Month: May 2020

“Indefinite Hiatus” – The Rabyd Skald

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Odin’s Day!

Well, it has been a couple weeks since I last wrote on this blog and I feel you, the gentle reader, deserve an explanation. Mostly, I have simply lacked the inspiration and drive but it has also become a question of time.

Simply put I have a lot to get done between now and the end of July and there is little room at this point for writing when I could put this daily hour to use working on other things.

Also, I need a writing hiatus for another reason. I need to cleanse my writing self and find a new muse. As much as writing has been therapeutic for me it can become a curse.  It can draw me into emotions sometimes that are counterproductive. So, for the time being, I am on indefinite hiatus until I sort these issues out or I discover a new muse or both.

I am going to focus the next three months on doing what I need to do to find my new life.  1) Work, 2) Getting back in healthy shape and 3) Getting my training done for my certification so I can have a new career. I will be posting more on my YouTube Channel The Rabyd Atheist, but not too much more.

I will probably back one the Grey Wayfarer actually starts wayfaring in real life. That is when the excitement of the change inspires me to write about it.  So maybe August or so.

Thanks to all of you for your reading and support of this blog.  I want to emphasize that this is not the end but a sabbatical hiatus to find my way and do what I need to do to get back on track with my life.  I will always be until my death – The Grey Wayfarer.

Peace and Be Strong,

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“The Nine Noble Virtues and Me” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Nine Noble Virtues

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day

Discussion:

Given all the changes to my posting habits on this blog this necessitates a restart of my philosophical rotation but it is more than this as I am also rewriting the Nine Noble virtues by combining them with my principles.  The idea is to make the virtues more active and to streamline things from a simplicity perspective.

I think the whole idea of virtue, principles, goals and bucket list item is a little umbersome and as I get older simplicity is something I want and need for my life to be a smoother.

I am going to combine my virtues and principles and then havea goal with each one as before. But I am going to shorten my bucket list to five items and then act toward them.  When one gets accomplished one immediately takes its place.

In any case the Nine Noble Virutes are still important to me and central to my philosophy of life.  It’s what makes me a Pagan Atheist rather thna just an atheist.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

“Feed the Wolves, but Listen to the Ravens first.”

Needs (Geri):

A man needs a code and the Nine Noble Virtues form that for me.  The only thing I am reacting to is my need ot make them more persoanl and a reflection of my values as well.

Wants (Freki):

I want them to be more active and less passive.  Virtue should call one to action.  Originally, I used my principles for this but now I see the need to write the Virutes more in my own words with my own principles entwined bringing activity to them.

Reason (Huginn):

Once I again I am engaging the one great trait of man that has led to our survival – reason.  Passion is great hen reasonably directed and the NNV give me that direction to my passions by bringing both them and my reason togather.

Wisdom (Muninn):

I find a great deal of wisdom in having a framework for my decision making processes and overll life philosophy   The NNV have for the last two years provided that framework and I have enjoyed every single moment of wrestling with it and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

“To see the truth, change one eye for another”

Meditation:

I have found that meditating on virtues in general have been beneficial over thse last two years by keeping me grounded in what is important.  Focus is key and the NNV have been that mental focus.

Mystery:

The NNV provide that guidance I need when the unknown happens or confronts me. It means a lot of decisions are based on character rather thna the feelings of the moment.

Spirituality:

If I have a spirituality as an Atheist, it is the NNV.  This is the spirituality of heritage and philosophy of life.

Conclusion:

Ove the next nine weeks i will be engaigng the process of combining my virutes and principles and giving each a goal. I will focus on my bucket list.  The key words are streamlining and simplification.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Undying” – Skald Tales and Poems – Poem

/ Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Mani’s Day! 

“Undying” – by Edward W. Raby, Sr. May 3-4, 2020

My love for you never dies

But that is not as good as it seems.

It drains me as it is not returned

Like a vampire’s kiss,

Thrilling and draining.

I give and get nothing.

You drain the blood of my love

From within it bleeds into you

But you are indifferent

Like a bored eternal vampire

you have moved on,

but I remain the one that is drained.

I miss what your love did for me,

but I hate what it does to me

If only it would die.

Perhaps I could slay this love

With a wooden stake peirce it forever

But I cannot – for it is undying.

Author’s Note’s

I am only going to note here that this is the first poem I have written in a while and I truly feel this. Perhaps it is no the greatest, but it is an expression of a part of my heart.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!

“Changes and The New Lineup” – The Rabyd Skald

/ Ed Raby Sr / 1 Comment

Happy Sol’s Day!

I have been struggling during my hiatus with direction – my life I feel is about two thirds on track, there is really only one big thing there and it’s not something to write about as it is very personal.  The other thing is how I spend my time and this blog.  While important to me, it does drain some of my time and I do need to justify it or need to be more efficient with the time spent on it.  My priorites need ot shift and if all goes well, my life will be dramatically different come September.

To do this I need time to work on a certification I need, and a lot of time is required for that and I need for this blog to be streamlined and a little more brief with its posts so I am not spending a lot of time on them.  Two things then need to happen with The Grey Wayfarer: 1. The Lineup needs to change so their are less posts. 2. The nature of the posts needs to be trimmed down and streamlined to allow ease of writing.

There is also a want – I want ot start writing creatively as this provides the best therapy for my troubled mind. It also can be time consuming. But not when I am inspired so creative posts need to have an optional nature to them.  With this want is another want which is to discovery of my muse again – finding the inspiraiton I need ot write creatively, regularly.

The New Line Up:

  1. Mani’s Day – Skald Tales and Poems – I am going to start writing a poem or short story for every Mani’s Day.  Mostly for a creative break each week.  The stories will run a full gambit of genres.
  2. Odin’s Day – Of Wolves and Ravens (Odin’s Eye) – Taking a topic from my philosophy rotation and discussing it.
  3. Frigg and Freya’s Day – Freya’s Chambers – I will continue my discussions of sex, sexuality and nudity in art every Freya’s Day but I will basically be discussing what I want to discuss each week.  I will continue the Pinup of the week feature with a short discussion of each one and why it either inspired or resonated with me.

Yes, That’s it.  I have removed the journal posts for the time being, becasue I am going to keep my personal life more private for a bit as I am playing things close to the vest these days.  I have two focuses. 1. To finish my certification so I can start my new career and starting my new career.

For those of you who might miss The Pagan Pulpit I would recomend my YouTube Channel The Rabyd Atheist, then you can actually hear me speak twice a week on various topics. The Rabyd Skald and The Grey and The Wayfarer will appear as needed.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard, and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!