – some labels are best conferred, not claimed.
Gnosis: I skip right to UPG (unverified personal gnosis). Love it! Unverified and unverifiable to anyone except me, knowing. This is the liminal space where I meet my Gods, where everyone meets their God/s. That is as it should be. These relationships are personal, private dialogues between us and Them, unfettered by societal constraints of what is supposed to be possible and true. When I step between the worlds, I find it. When I speak to the Spirit House, I find it. When I drop into trance, I find it. I can share it partially within the limitations of speech and written word, but UPG is a thing that is more for me and less for the world. I am quite happy with that.
Importance of each – well, that varies on situation, the Work at the time, and what needs to be done with the knowledge, wisdom, or gnosis gained. It is not an even split and the percentage of each changes as needed. The ties between them are close and they play off of each other in the creation that is my religious path. Too much of one all the time would reduce all of it. So I think an ever changing goodly mix of the three provides the most long term stability. A stable flexible path is what I strive for and generally accomplish. Go me! 😉
LEAN IN TO JOY with BONEWEAVER 