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Liturgy Practicum: Week of June 30, 2014

July 11, 2014 by Lauren M

Independence day this week. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it, as it’s a secular holiday, but it seemed somehow right to mark the day as part of *something*, so I baked some cornbread (which seems both very American and very tolerable to my celiac disease) and made an offering to my local spirits. It also rained, so the fireworks weren’t bad this year, which meant the day felt very much like just an extra Saturday in the week.

I’m still having trouble getting my act together with daily practice on non-work days, I think because I haven’t truly established it as a waking practice, and because my husband likes us to do together things when we don’t have to get up and go places. Plus I have a small shrine at work, so if I’m running late or forget at home, it’s easy to just make my offerings there.

This is my work shrine:

photo

So far nobody has commented on it, except someone who asked me if the Tree of Life image was actually an alien (which I can kind of see, if you don’t look closely, it does kinda look like a round face with two big eyes).

Since it’s July now, and the Study Group is doing a Scandinavian ritual to Thor and Sif for Lammas, I need to start thinking about how I’m going to celebrate the day, and whether I want to try another ritual to Ing Frea. Last year’s attempt didn’t go very well, but for some reason I feel like there were other things going on then, and that it’s an appropriate time to make offerings to him.

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Liturgy Practicum: Week of June 23, 2014

July 3, 2014 by Lauren M

Pretty boring week, actually. I managed my morning devotions Monday-Friday, but I’m having trouble establishing them on weekends, I think because I don’t have a defined morning routine on the weekends. Depending on the weekend I can be very busy, and it seems like the lack of structure is making it hard to do morning devotions in that atmosphere. (I am a creature of habit, and I like routines.)

Attempts to add in a meal blessing have fallen totally flat. I love the idea, but in execution it just hasn’t been working. I’m not remembering to do it even after I eat. It’s just kind of an afterthought at the end of the week when I do my journal entry. This is the meal blessing I settled on using:

By the mysteries of the High Ones,
Through the knowledge of the Old Ones,
From the bounty of the Green Ones,With the grace of the Earth Mother,
May this meal be blessed.

It’s simple enough, but I just don’t seem to have the focus to do it.

Also, problematically, I’m way over-committed on my weekends. It’s hard to set aside time for a weekly devotional practice when I spend pretty much all weekend running from one thing to the next. Weekends are my only “free” time (I go to bed really early, because I get up really early, so it’s not possible to do social things on weeknights), so I like to cram in as much social time as possible. The ADF DP Study Group I’m leading is, of course, good to keep doing, but I may have to make some hard decisions about the rest of it, especially since I also have to clean house on the weekends.

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Liturgy Practicum: Week of June 16, 2014

June 23, 2014 by Lauren M

This week was challenging. I did my morning practice every day, which went well. Also, as per “Murphy’s Law of Wells”, I now have a NEW well for my altar. This one is a sage green, blue, and brown glazed clay bowl, and it’s both pretty and won’t crack from having water in it all week. Which, yay, no more panicked mornings with water all over the place.

I’m finding, though, that daily practice has changed how I view ADF and my responsibilities to it. This week was also the week of the Solstice, which was the first ritual I’ve written for our Protogrove, and that was challenging as well. I didn’t get a lot of direction on what kind of rituals they usually do, but then when I sent the ritual around, they had a good bit of input on what traditions they typically did. Fortunately the ritual itself went very well. The Study Group ritual went brilliantly as well, and was perhaps our best ritual to date. The omens were appropriately fantastic at both rituals too, which was nice.

For my own practice, I made cornbread and left some out as an offering on the Solstice, but with two group rituals to run in two days (the 20th and 21st) one of which I drove almost 2 hours for (the PG ritual was on a beach some distance from here), I didn’t do much in the way of a home practice for the actual day of. I see the sunrise every day right now, which is nice, but it didn’t make the actual solstice feel very different than any other morning.

I talked to my husband about seeing if he wanted to do any of these practices with me, and he said no. He is still marginally Christian (though he has no interest in going to church), but he’s supportive of my work with ADF. He does get frustrated on these busy weeks though, when I spend more time on ADF stuff (ritual rehearsals, study group, gone all day on the Solstice for ritual) than I do on spending time with him.

Overall I’m finding that this week felt like there was “too much” ADF going on – between daily practices, working on meal blessings (more on that in another entry), working on my prairie godmothers practice, ritual practices, study group ritual, and protogrove ritual, ADF consumed my entire week. I think in the future I’ll need to give myself more space on weeks where there are lots of ADF responsibilities.

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Solstice Blessings

June 22, 2014 by Lauren M

I hope everyone had a bright and blessed Solstice weekend. I am super happy with how things went this weekend, both with the Study Group (where one of the students wrote and directed the entire ritual) and the Protogrove (where I wrote the ritual and we performed it on the beach at dusk). It was a lovely, if busy, weekend.

Also good, our omens this time were resoundingly positive, both at the study group and at the protogrove, leading me to think we’re doing something right.

So as the wheel turns toward the harvest, for now, I am resting and content with my practice. I may still be figuring out my path and my position in the groups I’m in (the grove organizer seemed excited to have someone working on the advanced study programs, which was super encouraging), I am happy with how far we’ve come as a group. I’m still me, and I still need to learn to set better boundaries, but that will come with time and increased perspective.

Brightest blessings of the Solstice season – may Sunne’s warmth shine on you all.

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Divination I: Works Consulted

June 20, 2014 by Lauren M

Dickins, Bruce. Runic and Heroic Poems. London: Cambridge University Press, 1915. Print.

Ellis, Peter Berresford. The Druids. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1996. Print.

Paxson, Diana L. Taking up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic. Boston, MA: Weiser, 2005. Print.

The Poetic Edda. Trans. Carolyne Larrington. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.

The Poetic Edda. Trans. Lee M Hollander. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1990. Print.

The Sagas of the Icelanders. Ed. Ornolfur Thorsson. New York: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing Ltd., 1997. Print.

Serith, Ceisiwr. Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Ancient Europeans. Tuscon, AZ: ADF Publishing, 2007. Print.

Tacitus. The Agricola and the Germania. Trans. H. Mattingly. New York: Penguin Books, 1970. Print.

Thorsson, Edred. Futhark, a Handbook of Rune Magic. York Beach, Me.: S. Weiser, 1984. Print.

Upanisads. Trans. Patrick Olivelle. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Print.

Virgil. Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. Print.

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Divination I: Questions 8, 9, and 10

June 20, 2014 by Lauren M

8.    Discuss the relative importance and effect of divination within your personal spiritual practice. (minimum 100 words)

In my personal spiritual practice I use divination on a fairly regular basis. I try to do weekly readings when I make offerings, out of a desire to see what elements of my life or work I should be focused on (or perhaps warned about). I also do divination for my study group when we do rituals, to determine the blessings we receive in return for our offerings. As well, I do divination before I attempt any magical working, to determine the probable outcome. While it was not a runic divination, I have called off magical workings in the past if a tarot reading was decidedly unfavorable to the work I was intending to do. For me, divination is a way to check in with my gods and spirits to see what they think is important for me to pay attention to, so I try to do it whenever I am doing anything of religious significance.

9.    Discuss your view and understanding of the function of the Seer. (minimum 100 words)

The function of a seer is to take omens and – most crucially – to interpret them, using a combination of knowledge, experience, and intuition. Divination rarely gives a clear-cut answer (unless you’re flipping coins for a yes/no question), and it is the function of the seer to take the symbols as drawn and turn them from esoteric symbols into something of meaning for the audience of the divination, whether that’s in a private consultation or a public ritual. A seer can be called upon whenever a querent has a difficult question on which they would like the spirits and Kindreds to weigh in, and as such they take on a consultory role within the community.

10.    Discuss the importance and value of divination as it relates to ADF. (minimum 100 words)

Divination within ADF is critical to the practice of our basic order of ritual, as it provides a method by which the Kindreds can express their pleasure (or displeasure) with our offerings. It lets us know whether we have done right by the spirits we set out to make offerings to, and it gives us feedback in the form of the omen to know what the spirits will offer us in return. Within a ritual, the seer’s job is extremely valuable, as their knowledge, experience, and intuition determine whether a ritual has been done properly or not (which may include signs or symbols other than just the omens that are drawn) and whether additional offerings need to be made or the ritual format changed before the next ritual takes place. Divination gives us the response we need from our Kindreds to know the specifics of the exchange of gifts that we are partaking in. A skilled seer takes an invaluable place in the ADF community as it is their job to interpret the omens given by the Kindreds in ritual, to determine if offerings have been accepted and what blessings have been given in return – and not just what the blessings are, but if any actions need to be taken as a result of those blessings.

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Cat Vacuuming: Leadership and Priesthood

June 19, 2014 by Lauren M

“Cat hoovering (also Cat vacuuming) – 1. any excuse to avoid writing, even vacuuming the cat (Gerri); 2. A pointless exercise used to avoid real work. (HughSider)”

I was reading this article by John Beckett (if you don’t read his blog, you should) on what priests are and aren’t. He said the following:

A priest serves as an exemplar.  He should model the behaviors and lifestyles he advocates.  He is human and will not be perfect in any of this, but he should strive to live a life in alignment with his highest values and in the spirit of the Gods and Goddesses he serves.  Or, to borrow a phrase from my Baptist childhood:  “practice what you preach.”

A priest will be a counselor.  Show a little competency in leadership and begin exemplifying the Divine to any extent and people will begin telling you more than you want to know about themselves.  One of the most valuable services a priest can provide is simply to listen and be an unanxious presence.

While a proper mixture of divination, prayer, ritual, and counseling can be helpful, a priest can’t solve people’s problems for them.  What he can do is to be with them and support them until they can solve their problems themselves.  A priest must also recognize the limits of his expertise – is what you’re hearing a spiritual problem or is it mental illness?  A priest must know when to say “I can’t help you – you need to see a mental health professional.”

A priest serves as an organizer.  He should make sure the trains run on time:  rituals are performed, offerings are made, classes are held, this-world actions are taken.  A priest doesn’t have to do all that himself (nor should he, in most cases), but he should make sure his religious community does the things it needs to do.  People can – and should, and at least occasionally – be allowed to fail.  Communities can never be allowed to fail.

Now, to start all this off – IANAP. I am not a priest. (or a priestess.) I am a Druid, and an ADF dedicant, and a student working towards Initiation. After which I intend to do at least the first circle of clergy training, so someday I will (maybe) be a priest.

However, I’m doing a lot of things that are similar to the work of priests right now (as would anyone who is in a position of leadership in a pagan group), and gradually getting more and more familiar with that role. But it’s a hard one, and one that I contemplate a lot. I don’t know if I have the personality or the credentials to do this “right.”

And I’d be lying if I said that my mental illness didn’t sometimes factor into my worries about my future in ADF. There’s a reason I started with the IP – Initiates are called to individual service, where Priests are called to community service. Individual service lets me set more boundaries to my own availability and time.

Plus? I’m a human being. I screw up. I get frustrated and say angry things that I don’t mean, or use a tone of voice that makes people feel defensive and hurt. I’ve only been working in an ADF community role for about 9 months, and I’ve already done that at least once that I am aware of. I haven’t had the chance to make amends about it either. (Having done so makes me feel doubly unqualified to do this work.)

I know this is what the virtues are for. They are guides, things to strive for, things to judge my actions against. Have I been a good host? Have I been a person of integrity? Have I shown wisdom? What is my vision? I know I did a bunch of essays on this in my dedicant work, but somehow I still feel like I’m redefining and reimagining those things in my life. As a solitary, the virtues were very personal, and were thus much easier to write about. In a position of leadership (even of a small group), the virtues get stickier. How do I maintain my focus and still be open to others? How do I maintain the traditions of the group but allow for change and growth? How do I respect that my local group has been around for 10 years (but not had much/any growth) but still convince them that growth is possible?

Yngvi would say (and has said) “We do the best we can with what we have, and the rest will follow.” And he’s right, but there’s a lot of in between to that kind of thing. Plus it’s getting hard to juggle supporting the protogrove, planning lessons for the study group (which includes dedicant mentoring), my increasingly complex daily practice, and my own studies on the IP. I’ve completed two courses, and I’m tackling the journaling portions of Liturgy Practicum and Divination II right now, plus the reading for I-E Studies (which will probably be my next submission). Things have changed rapidly from my writing some essays over a year into Druidry taking up a big chunk of my life – which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s something to think about. (And maybe think about ways to maintain my identity as a person who is more than just a Druid.)

I’m probably thinking too hard about this, but it feels like I’ve gone from being someone who can do as she pleases with very little or no ramifications to anyone else to someone who is now *responsible* for stuff. And I dunno if I always like that feeling. But then, I also know I get a lot of fulfillment out of the work I do for the study group and the protogrove, so perhaps it’s a trade off. It’s one I think I’m glad I’ve made, but sometimes it’d be nice to not have to think deeply about every action, and just fly by the seat of my pants for a bit.

Lots of thoughts, not all of them productive, I’m sure.

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Blessings before Meals

June 17, 2014 by Lauren M

Since I’m *STILL* getting hits from a post I did almost two years ago on non-denominational/non-religious grace for meals (specifically Thanksgiving, but also applicable elsewhere), I thought I’d give a little update with two more that I’ve worked on or found recently.

These are both pagan friendly, and use ADF’s cosmology (in that they invoke the Three Kindreds), but they’re simple enough to work for everyday mealtimes.

I’m working on memorizing one or the other (I vacillate between the two day to day) to add to my Liturgy Practicum journal.

This one comes from Jackson Kelly Cole, and is called Kindreds Grace:

By the mysteries of the High Ones,
Through the knowledge of the Old Ones,
From the bounty of the Green Ones,
This is our Feast.
May it keep hale and hearty all who eat it.
May it sustain and nourish all who share it.
May all who gather here feel welcome and wanted.

And this second one is modified from a pagan (read: Wiccan) grace from the November 1964 issue of Pentagram Magazine. It has the advantage of being in rhyme, which makes it somewhat easier to memorize. I have modified it to include references to the Three Kindred and the Earth Mother and be a bit less duotheistic (though I still balk a little at “chiefs of all creation”, I haven’t found a good replacement for that line). If people want, I can republish the original as well.

Answer us, O Ancient Ones;
Provender and power are Thine!
Hear and answer, joyous Green Ones;
Grant us laughter, wit, and wine.
Descend on us, O Thou of blessings,
Come among us, make us glad;
Since Thou art chiefs of all creation,
Why, oh why should we be sad?
Beam on us, O Shining Ones,
Banish heavy hearted hate!
Accept our gifts, O Greatest Mother;
Let cheerful brightness be our fate.
So be it!

So there you have it. Two more mealtime blessings for people to use in their home devotional practices that are pagan friendly. I’ll have to work on some more that are truly non-religious (these are clearly Neopagan), but I am sure there are some good, shorter, everyday meal blessings out there.

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Liturgy Practicum: Week of June 9, 2014

June 14, 2014 by Lauren M

I fleshed out my morning devotional this week to be something like a miniature core order. I have used a prayer that Rev. Mike Dangler shared on Facebook (it’s actually a song, but I am using it without music for now), as well as some of the bits from Ceisiwr Serith’s A Simplified Version of ADF Ritual. This ritual is clearly designed to be done at my home altar, but I have a copy of it saved on my phone for use at work. I am working on getting a tiny hallows (mint-tin altar setup) that I can use for these situations. I am not sure how I’d do the offerings when I’m not at my altar, but ideally I’ll be dragging my butt out of bed 5 minutes earlier in order to do this ritual before I leave the house. That happened most mornings this week.

It only takes about 3 minutes, which is perfect for me for a morning ritual.

Here is the current format:

(Three breaths to center self)

The earth is below me, the heavens above me,
The flame lights the way! (Light candle)

The earth is below me, the heavens above me,
The well flows within! (Fill/touch well)

The earth is below me, the heavens above me,
The tree spans the world! (Bless tree)

Let us pray with a good fire! (Light incense)

I make offering to the gods.
May their power be with me this day. (Make offering)

I make offering to the ancestors.
May their wisdom be with me this day. (Make offering)

I make offering to the nature spirits.
May their blessing be with me this day. (Make offering)

The waters support and surround us
The land extends about us
The sky stretches out above us
At the center burns a living flame
May all the kindreds bless us.
May our worship be true
May our actions be just
May our love be pure
Blessings and honor and worship to the holy ones.

(Three breaths to center self)
(Extinguish candle)

I feel like it’s still unfinished at this point in time. I’m not sure what I need to add, but it feels like there needs to be one more closing statement, perhaps something to mirror the Fire/Well/Tree imagery from the opening. It certainly works as a mini-ritual though, and I like all the various parts.

I need to be careful and remember that this practice has to be built over time. I can easily see myself letting this morning ritual get longer and longer, until it’s no longer really something I can fit into my weekday mornings. Which defeats the purpose of having a regular devotional practice. It has to be doable/attainable to become habit. It’s really easy for me to throw myself into 40 new practices all at once, and then burn out and stop doing all of them. I’m trying with this to start slowly, with just a morning devotional/ritual, and we’ll see where I feel like I can add other bits of ritual practice into my day/week.

I should also mention that I do a regular devotional practice to my female ancestors, particularly when I clean the kitchen (which happens every few days). It feels right to honor them then, at my “hearth” (stove), so I light a candle or some incense and say a small impromptu prayer. Perhaps eventually I’ll write up a set prayer for this specific practice.

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Divination 1: Question 7

June 13, 2014 by Lauren M

7.    Discuss your view of the purpose of divination. (minimum 100 words)

Divination serves two interconnected purposes – to divine the will of the Kindreds, and to divine greater guidance about mundane situations. In the first instance, it is used to determine if offerings have been accepted, if gifts need to be given, and if a situation is seen as favorable or unfavorable. In the second, divination gives a human seer the ability to look beyond the obvious elements of a situation, to “see beneath the surface” and bring forth greater insights into how to act or respond to a situation. Obviously the second method, while not directly asking the will of the gods, can involve the intercession of one or more of the Kindreds, especially the ancestors. Both methods can be used in a religious sense, though I do not think divination is, itself, inherently religious. Religions whose practice involves direct communication with gods will be greatly enhanced by a divinatory practice of some form.

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