[Spirit] Pagan meme
Please describe briefly your Path:
I am a follower of Waincraft, following a trackless path in a dark forest without a flashlight... I generally work with Raven, who are my soul-family, under the tutelage of Grandfather Raven, learning the ways of mystery and shifting.
I've also recently started Temple of the Twelve as an offshoot of my Raven work, hoping it will help me to unlock my core essence, enliven my creativity and perhaps inspire my art. Generally, I identify with the storytellers and poets, though I also have priest/shaman tendencies which wax and wane over time, and have an affair with liturgy. I have oathed to the Earth, and attempt to carry out her work with every day. I've adopted certain practices from Feri Witchraft and reconstructionist movements as well.
Please describe briefly how you practice it:
WAINCRAFT: The essence of Waincraft is taking various of the European mythologies and translating them into your own life and experience, inherently rooted in your local bioregion - for example, my experience of Waincraft, rooted in the woods and mountains of the Hudson Valley is much different than someone who lives in the flat river valleys of the Plains, or the dry Arizona desert. There are three major types of practice that Waincraft entails and that followers can focus on - the Deities, or great powers that represent major natural phenomena; the Tribes, animal-based animism which focuses on the major sacred animals of Europe (but can and should be altered to fit one's local biosphere and the powers of the animal folk who live there); and Web-Weaving, which mostly deals with the connections and transitions of life, particularly death, and has somewhat of a shaman/sorcerer vibe to it. All three may also be worked with together, or a combination of two; I am mostly a Deity person, but I have connections to Tribe work through Raven.
TEMPLE OF THE TWELVE: The ToTT is a pagan fairytale in which twelve Colors, imagined as deity-style persons, interact with the protagonist, teaching hir lessons and imparting wisdom while leading her to greater self-knowledge and discovery. Each color is associated with a particular quality, and the time one spends with that Color is supposed to focus on that quality in oneself, through various tasks that are set forth by the Colors. I am currently in the middle of my first month, with Lady Black, who serves as an introduction and gatekeeper to all the rest. She has asked for my true self, in the form of a poem. My hope with this is to regain my wild imagination and get back to my creativity.
RAVEN: My work with Raven entails three things - essence/shadow work, the art of shapeshifting, and the weaving of mysteries and stories. I'm working on the first part, which is key to the others, but have put it on temporary hold while undergoing ToTT, which will, I hope, greatly improve my essence work.
EARTH: My work with Earth is deeply tied into my work with Waincraft, but also in other ways. I am volunteering to be a maintainer of a section of the Appalachian Trail (heard back from the rep today; she's forwarding my interest to the coordinator), which will help me cement myself into the local bioregion
When did you first commit to your Path?
In some ways, I've been on this path ever since I first was awakened to the reality of life. Officially, I began walking down the Waincraft path in 2010, and took up the path of Raven shortly afterward, though the beginnings of Raven began several years ago.
How is your practice different now than it was then?
I started off as a genero-Druid, then made my way around the Celtosphere through ADF and Celtic Reconstructionism. I then left CR completely in favor of Heathenry, which led me to a lot of interesting places, and several lovely people (hi!), but was like fitting a mountain into a needle-hole. Thus, I've left reconstructionism behind, and my practice has broadened out in many areas while shrinking down in others.
Is your practice different today than how you thought it would be back then?
Quite. I never imagined where I am from where I was.
Does your Path and core belief system differ now than how it was when you first started?
Ultimately, my core belief system has not changed much, though it has deepened from my experiences. Therefore, the core of my Path has also been mostly the same, though the trappings and adornments have changed.
What is your heritage and how does this inform your Path?
My heritage actually plays a large, if private, role in my Path - I first began my explorations in Druidry because I was (and am) absolutely in love with Celtic (specifically Irish/Scots-Irish) culture, which forms the majority of my European heritage. Sadly, I have almost no connection to my Cherokee heritage, which I do wish were different.
What are your main influences for your Path?
Personal experience, intuition, and proddings from the world around me. Also, on occasion, the writings of others
Which do you do more: practice or research?
Research >.> though I am trying to connect more with the world around me
Do you feel that one is more important than the other?
Here's the rote Libran answer: Balance.
What values and ethics are important on your Path and in your practice?
Love. Truth. Connection. Reciprocity. Interconnectedness. Diverse unity.
What sort of cycles do you feel your practice goes through?
Despair, Attempts at "Doing Something", Falling off the Bandwagon, Deprecation, Amnesia, Incompleteness, Despair, rinse and repeat... >.>
What is one of the greatest obstacles or struggles you have had to over come?
Self-doubt
How do you see yourself practicing in ten years?
No idea
How do you incorporate your practice into your life?
Thought, perception, listening to the winds and the songs of the birds.
Has walking your Path changed you as a person?
Yes, very much.
Do you consider yourself to be a priest/ess? How so?
Not in the sense of community religious leader, but I do consider myself a priest of the earth, ministering to her needs as I am able
A witch? How so?
To some extent.
A shaman? How so?
Shamanist, maybe, but it's more elements that are commonly considered shamanic rather than full-blown mediation between wild and tamed.
Which matters more: getting the vocabulary right or the actual practice of what we are trying to define?
Both, but ultimately practice is more integral.
One of the most profound things anyone ever said to you was:
I actually can't think of anything at the moment.
A defining moment on your Path was:
The Yulenight when I was claimed by the Earth
Have you ever taken a “leap of faith”?
Always. I've lived my whole life trusting that.
Please tell us something stupid, reckless or embarrassing you did once in your practice:
Stupid: pretending to be a Heathen
Reckless: Trying to cross through the Otherworlds by taking a shortcut through the Void... Yeah.
What is the most frustrating thing about your Path?
Being basically on my own. As of right now, there is only one other semi-active practitioner.
Have you ever been frightened?
Have you ever met Death in her dark halls? Yeah.
Can you perform ritual without a script?
I don't like to
Have you ever performed spontaneous magic/spellcraft?
Yes.
What are you still exploring or experimenting with?
Everything?
What (or whom) are you the most committed to in your practice and on your Path?
Myself and my development, secondly, those I love both human and non.
Ritual tools are …
Powerful if used correctly. I'm a very aesthetic person.
Magickal tools are …
Same.
The one thing you can’t do without is:
Stillness
Seeking personal power is …
something that matters more than is necessary to the random stranger that made this quiz?
Politics and your Path are …
not really relevant.
One thing you wish people would understand about your Path and/or practice is:
Conformity for the sake of decorum and acceptance is fuck all.
Do you teach?
Uh. Does
gaykitten count?
What do you feel is the role of clergy in modern Paganism and Heathenism?
To provide a cultural framework. There is an inherent difference between a clergyperson and a priest to me. A priest's main focus is the non-human, while a cleric/clergy is the human community.
When the Veil (or Hedge!) is thin, how does that feel to you?
Strange thinkings on the wind
What entities do you work with most? (ancestors, gods, fae etc)
Grandfather Raven and Earth. I also have ties to the Raven Warrior (Badb)
What is your relationship with the Land?
Poor, but I try to be aware, and am planning on getting to know it much better come the warm weather.
The most important aspect of ritual is:
The present-awareness.
The main purpose of ritual is:
Connecting with the powers that share the land you live on
What is the purpose of divination/dowsing (or whichever for of augury you use)?
Clarity.
What was the most difficult book you ever read? (Either difficult to understand or hard to face what it said or both)
Um. The Douglas Monroe ones were batshit... Not really anything difficult.
What book do you recommend the most to others?
The work of David Abram, Bill Plotkin and all of the poets.
What is your favourite podcast (if any) and favourite blog (other than your own)?
I don't do podcasts. My favorite blogs are Slacktivist, The Archdruid Report, and Hyperbole and a Half. I also appreciate some of The Wild Hunt and T. Thorn Coyle's writings, but not always.
If you could impart only one last piece of wisdom or knowledge, or share one experience with the world at large, what would it be?
Trust the land. It will be more honest and supportive than any modern human community based in writing and literature.
Is there an additional question you would like to see here? What is it? (please also answer)
No
Please finish this meme with a picture, image or photograph of some sort:
Our new baby, Éowyn. Otherwise known as L.C (Little Cat), Fartface, Grey Butt, and Wynnie. We heart her.
This entry was originally posted at http://nicanthiel.dreamwidth.org/109696.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
I am a follower of Waincraft, following a trackless path in a dark forest without a flashlight... I generally work with Raven, who are my soul-family, under the tutelage of Grandfather Raven, learning the ways of mystery and shifting.
I've also recently started Temple of the Twelve as an offshoot of my Raven work, hoping it will help me to unlock my core essence, enliven my creativity and perhaps inspire my art. Generally, I identify with the storytellers and poets, though I also have priest/shaman tendencies which wax and wane over time, and have an affair with liturgy. I have oathed to the Earth, and attempt to carry out her work with every day. I've adopted certain practices from Feri Witchraft and reconstructionist movements as well.
Please describe briefly how you practice it:
WAINCRAFT: The essence of Waincraft is taking various of the European mythologies and translating them into your own life and experience, inherently rooted in your local bioregion - for example, my experience of Waincraft, rooted in the woods and mountains of the Hudson Valley is much different than someone who lives in the flat river valleys of the Plains, or the dry Arizona desert. There are three major types of practice that Waincraft entails and that followers can focus on - the Deities, or great powers that represent major natural phenomena; the Tribes, animal-based animism which focuses on the major sacred animals of Europe (but can and should be altered to fit one's local biosphere and the powers of the animal folk who live there); and Web-Weaving, which mostly deals with the connections and transitions of life, particularly death, and has somewhat of a shaman/sorcerer vibe to it. All three may also be worked with together, or a combination of two; I am mostly a Deity person, but I have connections to Tribe work through Raven.
TEMPLE OF THE TWELVE: The ToTT is a pagan fairytale in which twelve Colors, imagined as deity-style persons, interact with the protagonist, teaching hir lessons and imparting wisdom while leading her to greater self-knowledge and discovery. Each color is associated with a particular quality, and the time one spends with that Color is supposed to focus on that quality in oneself, through various tasks that are set forth by the Colors. I am currently in the middle of my first month, with Lady Black, who serves as an introduction and gatekeeper to all the rest. She has asked for my true self, in the form of a poem. My hope with this is to regain my wild imagination and get back to my creativity.
RAVEN: My work with Raven entails three things - essence/shadow work, the art of shapeshifting, and the weaving of mysteries and stories. I'm working on the first part, which is key to the others, but have put it on temporary hold while undergoing ToTT, which will, I hope, greatly improve my essence work.
EARTH: My work with Earth is deeply tied into my work with Waincraft, but also in other ways. I am volunteering to be a maintainer of a section of the Appalachian Trail (heard back from the rep today; she's forwarding my interest to the coordinator), which will help me cement myself into the local bioregion
When did you first commit to your Path?
In some ways, I've been on this path ever since I first was awakened to the reality of life. Officially, I began walking down the Waincraft path in 2010, and took up the path of Raven shortly afterward, though the beginnings of Raven began several years ago.
How is your practice different now than it was then?
I started off as a genero-Druid, then made my way around the Celtosphere through ADF and Celtic Reconstructionism. I then left CR completely in favor of Heathenry, which led me to a lot of interesting places, and several lovely people (hi!), but was like fitting a mountain into a needle-hole. Thus, I've left reconstructionism behind, and my practice has broadened out in many areas while shrinking down in others.
Is your practice different today than how you thought it would be back then?
Quite. I never imagined where I am from where I was.
Does your Path and core belief system differ now than how it was when you first started?
Ultimately, my core belief system has not changed much, though it has deepened from my experiences. Therefore, the core of my Path has also been mostly the same, though the trappings and adornments have changed.
What is your heritage and how does this inform your Path?
My heritage actually plays a large, if private, role in my Path - I first began my explorations in Druidry because I was (and am) absolutely in love with Celtic (specifically Irish/Scots-Irish) culture, which forms the majority of my European heritage. Sadly, I have almost no connection to my Cherokee heritage, which I do wish were different.
What are your main influences for your Path?
Personal experience, intuition, and proddings from the world around me. Also, on occasion, the writings of others
Which do you do more: practice or research?
Research >.> though I am trying to connect more with the world around me
Do you feel that one is more important than the other?
Here's the rote Libran answer: Balance.
What values and ethics are important on your Path and in your practice?
Love. Truth. Connection. Reciprocity. Interconnectedness. Diverse unity.
What sort of cycles do you feel your practice goes through?
Despair, Attempts at "Doing Something", Falling off the Bandwagon, Deprecation, Amnesia, Incompleteness, Despair, rinse and repeat... >.>
What is one of the greatest obstacles or struggles you have had to over come?
Self-doubt
How do you see yourself practicing in ten years?
No idea
How do you incorporate your practice into your life?
Thought, perception, listening to the winds and the songs of the birds.
Has walking your Path changed you as a person?
Yes, very much.
Do you consider yourself to be a priest/ess? How so?
Not in the sense of community religious leader, but I do consider myself a priest of the earth, ministering to her needs as I am able
A witch? How so?
To some extent.
A shaman? How so?
Shamanist, maybe, but it's more elements that are commonly considered shamanic rather than full-blown mediation between wild and tamed.
Which matters more: getting the vocabulary right or the actual practice of what we are trying to define?
Both, but ultimately practice is more integral.
One of the most profound things anyone ever said to you was:
I actually can't think of anything at the moment.
A defining moment on your Path was:
The Yulenight when I was claimed by the Earth
Have you ever taken a “leap of faith”?
Always. I've lived my whole life trusting that.
Please tell us something stupid, reckless or embarrassing you did once in your practice:
Stupid: pretending to be a Heathen
Reckless: Trying to cross through the Otherworlds by taking a shortcut through the Void... Yeah.
What is the most frustrating thing about your Path?
Being basically on my own. As of right now, there is only one other semi-active practitioner.
Have you ever been frightened?
Have you ever met Death in her dark halls? Yeah.
Can you perform ritual without a script?
I don't like to
Have you ever performed spontaneous magic/spellcraft?
Yes.
What are you still exploring or experimenting with?
Everything?
What (or whom) are you the most committed to in your practice and on your Path?
Myself and my development, secondly, those I love both human and non.
Ritual tools are …
Powerful if used correctly. I'm a very aesthetic person.
Magickal tools are …
Same.
The one thing you can’t do without is:
Stillness
Seeking personal power is …
something that matters more than is necessary to the random stranger that made this quiz?
Politics and your Path are …
not really relevant.
One thing you wish people would understand about your Path and/or practice is:
Conformity for the sake of decorum and acceptance is fuck all.
Do you teach?
Uh. Does
gaykitten count?
What do you feel is the role of clergy in modern Paganism and Heathenism?
To provide a cultural framework. There is an inherent difference between a clergyperson and a priest to me. A priest's main focus is the non-human, while a cleric/clergy is the human community.
When the Veil (or Hedge!) is thin, how does that feel to you?
Strange thinkings on the wind
What entities do you work with most? (ancestors, gods, fae etc)
Grandfather Raven and Earth. I also have ties to the Raven Warrior (Badb)
What is your relationship with the Land?
Poor, but I try to be aware, and am planning on getting to know it much better come the warm weather.
The most important aspect of ritual is:
The present-awareness.
The main purpose of ritual is:
Connecting with the powers that share the land you live on
What is the purpose of divination/dowsing (or whichever for of augury you use)?
Clarity.
What was the most difficult book you ever read? (Either difficult to understand or hard to face what it said or both)
Um. The Douglas Monroe ones were batshit... Not really anything difficult.
What book do you recommend the most to others?
The work of David Abram, Bill Plotkin and all of the poets.
What is your favourite podcast (if any) and favourite blog (other than your own)?
I don't do podcasts. My favorite blogs are Slacktivist, The Archdruid Report, and Hyperbole and a Half. I also appreciate some of The Wild Hunt and T. Thorn Coyle's writings, but not always.
If you could impart only one last piece of wisdom or knowledge, or share one experience with the world at large, what would it be?
Trust the land. It will be more honest and supportive than any modern human community based in writing and literature.
Is there an additional question you would like to see here? What is it? (please also answer)
No
Please finish this meme with a picture, image or photograph of some sort:
Our new baby, Éowyn. Otherwise known as L.C (Little Cat), Fartface, Grey Butt, and Wynnie. We heart her.
This entry was originally posted at http://nicanthiel.dreamwidth.org/109696.html. Please comment there using OpenID.