Monday, February 18, 2013

Lessons

During my Dark Moon Ritual last week I asked what I should do to prepare for my Second Degree Initiation Ritual which is scheduled to take place this coming Sunday.   I have been anxious and even fearful, and have had to face each fear and find a way to resolve it.  This past week I was confronted with the greatest fear I have, the base of every other fear my heart knows, the fear of disappointing my father. 

The thing is, I have never questioned the belief that if my father knew who I am he would be disappointed.  I have believed that for as long as I can remember.  My father has always loved me.  He has never given me any reason to believe that he would withdrawal his love from me.  In fact he raised me to be who I am.  So this belief is irrational and based in nothing.  Fears are often like that I think. 

My question about what I need to do to prepare was granted an answer.  I have journeyed every night.  I have done my daily practice and then journeyed to the astral with only the Rune I drew for that day as a guide, or key.  I have taken the same path that I have since I first began to travel, but without a pre-conceived destination.  I have traveled and discovered that which my Gods, Ancestors and Allies would show me.

Each night has been different. I have been given visions of the future and the past, lessons in pain and lessons in joy and lessons about secrets and the nature of my family and our familial shadows.  I have met ancestral spirits and been to places sacred to us.  I have also learned lessons about the nature of sacrifice and offerings and vows. I have learned a lot about my own nature and beauty and fear and shadows and the infinite shades of color and light.  I have learned about the joy of letting go and having faith. 

I have been given the keys I needed to find what I most desire, and I have been told that I need to play with mud.  And no, that is not a metaphor.  J  I hope to share some of these journeys with you in the future, but for now it is time for me to begin again.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Dark Moon Ritual

At the Dark of the Moon I look to the East, I seek the Air within me, I listen for the voice of Clarity
At the Dark of the Moon I look to the South, I seek the Fire within me, I listen for the voice of Truth
At the Dark of the Moon I look to the West, I seek the Water within me, I listen for the voice of Intuition
At the Dark of the Moon I look to the North, I seek the Earth within me, I listen for the voice of Wisdom
I look within and seek the Darkness, I look within and seek the Stillness, I look within and seek the Silence, and there I find the Voice of Spirit
Take time to breathe deeply and listen to your Body, your Soul, your Heart, your Mind.  Pay attention to the messages that you receive.  Do whatever divination you choose.  Draw Runes or Tarot, Scry with Water or Fire or Chrystal  Journal.
The God stands beside me and I am Secure, the Goddess stands beside me and I am Strong, I hear their Voice and I am Blessed.
Take time to breathe deeply and feel your connection to your Gods, Ancestors and Allies.  Know that in the dark and quiet stillness, you are not alone.  Take comfort in your own Strength and that of those with whom you are connected.
Blessed am I in Strength.   Blessed be the God/dess within me.
I look to the East and find Peace for my Mind
I look to the South and find Comfort for my Soul
I look to the West and find Calm for my Heart
I look to the North and find Rest for my Body
So mote it be.
It is done. 
Remember to follow through on the messages that you received from the parts of yourself and from Deity.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Serving my Gods

How do I serve my Gods?
This is a question that I have been pondering.  Non-rhetorical.  I have been searching to answer this question with specificity and since I have more than one God, there is more than one answer.
What do I want my life to serve?  And what does that look like?  To answer these questions it is necessary to bring into focus that which I value, what I hold most sacred.  My loved ones certainly, but although loving my family and my companion, my coven and community is a very important part of my purpose, it is not the same as serving my higher purpose.  I believe that in order to contribute to the Great Work, specific intent is necessary, to love with intent, to serve with purpose.  So, what is my intent? This is where my searching brings me back to my Gods.
How do I serve my Gods?  I serve each One in different ways.
I serve Cernunnos by living and loving with joy and freedom, by seeking the wildness within myself and in the world around me and by recognizing, honoring and encouraging it in others.
I serve Gwydion by honoring my teachers, mentors and guides, by using magick and the power of words to learn and to grow.  I serve Him by mentoring those I love and walking beside them as they walk their own path to find their own power, magick greater than my own.
I serve Brighid by placing myself upon the anvil and seeking the transformation of fire, the inspiration of air, the healing she offers in the waters of her sacred well.  I write poetry and nurture my own soul. I work magick to forge something greater of myself and my life.  I support my High-Priestess and my coven-mates and my beloveds as they seek their own transformation, inspiration and healing.
I serve the All-Father each time I look to the Runes for magick and guidance.  I acknowledge his sacrifice and wisdom and the impact of his gift on my life.  I honor my family and my Ancestors by listening to them and caring for their descendants.  I strive to live my life with valour and in service to others.  In my work as a banker, I serve the elders in my community by safeguarding the means to provide for their physical needs.  And if I must sacrifice for those that I love, I try to do so with joy and a spirit of honor and gratitude.
I serve Arianrhod by looking to the stars and to the pattern of my incarnation.  I look to the fate that She lays before me.  I look to those lessons that we chose for me before I came to be this person in this place and in this time.  I do what I need to learn those lessons and to follow this path that She has set me upon.  I serve Her by stepping forward, by looking backward and by living now.  I serve Her by supporting others in their own sovereignty and by refusing to relinquish my own.
I serve Gwynn ap Nudd by finding light among the shadows and by looking for beauty in the darkness.  I serve Him by traveling to worlds unknown and by embracing the void, by walking the dark pathway and seeking the light and finding balance.  I serve Him by conjuring the Dragon, and dancing on the storm and journeying to Annwfn to claim what I need from His Cauldron.  I serve Him by listening to the trees and singing with the Fae, and by crossing those thresholds He leads me to.
I serve my Gods by keeping faith and waking up, and helping others to find the candles in the dark night.

Brighid

Painting by Susan Sedon-Boulet

Lady, Brighid, Bright One
Muse of poets
Mother of midwives
Goddess of blacksmiths
She who blows the winds of inspiration
And fans the flames in the forge of transformation
And cleanses us with waters from the wells of healing
And shapes us with the hammer of strength upon the anvil of wisdom
Lady, Brighid, Bright One
Inspire me
Heal me
Shape me