Choose a pantheon that speaks to you and aspects of divinity that relate to your needs.
I relate to three groups of deities. The first is a gnostic monist concept where I am strongly drawn to the Moon, Wisdom, Light... often named Sophia. I am also strongly drawn to any deity within the feline family or connected in some way to cats: Bast & Sekhmet, Freya, Toltec Jaguar God, Great Cougar, Jungle Panther, and literally any others from any culture. I work often with Bast & Sekhmet, as well as Cougar and Panther, and the Asian Tiger and Snowy Leopard. I am also drawn and work with Wolf, Raven, and Stag. I suppose this sounds very much like I am animistic or totemic.
As pantheons go, I have stayed with my Celtic roots and adhere to Celtic (mostly Irish) deities. Herne, Cernunnos, Cerridwen, Brighid, Lugh, Morrigan, Scathach. I have a strong relationship with these aspects.
Identify an area in your life for which you feel you'd like divine assistance. Without referring to existing texts or lists, invent a deity to deal with that situation and give that deity a name.
First of all, with 20 years of religion and cultural studies under my academic belt, not referring to something in existence is REALLY hard.
An area of my life that I feel I need divine assistance.......
Peaceful and Proper Rest. Financial Clarity and Success. Business Management with Grace. Creative Writing. "It's ok to be Good Enough". Commitment to Body Health (weight control, better eating, exercise).
There are lots of areas I could address. Since this is 6, let me take out a D6 for this exercise and roll the die to see what the Spirit feels I should focus on. Oops, could not find my gaming dice. So I asked the husband (Mark) to pick a number from 1-6 without knowing the why. The number was 5.
"It's ok to be Good Enough."
Deity of Self-Acceptance, Understanding, Encouragement, and Comfort.
NAME: Glacadh (Irish Gaelic for the word 'acceptance')
I could have chosen any word to translate into Irish Gaelic, but I felt this was best for the quote because it implies acceptance of both self and other. Perfection is both impossible and unnecessary. "It's ok to be good enough" can also refer to self and other.
Hmmm... I think I have a new affirmation to work on.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Lesson 1 Assignments 1-16
1- In what year was the Order started? Who was the founder?
A- November 2007 by Kerr Cuhulain
2- The Order takes its name from which Celtic heroine? Why would she be chosen as the patroness of our Order? What type of facility did she run on the Isle of Skye? With which Celtic warrior is she most closely associates?
A- The Celtic heroine is Scathach because she ran an academy for the finest warriors on the Isle of Skye, among which Cuchulain was one.
3- Order of Scathach (OS) members are expected to honor the Wiccan Rede. What is it and what does it mean?
A- 'An it harm none, do what you will.' This is the Wiccan Rede in its most basic form. There are many versions of the Rede both short and long. An earlier version is by Crowley, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, Love is the Law, Love under Will." Later adopted by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente in their new Wiccan religion with the addition of "An it harm none" prefaced at the beginning. I take the meaning to be that you have the freedom of spirit to be and do whatever you choose in life with the understanding that you will try to do no harm to other people or other things, including yourself. It implies a sense of forethought and responsibility. I prefer a longer version, author anonymous:
This brings in the Rule of Three which refers to the Law of Return, what you send out returns threefold. This also adds a layer of forethought and a sense of responsibility. This longer Rede carries more of a sense of the warrior in it as it refers to self-defense. However, I find it too lacks slightly for one aspect of a Wiccan Warrior that I also hold dear to me and make part of my ethic is that not only must I defend myself, but also those around me who cannot defend themselves. That I also have a role to play in helping others be self-reliant and able to stand their own ground.
4- OS members are also expected to strive for the 13 warrior precepts. Which of these precepts most closely reflects your strength as a warrior? Which represents an area of improvement?
A- I have lived by most of these all my life and apply them in all aspects of my life. So it is hard to choose just two being my strength or my weakness. Perhaps the strongest precepts that represent me are: "Power With," "Know Thyself," "and "Right Action." As I run or organize many things for the community, it is hard to have "Minimal Appearance." I don't think that is area I need improvement though. The one I think I need to work on is one I have been struggling to commit to for a long while, "Be Creative." I suppose I am creative in many ways in the how I manage a shop or run a school of magic & paganism, how I try to do a great deal of fanfiction novel writing or writing the workbooks and training materials for the school or my coven. But to sit down and plainly do something fun and creative like I used to... has been very difficult. Fanfiction writing used to be that, but I am having a hard time to commit to that too these days. I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with taking care of myself as I rarely give time for just me to be just me and to do things for just me.
5- OS also upholds a Chivalric Code. What does the word "chivalry" mean to you?
A- The dictionary defines the word "chivalry" as the sum of ideal qualification of a knight, their rules and customs. I carry this meaning and add the notions of Bushido virtue to the definition. It is a code of conduct for a proper person. Much of this is common sense, or at least I feel it should be. Those listed by the order seem to be a blend of the Norse Nine Noble Virtues and the Seven Bushido Virtues.
6- What are the four training phases and their associated belt colors? What do they represent?
A- Novice (white), squire (green), knight (brown), and master (black). They are adapted from Karate and Bushido for the belts and colors symbols. The names come out of Medieval ranks of the orders of knighthood from the Age of Chivalry.
7- What is the name of the OS ritual that marks a Squire's advancement to Knight?
A- Arming Ceremony. The Novice to Squire is an Armoring Ceremony and the Knight to Master is a Mastering Ceremony.
8- OS students are expected to keep a BOS. What is the purpose of keeping one?
A- A BOS can be many things from a record of your magical workings, to a collection of references, to the detailed outlines of rites and rituals, to a magical diary. I keep pone for our coven with our general knowledge and lore and one for our rites and rituals. For OS, I keep this digital blog as well as several notebooks on my personal research as journals of thoughts on various books I read about the role of warrior in other cultures (namely East Asian).
9- OS is considered a "dry" tradition. What does this mean? What is the Order's stance on drug use?
A- Dry means alcohol free, and by extension drug free. That is the firm stance as I understand it. Neither have a place in ritual as altered state are perfectly achievable without these substances and one need not pollute their body or be under the influence as it has ill effects to both magical and natural life and work. This however does not include drugs that are a necessity for functioning in life, such as insulin or other required medical prescriptions.
10- What is our policy on children's involvement?
A- Children are an integral part of the Order as they are our future.
11- How do members dress for public ritual? Why did the order choose this form of dress for public occasions?
A- A black gi uniform top with the Order's logo on the back and your designated belt.This seems to be for rituals that the OS lead or represent themselves at. Otherwise, members dress to suit the occasion. No explanation seems to have been given for this, but it seems common sense that if you represent a group, you should wear the uniform to help outsiders recognize you.
12- How does OS define the term warrior? In what way is this similar or different than how you define the term warrior?
A- OS defines warrior as "a person who makes a fearless and objective inventory of their personal characteristics and then uses this information to take control of their life." This is very much in line with my own understanding of a warrior, though being a warrior implies that there is an aspect of fighting that may at some point happen that the warrior must be ready for. That battle might simply be within as we ever strive for self-improvement and face ourselves. Sometimes, though, it is standing up for what is right and acting when necessary, despite our fears.
13- Define monism.
A- OS defines this as divine being part of everything and everyone, inseparable from the everyday world. Dictionaries and religious/philosophical texts define it as a belief in a single governing principle in the world. Why don't we call it The Force for all those who understand Star Wars? Everything is connected. Everything is divine. All is one.
14- What is the difference between "drawing down" and "drawing out"? Why does OS emphasize "drawing out"?
A- Drawing down is the act of invoking a diving principle, calling something outside one's self into one's self to be represented in ritual or to be aspected. Whereas drawing out is the act of evoking something from within. As OS adheres to monist thinking, then of couse we are all divine. The divine is already within us and needs only be "drawn out" to be aspected, not "drawn down" as it is immanent and not transcendent.
15- Wicca is not considered a "revealed" or "book" religion. What do we mean when we say we are an "immanent" spiritual path?
A- This means that we are a mystery religion where our spiritual path is discovered through our unique experiences and that no one and no book can tell us the "Truth" about our spirituality. The divine is immanent, with us, therefore to communicate with the divine, we need only calm ourselves and listen within.
16- We have a symbiotic relationship with Deity. What does this mean?
A- If deity is within, then we are always connected to it, thus we have a symbiotic relationship with it. We are born of divinity, grow with divinity. We create each other.
A- November 2007 by Kerr Cuhulain
2- The Order takes its name from which Celtic heroine? Why would she be chosen as the patroness of our Order? What type of facility did she run on the Isle of Skye? With which Celtic warrior is she most closely associates?
A- The Celtic heroine is Scathach because she ran an academy for the finest warriors on the Isle of Skye, among which Cuchulain was one.
3- Order of Scathach (OS) members are expected to honor the Wiccan Rede. What is it and what does it mean?
A- 'An it harm none, do what you will.' This is the Wiccan Rede in its most basic form. There are many versions of the Rede both short and long. An earlier version is by Crowley, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, Love is the Law, Love under Will." Later adopted by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente in their new Wiccan religion with the addition of "An it harm none" prefaced at the beginning. I take the meaning to be that you have the freedom of spirit to be and do whatever you choose in life with the understanding that you will try to do no harm to other people or other things, including yourself. It implies a sense of forethought and responsibility. I prefer a longer version, author anonymous:
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill
An ye harm none, do what ye will
Lest in thy self defense it be
Ever mind the Rule of Three
Follow this with mind and heart
And merry ye meet and merry ye part
This brings in the Rule of Three which refers to the Law of Return, what you send out returns threefold. This also adds a layer of forethought and a sense of responsibility. This longer Rede carries more of a sense of the warrior in it as it refers to self-defense. However, I find it too lacks slightly for one aspect of a Wiccan Warrior that I also hold dear to me and make part of my ethic is that not only must I defend myself, but also those around me who cannot defend themselves. That I also have a role to play in helping others be self-reliant and able to stand their own ground.
4- OS members are also expected to strive for the 13 warrior precepts. Which of these precepts most closely reflects your strength as a warrior? Which represents an area of improvement?
A- I have lived by most of these all my life and apply them in all aspects of my life. So it is hard to choose just two being my strength or my weakness. Perhaps the strongest precepts that represent me are: "Power With," "Know Thyself," "and "Right Action." As I run or organize many things for the community, it is hard to have "Minimal Appearance." I don't think that is area I need improvement though. The one I think I need to work on is one I have been struggling to commit to for a long while, "Be Creative." I suppose I am creative in many ways in the how I manage a shop or run a school of magic & paganism, how I try to do a great deal of fanfiction novel writing or writing the workbooks and training materials for the school or my coven. But to sit down and plainly do something fun and creative like I used to... has been very difficult. Fanfiction writing used to be that, but I am having a hard time to commit to that too these days. I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with taking care of myself as I rarely give time for just me to be just me and to do things for just me.
5- OS also upholds a Chivalric Code. What does the word "chivalry" mean to you?
A- The dictionary defines the word "chivalry" as the sum of ideal qualification of a knight, their rules and customs. I carry this meaning and add the notions of Bushido virtue to the definition. It is a code of conduct for a proper person. Much of this is common sense, or at least I feel it should be. Those listed by the order seem to be a blend of the Norse Nine Noble Virtues and the Seven Bushido Virtues.
6- What are the four training phases and their associated belt colors? What do they represent?
A- Novice (white), squire (green), knight (brown), and master (black). They are adapted from Karate and Bushido for the belts and colors symbols. The names come out of Medieval ranks of the orders of knighthood from the Age of Chivalry.
7- What is the name of the OS ritual that marks a Squire's advancement to Knight?
A- Arming Ceremony. The Novice to Squire is an Armoring Ceremony and the Knight to Master is a Mastering Ceremony.
8- OS students are expected to keep a BOS. What is the purpose of keeping one?
A- A BOS can be many things from a record of your magical workings, to a collection of references, to the detailed outlines of rites and rituals, to a magical diary. I keep pone for our coven with our general knowledge and lore and one for our rites and rituals. For OS, I keep this digital blog as well as several notebooks on my personal research as journals of thoughts on various books I read about the role of warrior in other cultures (namely East Asian).
9- OS is considered a "dry" tradition. What does this mean? What is the Order's stance on drug use?
A- Dry means alcohol free, and by extension drug free. That is the firm stance as I understand it. Neither have a place in ritual as altered state are perfectly achievable without these substances and one need not pollute their body or be under the influence as it has ill effects to both magical and natural life and work. This however does not include drugs that are a necessity for functioning in life, such as insulin or other required medical prescriptions.
10- What is our policy on children's involvement?
A- Children are an integral part of the Order as they are our future.
11- How do members dress for public ritual? Why did the order choose this form of dress for public occasions?
A- A black gi uniform top with the Order's logo on the back and your designated belt.This seems to be for rituals that the OS lead or represent themselves at. Otherwise, members dress to suit the occasion. No explanation seems to have been given for this, but it seems common sense that if you represent a group, you should wear the uniform to help outsiders recognize you.
12- How does OS define the term warrior? In what way is this similar or different than how you define the term warrior?
A- OS defines warrior as "a person who makes a fearless and objective inventory of their personal characteristics and then uses this information to take control of their life." This is very much in line with my own understanding of a warrior, though being a warrior implies that there is an aspect of fighting that may at some point happen that the warrior must be ready for. That battle might simply be within as we ever strive for self-improvement and face ourselves. Sometimes, though, it is standing up for what is right and acting when necessary, despite our fears.
13- Define monism.
A- OS defines this as divine being part of everything and everyone, inseparable from the everyday world. Dictionaries and religious/philosophical texts define it as a belief in a single governing principle in the world. Why don't we call it The Force for all those who understand Star Wars? Everything is connected. Everything is divine. All is one.
14- What is the difference between "drawing down" and "drawing out"? Why does OS emphasize "drawing out"?
A- Drawing down is the act of invoking a diving principle, calling something outside one's self into one's self to be represented in ritual or to be aspected. Whereas drawing out is the act of evoking something from within. As OS adheres to monist thinking, then of couse we are all divine. The divine is already within us and needs only be "drawn out" to be aspected, not "drawn down" as it is immanent and not transcendent.
15- Wicca is not considered a "revealed" or "book" religion. What do we mean when we say we are an "immanent" spiritual path?
A- This means that we are a mystery religion where our spiritual path is discovered through our unique experiences and that no one and no book can tell us the "Truth" about our spirituality. The divine is immanent, with us, therefore to communicate with the divine, we need only calm ourselves and listen within.
16- We have a symbiotic relationship with Deity. What does this mean?
A- If deity is within, then we are always connected to it, thus we have a symbiotic relationship with it. We are born of divinity, grow with divinity. We create each other.
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