#dedicant path

[thebarkingash]

Tomorrow is my local grove's celebration of Imbolc and I'm greatly looking forward to it. It will be a Hellenic rite done to honor Dionysos. My first ADF Imbolc. Wonder how it'll be? I'm bringing some food for everyone, as well as my partner who has never done anything remotely pagan in his life. This will be.. interesting?

My Oracle draw for the day was The Hand, which seemed like a very good omen. I repeated my first oath three times as a manner of meditation and letting the words sink in. It felt good. Meaningful.

I'm trying to solidify the daily rituals as habits these days rather than trying to rush through everything. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, and I know I've a tendency towards it. I know what my drive is telling me, and I'm working towards it. Slowly. Surely.

I've a lot on my mind.

[adfdruidry]

Have you thought about studying Druidry? We're embarking on a new year; maybe it's time to take some steps on the journey. It's full of benefits... here's a graphic of a few you might find on the way, provided by the ADF Dedicant Path.

Thanks to @Chronarchy for the infographic!

Learn more about Druidry at ADF.org

[Image Description: non-binary druid, with benefits of working a path of study in ADF across it, including: bright memory, insightful vision, a voice of wisdom, a centered fire, a well of inspiration, helping hands, a journey in fellowship, and a natural connection]

[skylark913]

Perseverance is Making Sure You’re a Success Story, Not a Statistic

As I continue working as a prison chaplain, I’ve found not only is it a deeply fulfilling part of my vocation, it is also allowing me to re-examine my own spirituality and add depth and subtlety to my understandings of the cosmos.  I teach weekly using Rev. Dangler’s Dedicant Path Through the Wheel of the Year as a base, and recently we were discussing the virtue of perseverance.  Beyond…

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[thebarkingash]

A HISTORY OF PAGAN EUROPE (1994) JONES & PENNICK [Part 1/11]

Summary of the chapter: The use of the term “pagan” has changed overtime. Etymologically, it derived from “pagus” meaning ‘rural’ or ‘from the countryside.’ Eventually it settled into meaning anyone who worshiped the spirit of a given locality, or ‘pagus.’ Jones & Pennick define Pagan religious as all having the following characteristics in common: Polytheistic They view nature as a theophany…

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[thebarkingash]

A Small Essay on Imbolc

Imbolc in modern times is a floating holiday celebrating the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. In historical practice it was also a floating holiday – in Celtic cultures being celebrated upon the first sign of lactation among the ewes when the newborn lambs were ready to suckle. Imbolc itself is representative of this – the name meaning “in the belly” within Irish tradition, or…

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[thebarkingash]

I felt hungover today after the Dionysian rite. I've been thinking a lot over what was revealed in the omen, and the overall message of it all. I've been trying to internalize the virtues and all the I've been learning on this path.

So much of it seems to line up with contractualism, just sitting down and asking what we owe one another and what we owe to ourselves by virtue of simple existence. I'm trying to bear all of that in mind.

I've been going the extra mile to do more around the house and in the homes of others - washing dishes, picking things up, bringing small gifts. It... Makes a difference. Both to the person whom it is helping and to how I feel. It's service, but active service that reaps interesting rewards. People tend to forget that hospitality includes how the guest behaves. I'm curious how this will continue to evolve over time.

[thebarkingash]

Happy Imbolc.

Today I did my first oathing, and this was what I drew - a good omen indeed considering my aspirations.

It's getting easier each day to fall into the practice. I'm going to continue to work with my oath over the course of this month to memorize it and internalize the message.

Saturday I'll be with Cedarlight for the Imbolc ritual. I'll be working on my essay about the High Day as a result of that which will get me one step closer to where I want to be.

I started a proper blog for tracking my Dedicant Path reading and book club discussions, which will be posting here as I update it. I'm hoping that that resource will help others through their reading and give them a place to discuss the material in depth.

I've been thinking about service lately, and how good it feels to help others. I've been thinking about what we owe one another and how much small actions can show integrity. I've been thinking about how actions speak louder than words and how much of a difference they can make.

How Elmo Ruined Sesame Street

While some are charmed by Sesame Street's young red muppet, others say he's ruined everything

This article in particular gave me a lot to think about. Our actions are something that affect others around us - and the actions of those in media have similar effects. How many modern characters are showing the Virtues that we long to see? How many are showing character that make us long to emulate them?

I'll likely write something longer on this soon, but I wanted to at least plant the seed of it all now.