How I Got Here

Posted on by terraakhert

All great journeys have a beginning.

Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated with religion and spirituality. With what people believed and how that belief influenced their lives. I began my spiritual life as a nominal Christian from which point I moved onto to Wicca, then more generic Paganism and finally back to Wicca before discovering Kemetic Orthodoxy. I’ve always been the type of person to ask questions and want to learn more, to have my current understanding questioned and changed based on evidence. I left Christianity because it stopped making sense to me, though I love the fellowship aspect it can have.

Being Pagan helped me to explore my faith freely but I needed a bit more structure in my spirituality. My experience with Wicca was absolutely wonderful and I love its emphasis on balance. Unfortunately, I often didn’t see that balance play out as it was described. It often seemed to me that books on Wicca tend to devote multiple chapters the religion’s concept of the Feminine Divine (The Goddess) with a paragraph on the Masculine Divine (The God) tacked on the end. I want to make it clear before I go further that it isn’t my intent to convince others how they must believe, frankly I have no interest in the idea. Rather it seemed to me that perhaps there was an important aspect of my beliefs that were not being served by the broader Wiccan community.

Throughout my long and at time tumultuous travel through my own faith there has always been one constant: my pull towards Ancient Egypt and its gods. I wish I could provide a better answer as to why that is, I really do. The truth is though that I have no idea why these unbelievably ancient, vast deities decided to pluck me out of my spiritual confusion and fireman carry me into Kemeticism. Even from the days of my childhood, I remember spending hours under the open skies rambling innocent prayers to Ra as I daydreamed.

For many years I found myself wandering through the sea of Paganism ungrounded and unbalanced. “I’m eclectic” I would announce to myself with a forced finality I most certainly didn’t feel. An eclectic path is valid of course, powerful and meaningful for the person who walks it. It just wasn’t for me. I would look to the sky when the lightning struck, utterly moved by the power and sentience I felt in it and I would be moved to prayer and adoration. But to Whom? Lists of storm deities from pantheons across the planet would scroll through my head like some kind of high school power point presentation. But it didn’t feel passionate, alive, from the heart. Something inside of me needed to know for sure: Who am I praying to? Whose power am I acknowledging? 

At the same time, I continued to struggle with my Wiccan practice. I loved The Goddess with all my heart but the same could be said of The God. Seeing Father Nature essentially ignored in mainstream Wicca was deeply saddening to me. As someone who met The Antlered King long before coming to face The Great Mother, I felt a primal need to worship Him as Her equal. I began to seriously reevaluate my spiritual life, do I really belong in this community? Do I really fit? As I wrestled with my beliefs I found myself coming closer to the Egyptian gods or Netjeru. They felt so familiar and comforting, so utterly alive. Embracing Them came easy because They felt like home.

In those early days of walking this path I completely submerged myself in all of the information I could find, delighting in learning more about these gods that felt like family and the people that worship Them. I’ll admit my Wiccan practice found itself parked to the side as I tried to figure out just who I was. I actually went back and forth quite a bit: Am I Wiccan with Egyptian gods? Am I wholly Kemetic? Which do I choose? My heart ached at the idea of leaving Wicca behind but my soul could not tolerate the prospect of turning my back on my newly found Kemeticism. That’s when I finally started to figure things out.

It probably seems obvious to anyone reading this now but at the time it hadn’t yet occurred to me. As I thought and searched and questioned it slowly dawned on me that the only one who expected me to “pick a side” was myself. Why should I choose between the old friend that has always been by my side or the destiny that I was in some way returning to? My journey as a dual-trad Polytheist has helped me to accept and understand myself and the differences (as well as similarities and fellowship) between my beliefs and others. I no longer feel a strange sadness, the odd feeling of something being missing in my spiritual life. It isn’t always pretty or easy to manage the two halves of my path but then, polytheism itself isn’t always simple or easy either.

©Terra Akhert 2019

Polytheism with a Brain Injury

Posted on by neptunesdolphins

Having a traumatic brain injury (TBI) complicates my life in a myriad of ways. For instance, I lost my sense of time. How do I know what day it is or when to plan something? I developed a system of using a calendar, a timer, and a day-planner. I write everything on the wall calendar and in my day-planner. Then I work out the day in my planner, and use my timer. Another part of my system is to anchor my days with regular activity and weeks in the same way. Monday is ironing, Tuesday banking, etc.

How does this work for the Gods of the Month and regular festivals in general? I put the festivals on the calendar and work out the Gods for each. Then I have the God of the Day list in my planner for my daily prayers. I have daily devotions that entail a schedule of regular “Gods of the Week” such as Neptune is always Thursday. This helps me to remember the changing Gods of the Day.

Doing meditation and other things is trickier. I have times when I go into an involuntary fugue state (a form of an absence seizure). When that happens, I need someone to help orient me back to the present world. In that state, I do sometimes have encounters with Gods that I have to piece together. I usually look for daily signs that the particular God did contact me. Once The Morrigan spoke to me in my fugue state. When I brushed the incident off as my imagination, She threw me out of bed. (I landed on my rear.)

Because of my traumatic brain injury (TBI), various forms of meditation are interdicted for me. For example, to meditate by watching a candle flame causes seizures from the flickering. Also, imaging myself a tree reaching to the sky and the earth removes me from reality. The result is that I cannot find my way back. The meditations that are encouraged for people with TBIs involve physical activity that uses both hemispheres of the brain. These types of meditations encourage a healthy brain while being rooted in reality.

What I do daily is cursive handwriting. According to Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf Schools, writing in cursive can be both meditative and character changing. Writing a page of Lacy Ls does calm down a racing brain. The repetitive movement across paper by the hand is soothing and serene. It frees the brain while keeping it tethered to reality.

I meditate using activities that anchor my mind to my body. Walking is ideal since it calms me down and promotes better brain health. From my walks around my neighborhood, I learned how to be a nature mystic. Watching squirrels in the trees, as I walk, becomes a meditation on Ratatoskr of the World Tree. Walking keeps me grounded and yet allows for contact from the Gods.

During my weekly walk up and down a long, steep hill, I pondered the houses nearby and their lawn ornaments. As I did, I kept getting messages from my House Lars (Family and Home Spirits) that They wanted a kitchen altar for Their devotions and offerings. The House Lars wanted me to recognize Their efforts to keep my family and home protected.

To ensure that I was not imaging Their Voices, I looked for signs in nature. I kept seeing chipmunks gathering nuts, which I associated with the Lars and Penates (the Keepers of the Pantry). When I got home, I set up altars to both Groups. The one for the Penates is on top of my refrigerator, and the one for the Lars is next to the stove. (I also have one to Venus Cloacina under my kitchen sink. She is the Goddess of Sewers and Purification.)

©Virigina Carper 2019

#GlowUpChallenge

Posted on by mdmoffitt

52491588_10211348469341623_4571024274545967104_nPutting a name to myself has always been difficult for me because I have a habit of throwing the rules away before even opening the manual. Religion to me doesn’t have structure- doesn’t need it unless you do, and I don’t. So after growing up Baptist, having a brief stint in the Wiccan path, and jumping back onto the Baptist bandwagon, I finally found a community in college where I could explore what it was I actually believed.

Paganism and witchcraft has always settled well with my soul, but after the aforementioned stint with some Wiccan friends, I knew I didn’t want the structure that came with that kind of practice. You see, I’ve never done well with absolutes. (All the, “You have to cast a circle before-” “Always call the corners before-” “Don’t ever blow out a candle or-“) I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a lazy-ass witch. I don’t have a lot of time for the formalities and when I do, I’m too tired or low on spoons to do them. If that’s what helps you, then great! But for me, I’ve never felt like my gods needed- or wanted- the stress and anxiety that tends to follow me around when I try to follow the rules. (Perhaps that’s why Loki has taken such a liking to me. I prefer the chaos in my practice rather than the stuffy textbook must-do’s.)

So my practice became a big scrapbook of different traditions and beliefs that suited me the best, things that I liked and enjoyed and felt within my bones. For me, simply lighting some candles and welcoming my gods was enough to start the fun. I didn’t need a circle or the corners or the fancy crystals in each direction. Not to mention the fact that my memory is shit and I couldn’t have memorized all the fancy rhymes and phrases the books tell you to say aloud anyway.

As for my gods? I don’t really remember how they all found me. I don’t have cool stories about visions or dreams or crows following me around. Or if I do, I can’t remember them. I’ve been fascinated with mythology since I was able to read, so it’s no surprise that my practice would find it’s way in that direction. As much as I know a lot of Lokeans hate to hear it, I do believe Loki first came to me as a ‘god’ through Marvel. I’d heard of him before of course, read some of the stories. But I never really got interested until I was sucked into the nerd life that is comic books. (And let me get this out of the way now. No, I do not worship Tom Hiddleston, though I will freely admit that I do worship dat ass. No, I do not think Tom Hiddleston is Loki.) I think Tom’s interpretation was basically Loki’s way of poking me in the cheek to get my attention. Like, “hey bitch, I’m right here, look at me!” And quite frankly, I’ve never looked back. Hades and Persephone were less obvious. I’ve loved their story for as long as I’ve known about Greek mythology and it just seemed to fall into place. It just seemed right.

Sure, sometimes I’m a bit sad that I didn’t get a big reveal or a big sign to tell cool stories about. But you know, I don’t think I ever really needed one. All my life religion has been shoved in my face with people telling me what I had to believe and that if I didn’t, I’d suffer for it. So having that choice, being able to look for myself and see someone looking back? Well that was exactly what I needed and I don’t think I’d change it for the world.

So here I am today, still flailing around like I know what I’m doing while I pretend that, yes the wax was supposed to drip there and no it wasn’t a complete accident. I’m still learning, I don’t think I’ll ever really stop, but that’s the beauty of it all. Opinions and beliefs change and grow as you do and I think that’s wonderful. Taking that journey with my gods and my spirits and my beliefs is exciting and new, as long as I get to do it my way. And I hope with this blog, I’ll be able to help others find what works for them while still sharing what works for me.

So let’s stop bitchin’ and get to witchin’, my little fools.

– Val

©Valfreyja 2019

Interpreting Sallustius: Part I

Posted on by Kyaza

Sallustius wrote one of the oldest known treatises on the Greek gods, “On the Gods and the World” in the 4th century. In this treatise, he discusses the characteristics of the gods and myths in dense detail. The treatise itself is under 15 pages, but it contains a wealth of wisdom for any polytheist interested in theology.

In the second chapter, Sallustius discusses the nature of the gods. He starts by saying that:

A god is immutable, without Generation, incorporeal, and has no Subsistence in Place.

This is the first argument about the gods that he puts forth, and he  explains it thusly:

The essences of the gods are neither generated; for eternal natures are without generation; and those beings are eternal who possess a first power, and are naturally void of passivity. Nor are their essences composed from bodies; for even the powers of bodies are incorporeal; nor are they comprehended in place; for this is the property of bodies; nor are they separated from the first cause, or from each other; in the same manner as intellections are not separated from intellect, nor sciences from the soul.

In the modern era, this is not an easy passage to interpret, especially as it concerns the nature of the gods themselves.

Even the first line can be difficult to wrap your mind around because how do the gods exist if they were not first generated? But Sallustius explains that the gods cannot have been generated, as the gods possess eternal natures and eternity itself cannot be generated – it simply exists.

His next statement holds some fairly interesting connotations since he states that eternal beings cannot be passive simply because they exist. That definitely implies that the gods are constantly in motion, constantly acting. They may be doing so in ways we cannot understand, but the lack of passivity definitely indicates that the gods are always in motion – that eternity itself is not a passive existence but a very involved one.

Sallustius then states that the gods do not possess bodies due to the fact that bodies hold powers that are incorporeal. By this, he means that the powers of a body do not impact the eternal existence of the material universe. In converse, the powers of the gods do impact and shape that existence, thus their powers cannot be found in something that holds a physical form. Essentially, if a god was bound to a body as physical beings are, they could not be gods, as the powers of the body would prevent the gods from acting upon the eternal existence of the material universe.

For a similar reason, the gods are not bound to place because only bodies hold the property of being bound to place. The gods are not restricted to where they are or are not – they simply exist. In some ways, this implies that the gods are both everywhere and nowhere because place means nothing – they are not bound to existence; they are existence.

Finally, Sallustitus states that the gods are never separated from the first cause or from each other, which is where this gets very metaphysical. Essentially, the gods are always existence, and, because they are always existence, they can never be separate from it. Since the gods are all always existence, and existence cannot be separated from itself, the gods themselves are always connected to each other.

This does not mean that all the gods are one god or that all existence is singular – it rather suggests that the gods each are a very particular type of existence that resides nested in all the other potentialities of existence. The gods are all in each, rather than all in one, which is the central component of the doctrine of polycentric polytheism.

Sallustius essentially establishes this principle within the second chapter of his treatise, where he lays out his basic understanding of the nature of the gods. In his third chapter, which I will examine in Part II, he discusses the divine nature of myths.

 

Sources:

Sallustius “On the God and the World”

©Kyaza 2019

Christian…Magic?

Posted on by brightesttwilight

Defining terms is important. Magic to me means the intentional raising and focusing of energy for a specific goal. Magic can include spells, charms, incantations, or longer rituals. Energy work is the maneuvering of energy for a specific goal. Some examples of energy work are shielding and warding. Divination is the utilization of one of many tools to communicate with spirits in an attempt to bring clarity to a question or situation. The purpose of defining these terms is for me to explain why I see all of them included in Christianity in their various forms.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

There is a common conception that Christianity contains none of these practices and that they are in fact considered taboo. The Bible says as much, right? Go ahead and google it, there are numerous lists that refer to the various passages of the Bible that condemn such practices. Of course, that would be ignoring the various places that don’t condemn the practices. I recommend that you google that as well. There are ample cases of casting of lots in the Bible, this is a form of divination- using a tool to divine the will of God. There are other cases in the Old Testament that cover different types of divination that were approved by God. Why the contradictions? Largely it seems to be context. Overall it seems that specific forms of magic and divination were not supported. Human sacrifices, working against the benefit of others, and the utilization of spirits other than God stand out as common themes. Although in some cases it seems that cursing was allowed if it was using God against a non-believer.

This common idea of taboo also ignores the traditions of Conjure, Ozark Mountain Magic, Braucherei, Appalachian Granny Magic, or Espiritismo. These are all Christian magical practices that are in use today.

Photo by James Coleman on Unsplash

And for those who are going to brush those off by saying that many do not practice those paths consider a few other things. First, the Eucharist in the Roman Catholic Church. The Church in this case believes in transubstantiation. The wine and wafer become the body and blood of Christ in essence if not in taste and appearance. Other Christian belief systems, like Lutheranism, believe in consubstantiation. This is the belief that the substance of the wine and bread exist at the same time as the blood and body of Christ. And how does Christ get into the Eucharist? I consider this to be energy work done by the clerics working with God. Exorcisms, though not as commonly done in these modern times, I would consider a form of magic. Faith healing-popular in some Protestant practices- I would consider magic. Prayer, depending on who is involved and how it is done, can be seen this way as either magic or energy work. Blessings on a home done by a lay person or by clergy are a form of warding-energy work. Crosses and crucifixes can help shield an individual or a space as they are amulets. They can be even more effective when utilized intentionally.

Why isn’t magic, energy work, and divination in these forms acknowledged in Christianity? That answer is fairly straight forward. Power dynamics. And I am not dumping on Christianity. Religious persons holding close to the vest practices that give them an edge has been in play likely since cultures began. In some ways it makes sense. Do you really want just anyone trying to perform an exorcism? Not likely. There is training and practice needed to channel the energy of a deity into wine and wafer to change them to hold a divine essence.

©Brightest Twilight 2019

Cosmic hierarchy

Posted on by Katalin Patnaik

This section will be all about hierarchy and who is who in Hinduism.

With millions of gods around, there must be a clear hierarchy that puts everyone to their place. Usually every creature is satisfied with this order, except some of the demons and the occasional deluded human, but other than this negligible threat the order of things is quite fixed. 

Let’s start from the top:

The Trimurti

The Trimurti consists of Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva: the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. They are the Hindu version of the Holy Trinity and you could view them as the parents or bosses of all the lesser gods (the deva). They don’t actively influence mundane things unless and until they have to; it usually happens when things get so out of control that they must put a foot down and get “the kids” to stop misbehaving – this means us humans too. Each god has his female counterpart and consort: Brahma has Saraswati, Goddess of culture. Vishnu has Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and fortune, and Shiva has Shakti, Goddess of Power. Together they control the universe and make sure cosmic balance is held up. 


The Deva/Devi

They are your general gods just like in any other polytheistic religion. They are the ones who control the smaller details of the universe that are related to humans: the weather, the elements, rivers, planets and stars; the oldest of the vedas, the Rigveda mentions 33 of them. That number swelled to millions since the last few millennia, but don’t worry, most are local deities of a specific village, who is not known anywhere else.

Devas are beneficial beings and most of them are descendants of Brahma. As well as being majestic gods, they can display very human treats such as jealousy, lust, fear, vice; you name it. 

Hindus worship specific gods for specific purposes. You go to Indra for rain, to Lakshmi or Kuber for wealth, to Hanuman for strength… and each one of them have their preferred prasadam (offerings). Favourite fruit, flower, colour… Hindu gods are very individualistic!

The most important devas are:

Indra, king of the devas and god of Lightning and Rain.
Surya, the Sun god
Chandra, the Moon god
Kuber, god of Wealth
Ganesha, remover of obstacles, god of knowledge
Kartikey, god of war
Hanuman, god of devotion
Bhumi, goddess of Earth
Ganga, goddess of the river Ganges
Vayu, god of air and wind
Varuna, god of water
Agni, god of fire
Kama, god of love and lust
Mangala, the god of Mars
Budh, the god of Mercury,
Brihaspati, the god of Jupiter and teacher of the deva
Shukra, the god of Venus and teacher of the demons
Shani, the god of Saturn and karma
Rahu, the god of Neptune*
Ketu, the god of Uranus,
Yama, the god of Pluto and death

*note that the planets beyond Saturn were assigned to their gods relatively recently after the discovery of those planets. In traditional vedic astrology there are only nine heavenly bodies (navagraha), counting the Sun and the nodes of the Moon as well as all the planets until Saturn. Rahu and Ketu are in fact the North and South Lunar Nodes, respectively. In good time I will try and explain these gods one by one in their own posts. Now let’s move on to the next group.

 

Asuras and Rakshasas/rakshasi

Parallel to the gods there are the demons who are equally powerful- sometimes even more powerful than the gods. In Pre-Puranic Hinduism the word asura meant nature spirits like the god of air or fire. But by Post-Puranic times this evolved into the idea of anti-gods who are lusting for power and want to overthrow the deva. 

Famous asurs are: Maheshasur, Bhasmasur, Andhak, Jalandhar, Tarkasur, Tarkaksh, Vidyunmali and Viryavana. 

Rakshasas are said to have been born from Brahma’s breath when he was sleeping. They were bloodthirsty demons; right after their creation, they started eating Brahma, who woke up and shouted for help – the word rakshas derives from his cry for help, Sanskrit: “Rakshama!” Vishnu came to the rescue and exiled them to Earth. Famous rakshas are: Ravana, Vibhishan, Kumbakarna, Ghatotkacha, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu.

Although both asuras and rakshasas display mean characteristics, both of the groups have positive, benevolent representatives as well as demon like. The main difference between the two groups is that while Asuras have their own world (lok) to live in, the Rakshas are living on Earth with us humans. An interesting fact-snippet is that some Buddhist traditions regard the Buddha a rakshas descendant, while there are groups of brahmans who trace their lineage back to Ravan. 

Rishi and rishika

Rishis(male) and rishikas(female) are great sages who have dedicated their lives to the gods and meditation and composing hymns, especially those of the Rig Veda. They are not devas but not quite humans either: they have reached a special status through their austerities or by birth – many of them are the mind-born sons of Brahma. They are regarded with great respect by all, even the devas. The most well known rishis are:
Kashyapa, Atri, Vasistha, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja – they are associated with the stars of Ursa Major.
Marichi, Agastya, Dadichi, Atharva, the four Kumaras and Vashistha are also famous rishis.

Notable rishikas are: Yami, Indrani, Savitri, Devyani, Romasha, Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru, Visvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Nodha, Akrishtabhasha, Sikatanivavari and Gaupayana.

Muni

Munis are rishis who seek the knowledge of existence through self realisation. There are two types of munis; one who spends his/her life in meditation and another who is liberated from rebirth in his/her lifetime. They are equal to the rishis. 

Gurus

Guru means teacher. Gurus are humans but are treated with great respect – next to gods – by people who have accepted them as their teachers. Gurus are not like simple school teachers but they help form one’s spirituality, share their experiences and thoughts on spirituality and also act as counsellors. Even today, people treat great gurus like they are incarnations of gods. Famous gurus are:
Shri Prabhupada, Asaram Bapu, Baba Ramdev, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, Swaminarayan, Shirdi Sai Baba

Sadhus, sanyasis

Sadhus or sanyasis (female: sadhvi) are religious ascetics or monks who seek enlightenment and devote their lives to worship. They are treated with respect just like a monk or a nun would be. 

Humans in general

Well, that’s us! We are below all of the above categories but we do have the chance to reach all of the above (preferrably not the rakshas though), through hard work on ourselves!

Better get cracking!

©Katalin Patnaik 2019

What is Druidry?

Posted on by twilightdruid

“What is Druidry?” is probably the most common response for people when they hear the term. The funny thing is, if you ask ten practitioners of it, you’ll walk away with eleven definitions. There is no umbrella definition that quite covers it but I will do my best to give you a ballpark idea.

When people hear the term “Druid”, one of two images tends to pop up. One is a Merlin-esque elder doing strange rites among standing stones during a foggy night. The other is more in line with an eco-hippie who often samples “The Green” among other substances. While at some point this may have been correct for a specific individual here and there, I would like to delve into both the historical and modern context as well as my own take upon the term.

Let’s first start with the historical aspects. Druids were the main priestly class of the Celtic peoples of west-central Europe and the British Isles. The exact role Druids played in Celtic culture is somewhat debated and may have varied based on the various subcultures such as the Gauls, Gaels, Brytons, Scots, and Whelsh just to name a few. The commonly accepted version of “Druid” was an initiatory priestly class who aided in carrying on Celtic oral tradition and lead the community in spiritual rites and holidays. From here some sources claim that they could have either been advisors to leaders, bestowers of leadership and sovereignty, philosophers, users of mystical arts, or even as judges in legal matters. As we piece together these ancient cultures, we can only hope to discover the truth. Before I continue, I must stress that there is no such thing as a living Druid lineage in the modern era. Between Roman invasion and Christian conversion, druidic spirituality was no longer a living practice. Some theorize that a few of the remaining druids became monks in the Catholic church in a last bid to preserve their ways, even if it was with a Christian veneer. I will let you draw your own conclusions on that one.

Now we move on to the modern context and here is where the water gets much murkier. Druidry, along with other “Occult Traditions” saw a boom within the last three centuries. Secret societies with varying philosophies and practices popped up, mostly among the aristocratic and gentry classes of Europe and the Americas. As such, many varying versions of “Druidic” practice formed and would be a wild goose chase to try and give you even a brief account of all of them. In the 1900’s you saw all these esoteric versions start to boil down and consolidate as pagan revivals shifted from the backrooms of white-collar practitioners to something an average person could gain access to. Many versions of Druidry at this point tended to focus on “Green Magick” or “Green Mysticism”. These ideologies hold that the primary way to do metaphysical workings (Spells, curses, charms, etc.) was not through some nebulous force or eldritch entity but through nature, which is accessible to everybody. Why ask some angel or demon for help when all you need is the soil under your feet, the trees around you, and the clouds overhead?

At this point, I will talk about the two main organizations I am aware of for education in and practice of Druidry that are still around, more may exist but I am not privy to them. One is OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids) and the other is ADF (Ar nDraiocht  Fein). Fair warning, I am somewhat biased to ADF as that is where I got my start in not only Druidry but general polytheism. I only have second-hand information on OBOD so I will be brief. If you are familiar with Golden Dawn, Wicca, and Hermetic principals, OBOD practice will ring a few bells. Check the site out yourself to gauge how informational they are. ADF focuses on open/public ritual, which basically means that besides a few members of “Clergy” who are there to conduct it, anybody who shows up can participate if they choose. ADF has also managed to put together a nationally organized temple system with basics of standard practice. Regionally, there are groves which are hubs of the druid community in the area that do rituals and classes. The “Mother Grove” is the overarching organizational body of the group that sees to organizing groves and oversees their training programs. They try to stick to scholarly work to inform their practice but are not strictly reconstructionist (aka practice EXACTLY as the ancient practitioners did).

Now I will get into my own personal brand of Druidry. This is not the Gospel Truth or anything. I openly admit that my way of seeing and doing things will not jive with everybody and I am okay with that so long as others are respectful of my path. Besides our normal waking world, there are two that are coterminous and open to our perception if we are open to them, the Upperworld and the Underworld, each having an internal twin within us. There are no words known to man to accurately describe either but I will try but I can tell this bears scant resemblance to the Heaven and Hell of Christian doctrine. The Upperworld is home to many ethereal or sky deities (Aesir or Olympians for example), luminous beings, and Ascended Masters (Those souls who had achieved some form of enlightenment). The internal version is the Superconscious, otherwise known as the soul, that is the seat of morality, judgment, and many other things that have been called virtues in the past. The Underworld is home to Chthonic deities (Often relating to death and some to fertility), spirits of the dead who await or are resting from reincarnation, and beings more alien to our understanding. Internally, this is the subconscious, the seat of instinct, raw emotion, and hidden things. Where these two meet is our Middleworld. The middle world has local entities versus the broader upper/under deities. Think “Goddess of this specific river” not a “Goddess of Rivers”. This is internally or normal, conscious mode of operation. If you cut off or over-emphasize either the upper or the under, you will see negative effects in the middle so balance is recommended.

Finally, The role of a Druid is to know how to balance the two to sustain the third and know when to use which to achieve a result. From here, leading the public or being more private, focusing on the metaphysical or just “Living the message”, even which culture to pull from for practice is up to each individual Druid.

With that, I will close for now and thank you for reading!

©Twilight Druid 2019

Magical Items, Physical Properties

Posted on by Blue Huntington

A while back, I read two amusing, if simultaneously slightly concerning, posts from a blog called Cajun Conjure: It Ain’t Aromatherapy and And Remember Kids, “Please, Don’t Eat The Hoodoo.”

I am sharing this because–along with inhaling and eating unfamiliar things being a generally bad idea–I realized afterward that it’s apparently a more common problem than I would have thought. For example: while later discussing this blog with a fellow conjurewoman nearby, she shared her own story of a clueless customer involving magical dressing oils. Most practitioners who are familiar with candle work are familiar with the common action of dressing the candle in specialized oils to strengthen their purpose. However, this customer saw a colorful glass bottle of roughly 4 oz. of essential oils and herbs, and approached the conjurewoman with the assumption “This goes on a salad, right?”

Mistletoe is famous for its association with love. Steep it for your intended as a love tea, however, and the only thing they’ll likely be cuddling is the toilet due to gastrointestinal distress. But while mistletoe’s less-ingestible aspects are fairly well-known, consider for a moment the many more obscure herbs we employ for their magical properties. For instance, have you ever worked with rue? It’s also occasionally known as witchbane or herb of grace, due to the power of its purifying associations. Did you know that it, too, can prove toxic in certain amounts? Likewise, while lobelia can be a fun storm-raising herb (not to mention an attractive flower), be sure not to leave your magical ingredients where pets can get into it while you’re working, should it poison them. And of course, ingestion isn’t the only concern with materials, especially when essential oils have become so popular; we must also remember that many substances can cause adverse reactions when absorbed through the skin.

There’s more to working than being able to build a formula based on magical associations; it also pays to be familiar with the physical properties of your tools. Delivery is part of the work, and you need to know what method of delivery is best for each ingredient and intention. Does it burn well, and is it safe to inhale? Is it safe to ingest or leave on the skin, and is it a common allergy that you would want to be in the habit of informing any potential partakers of?

Also make note of your own physical tendencies. Do certain incenses irritate your respiratory system? Perhaps consider the quality and ingredients of the particular incense you’re using, or use a perfume or scented candle if the smoke is what irritates you. Are you one of the many people who find that essential oils irritate your skin? Perhaps try steeping the desired herbs in a gentle carrier such as olive oil. Remember still (as Cajun Conjure’s post mentioned) that many practitioners spend years perfecting their formulas and, as such, don’t wish to throw them out to the world, so if you’re a customer of someone making oils or incenses, take responsibility for yourself to ask if it includes any ingredients you may be sensitive to.

In short–as someone who personally may have sulfur, snake shed, or any number of other things you may want to limit certain forms of contact with in my formulas–I simply wish to offer a friendly (and hopefully obvious) reminder that while we are spiritual beings, we are also physical beings as well.

Do not put my dressing oils on your salads.