Introducing the NC Pagan Elders Council

At the recent Central North Carolina Pagan Pride Day, I hosted a roundtable discussion on Nourishing Healthy Elder Culture. See my previous post for details about the weekend. It was a delight! We had about a dozen attendees, a great turnout for a first time initiative. The biggest need expressed by the group was for connection. This resonated strongly with me, both on a personal level and on the level of my vision for the community.

Connection among the Pagan community at large is vital for our survival and well-being. We are an incredibly diverse group, and many of us are still in the shadows. We don't even know the extent of our faith in many areas. Most groups are small, with limited resources. It is my opinion that every chance we get, we need to participate in alliances and group events. In my local area, the Triangle Area Pagan Alliance is one such organization. Pagan Pride Day is another good example.

Connection between the generations is also an important thing for us to promote as the Pagan community matures. Contemporary Paganism started picking up steam in the mid-20th century, and many of the leaders are now Elders in fact as well as function. Many others are raising families and are moving toward Eldership as well. Meanwhile, young people continue to be drawn toward our path. All of the age groups have needs, and all can help each other. Connecting the generations is the way to coordinate that assistance, as well as support the growth and continuity of our traditions and wider community.

I am pleased to announce the formation of the North Carolina Pagan Elders Council. We will begin small and see where this initiative takes us. I created a secret Facebook group to use as a forum. Next week, I will be attending the Pagan Pride Day planning meeting for the 2015 event. At that meeting, I will be proposing an Elder-led ritual at next year's Pagan Pride Day festival and an official Elders Council.

The Elders Council will be a discussion circle for all the generations to come together and discuss how we can foster healthy multi-generational support in our communities. Everyone will have a chance to speak. We will learn from each other. We will make new connections.

Our roundtable attendees also expressed a desire for celebration, which led to the idea for the Elder-led ritual. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate and honor our Elders, as well as to give them visibility in our community. The details of the ritual will be determined by the participants as next year's Pagan Pride Day draws closer.

All are welcome, Elder, Younger and all those in between. If you would like to join us, email me to be added to the Facebook group. If you are outside North Carolina, consider forming your own Elders Council. I'd be happy to discuss and support your efforts. If you are doing this in your community already, please comment on this post or drop me a line. Let's work together to heal the generations and improve the health of our communities!

Unity at Pagan Pride

This weekend, central North Carolina celebrated Pagan Pride Day (PPD) with a weekend-long festival. We are blessed to have a lovely little corner of the state fairgrounds in Raleigh, with trees, a lake view and some privacy for those still in the broom closet. Being so close to Mabon was an extra magical blessing for the festival as well.

This year I was able to spend the entire weekend at the festival, and I'm so glad that I did. I've been in the Raleigh area for five years now, and I'm beginning to reap the harvest of community building for myself. It was hard to get anything done at the festival, because I constantly kept running into friends, colleagues and acquaintances. This is a joy and a blessing to me, and truly a new thing.

I won a gift bag from Tree of Life Designs!

Though I have been an actively practicing Pagan for over 20 years, I haven't always been this lucky. To me, it is still a beautiful and wondrous thing to know so many wonderful Pagans. I know a couple of vendors. I'm familiar with the local shops. I know drummers and dancers, hoopers and fire spinners. I know people from several of the local groups. I now run a local group myself. We're coming up on our one year anniversary, in fact - this December will mark a year of South Wake Spiritual Community!

All this only strengthens my passion for community building. I truly believe that we are stronger together, no matter what our individual path may be. Of course, as an interfaith priestess, I believe this about all people, but right at the moment I'm referring to the Pagan community. We have become so incredibly diverse, and this year's PPD showcased that fact as well. I had a lovely discussion with a gentleman at a local Heathen group's booth. I met a gentleman who is a veteran of years of Pagan community building in the northeast.

I was honored to assist the Triangle Area Pagan Alliance (TAPA) with the group ritual on Saturday. The ritual focused on the spirits of place and it was lovely. I acted as a den mother for the people in the southern quarter of the circle. We called out to the land spirits, to the nature spirits, to the bounty of the fruit harvest in this fertile area. TAPA, for those that don't know, is a group committed to bringing Pagans together in this area and to connecting people with local groups.

My roundtable discussion, Nourishing Healthy Elder Culture, was a success. My goal was twofold: I wanted to introduce the concept of elder culture into our local community and to gauge the needs of our local elders. It turns out that our elders need to connect with each other and to receive training in how to assume the role of eldership. These are some pretty achievable goals, and I will be happy to help. I plan to facilitate an Elder Council at next year’s PPD. I’d also like to organize an elder-led ritual at PPD. I’ll also create a forum, whether it be on Meetup, Yahoo Groups or Facebook, for elders to connect with each other.

Somewhere in all the chaos, I also got to attend a workshop on bellydance and one on the magical uses of seven day novena candles. Both were delightful and very useful to me personally. I did some shopping. I danced. I also chatted with a few people about the South Wake Spiritual Community.

But most importantly, I basked in the positive energy of our local Pagan community coming together in unity at PPD. It was a joy and delight just to be there, people watching and listening to music. So many kinds of people, all harmoniously co-existing. Each marching to the beat of their own drummer. All sparkling threads in the tapestry of our community. To me, this shows that peace is possible. It can be done and we're doing it!

Blessed be!

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Day 9

Balance of Body, Mind and Spirit

As I mentioned back on Day 4 of 30 DODD, performing devotion to a goddess like Artemis requires embodied practices, in my humble opinion. She is into physical pursuits; though not competitive sports like many of the other Olympian deities. This is not the sort of Goddess who lounges around the house.

"Callimachus made frequent reference to Artemis' skill with the bow in his hymns to her: 'whose study is the bow and the shooting of hares and the spacious dance and sport upon the mountains'." *

How can one perform devotion to Artemis solely in one's living room? Surely, there are times when this is all that is possible. I doubt that Artemis, or any deity for that matter, would spurn any prayers in this overstimulated digital age. But this cannot be the sum of one's life, again, in my opinion.

This would be like worshipping Ares while holding the ideal of pacifism. Or perhaps an aquaphobic devotee of Poseidon. Does not compute! Artemis is all about the wilderness. Go outside and seek Her there. Feel Her with you when you draw your bow. Know She is watching when you hunt your prey. Follow Her footsteps as you climb the mountains. This is the way to know Artemis.

The ancient Greeks also believed in the balance of body, mind and spirit. So far as I know, they pioneered the concept of holism - treating the whole being. Early physician philosophers like Hippocrates and Galen** wrote extensively about this concept. They believed that preserving health was even more important than treating disease, but it went beyond that. To be a good and whole person, one must strengthen the body with exercise, exercise the mind with learning and enliven the spirit with music***.

This idea strikes a deep and powerful chord with me, especially in light of my martial path. Eastern martial arts philosophers have the same idea - that to be a warrior or complete martial artist, one must of course have a strong body. But more than that, one must learn about the world and the arts as well.

Looking back at my life so far, I'd have to say that this is what I've been up to the whole time. There's been a whole lot of studying history, philosophy and random topics. A whole lot of training my body. A whole lot of music. A whole lot of expanding my consciousness with spiritual practices.

Certainly this was my intention when I finally got to study martial arts. I got really into the philosophy, studying the Book of Five Rings, the Art of War and classics of that nature. My goal was to become a complete warrior, capable with a variety of techniques, weapons and strategy, but also skilled in intellectual and artistic pursuits.

But recently…I realized that life and relationships have gotten me off track at times. This cannot be. Especially in light of my recent ordination, I need to stay on top of this. I need to be in good shape. I need to make time to backpack and do some mountaineering. I need to not only practice self-care, I also need to set a good example for others.

Artemis deserves no less of her priestess.


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*Artemis: Virgin Goddess of the Sun and Moon, Sorita D'Este; Callimachus, Hymn 3 to Artemis

**Galen Class II - On the Preservation of Hygiene
 
***Plato's Republic makes many references to this, saying that one must study gymnastics (physical exercise), hunting, philosophy, music, general intellectual learning and the virtues of justice, wisdom, temperance and courage. Please note that Plato's Republic was written after the peak of Artemis worship, but his work was based on earlier philosophers and was not a new idea.

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Day 8

I'm working on a post for this series about the Greek ideal of balance of body, mind and psyche. That's what I really wanted to post today. But I feel like I ought to back this up with a bit more scholarship, rather than just giving my own opinion. So instead, I give you a song about Artemis by the very talented Kellianna. Go buy her CDs, they are awesome!

Putting my Money where my Mouth Is: Self-Care

The past few years, I have been putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak, in the area of self-care. Historically, that has been a tricky and spotty thing for me. It's ironic considering my career in helping others improve their health. This year has been especially good and I'm proud of myself. One thing I have noticed is that I do best when I am able to carry out my dinacharya (daily routine) without rushing.

I get thrown off track when life gets too crazy with things like big emotional upsets, early morning work and moving. Surely this is the case for most people. Ironically, the practice of Yoga that is so dear to my heart is meant to support us through the vicissitudes of life. I can attest that it does work. The times that I'm truly out of sorts have gotten smaller each year. I do occasionally "fall off the wagon", but I get back on pretty quickly these days.

“As spiritual searchers we need to become freer and freer of the attachment to our own smallness in which we get occupied with me-me-me. Pondering on large ideas or standing in front of things which remind us of a vast scale can free us from acquisitiveness and competitiveness and from our likes and dislikes. If we sit with an increasing stillness of the body, and attune our mind to the sky or to the ocean or to the myriad stars at night, or any other indicators of vastness, the mind gradually stills and the heart is filled with quiet joy. Also recalling our own experiences in which we acted generously or with compassion for the simple delight of it without expectation of any gain can give us more confidence in the existence of a deeper goodness from which we may deviate. (39)” 

― Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra

As regular readers of this blog know, I experienced one of those life upsets almost two months ago now. Overall, I'd have to say that I've done fairly well during these two months of transition. There has been a good amount of Yoga, meditation, massage, time outdoors, time with friends and other supportive practices. There have been some dark days, but compared to how it could have been…say ten years ago, it's been a cakewalk.

Today I decided to take up the practice of abhyanga, or self-massage with oil. When I did my Ayurvedic self-experiment this spring, I wasn't too hot on the idea. Too messy and too time consuming, I thought. Why bother? It's humid in North Carolina! This isn't Colorado, where lip balm and skin lotion are two of the 10 Essentials of Survival.

But three things:

1. It feels really good.
2. I do want to incorporate anointing into my practice.
3. I do like to wear a scent, usually patchouli.

Abhyanga could combine all three into one step to save time AND give me some more health benefits. Behold, my plan:

I will make an aromatherapy blend with the base oil of coconut. In Ayurveda, the type of oil is matched to your constitution. I am a pitta-kapha constitution and it's still summertime, so coconut oil is good. In the cold months, I will likely change to almond oil. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

For the essential oils, I will use primarily patchouli for its mood balancing, cellulite/wrinkle reducing, and insect repelling properties. Alleged properties, anyhow. I like the scent and feel good when I wear it - that I know. As for the other oils, I have some cedar and sandalwood on hand, so I'll see how I like that blend. I may add lavender too, because lavender is love! It's been a while since I've practiced my aromatherapy, so this will be a good refresher.

Most likely, I will reduce the amount of oil used in the massage and will not shower afterwards. Coconut oil absorbs pretty well and when I did this today, I didn't need to shower. Also, I will not be applying this oil to my head and hair. I do plan to do oil head massage, but I will do that at night and have a different oil and herbal blend in mind. More to come on that later!

Today's abhyanga was a rushed affair. I got some plain coconut oil from Whole Foods and hurriedly rubbed it into every part of my body that I could reach. I was pressed for time, and didn't get to feel the meditative, super spiritual self love aspects of the practice. But my skin felt great the rest of the day!

Stay tuned for the results of this new experiment in self-care!

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Day 7

On Devotional Practices

I'm certain that Greek reconstructionist groups are doing something different than I am in the worship of Artemis. I don't know for certain what they are doing as I have experienced a strange diffidence toward learning about it. Someday I will, but I'm not interested in re-creating anything. I am interested in creating a new practice - something fitting to these times and to the place in which I live. Something that feels right to me.

Here are some of the devotional practices that I have created or that I use:

Yoga
I have created a special Yoga class just for Artemis.

Hiking
I dedicate my hike to Artemis whenever the moment feels right. I have also created a method of devotional hiking in which distance is tracked and prayers are offered at regular intervals.

Hunting
I have a whole set of rituals that I follow when it's time to hunt. I like to prepare myself with meditation, a ritual bath and a light fast. I have found a quick dedication prayer to say and also a longer bowhunter's prayer. Of course my bow and arrows are also consecrated to Her service as well.

Archery
I pray to Artemis when I practice archery. Some days I dedicate the practice to her. I'm working on creating a formal devotional archery practice.

I find myself getting more and more devotional this year, when in the past that was not at all my focus. Interesting! I have lots more ideas, too.

What do you practice that is specific to Artemis?

30 Days of Deity Devotion: Day 6

Day the Sixth: Other related deities and entities associated with this deity.

Today I'm going to focus on one deity that is associated with Artemis, because he is also important in my personal pantheon. Pan. Do you know him? Lusty god, always drinking and chasing nymphs? Yup, that's him. But he's also Lord of the Forest and God of the Hunt. He is the flute player, the patron of shepherds. He is the watcher at the border of the wilderness and cultivated lands, visiting both, but never fully belonging to either. 

He is a deeply soulful and poetic god. I think in our days of intensely controlled, urban lives…that he is quite lonely. Gone are the wild days when Pan was celebrated and loved. These days, people seem to think there is something coarse and base about Pan. But no. This is not truth. There is far more to Pan than the stink of goat and an erect phallus. At another time, I will give him his due - an entire 30DODD just for him.

The story goes that Artemis went to the forests of Arcadia and met Pan. Pan gave her thirteen hunting dogs - seven female and six male*. She was impatient to try them out and built a fire to light the woods. She captured six golden horned stags to pull her chariot**.

Pan also chased the handmaidens of Artemis. She generally was very protective of her nymphs, but in Pan's case…she seemed to let it slide. Perhaps she was grateful to him for her hunting hounds…or perhaps she had a soft spot for His Goatiness. They were friends, even though he was constantly trying to get in her toga. Hey, everybody was. Artemis is gorgeous, tall and has a banging figure. Euripides called her "fairest of all that are". Somewhat ironic for a "virgin" goddess who will never marry. Can you blame Pan for lusting after her? I say nay.

*Or some number, various sources cite different numbers of dogs.

**Callimachus, Hymn III to Artemis 46