ariansdreamsdp

Dreams

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 03:33:57 GMT

I had a strange dream last night. I dont remember much of it. I was sitting in a room next to an elderly lady. She was knitting something that looked like a cross between an arm-band and a scarf. Somehow I knew it was meant to be knotted at the wrist, like a bracelet.

I was making one too, but mine didn't look like hers. She had an ornate gold and green one, and mine was all one shade of deep red. I asked her over and over again how to get mine to have all of the intricate gold tassles and decorations, but she kept repeating, "You have to figure it out yourself. I did, and you will, and your daughters will too. It's not something that can be taught, it can only be learned."

I have an idea of what it means, but...I dunno. It seemed important, so I'm sharing.

Tarot Reading

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 23:14:02 GMT

I need some advice on a recent tarot reading. It is very, very hard for me to read for myself. Especially using the tarot. A lot of the meanings are too ambiguous for me to be able to read for myself. So, I'm asking for help, yo. I know what I *think* it is saying, but I need an objective eye.

Ok, so I used the Celtic Cross spread.

Pos.1: Justice
Pos.2: 3 of Wands
Pos.3: Ace of Swords
Pos.4: 4 of Cups
Pos.5: 10 of Wands (reversed)
Pos.6: King of Swords (reversed)
Pos.7: 9 of Wands (reversed)
Pos.8: 10 of Pentacles (reversed)
Pos.9: King of Pentacles
Pos.10: The Hanged Man

So. Opinions, anyone?

Pax,
Li

Samhain Ritual Recap

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 18:24:48 GMT

***This is a rough draft. I just wanted to get it posted so that I could receive feedback.***

Samhain 2006 Recap:

Late Morning

November 5, 2006

Let me preface this recap by saying that I definitely did not prepare properly for this ritual. I had planned to go to a Samhain ritual on the 31rst of October at our local Unitarian Universalist church. I was unable to for a number of reasons. I was not as prepared for this ritual as I should have been, and the omens definitely reflected that.

I did not buy any decorations for my Samhain altar. At first I didn’t because I had family coming to visit who would not have approved of such an overt display of my Pagan religion. When it came down to it, though, I really could not afford to buy decorations, either. I suppose I could have tried to make some, but it really didn’t occur to me until afterward.

Besides the notable lack of decoration, the ritual started out fine. I had all of my sacrifices arrayed in front of my altar. All of my candles were lit. I had neglected to buy tea-lights, so some of my candles in my fireplace candelabra were missing. My devotional lights for the Gods were present and in good condition, so I proceeded with the rite anyway.

During my two powers meditation, for some reason, my cat went crazy. I mean, he was insane. He started trilling and hopping all over me, rubbing against me, and biting my fingers. He has never, ever bothered me during a ritual before. I’m not exactly sure what was going on there, but it certainly didn’t do wonders for my concentration. My ability to feel the two powers flowing and joining within me was severely limited, but I did feel it a bit. I almost stopped the ritual at that point, but I decided to press on and see what happened.

I worked with the Morrigan and An Dagda during this ritual. I had never worked with either of them before, and I didn’t get a specific feeling from either of them, but I expect that that was because I had so many weird things happen/distractions.

I sacrificed silver, coffee cake that I made earlier in the morning, olive oil, herbs, incense, beer, and a poem. I did not write the poem specifically for this rite, but it was written with the Samhain season in mind. I think that this might have also been a reason why the omen turned out as it did.

Okay, you’re probably wondering about all of this omen stuff.

My first question was, “Gods and Goddesses, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits, are my sacrifices acceptable in your eyes?”

(I draw all of my meanings from Jennifer Smith’s Raido: The Runic Journey.)

I drew thurisaz first. The rune of self-discipline and sacrifice.

I think that the meaning couldn’t have been more clear. I have taken to having “back up” sacrifices for this purpose, so I added another piece of cake to the sacrifice bowl, and also added more olive oil to it.

I drew another rune: eihwaz. Death, transformation, drastic changes.

I wasn’t sure what to think about this omen. Since it wasn’t overtly positive, I decided to sacrifice more. Before I did, though, I thought. What had I done wrong? The only thing that I could think of was that perhaps I hadn’t honored my ancestors enough. My first inclination was to make a blood sacrifice (might sound weird to some, but I have absolutely no problem with it), but then I remembered that there were no blood sacrifices in ADF rituals at all. So I cut off some of my hair. Heh. Not a lot of it, and not enough so that you’d notice. I cut a lock of hair from the back of my head, and put it in the sacrifice bowl. I also added another piece of silver to the well, and some more olive oil to the sacrifice bowl. I apologized profusely for anything that I thought that I could have done wrong.

And I drew a final rune. I knew that if the third sacrifice was also not accepted, I would have had to strike the ritual, but thankfully, I drew jera. Plenty, harvest, change for the better, successful conclusions. I don’t know exactly which element might have turned the whole thing around, but I was very glad to see this rune.

My second question to the Gods, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits was, “Do you have any advice for me, or anything that you would like me to know?”

I drew Mannaz. People, man, relationships with others. I took this to mean that my next High Day Ritual should be done in a group setting. I guess that that is my project for Yule.

I barely remember the rest of the ritual, which is probably not surprising. I had gotten so nervous over the whole omen thing that I basically relied on my notes for the rest of it. I barely remember the return flow and the reversing of the two powers meditations, but I know that nothing exciting happened. I was distracted and somewhat upset.

Even though my Samhain rite did not turn out as expected, I definitely learned a lesson from it. Prepare. Everything seemed to go wrong, and I could only blame myself. This ritual was a difficult one for me, but I’m glad it happened the way it did. Bad experiences are sometimes the only things that can drive us to improve, and I am ready to honor the Gods’, Spirits’, and Ancestors’ request, and try to find a group ritual to go to for Yule.

Happy Samhain, everyone!

Ancestor Shrine/Samhain

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 17:31:40 GMT

I took a picture of my ancestor shrine, in case anyone was wondering what it looked like:

The pictures are mostly people from my Dad's side (the Bergs and Carusos), but all of my mom's family pictures are in the main house, I and I don't think she would like it if I appropriated them.

For Samhain I think I'm going to go to the local UU church to their Samhain service/ritual thingie. I need to start attending more public ritual, I think. Also, it'd be cool to see how other people do things. I wanted to go to Houston to the grove that *was* there, but apparently it's not there anymore? Not sure what's up with that. Oh well. UU should be fine.

So, those are my plans.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Pax,
Li

Family question

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:17:22 GMT

Hey everyone. I have a question for y'all.

Okay, so my Grandpa (mom's dad) and his wife (third) are coming to visit us this weekend. I like my Grandpa, he's cool. But, ever since he married Debra, he has become somewhat devout-Christian-like. He never used to be like that at all. He didn't even like going to church. But, recently he got saved and was baptised and all of that, and I'm happy for him. He seems more peaceful and calm since these things have happened.

My question is this: I am torn between altering (hah) my altar to make it look slightly less altar-like so as to avoid some kind of confrontation with someone I love (who also happens to have heart problems), and just saying "Fuck it, if he loves me and he even notices it, it won't matter."

I think I might be worrying a bit for nothing, but I'm still a bit concerned. I don't want to make any excuses for my faith. If he asks me straight out, of course, I will tell him the truth. I have not lied or avoided the subject of my faith for years, and I don't plan to do it ever again. I just don't like conflict. I admit, I'm scared of it. I feel like changing the layout of my altar just to appease conflict would be doing a kind of dis-service (or even insult) to my Gods. And also, there's the fact that Cernunnos with his lovely antlers could easily be mistaken for some sort of Satan-figure. I am *not* going to go so far as to hide their statues away. So any re-arrangement could be futile, anyway.

I guess I'm anticipating some sort of "conversation" about my religion, and I don't expect it to be pleasant. My mom and my brothers know about my religious choices, as do all of my friends. I am perfectly candid with anyone who asks. My dad hasn't asked (although I'm sure he suspects), or he would know everything as well.

But with family it's so hard, isn't it? It's easy to tell perfect strangers what you believe, you have no emotional investment in their opinions.

Blech. Any advice/anecdotes would be very much appreciated. If any of you know of anyone who has been in a similar situation and might have something to add, I'd appreciate it if you point them here to give advice. Thanks.

Pax,
Li

Autumn Equinox Ritual

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:52:53 GMT

On Saturday morning, I performed my Autumn Equinox ritual. I used the Mabon ritual in Skip's A Solitary Druid as a template. I've kind of completely avoided doing any sort of Celtic ritual lately. I did at Imbolc. That ritual was entirely about Brigid. But I haven't since then, so I decided that Saturday would be Mabon, and not Gleichentag.

So, anyway. In all, the ritual went incredibly well. I have never, ever felt that focused or full of what I *think* I am supposed to be feeling during the Two Powers meditation. I actually carried that feeling of being saturated with the powers of earth and sky throughout the entire ritual (until the end, when the meditation was reversed). I have never accomplished that before, and I was very proud of myself in some small way.

I decorated my altar a bit more for the season than I usually do. Maybe this helped me to get into my ritual state of mind. Anyone who wants to see my Autumn Equinox Altar (who hasn't already) can see it here: http://pics.livejournal.com/ariansdreams/pic/0001sqz0/g12

I didn't feel harried or rushed at any time. I think I am finally getting used to using ADF's order of ritual. It settled over me like a warm blanket. I know what happens next. This is comforting to me.

It struck me that I enjoyed using Mannanan as a gatekeeper. I literally felt it when the gates opened. I have also never felt that before. I'm not sure if it was my comfort level that allowed this, or Mannanan himself, but whatever it was, everything just "clicked" on Saturday.

I made offerings of flowers, olive oil, silver, incense, beer, pumpkin bread, herbs, and a poem I wrote for the occasion.

Here were the omens drawn:

Question #1: Were the sacrifices offered accepted?
Answer: Ansuz. I felt that this was a positive or neutral rune, but it did imply some distance between the Kindreds and myself. I know the reason for this, so I wasn't too surprised. I took it to mean that the sacrifice was accepted, but they'd rather have my time every day than lots of sacrifices every 6 weeks or so. I got the message, definitely.

Question #2: Do the Kindreds wish me to know of anything coming in the weeks ahead?
Answer: Mannaz. I took this to mean that it would be important for me to focus upon my relationships with others during the coming weeks. Some of my friendships have been strained lately, so this made a lot of sense. Also, my brother is going to come to visit around Samhain, and my grandparents the middle of October.

Question #3: Is there anything else that I should know, or that the Kindreds would like to tell me?
Answer: Berkana. I liked this rune because I could see how it tied into the two previous ones I'd drawn. It made sense. In both growing closer to my Gods and in growing closer to my friends and family, I am going to have to put aside my childish pride and assume the role of the healer/empath.

In the case of the first rune, I know that I need to heal myself. I need to spend time with my Gods, and forgive myself for the mistakes I've made.

For the second rune...there are people in my life who are definitely on the edge right now. I need to be there for them in only a support capacity, not as an advisor or lover or sister or anything else. Only as a friend who wants the best for them.

I also set up an ancestor altar for the season. It has pictures and other items that remind me of those who have passed. I also included one picture frame that was left blank, to represent the ancestors whose names I do not know, and those that will come after me. I see my ancestors as a long line of people stretching before and after me.

I will be meditating at this ancestor altar every night until Samhain. I also have a selection of jewelry that either was given to me by deceased ancestors, or it belonged to them. I am trying to wear a piece of it every day so that their influence can permeate my life.

So, anyway. That's my high day recap. If someone thinks I need to add something else, let me know!

Thanks for reading.

Pax,
Li

Question for those who work with runes.

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:21:24 GMT

Okay, here's the story y'all:

I did a rune reading regarding the details of my relationship with someone. It was a very positive reading, and one of the runes that showed up was Wunjo. I shared the reading with him, and he was all excited about it as well.

I want to buy him a pendant with Wunjo on it, to remind him of the joy and bliss that we bring to one another's lives. I'm pretty sure that this is okay, but I wanted to ask people who know more than me about it first. Is there anything I should know about anything negative that could come from this?

Any and all advice is appreciated.

Thank you,
Elicia

Runes

Sun, 06 Aug 2006 05:56:29 GMT

Thought people might want to see a pic of my new runes and rune bag thingie.

I also made the bag myself (it looks okay in the picture, but I sewed it REALLY fast, so it's not perfect). It is made from undyed linen. I think I want to make a leather pouch to put the drawstring bag in. But that is a project for when I am not so poor!

Click the picture for a larger view.

As you can see, they are lovely and primitive looking...exactly what I was going for. :)

Pax,
Li

Hi Again.

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 06:56:18 GMT

So. I'm back. I kinda took a break from LJ there for a while. The experience of sharing my life is a little much for me sometimes. I'm not exactly a "sharey" person by nature. But I'm ready to come back now.

So, I'll tell you what I've been up to lately, religious-wise.

With regard to the *super-secret* project...I am going to post about it now. Some items still have not arrived, but I figure all the anticipation (if there ever was any in the first place) has about dissipated by now. So...here goes. Excuse the incompleteness atm. Certain Canadian ebayers take a long time to ship. Okay, now for real:

"I know an ash--its name is Yggdrasil, high tree, holy--
drenched with white mud. From it come the dews that fall in
the valleys. It stands forever green above the Weird's well."

-Edda, Snorri Sturlson, pg. 19

First, I'd like to give credit where credit is due. I got the original inspiration for this project on LJ at the Pimp My Altar community. You can find the specific entry at this url.

Now on to the pictures. Click them to get a larger view.

As you can see, I've tried to do this as accurately as possible, to the best of my ability. We've got the white mud (paint), the dews (glass beads strung on fishing line), and the "forever green-ness", which is represented by fuzzy pieces of yarn. You also can see my newly made runes around the base of the tree.

Here's a pic of it with candlelight on it:

It really is quite a powerful image when used in ritual. The entire experience of constructing it really brought me closer to the symbolism of "the tree" in general. It effected me so much emotionally that I plan to make my own candle (sacred flame) and bowl (well) as well. I definitely feel so much more from this object since I made it myself!

As soon as my miniatures arrive, Ratatosk, Vidofnir, Duneyrr, Durathror, Dvalin, and Dainn will be represented on my version of Yggdrasil. I have no sculpting artistic abilities, so I actually had to buy them off of ebay. I will post more pictures when they arrive, and are glued on!

If anyone wants to know the method I used to construct my version of Yggdrasil, just ask. It was pretty easy, but you must have at least a basic comfort with a cordless drill, epoxy, clay, and paint. Not rocket science, but it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done either.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Pax,
Li

Update on projects

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:01:58 GMT

Okay, so I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon for a vacation to see my Dad and brothers in FL.

I have put together my travel shrine. It is basically a small bowl, a tea light, and a stick. I like it. I also included very small items that remind me of Freyja and Cernunnos. Also a small charm representing my spirit guide animal thingie. Otherwise known as "the big giant fluffy rabbit." Which I find incredibly ironic. A big huge fluffy bunny led me to ADF, in a roundabout way. *laugh*

My *super secret* project is still on hold. I am waiting for two objects to arrive. I promise it will be worth the wait, though.

My runes are all cut out, but they will have to wait to be carved and stained until I get back. I am done with the hard part though, I think.

So there is a small update. I probably won't be posting in this LJ until I get back (on the 26th), but I might be posting smaller updates in my regular LJ.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Pax,
Li

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:05:04 GMT

So, as chronarchy and sleepingwolf probably already know, I'm on a quest to make my own set of runes. I woke up this morning and I knew that today was the day that I was going to start.

So, I took a bag of birdseed (for offerings) and my "field guide to trees" book down to a small park about two blocks down from our house. I hadn't been there before, and there is a much larger park that is also close to my house (Mahnke Park), so I could have gone there instead...but I knew that that the small park was where I had to go.

As soon as I arrived, I poured the bag of seeds onto the ground, and murmured prayers asking for guidance in finding an appropriate branch, and in thanksgiving for the miracle of the trees surrounding me. Then I wandered the park, opening my book every so often to confirm the species of the trees around me, but I was right every time. Which I'm not a little proud of. :)

As I passed the only mesquite tree in the park, there came about me a fierce, cold wind, and I heard a voice inside my head. It said, "There is a branch waiting for you under the tree. Take it." So, I looked around, and finally I found a branch that had the necessary girth to carve runes from. Well, almost, as it was a little small. I picked it up anyway. But I couldn't believe that I was supposed to make my rune set out of mesquite. I mean, mesquite, y'all. Not very IE, I must say.

So I kept walking. I was about to leave, when I tripped over another branch, just laying on the ground. It was the perfect size. But it was under a live oak tree. Oak, at least, I thought, was known to the ancient druids. Even if it wasn't specifically live oak. I waited. I didn't hear any voices. No wind blew. I almost walked away from this perfect branch, when two squirrels came leaping through the trees, headed straight towards me. Both of them (yes, both), ran down the trunk of the tree. At this point they were about 3 feet from me. They both just stared at me, expectantly. "Take it, you stupid human" they seemed to say. I just stood there. One of the squirrels climbed back up the tree, and leaped back the direction it came. The other stayed where it was. It finally made a strange barking sound, and followed the other one. I picked up the branch.

Okay, children of Ratatosk. You convinced me.

As I was walking back towards the house, I had nearly persuaded myself that the squirrels merely wanted to be fed. I didn't quite believe that, though.

When I got home, I took my hand saw to both of the branches. I didn't know how I was going to decide. But the branches decided for me. The mesquite was too soft. I didn't even get halfway through the branch before it cracked, and pieces of it crumbled off. It even looked like it hadn't been fallen for very long. The oak, though...was perfect. I knew then that I had done the right thing in taking that branch. My mom even came out from inside, and once she heard what I was doing, she told me she wanted a set of runes as well. I told her I'd make her one, but she had to stain them herself.

I read on the site that sleepingwolf recommended to me that "dead" wood made "dead" runes. But I don't choose to believe that. No wood is dead to me. And I'm not about to go down to a public park with a tree pruner and just start clipping away. I think those branches were there for me.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with the mesquite branch. I was meant to have it, that's for sure. We shall see what the future holds.

I found this on www.tarahill.com, one of my favorite rune websites:

"Oak has been considered sacred by just about every culture that has encountered the tree, but it was held in particular esteem by the Norse and Celts because of its size, longevity, and nutritious acorns. The oak is frequently associated with Gods of thunder and lightening such as Zeus, Thor, and the Lithuanian God Perkunas. This association may be due to the oak's habit of being hit by lightening during storms. Specific oak trees have also been associated with the 'Wild Hunt', which is led by Herne in England and by Wodin in Germany. In general, oak can be used in spells for protection, strength, success and stability; the different varieties will lend their own special 'flavour' to the magic."

How much of it is true...that's dubious, at best. But it feels right. I'm excited to get started.

Any advice is welcome. I just wanted to share my "branch-finding" expedition.:)

Pax,
Li

Haikus

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 11:30:07 GMT

These are great. I am 99% sure they take them from your public journal entries. I tried it with my normal journal, but since most of my entries are friends only, it wasn't very interesting, but I liked these:

:) Try it! It's so fun.

Courage!

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:22:14 GMT

Nine Virtues: Courage

Admittedly, when I first thought about courage in the context of the Nine Virtues, I thought, “Why is this included?” I couldn’t think of an example of what I deemed to be “true” courage in my experience. I had previously only associated bravery and courage with soldiers, or those people you hear about in the news who jump into rapids-filled rivers to save a drowning child. I certainly never considered real courage to be an everyday occurrence.

But then, I thought about my mother. She had the courage to leave an unhappy and abusive marriage after 24 years. She gave half of her life to my father, and to my brothers and me, and she came out of it, regretting nothing. She is a hero in my eyes.

I thought about my Nana, when we found out that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of becoming bitter and angry, she fought it, and grew to be a more spiritually developed person. I can’t imagine the courage that must have taken. She is now cured.

I’ve never done anything as brave as those two examples. But I haven’t done nothing, either.

I thought about the first time I told my mother I was a Pagan. I was so sure she was going to slap me, call me a devil-worshipper, or worse. I was willing to take that chance, if it meant being honest about who I was, and what I believed. It turned out that she had many of the same beliefs as me, and I had nothing to worry about. But telling her took courage.

As Pagans…heck, as Humans, having and exhibiting the virtue of courage is something precious. It is being daring enough to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, no matter what the consequences may be.

*****

Yes, I know this is still long! I can't do 125 words, are you kidding me? I'm an English major. I write, then write some more. *sigh* Any tips for cutting it down?

Shrine

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 13:16:19 GMT

Freyja's side of my shrine has changed a bit, so I thought I'd add a picture. The only thing I want to add at this point is some sort of shallow dish. Not for offerings (that's already taken care of), but I often put small items like jewelry or pieces of paper on my altar for blessings. I think it would be cool to have a little pretty thing for that.

Anyway, main changes are:

-Slight rearrangement of items
-I found *the* frame for the Rackham print of Her.
-The statue got an amber necklace. What can I say, She wanted one. :-D

Anyway, here it is:

Thanks for reading/viewing! Hope everyone is having a good day.

Pax,
Li

Religion in Writing

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 07:24:33 GMT

I wanted to share some poems and other writings that mean a lot to me in a religious context:

"Sleeping in the Forest" by Mary Oliver

I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

*****

"Grace" by Wendell Berry

The woods is shining this morning.
Red, gold and green, the leaves
lie on the ground, or fall,
or hang full of light in the air still.
Perfect in its rise and in its fall, it takes
the place it has been coming to forever.
It has not hastened here, or lagged.
See how surely it has sought itself,
its roots passing lordly through the earth.
See how without confusion it is
all that it is, and how flawless
its grace is. Running or walking, the way
is the same. Be still. Be still.
"He moves in your bones, and the way is clear."

*****

"Thirty Three" from Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu

Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.

He who know he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of willpower.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.

*****

"A Walk" by Rainer Maria Rilke

My eyes already touch the sunny hill.
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance-

and charges us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.

Vision Essay: Pt. deux

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 07:38:11 GMT

This part of "vision" has to do with divination. I define vision as a multitude of things, so I'm having trouble keeping my essay for it from exploding in about 12 different directions. Divination is direction #2....

Divination

In the context of my personal religious activities, and in the context of ADF, I primarily relate the virtue of vision to the
practice of divination. Or, as I like to call it, self-examination. To me, this is the truest and most pure type of divination.

Before I grew out of my “baby pagan” stage, I always thought that divination, visions, and dreams were only useful if they could tell you something about the future, something about your love life, or if they contained a message from the Gods. As I investigated and tried out different divinatory techniques, I began to see exactly how wrong I was about that assumption. At least, I was wrong about most of it.

My current view of divination is that it gives you a tool to open a window to the darkest corners of yourself, and to reveal things that you couldn’t, or wouldn’t see otherwise. Divination can connect you to the Gods in a way that, in my experience, only intense experiences in nature can rival.

I have had an interest in visions and divination from an early age. I was brought up hearing stories about my Grandma Caruso, a full-blooded Italian (and devout Catholic) who practiced the Italian folk-magic of what my family called “the malook.” She would put a few drops of olive oil into a bowl of water, say some prayers over it, and then make the sign of the cross on your forehead if she saw that you had the evil eye. I have since learned, through research, that the proper term for this is Malocchio. These stories, and other experiences (such as very vivid and spiritual dreams) sparked my interest in divination, and I have since been obsessed.

I currently am involved in three main methods of divination, and I am interested in many others. My three mainstays are: the Tarot, dream interpretation, and Froud’s Faerie Oracle. At the moment, I am also in the process of learning more about other divinatory techniques, particularly runes and augury. Long-term, I’d like to become familiar with the ogham and seidhr. I have done some investigations into seidhr in the past, but I found that my skills weren’t honed enough to take it on. I think I still have a lot of growing to do before I will feel comfortable trying again.

To me, divination is an essential aspect of the virtue of vision, especially for the ADF member, or any modern Pagan. Speaking strictly in the context of ADF, the taking of an omen for the ritual or rite performed is a basic element of ADF’s Order of Ritual. Having an intimate relationship with at least one divinatory technique is almost essential for any member of ADF, as I see it.
In a more broad sense, I do not think that the benefits of regular divining can be quantified.

Divination can help you to see your place in the large scheme of things. It can show you different possibilities that you were previously only peripherally aware of. It can be used as a conduit for communication with the Gods, faeries, or any other non-tangible entity. Probably most importantly, regular divination can help you to learn more about yourself.

“Nosce te ipsum” = “Know Thyself”

-Solon of Athens

(not sure how I want to incorporate that quote, but I liked it)

Eh…some sort of conclusion wrapup thing needs to be added.

Okay, so...thoughts? Anyone? :-P

Vision Essay

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 09:01:25 GMT

I will be starting out with the short essays on the nine virtues. Today I will share my Vision Essay. I know I want to mention something about Divination in here, but I couldn't figure out a way to say all that I wanted about everything that "vision" means to me. So I might be turning in two separate essays. We shall see. Anyway, here it is:

Vision Essay

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
-Carl Jung

Dictionary.com defines vision as : “ 2. Unusual competence in discernment or perception; intelligent foresight: a leader of vision.”

Carl Jung’s statement on vision is, in my opinion, a very profound one, but I do not think it is entirely true. Rather, in my experience, vision involves looking inward and outward at the same time, and realizing that in fact, they are precisely the same thing.
I experience the virtue of vision most often when I am in nature. For example, this spring I took a hiking trip to the Lost Maples State Natural Area here in Texas. It was an intense spiritual experience for me. I knelt before a natural spring, in the shadow of a leafless maple tree (the very existence of which is miraculous), and I gave sacrifices of silver, herbs, and love, in thanksgiving for the amazing gifts I had been given that day. I had stood at the top of a hill, after a weary climb, and felt completely insignificant. I had stared in awe at the work of bees, and admired the jeweled webs of spiders. I had seen organisms both larger than me and smaller than me. I was surrounded by life and by death, by darkness and light, by oppressive heat of the sun and the coolness of shade. Being in nature is the best way to feel as though you are a trivial, yet also integral part of our wonderful and terrible Earth.

I am. That is the greatest lesson that the virtue of vision has taught me.

Perhaps the best excerpt (and possibly one of my favorite passages from a book, ever) that was integral to my understanding of vision comes from the children’s book Wise Child, by Monica Furlong. In this passage, the main character, Wise Child, is scared of crossing a bridge. She finally realizes the following, and gets over her fear:

“If I was part of everything, then I was also part of bridge and stream, of the sharp rocks beneath the waters, and even if I was swallowed up by them, I would still be a part of it all. In such a world, in such a universe, nothing terrible could happen to me” (92).

Vision, in my opinion, is never forgetting that lesson. Never forget that you have the power to affect everything around you, but that also you will probably be insignificant in the scheme of things. Life and death will go on with or without you, but as long as you visualize and keep present in your mind the interconnectedness of all things, you can live in harmony with your environment.

Introduction

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:58:55 GMT

This is the ADF Dedicant's Journal for ariansdreams. I already have much of the DP done, but I will be posting the "final" drafts of my work here in order to get some feedback on it. Please leave any comments or suggestions to the things I post...I don't get offended easily. Tell me you think my work sucks if that is what you truly think! :) I am looking for honest, intelligent, well thought-out feedback.

Thank you for reading,
Elicia

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