Epic Blog

For real. The Beta version was our first shot, and it pretty much went all belly. We'll now post our entries at this fabulous new location and no longer gripe with livejournal accounts. Now without further ado, let's have it from the top.



So it begins!

It feels like standing on a threshold, the door thrown wide open and nothing to stop me but a veil just thick enough to obscure the view. That veil makes me nervous. In my more vulnerable moments I find it terrifying. So I procrastinate, I distract myself with details and ruminate on how exactly I'm affected taking that first step into the unknown. At this point my excuses have finally run out (or have I grown tired of coming up with them?), and, finding myself unable to ignore the doorway any longer, the Gods gave me a good kick in the ass and sound advice to get me started.

Learn, teach. Take, give. Follow, lead.

Balance.

About two years into this solitary pagan practice, I still find it difficult to connect to the greater pagan community. I don't feel totally wet behind the ears, though I will greatly appreciate my mentor when I find one at long last. It'll be a couple years before I earn that sheepskin and make myself a legit scholar. So much of my identity seems to be evolving at once that I truly need to assess myself and my values on a consistent basis. My primary goal is to keep a log expressly intended to record my spiritual and magickal observations and to incorporate this practice into my serious study as an extension of my commitment of Dedication. As this archive grows I hope to eventually foster an open dialogue for the rest of us in-between-ers who find ourselves floating somewhere in the middle of all the labels.

I suppose the Path is easy enough to follow when I put one foot in front of the other - much as I'd have liked to have known about the bouldering in advance.

I asked if I should ask about those kinds of obstacles in advance.

The Gods replied, "You wouldn't have gone for it if we told you."

I said, "Huh... I can't seem to find anything to say to that."

And They helpfully supplied, "L'chaim."

~Joli D



Whispering Lite is Needed

We have duties. Not just as spiritual beings, but specifically as those in a minority faith. Not only is it important, I think, to determine what these are and why, but also how to fulfill them, one step at a time.

So what is a duty? It's a task set to us as an understood addition to our responsibilities. And as Pagans, these are especially important. Our Gods are alive, vibrant. Their messages are sometimes clear as spring's first rainfall, or hidden in the twilight's shifty shadows. How do we know what They ask of us?

We listen. That, first and foremost, is our task. We cannot complete an assignment without its directions - as such, we need to learn the language of the commands. And what is the best way to listen? Surely, not expecting heavenly envelopes to drop from the sky! No, the best way to hear our Lord and Lady is to quiet ourselves, our surroundings, and to welcome Their presence. To praise, to show gratitude, to express frustration, to ask, and to give. In others words, to pray.
The revelation found in prayer is important. It takes us by the hand and leads us deep within ourselves. My God has shown me what I am afraid of, what I have failed at, where I have gone wrong. He has also shown me whose lives I've changed for the better, (literally) moved me to a new place of spiritual worship, and brought me sky high.

We learn how to communicate--through candles, water, dance, song, and prayer. But it isn't enough.

I know, I know. Entire lives--entire generations--have been dedicated to personal communion with the Divine. And I have the nerve to say it's not good enough?

You're damn right it's not.

Because the other half of our duty--after internalizing our faith and finding our Gods, lighting our incense, offering libations on holy days--is to commune with others. To find and foster fellowship.

That, more than anything, is what I feel compelled to do now. Even if we all have different beliefs--and it's guaranteed that we do with Gods as diverse as ours--we must join together. Stand up for our legal rights as Pagans, communicate our needs to each other, create communities and groups, write plays, start fanclubs on Facebook, write inspirational poetry, love songs, worship hymns, make pottery, crochet scarves, offer jobs to each other, support local Pagan businesses, build temples...

Our duty as Pagans (or, better put, as people), is to learn, pray, and commune together. That is why Whispering Lite is needed. Right now.
So let it begin.

~Katherine