Revisiting the Past: My Ethics

As I've mentioned in my previous posts on Ethics, Honor, Justice, and Arete, being an ideal human being means that one is:

• Emotionally mature
• Self-aware - living a conscious life, making active choices, taking responsibility for Self
• Well educated - a broad base of knowledge including but not limited to: other cultures and world history, with an emphasis on lifetime learning
• Consistent at putting ethical system in practice
• Possesses a continually evolving system of ethics

My goal is to be an ideal human. Back in my heavy martial arts years, I wanted to be the ideal warrior. This consisted of a range of warrior skills plus a good education in history, strategy, philosophy, art, and music. My focus has changed, but it's not so different. I just train in different disciplines now. No fighting now; instead, I practice Yoga (my own Pagan Yoga system that I'm designing). I hone my teaching skills. Music, always music. Healing work. I think I've posted about it before, how I can't be a physical warrior any longer; instead, you could say I'm a spiritual warrior, working to raise the vibration of the world, one person at a time.

But back to Ethics. As a person who walks the warrior way, even the spiritual version thereof, living an honorable life is central to my identity. It is the light that shows me the way. It is, at times, what shapes my path. I could tell many a story about how my insistence upon the ethical choice has cost me money, relationships or what have you. Other times, it's what has cemented a relationship or gained me a business ally. And I'm totally fine with that.

So in keeping with my philosophy, here begins an examination of my list of values and ethical principles. It's time for a periodic update!

1. Arete - Excellence above all is still the most important thing to me. Keep this one!
2. Courtesy - the first of the virtues from my old tae kwon do dojang. Still important.
3. Integrity - the first of the virtues from my old tae kwon do dojang. Still important.
4. Perseverance - from my old tae kwon do dojang. Still important.
5. Self-Control - from my old tae kwon do dojang. Still important.
6. Indomitable Spirit - from my old tae kwon do dojang. Still important.
7. Honor - unchanged, truly.
8. Lifelong Learning - hasn't always been on the list, but is what I've always done.
9. Creativity - we all have it! Continue to practice and it will strengthen.
10. Play/humor - don't take yourself or this world or anything else too seriously. "It's sacred, not serious" - adorable hippie child 
11. Reverence - for every step, every breath, every living thing, always.
12. Shibumi - the essence of what is, pure simplicity
13. Tolerance - essential to harmonious living with other beings. It means that you acknowledge the plurality of our world.
14. Stewardship of the Earth - new - I suppose this was so intrinsic that I never listed it before. But it must be said - take care of our home.
15. Respect the autonomy of all beings. - new - also intrinsic to my belief system is the acknowledgement that all beings have agency and that must be respected.

As it turns out, not a lot has changed. There's been a bit of evolution and perhaps a bit more clarity in my thinking about my beliefs. I'm happy to say that they have accreted throughout my life, and I value all of these incremental additions. I may not always embody them at every moment. I may fail, like everyone does. Ego, petty annoyances, and other such temporary conditions may supersede my principles. But still, I strive. And to be quite honest, I mostly succeed. I can look myself in the mirror. My relationships are good, and I have a place in the community. These are signs of success, in my book - and an ethical life!

Living Life Fully

The Pagan Experience - Wk 4- September 28: Any writing for the letters N or a topic of your choice– I am keeping this familiar format on week 4 for those who have joined me from the Pagan Blog Project!

An interesting thought occurred to me recently during Yoga. What if the way that gurus achieve that unshakable calm, that inner peace, is not through some mystical energy cultivated during meditation or other Yogic practices, but instead...is simply through not engaging with the drama of daily life? Not a particularly original or groundbreaking thought on the face of it, but bear with me.

Many think it happens in this order, though. Mystical powers bring peace. I posit the exact opposite. It is their very detachment from daily life, their refusal to engage with ordinary squabbles that brings the inner peace that seems so very fulfilling and desirable. How is this achieved? It occurred to me tonight that it's incredibly simple, and incredibly difficult. One simply does not participate. One spends no energy on conflict, no energy on the drama of others.

But this led me down another path. What does it mean when one refuses to participate in drama, in conflict? How does one refuse to engage in this modern world of ours? I believe it is nearly impossible to refuse to engage in conflict. Life in our modern world requires relationships. We don't live in a culture in which spiritual people or Yoga teachers are supported.

Instead, we must support ourselves and carve out time for our practice and exploration. To support ourselves, we must work, even if that work is teaching Yoga or other spiritual practices. To do that work, we must cultivate relationships, and in turn, all relationships involve conflict. Human nature is such that boundaries are tested. People try to take advantage of other people, mostly unintentionally, because we are concerned primarily with our own needs and desires. Our needs and desires do not always coincide with those of others, and indeed, often they overlap or themselves are in conflict.

Surely, Yoga and most spiritual practices help us to reduce our automatic reactions to life situations. Certainly, meditation has a calming effect, and it gives us perspective, both of which are very helpful in managing conflict in a healthy way. I'm not saying that spiritual practices do not assist us in dealing with daily life and with conflicts. Of course they do.

What I'm getting at, rather, is that to follow the path of Yoga, one must detach oneself from daily life. Disciples of traditional Yoga are not supposed to have families, sex, any type of intoxicant, rich foods or really, any type of personal life. Gurus are people who have studied and practiced for years, and who have gained samadhi, or bliss. They typically spend most of their energy on this practice, in addition to teaching and sometimes performing service for the community.

As a Pagan who follows the path of Yoga, I say - this is not living. We are here on this Earth in physical bodies overflowing with the ability to sense. I subscribe to the notion that the Divine enjoys sensory experiences through us, and taking full advantage of that ability is part of our purpose here. What's more, even the teachings of Buddha say that to transcend Maya (the illusion of the world of the senses), one must experience it and learn from it.

A bit of background here:

1. I fully respect and honor the tradition of Yoga.
2. Yoga is a wide, wide tree of disciplines and practices. I'm generalizing in this post out of necessity.
3. I'm designing my own system of Pagan Yoga.

So in my tradition, we fully engage with life. We are priestesses, women, professionals, daughters, mothers, wives and more. We have careers, families, hobbies and pets. We engage in this Earthly life fully and completely. We know that enlightenment is something we can experience right now, in the midst of all of this messy, beautiful chaos we call life.

Our Pagan Yoga system is a discipline and a lifestyle, just like traditional Yoga is. But in our discipline, we get dirty. We dance. We chant and sing and howl at the moon. We eat cupcakes right alongside our healing herbs. We raise a horn of mead from time to time. We meditate. We mindfully and reverently enjoy sex. We attune ourselves to the great Wheel of the Year - the passing of the seasons and the cycles of the Moon.

Our goal is to experience life, and to develop ourselves into the fullest expression of our beings that we can envision. It's a goal that keeps growing as we continue to grow and evolve. Union with the Divine is part of that goal, but a static state of bliss? Nah. Give us the ecstatic rhythm of creation. Give us the heights of mystic trance and the lows of hopeless despair. Give us the beauty, joy and love and give us the brokenness, imperfection and flaws. Give us everything, for that is what it means to live fully.

Blessed be and aho!

Earth

"Mostly harmless." - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Wk 2- Feb. 9- Earth- The word “earth” has multiple meanings. What does it mean to you? How do you use its definitions to support your work?

Earth is home. It is the only planet known to support life in a mind-bogglingly large universe. We are a web of interconnected and interdependent beings, though not everyone realizes that this is the case. Really, the Earth itself is an organism, a meta-being, if you will, made up of the sum of all life contained on it. Which in turn, is itself a mind-boggling, uncountable superabundance. The Earth is alive. Nearly every inch of this blue-green planet teems with life. Beings fly through the air, swarm on and in the ground, and swim in the waters.

In literal terms, Earth is soil, substance, ground. It sustains us, shelters us, and refreshes us. When our wits are scattered, a good walk on the Earth will center and ground us. When we are hungry, we plant seeds in the Earth to feed us and collect that which grows wild and free. When we are tired, Earth shelters us with Her loving arms.

Magically speaking, we consider Earth to be the foundation of the five elements. In this context, Earth includes all the plants and animals that live on and in it, as well as the metals and minerals within the Earth. Earth is power and wisdom, solidity, physicality and the body.

Earth is Goddess, our mother, She who is known by a thousand thousand names. She endlessly gives birth to life, endlessly nurtures life, and endlessly loves life. She is the Creatrix; 'we all come from the Goddess, and to Her we must return - like a drop of rain, flowing to the ocean'.

My work and my path is fairly Earth-centric. Just as some practitioners are called to etheric realms or astral planes, my work is here. I work with Earth as a member of the biotic community, a teacher of the web of life and a tiller of the soil. I worship Earth as Mother Goddess, as sacred ground, our blessed home.

Yes, this cloud-covered, misty ball of ocean and land, sky and rock, fire and ice, this Earth is home. This Earth is alive. The Earth is Goddess. Without Her, we would not be.

So it is. Blessed be!

Humanity: Power and Potential

WK 1- Feb. 2- Humanity- How do you define “humanity”? What is your contribution to the collective space of humanity? How does your spiritual path support this definition and contributions? 

We humans are beautiful and terrible, at once transcendent and terribly ignorant. We're sentient, that is to say, we know that we are. That knowing sometimes inspires us to be our best, sometimes frightens us back into the cave*. We're clannish, tribal creatures, much given to an us vs. them view of the world. We're thinking, tool using apes, to put it in practical terms. Yet the shell of our bodies does not fully describe what we are. We are divinity in fleshly form, shapers of energy and destiny. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience, as the saying goes.

When I think about the nature of humanity, I can't help but think of Plato's allegory of the cave. To sum it up briefly, imagine human beings chained in a cave, forced to look at the back wall. Behind them is a fire, which is used to project shadows on the wall. The prisoners come to believe that the shadows are real. They never look backward to see that they are mere puppets, and that the way outside is open. Outside is the sun, which represents all that is good and true, all that is truly real.

This concept is quite similar to the view in Eastern philosophy. Vedic texts discuss the concept of maya, or illusion. This world we live in, the Earthly plane, is mere imagery, or illusion. We can transcend illusion through study and practice.

Quantum physics also is catching on to this view of reality. Quantum physicists describe physical reality as a hologram, as if it's a giant projection on some theoretical screen. Each tiny sliver of the image contains all the information of the whole. Scientists refer to the observer effect - the fact that simply observing a subject will cause it to change. Imagine then, the effect that a conscious act of will could have in comparison to an impartial scientific experiment.

So reality is a hologram, an illusion. We humans have the capacity to mold and shape it. All we have to do is wake up. Become aware of the true nature of reality. Accept and honor our gifts. Then, we can do and be, anything. We are fields of infinite possibility, as Deepak Chopra puts it.

My contribution is to spread this message: our universe is co-creative and participatory. We are movers and shapers of reality. We have immense power and potential. We are members of an interconnected web of life with a responsibility to use our power wisely and for the highest good of all. We should be good stewards of our Earth and all the beings on it - animal, vegetable and mineral. My mission is to empower and inspire others to develop their potential as balanced and awakened beings.

My spiritual path fully supports this definition of humanity. At the beginning of this post, I discussed western and eastern philosophy, and the new science of quantum physics. Pagan philosophy espouses the same beliefs, of course. "As above, so below" is just another way to talk about the macrocosm/microcosm of this holographic universe. It also neatly covers the immanent deity concept. You are Goddess, a Wiccan might say. Magic is just another word for co-creation and focusing the will to create change. Various realms or levels of reality neatly coincides with concepts of maya and the cave allegory. 

As a witch and a shaman, my spiritual path supports my contributions to humanity. It's my job, my calling, to heal and teach others. Stewardship of the Earth? Definitely part of the job description. Shaping energy with my will? Check. What I believe, what I practice and what I do for income, they're all connected. All of a piece. They are all part of the hologram, the macrocosm that is my personal world. 

I am that I am. I am Goddess. I am a human being - flawed, strong, whole, imperfectly perfect. 

And so are you. 

Namaste. 

As always, the light within me recognizes and honors the light within you.

So mote it be!

************************************************************************************************

*Plato's Myth of the Cave, from The Republic, Book VII, 514a-518c

Keeping the Faith: Carrying the Flame of Hope in Uncertain Times

I've just read Rewilding Witchcraft, an article posted by Scarlet Imprint. It's a powerful piece about the health of our planet and how that impacts witchcraft, and it has me all roiled up. This post is my response, so it won't fully make sense unless you read the article.

I reject despair. I reject the notion that witchcraft is broken, fading or failing. I reject the notion that our rituals must be a lament for a dying Earth. This article is full of such pain, and for that, the author has my sympathy.

I agree, Earth is at a crisis point. Human beings have had an unimaginably huge impact on the ecosystem. We are beginning to see all sorts of changes as a result. I have been angry and upset about this situation for as long as I can remember. By middle school, I was known as "The Crusader". I circulated endless petitions and spoke passionately to anyone who would listen about the need for environmental restoration and conservation.

But I also found that activism is largely pointless in terms of creating policy change. The US government is inextricably linked with corporate interests. By and large, those corporations are interested in just one thing: making money, at any and all costs to the human population and to our environment. They just don't care that people wave signs. They won't care until the last drop of oil is extracted, and the environmental ruin comes to the gate of their compounds. Or until the group of people demonstrating becomes the majority instead of a vocal minority. Even then, I wouldn't rule out military law.

I don't say this to disparage friends and colleagues who choose to engage in this way. I respect their commitment and their valiant efforts. But I also know that I can't do it anymore. I have an inflated sense of justice, and when I spend my energy in this way, I descend into anger, hatred and despair. That means that I can't do my work. I can't lift others up or open their minds, especially in my environmental education work, with this sorrow eating away at my heart.

I also agree that witchcraft needs to regain its wild roots. That is exactly the work I want to do in the coven I am forming. We need to get out of our living rooms and onto the land. This is no time for esoteric, cerebral ritual. This is a time to get our fingernails dirty, our hair wind snarled and our faces glowing with the kiss of the sun. We need to connect with the spirits of this place, not just give a generic "thanks to the Earth". Ritual thanking plants and animals is hollow if we don't know those plants and animals personally.

But there too…that is my path. It may not be the path for all, and as a fiercely independent person, I can't ethically say that others should do what I do. Not everyone can, for starters. Some of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have had have been on mountaintops or in remote wilderness. Places one can only get to with a lot of physical effort and a minimum of physical impediment. It is not for me to say that other experiences are less valuable, less witchy, less anything. I don't believe that they are, and I resent any implication to that effect.

The article feels disjointed, as if the author is trying to jam disparate concepts together. The land is suffering, yes. But that doesn't mean that witchcraft is broken, or that our spirituality must become something ugly to reflect the pain of the Earth. Nor does every witch bear the responsibility of activism in order to justify their faith. The author seems to be calling for a revolution in witchcraft. A re-imagining of the craft as some some of zombie movie-esque apocalyptic funeral mass. But it also sounds like that is the path of this author. Which is fine. He or she is angry. He or she is full of despair and sadness. Express that. Do as you will. But don't for a second believe you have the right to dismiss the faith of the rest of us.

I refuse to stop honoring the land on which I live. I refuse to stop singing to the Cape Fear River which flows near my home. Are the land and the river impacted by industrialism? Surely. Most of the land here has been cash cropped for generations, producing mostly tobacco and cotton. I have no doubt that the methods used have exhausted the soil and contributed to erosion. The Cape Fear River has been the center of controversy lately because of Duke Power's coal ash contamination.

But must I wail in lament? Must I hold a funerary mass for my dying home? I say no. The Earth is not dying. She will correct Herself, and that may involve exterminating humanity in the long run. But She has been here for untold eons and will remain for eons to come. The Earth as Mother Gaia does not despair. The plants and animals as the Horned Lord simply keep growing. Keep striving for existence. Plants grow up through the cracks of untended cement. The forest returns to barren meadows every chance it gets. Foxes adapt and live in cities. Life never gives up.

This author may do what he or she likes. As for me, I will sing. I will dance. I will celebrate the beauty that still surrounds me. I will live in as ecologically friendly a manner as I can. I will educate others about humanity's true place in the world - a member of the global ecosystem, not as the master of it. I will get wild, be poetic and will never give up hope.

For as long as one person carries the flame of hope, humanity and our capacity for faith, beauty and reverence will never die.

So mote it be!

Medicine Shields

Medicine shields are used by shamanic practitioners to represent their spiritual protection and their essential self, or their medicine, as indigenous peoples would say. It can be a literal shield suitable for carrying in to battle, or more of a spiritual representation that can be displayed on an altar. This tool is infinitely varied because of the extremely personal nature of it. In general, people will paint or otherwise represent power animals and any other spirit guides that they work with on a round plaque or animal hide stretched on a hoop frame.

Witchcraft is a form of shamanism, and it uses ritual tools as well. Generally, the pentacle or peyton represents the element of Earth, and has protective connotations. To me, it seems logical that the medicine shield is equivalent.

Native tradition tells us that seekers should go on a vision quest and pray to their guides, ancestors and allies, then create the shield themselves based on their vision. I agree with this. How can anyone else truly understand what this shield needs to look like? Also, I personally think there is a lot of power in obtaining materials to make the shield from the natural world and through magical means.

Right now, I'm constructing a shield for myself. As a recovering empath exercising hard-won boundary skills, I'm at a place where I need to manifest my spiritual team and protection system in material form. It's the first time I've really had a team, or felt supported and protected.

I began my shield at the Earthskills Gathering, with a woods wander that netted me a flexible hawthorn branch. I formed it into an egg shaped hoop. I have some lovely turquoise suede which will be laced on to the frame.

My rough draft of the skin began with my personal symbol in the middle. I wanted some way to divide the shield into quarters, to represent the four directions. My power animals corresponding with the elements would be in the appropriate direction. Then I was going to hang some feathers, mirrors, crystals, etc. on the bottom of the frame.

At this point I got bogged down. I couldn't get my animal designs to look like they do with my inner vision. It wasn't flowing.

Then, in typical synchronistic fashion, my bestie gave me a stag's head pendant. Immediately I flashed to the idea of attaching it to the shield. This led me to consider adding something similar for the other animals. But one or more of them would be nearly impossible to find.

Stuck again.

Then it hit me - animal guides are only one component of my spiritual team. What if I took this more top level and added items to represent my other sources of support? Namely, ancestry, my faith, community, family and spiritual allies. I'd initially had a vague idea of representing these entities, but hadn't decided where to put them.

Suddenly it was flowing again. Turns out that I have spare beads, parts from broken jewelry and pendants I never wear that can work for each group/entity. Best of all, this means that nearly all of the materials in this shield will be ones that I gathered from nature or have personal connections with. Some were gifts. Some items I have had for many years. This is just the sort of "magical means" of

acquisition that add so much power to our tools.

Call me old fashioned, but I believe that making or at least personalizing your own ritual tools gives them much more power and meaning. The proliferation of spiritual and Pagan supply shops is a double edged sword in this regard. On the one hand, some things are difficult to make without specialized skills or equipment. On the other, it can make us lazy and overly attached to fancy material items. Having that finely crafted etched crystal goblet to use for your chalice in no way makes you a better or more powerful practitioner.

To me, nothing store bought beats the feeling of rightness that comes from birthing a personal ritual tool. Going through the process of inspiration, imagination, design, limitations of tools/skills, re-design, intentional crafting and eventual perfect imperfection...this is how the tool comes alive. This is how it becomes tuned to my energy, my intent, my lessons, my needs.

The act of constructing these items is one of the ways in which I practice devotion. Many are the late nights I have spent hunched over my workbench, manifesting my vision in full-on altered ritual consciousness. Sometimes I even remember to cast a circle. Mostly though, being caught up in one of these projects is like having a sore tooth, or poison ivy. It nags at me, occupies my mind and won't let me get a moment's rest until I get it done.

Tonight, I breathe deeply and trust in the Divine. I let go and allow this process to flow. Blessed be!



NOTE: All of the images in this post are examples pulled from the web.

The Goddess and God are Calling

Yesterday I finished making some pagan prayer beads, a Witches Rosary, if you will. This project has been on my mind for months, and it took me quite a while to find all the pieces, especially the centerpiece and the particular natural gemstone beads that I wanted. At last, they were complete and as I was admiring them, my partner mentioned that I seemed pretty obsessed.

Not in the least, I replied, merely incredulous and a bit amused. For who could have foreseen that a second generation Italian-American born of Catholics on both sides of the family tree would one day create such a thing?

It reminded me of my grandmother, Goddess bless her soul. She would be rolling in her grave if she knew, I told my partner. She was very religious, perhaps the most so in our family. The rest of us stopped going to church when I was 5 or 6.

My partner replied that *I* am very religious.

It seemed a revelation at the time, though thinking about it after the fact, this should have been no surprise.

I have always been interested in things spiritual. From a very early age, perhaps as young as 8, I read about world religions and the occult. Over the next few years, I researched each major spiritual tradition in turn. I even gave my native Catholicism a try. My mother dutifully drove me to church for a few months. I went to Mass on Sundays, and I gave their youth group a go. It was not for me. By age 12, I was certain that it was the Goddess and God who called me. I was initiated at 13.

But even then, my search continued. Most of my life has been about searching. Looking for truth, searching for meaning, groping toward wholeness.

In recent years, I finally found a welcoming community. I joined a coven, and that experience has been amazing. I cried a lot at first. Acceptance is not something I have experienced a lot of in my life. Support, even less so.

Having that foundation of community and loose structure has helped me to truly own my power. To become the person that I have always known myself to be in more than just thought. To bring my power into the open. To take action.

So I have done. For I hear the Goddess and God calling, and I know that They are not to be denied.

The next chapter will include becoming ordained. Any advice or input on organizations who provide Earth-based ordinations is most welcome. I'd love to hear your experiences - how did you become ordained, and how has that impacted your life?

Adventures in Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the system of traditional Indian medicine - think Traditional Chinese Medicine. From the Ayurvedic Institute's website:

"This ancient art of healing has been practiced continuously for over 5,000 years. The principles of many natural healing systems now familiar in the West, such as Homeopathy and Polarity Therapy, have their roots in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic practices restore the balance and harmony of the individual, resulting in self-healing, good health and longevity."
 It's a sister science to Yoga, and I studied it in college. I've been using its principles in treating my patients for years, but until recently, I haven't done any extensive, disciplined experimentation on myself.

When I put together my plan for the Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge, I included a goal of incorporating Ayurvedic practices. As a yogini and a pagan, this seemed like something that would accomplish two goals at once: increase health and give me a ritualistic framework for my self-care routine.

I've discovered a secret about myself: routine and daily maintenance seem less onerous to me when they are a holistic part of my spiritual practice.

Ayurveda is a complex system of healthcare. It has many components, one of which is the concept of dinacharya, or your daily routine in harmony with the cycles of nature.

Sidebar: See what I mean? Totally harmonious with a pagan outlook on life. Of course, it was designed by pagans, at least the textbook definition of pagans. Ancient Vedic physicians were likely the authors of this system, and Vedic philosophy gave rise to Hinduism. Pagan=country dweller or rustic=non-Christian. Ok, it amuses me in a geeky way, I admit it.

At any rate, the Ayurvedic daily routine is the subject of my experiment of the last two weeks. I'm not going to give all the details because I don't wish people to rush out and try things without good knowledge or guidance.

Disclaimer: Do not self-treat with Ayurveda. Seek the guidance of a qualified practitioner*, and consult your physican before making any large alterations to your lifestyle or healthcare practices.

The first thing to know is that setting a regular sleep schedule is very important. What schedule you choose is traditionally defined by your personal constitution, or dosha, in Ayurveda. In general, it is recommended to arise early. This is the first step in the routine: get a good night's sleep and get up at a regular time. I've been working on this for some time, so this didn't require additional effort.

The next step in the routine is to say a prayer to greet the day. This was another practice I was already performing, so I continued with my personal routine in this area.

The next steps focus on awakening the digestion. Ayurveda, like all systems of healthcare that I am familiar with believes that regular elimination is essential to good health. I have had some issues in this department in the past and once again, I was already focused on this. I really liked the Ayurvedic recommendation to drink a glass of water. Simple, easy and logical. Start your day with hydration, and stimulate peristalsis.

The next steps deal with cleansing your body and dressing. This is where the practices got a little weird, and I'm not going to incorporate all of them into my daily routine. One example is karana purana, or putting oil in the ears. This made me feel congested and creepy. It's possible I didn't perform it correctly. Either way, it was ooky and I didn't like it. On the good side, splashing cold water on my face felt surprisingly good. I will take a clue and do more of these things, but I'll revisit this point later in the post.

The next step is exercise, which of course would be Yoga, this being an Indian system. Again, I do this every morning, so that was no problem.

After exercise, Ayurveda recommends pranayama, or breathing exercises. I'm supposed to be doing these already - it's a goal in the Air category of my Winter Pagan Fitness Challenge. But for some reason, it's hard for me to focus on pranayama regularly. I didn't do very well with this goal, and I've got to get better. Pranayama is extremely important and transformative.

Real talk: even educators and professional inspirers like me say "I don't wanna" sometimes.

Next up is meditation. I don't meditate in the morning; I prefer to do so at night. Having said that, I do briefly meditate some mornings, but I am not going to add this to my official routine as it's the exception for me. As someone who teaches meditation, I think it best to meditate when it suits you, rather than trying to force yourself to follow someone's recommendation or something you read in a book. Meditation anytime is better than meditation none of the time. Ok, getting off the soapbox...

The last step is breakfast. Historically I have skipped a lot of breakfasts, so another reminder is a good thing. But again, I was working on this already. Preparing breakfast muffins or some other healthy food in advance is the key for me.

Results

I really love the way that many of these Ayurvedic practices meshed seamlessly with what I was already doing. It was a wonderful confirmation that my quest for greater health and peace is headed in the right direction.

Some of these practices are either too weird, too time consuming or not suited to my needs. I will revisit some of them with further research. I really would like to get more training in Ayurvedic Medicine. I'm considering a correspondence course right now, as I can't take time away from my practice to study with the Ayurvedic Institute in person. First step will be to get my textbooks back and review my college notes on my own.

The other thing that was really beautiful about this experiment was the extraordinary level of self-love that the bathing and dressing portions of the routine promote. For most of my life, I have not been into the mainstream routines of feminine personal care and beauty. I do not choose to use chemically-based personal care products and cosmetics. Through my years of study in the broad field of holistic and alternative health, I have developed a "less is more" approach to skin and hair care. But in a completely unsurprising turn of events, Ayurveda recommends simple, healthy practices for health and beauty.

Taking it all together, this has been a great way for me to put more structure and beauty into my routine of self care, and to integrate it with my spiritual practice. It's a profound thing, to care for oneself. As a priestess, it felt like I was truly preparing myself for a day of sacred work. What higher act of devotion can there be than to honor your earthly vessel by cleaning, exercising and anointing it each day? To consciously begin and end each day with a prayer? To take the time to protect and increase your health? After all, having some amount of good health and inner peace is necessary in order to help others.

And isn't that our job, all of us, in some way? Be healthy. Care for others. Contribute your gifts to the world. Be a good steward of the Earth.

As for me, those are words I can live by, and Ayurveda is helping me continue to evolve and improve my ability to do so.


*Please note that Ayurveda is not a licensed modality in the United States. As a result, it can be more challenging to find a qualified practitioner. I practice certain parts of the system, and can refer local people to professionals in the Raleigh, NC area. I've noticed a lot of one day or short trainings being offered to Yoga teachers, so be wary. Like Traditional Chinese Medicine, it's a complex art. It takes a lot of time to learn. I studied it for two years in college and still don't feel qualified to call myself an official Ayurvedic anything. The Ayurvedic Institute is the best resource in the USA at this time. Dr. Vasant Lad, the director, wrote the textbooks that I studied and his organization is top notch.

Dreams of a Coven

I have a dream of a coven to be. One that, at present, exists only in my heart. Much as I love my coven of wonderful witches, there is something else I want to do. Something I want to create. An adventure that has not yet begun. An idea growing within me that simply will not be silent.

I want to create a coven that is focused on Artemis and Pan. This group will welcome members of both genders (perhaps even youths), and we will worship and celebrate a balance between Goddess and God. The mission of the group will be to celebrate and nurture balance of body, mind and spirit.

Here are some of the things I envision us doing as a group:

• Celebrating the 8 Sabbats and 13 Esbats
• Special festivals for our patrons 
• Meditation
• Camping and backpacking (exploring lakes, rivers, mountains, forests)
• Yoga
• Pranayama (breathing exercises)
• Chanting
• Drumming and dancing
• Archery practice
• Woods skills (survival, fire, leave no trace camping, edible plants, etc)
• Star mysteries
• Hunting (with bow or camera)
• Walking meditation
• Periodic silence practice
• Music
• Energy healing

The only thing I lack at this point is members. I've got a dream, I've got a vision, I even have a place for us to gather...but no people. Are you out there? 

I call to you in the name of Artemis of the Peaks, Lady of Wild Beasts, Silver Huntress of the Moon.

I call to you in the name of the Great God Pan, Goat-footed, God of the Hunt.

Come to me, brothers and sisters. Let us go together into the wilds. Let us dance and drum, let us sing, let us live free!

So mote it be.

Brigid, My Accidental Patroness

Recently, pagans all around the world celebrated Imbolc, also known as Candlemas, or Brigid’s Day. I won’t go into great detail here about the holiday, as tons of information is available around the interwebs. Suffice it to say that Imbolc marks the middle of winter and that the day is dedicated to the goddess Brigid.

So here’s an interesting thing about Brigid: she’s a badass.

I didn’t know! While I celebrate the Celtic-origined Wheel of the Year in my spiritual path (8 solar festivals), I’ve never been a huge scholar of Celtic paganism. Living in North America at this time, a lot of Celtic concepts and traditions infuse Neo-Paganism. But you know, I’m not really a Celt. I’m 2nd generation Italian and 3rd generation German. So I don’t speak Gaelic, or have a special celebration on St. Patrick’s Day. I never gave most of the Celtic pantheon any thought. Well, except for Cernunnos. He’s my homie. Master of Beasts, lives in the deep woods, the hunter and hunted? Hello!

At my coven's Imbolc celebration, we made 7 day spell candles infused with our intentions for this new year. It was a lot of fun. Imagine a large group of witches all happily painting, glueing, glittering, decoupaging and stickering their candles. I went heavy on the stickers and filled in all the empty space with glitter. Of course!

Next morning was the time to light the candle and begin the 7 day burn. I tiptoed into my workroom, lit the altar candles and incense and said my morning devotional. Then I settled in for some meditation about the spell candle. I thought of and visualized all the intentions I built into the spell. All of the beautiful dreams that I hold for 2014 (it’s going to be a great year!). Opening my eyes, I said a few words aloud, and without any sort of plan…yeah. I dedicated myself to Brigid this year.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my years of spiritual practice, it is that these unbidden impulses must be honored.

So all week, I burned my candle as much as I could every day. I studied Brigid, looking at artistic representations, history, lore and story. I couldn’t have accidentally asked for a better patroness. I’m a healer, a warrior, a poet and an artisan…and guess who’s in charge of all of those things? Brigid.