Odin’s Eye – My Humanism

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Discussion:

This holiday season provided some awkward moments for me. One such moment was when people asked me what I believed. It is about that time that I tell them I am a deist, humanist with pagan tendencies. This of course gets a raised eyebrow. The real tricky part is actually the humanist part that probably gets the most time explaining. My humanism is about what I look to solve my problems. Because humanism looks at the one thing we probably really have to solve them – humans.

Humanism has four basic parts as E.M Forster points out above. 1) Curiosity, 2) A Free Mind, 3) Belief in Good Taste and 4) Belief in the Human Race. I concur with this because the only thing I can actually see and interact with when it comes to my problems and the problems of humanity is human beings. More on this when we look through the eye.

Everything else is just theory and hope. Humanism is the side of my system of belief that engages the reality around me, and moves forward with the best solution that I and other human beings can come up with because; ultimately, it is what we have. If there is a God;and my deism says their might be, he either expects us to do things ourselves, doesn’t give a fuck or is engaged in more important matters than your or my issues. Spirituality might help me keep my balance personally, but it is my humanism that tells me to take responsibility for myself .

Time to Look Through the Eye:

Faith:

I suppose the biggest thing of ‘faith’ in humanism is belief in the human race. I am also convinced that Penn Jillette is also right – 1) We human beings always think things are getting worse but 2) Things are actually getting better. When it comes to humanist the media, politicians and religious folks keep pointing to humanity’s failures and it makes it seem like they are the majority. The problem is when you look at real facts, humans as a general rule are good and getting better. The truth is when it comes to having faith in humanity it is not as much of a blind leap of faith as people think. It is those that would rule us telling us the bogey man exists so we will fear and then follow them that paint that picture. Reality does not really do that.

Religion:

Religion in Humanism is negated by a free mind. In my former Christianity I was never allowed to question people’s beliefs, if they lined up with the basic tenets of the religion. I certainly we never allowed to question the Bible or the church. In short, there were certain thoughts I was never allowed to consider. That is pretty much all gone now thanks to my belief in free thought and free speech that goes with that. I can now question literally everything. I now see religion for what it is – a set of chains. Sorry, I refuse to wear them.

Theology:

My theology of humanity has changed somewhat and there is still a lot of questions I am considering. But the one thing I believe in about humans is that they are ‘good’ or at least they are simply human. I don’t have this notion; that is purely made up, that people are sinners in need of grace. What I believe is we are human and have limits but we also have potential, strengths and weaknesses. Thanks to genetics I also know that each of us is truly unique. Each of us then has our own set of weakness, strengths, abilities and desires. I believe that we can achieve great things as human being in pursuing truth, beauty, liberty and equality. I know I am running headlong into a few objections most notably this one:

“Humanism was not wrong in thinking that truth, beauty , liberty and equality are of infinite value, but in thinking that man can get them for himself without grace” – Simone Well – French Philosopher (1909-1943)

My counter to this argument is that those who hold the idea of the need for grace to get these things are actually attacking the notion of natural rights they say they believe. If the natural rights argument is true, there is no need for these things to be given as human beings as they are already given by their creator. In my case, I say those things are already present in man and the only question is how to grow them and profit by doing so.

Spirituality:

As a humanist I can say I am spiritual. I am however not religious at all. For my part, this means I have rejected living off the spiritual experiences of others, or the collectivism and hive mind of religion. I seek my on spiritual experiences and to be honest I find this more in daily life than anything else. I do however get an interesting reaction to saying I am spiritual but not religious, by said religious people:

Sorry, my humanism keeps my spiritual experiences in the context of the human experience. I find the spiritual in the moments I am kissing my wife, making love or watching my grandchildren play. I find the spiritual moments on my walks in the woods, when the wind wraps itself around me and when I hear the lap of waves on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Mostly though my spirituality is based on the humanist notion of curiosity. My wonder and desire ‘to know’ is what it is based on, not voodoo, just being a human being that wants to know and experience.

Conclusion:

I know I didn’t really cover the notion of ‘good taste” But it kind of ends things really. The whole thing of humanism is to see the ‘good’ in humanity and minimize the ‘evil’. I achieve that first and foremost by seeing the good in myself and trying to be a better human being. If I can help my fellow human beings in their walk along that path along the way, well then I should try to do that as well.

Continuing to Walk the Path,

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

Skaal!!!

The Book of Rabyd – Introduction

February 3, 2019February 3, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sun’s Day

This is the beginning of a revision of a project I called The Book Of Rabyd. Over the coming months you will see each verse of The Book of Rabyd first be preached about in the Pagan Pulpit and then slimmed down and revised again here in The Book of Rabyd posts.

In life I have heard a lot of things. I have also pondered, thought, felt and experienced life. I have loved so deeply that it has led me to mountain tops and the lowest valleys of emotion. I have tried to act in justice to the point where I have fought tyranny in my own life and in the lives of others. I have above all tried to live a wise life full of balance between love and justice with varying degrees of success and failure.

Along the way I collected in my head a list of Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and a few Family Sayings. The Book of Rabyd is my attempt to categorize these and place them into an organized form for future generations to read. The original version appears here: The Book of Rabyd (All Things Rabyd)

It was written in this form from February 2015 to July 2015. It needs revising. Mostly my faith and religion of the time need to be removed and everything needs to take on a more inclusive form. Because of this there is going to be some of the parts of The Book of Rabyd that will be deleted. Others will experience wholesale revision and others will be left alone and continue to stand.

The Book is divided into three sections: Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and Family Sayings.

Life Principles are things that are the core to what I believe is effective life philosophy. I have found them to be true the vast majority of the time and form the highest level of the hierarchy of The Book of Rabyd. They are the core and everything flows from them.

Points of Wisdom are wise sayings that I have collected over the years that resonate with me. Like all wise sayings they have their limits and require wisdom in understanding them and applying them to life. They have been found by me to be rather helpful in navigating life and I felt they should be passed along.

Family Sayings are simply that. Things various family members have said that resonate with truth and are worth passing on to the next generation. Some of them are from family members that are dead; so there is a preservation of memory attached to this as well. This was actually the unfinished part of the original The Book of Rabyd that was still in progress.

In truth, the entire book is not a closed canon. It always subject to review, mediation and debate. Over the coming months I plan on preaching it one verse at a time. There will be a second post (This One: titled simply – The Book of Rabyd) on Sun’s Day in the afternoon that will be The Book of Rabyd in its pure, non-Pagan Pulpit form. In the end my hope is to have a more compete version in a few months.

I hope you enjoy it.

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

Skaal!!!

The Pagan Pulpit – The Book of Rabyd – Part 1 – Introduction

February 3, 2019February 3, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

I am announcing that starting today I will be preaching a series with an overall theme. I get more into this theme in the actual sermon section below but I wanted to announce that this series will go on for quite a while. The Book of Rabyd is a Legacy Project of mine. Something I want to pass on to the family after I am gone. It is a basically a list of Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and Family Sayings that were passed on to me or I discovered and I seek to pass on to the future generations of those of the Raby lineage. I simply seek a unique way to do it and The Pagan Pulpit fits. I will probably make a separate post of it to stand alone, but I want to use the framework of the pulpit to get the inspiration going. Hope you enjoy it.

To the rest of the announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods and goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves, and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here. We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it. Let’s be honest, offerings are not giving to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it. Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never see a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Opening Song: Master of Puppets (S & M) – Metallica:

Figured I start the service with something epic. Probably a candidate for one of the top five best metal songs of all time. Combine it with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and great crowd participation and you get one epic piece and moment in time.

Poem: “Untitled (Never Be Sorry?)” by Caroline Carter

This poem is something that pulls me right now. If that makes any sense? I simply view my past as a Christian as a toxic place and I have moved on. It is hard for others to accept, but their acceptance of my choices cannot influence me one way or another.

Meditation:

Song of Preparation: “Amen” – Halestorm:

I always marvel at people when they use the term “Amen:” in church. Most of them don’t even know what it means. Basically, when you say ‘Amen’ your testifying that you believe that what you just heard is true. With this song for me – “Amen”

Text:

Introducing – The Book of Rabyd

Sermon:

Along the way I collected in my head a list of Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and a Few Family Sayings. The Book of Rabyd is my attempt to categorize these and place them into an organized form for future generations to read. The original version appears here: The Book of Rabyd (All Things Rabyd)

It was written in this form from February 2015 to July 2015. It needs revising. Mostly my faith and religion of the time need to be removed and everything take on a more inclusive form. Because of this there is going to be some of the part of The Book of Rabyd that will be deleted. others will experience wholesale revision and others will be left alone and continue to stand.

The Book is divided into three sections: Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and Family Sayings.

Life Principles are things that are the core to what I believe is effective life philosophy. I have found them to be true the vast majority of the time and form the highest level of the hierarchy of The Book of Rabyd. They are the core and everything flows from them.

Points of Wisdom are wise sayings that I have collected over the years that resonate with me. Like all wise sayings they have their limits and require wisdom in understanding them and application to life. They have been found by me to be rather helpful in navigating life.

Family Sayings are simply that. Things various family members have said resonate with truth and are worth passing on to the next generation. Some of them are from family members that are dead so there is a preservation of memory attached to this as well. This was actually the unfinished part of the Book of Rabyd that was still in progress.

In truth the entire book is not a closed canon. It always subject to review and debate. Over the coming months I plan on preaching it one verse at a time. There will be a second post on Sun’s Day in the afternoon that will be The Book of Rabyd in its pure, non-Pagan pulpit form. But I want to preach it first. I think through that I will gain some addition insight.

I hope you enjoy it.

Closing Song: “Here’s to Us” – Halestorm:

One final “Skaal!!!” before we part. Here’s to us.

Parting Thought:

So true. I ithnk most of people’s personal problems stem from two factors:

1) Not accepting who they are and trying to be somebody that they are not

2) Not accepting the mystery of life and that life itself is mysterious – and that is a good thing.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

The Rabyd Skald – The Grey and The Wayfarer (Part 5) – A Time of Memories

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

It is hard to believe but I haven’t written a The Grey and the Wayfarer post since early Yuletide. I have been busy enough; I think, to keep The Grey at least in check in my life and continue to walk the path. Recent days have seen a change in my mind I guess and mostly it is due to the fact that at this time last year, I began to start a time of year that is now a bittersweet memory. Mostly bitter in the end. It is not just a time of memory and struggle for me, but for my wife as well. There is a flood of emotions about these memories for both of us and they run the whole spectrum, but mostly I notice that they have a depressive effect for me.

I think the best way to walk this path through The Grey is to firstly know that these memories are not just going to go away. Ignoring them will not help me; nor will pretending they do not exist. That just leads to a worse mental state and that is not going to help. There is a lot of guilt associated with many of them now, and I need to work through them to get over that. Personally, I know it is going to be rough but I need to walk through it to make myself a better man on the other side of it.

The second thing I think needs to happen is that new good memories need to be created. I have two significant milestones coming up during this time: 1) My 50th birthday – personally I don’t care if it celebrated, and I am not sure given last year who would come to such a thing, but it is a significant thing to be a half a century old. 2) My wife and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary on June 10th. Given that we spent last anniversary apart, I think it is very important that we celebrate this one and do it together. I guess I would rather see a celebration here by family as well for a lot of reasons. Mostly we need a celebration of our love for each other.

In the meantime, every day is a journey of another step toward where I want to be. There are many forks and crossroads ahead. I need to make wise decisions as to which path to take. The problem of course with The Grey, and why I am taking it pretty seriously right now, is that it is like an overcast sky that can make the things unclear and not as illuminated as they could be as I choose which path to take. It is why I stick to my plans and goals with discipline, despite what I feel at times, so I keep moving.

The one writing note I have at this time is that I am planning on doing some fiction writing soon. It has just been a little difficult to get my Muse to kick my ass into gear about it. I don’t know, she might be asleep or on vacation. In any case though, I have a lot of time off from work next week; and unless that changes, I plan on filling that with school, continuing my job search and writing fiction.

Thanks to all that read this blog. You are appreciated.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

Odin’s Eye – Pagan Holidays – Oimelc and Disting (February 2nd)

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Thor’s Day

Discussion:

Interrupting the normal order of things to make remarks about pagan holidays. This time of year we shift from The time period of Yule which began in December to the time of Imbolc or Oimelc (it has a lot of names, depending on the pagan culture it comes from). The day that kicks this off is Disting which is February 2nd but it really starts at sundown on the 1st. This time begins the time of Spring and looking forward to new life. The day Disting is about the celebration of the souls of women in your family and this was the traditional time that lambs were born to shepherds. So the beginning of life begins with motherhood, even if there is still snow covering the ground. It is a time of celebrating cold, ice, healing and the hearth.

In Viking myths this may refer to times where the Ymir gave life out of the ice. There is also a lot reference to any god or goddess celebrating life, hearth and planting and each of theri spheres is celebrated as well. It’s a time of preparation; so as Winter ends, the spring activities are ready to begin. In Viking society “The Thing” happened at this time as well, which is the time of law and justice.

Mostly though Disting itself is about honoring mothers and grandmothers who have passed on but who still watch over the generations. There is an idea of respecting ancestors of the female side of the line. In this regard I have many women who have passed on that I want to remember.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

Faith:

I suppose when one considers ancestors there is a discussion of the afterlife. Over my time as a Christian, I was always sure of what this entailed, but these days I have to concede that no one really knows what lies after death, except maybe the dead themselves. Assuming there is anything to know. My aunt who was a great mother and my grandmother Alice fit the motherhood motif of this Holiday. If the pagans are right, then perhaps they both watch over all of us.

Religion:

There is a simple but profound ritual connected to Disting. It is above all a cooking holiday. The Norse Goddess Nerthus being celebrated here. She is the goddess of fertility peace and plenty. Most of the ritual involves cooking of bread, feasting, celebration and lighting of red candles for the mothers who have passed on. Given that chariot riding Nerthus is a fertility goddess, I also imagine couples might pray at this time for children and might go home and have sex in honor of the goddess and the possibility that she will bless them.

Ritual religion has always been a problem for me, but I can get into the spirit of winter merrymaking and celebration of women who were mothers who have passed on. There is a spirit to celebration of the beginnings of life I can respect here.

Theology:

There is probably a theology of after life in every major religion. The specifics vary widely. I can only say that the door to the afterlife is death and none of us really know what is on the other side. I do believe there is something there, but that is all it is – belief.

What Disting does point out theologically is that in the case of sexuality, pagans are very much about masculinity and femininity . There is no gender fluid but two sexes both strong and clearly defined, but there is also a lot of room to express both culturally in may ways. What you have is an equality of sexuality that is dual and so far in my studies I would have to say balanced. This holiday is about celebration of those feminine sexual traits that we consider honorable, and that is something I can relate to very much.

Spirituality:

The spiritual side of me can at least remember the things about women of my family who have died, and it keeps them alive in memory. That is a good thing to do. It is important to remember that legacy isn’t simply genetic. That there is a spiritual side of motherhood and femininity that is celebrated in my heart with this holiday and on February 2nd I will probably take a moment to remember those of my line who were great mothers and examples of being good, strong women.

Conclusion:

I like these pauses where I look at the pagan holidays and seasons. The pagans have a better understanding of the cycle of regular change better than most people. I like that they really have six times of year and holidays to kick them all off. There is also a closer understanding to real life with the pagan side of me, and these holidays bring that out.

Continuing to Walk the Path,

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues – Finding Peace and Rest (Part 1)

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Moon’s Day.

Journal Entry:

The Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) for me are about peace and rest in the end. It is about putting yourself into a position to be free to the point where there is nothing but peace. The NNV are about achieving this warrior’s peace. They may be a warrior code but the end result; the end desire is peace. It is the image of the honorable king on his throne. His acts of courage have cause his enemies to sue for peace and his commitment to truth means his people trust him. He and his realm are at rest, peace and growing in prosperity.

The Foundational Virtues achieve this in a multitude of ways, but mostly they end anxiety and worry. Honor means you are at peace with yourself and no longer are anxious about your inner battles. Courage means you act instead of worrying about things. Truth means you are not anxious about what you understand and believe. You know you pursue what is honorable, courageous and true so there is little to fear when it comes to inner conflict, cowardice or lies unless they are in others. You simply know and are at peace that you are honorable, courageous and truthful.

This week has a simple goal. To complete as many things as possible each day but also to introduce some rewards for completion of the day, so it is in my best interest to start living things. The planning and all the organization is mostly over. There will be small adjustments to be sure and a growing understanding of what I am doing, but the skeleton of my vision for myself is finished. Now it is simply time to flesh it out by living it.

Honor:

“Honor is the feeling of inner value and worth from which one knows that one is noble of being, and the desire to show respect for this quality when it is found in the world”

Principle – Be positive about my future

The meditation each morning has really started to help with my sense of inner honor and peace. I have gotten to the point also where I can move through life and don’t give a shit what dishonorable people think about me. But I also value people and their opinions when I can see honor in them. I don’t know if I have achieved everything here; but I feel like I have achieved a level of honor, and I am looking to try to build to the next one.

Courage:

“Courage is the bravery to do what is right always.”

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

I have actually acted in courage a lot this past week. There were people to talk to and confront about certain issues and I have done that. I don’t know what the results will be, but I have don what needed to be done at the right time. I still have some people who try to push this Alpha Wolf around. They find it more difficult than they think and it is amusing to me. I working on making sure this doesn’t spill over into asshole behavior as I try to respect the humanity of others no matter who they are. But if you don’t respect me; well that’s not my problem, but it will be yours if you take it too far with me. I accept the loneliness tha goes along with some of this but that’s the price of being a wolf instead of a sheep.

Truth:

“Truth is the willingness to be honest and to say what one knows to be true and right. It is often better to not say anything at all if one cannot be honest.”

Principle – Pursue knowledge, wisdom and truth at all times.

The truth that is most challenging is the one you find in the mirror. That said, I don’t mind looking at myself in the mirror anymore. That’s the truth of it.

Higher Virtue: Love:

I find a great deal of peace these days in the arms of my wife. The love we are growing has old roots but it has new branches and that is very good. It pulls everything together when I am holding her. The king needs his queen’s love and that is particularly true for me.

Morning Routine:

Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV) and Principles
Review Goals and Bucket List
Meditation
Full Body Stretch
Shower and Personal Hygiene
Get Dressed for the Day

Thus routine is getting more and more automatic. The meditation time is becoming more productive and focused and so another goal is achieved here. Of all my routines it is the one with the least problems, if any.

Bucket List:

Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation.
Get My Tattoos.
Actually Get Drunk.
Smoke a Joint.
Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Write My Novel.
Learn Latin.
Learn Hungarian.
Weightlifting – Bench 225 lbs, Squat 315 lbs, and Deadlift 405 lbs.

This is the stuff that makes life worth living. I need to look at it that way and I think something will cross itself off of here very soon.

Weightlifting:

Until I have a new job and know where I am working for a while, the gym question is a little problematic. I probably could solve this problem by building up a set of dumbbells slowly over time as I can afford them plus a compact but functional weight bench. It isn’t the best equipment for what I do, but it would save time and be versatile.

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

Skaal!!!

Crossing Bifrost – Gods and Goddesses – The Norse Pantheon

January 26, 2019January 26, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Saturn’s Day

The center piece of course of Norse mythology is the characters that play on its stage and that is the Gods and Goddesses of the pantheon. The interesting thing about the gods and goddesses of Norse mythology is that they are very real. Some critics of such pantheons say that these gods are all too human, but then again so is the jealous and vengeful god of the Bible. The point of such stories is not to be historically accurate or factual but to be morality plays that people think on. Religion dwells in the realm of ethics and one has to wonder if the stories are the smart clergyman’s way of illustration of the values people are trying to pass on.

The Norse God’s family tree is complicated. Like most myths the central characters are not the first generation. Rather they are often the third and fourth generation. There is also the complication of the fact that the Norse Pantheon also has two separate races of gods the Aesir and the Vanir. Plus the Gods often mate with the giants producing offspring. So most people can relate to such gods as the whole family question seems to be pretty relative. The whole Vanir /Aesir question seems to be the result at least as far as I understand it of two mythologies of different parts of the Scandinavian / Germanic world merging. The result is a little confusion but it makes for an interesting story in and of itself when Freya, who is Vanir, is sent as an exchange to Asgard which is the home of the Aesir.

The stories of the Norse Gods are quite extensive but they have a couple challenging issues. 1) The goddesses do play prominently very often and so their personalities as far as characters in the story or even a full idea of what their sphere and powers are is sometimes missing. 2) There are gaps in the stories like there are supposed to be more of them but they were not written down. My guess is that there are tons of stories that were told but only a few were preserved.

From my perspective as a writer this is a blessing in some ways because I can fill in the gaps when I use Norse mythology and no one can really bitch about it. I can for instance take what little is known about the goddess Hel for example and then fill in the gaps with my own imagination which is what I did in this post: The Grey Wayfarer (Fantasy Serial) – Chapter 5 – Evil Intent (Hel). I can also do this with other blank spots in the story and characters. So Norse mythology becomes a rich backdrop that my imagination as a writer can fill in the blank spots. It is primarily why The Grey Wayfarer will center on female goddesses because I can fill in the gaps and there are a lot of gaps.

In popular culture of course the Norse Pantheon is prevalent from the comics all the way to books and movies and has been so for a long time. The influences of this pantheon are seen in other characters indirectly as well. JRR Tolkien’s Gandalf the Grey is certainly inspired in part by Odin. There are simply tons of this kind of thing in fantasy literature and that is kind of my reason for delving into it. To find my own inspiration for my own characters and writing.

There is also the fact that a religion built around a warrior culture is fascinating. It is amazing to me how many of this pantheon are gods and goddesses of battle or war. I would say very few of them could not be invoked before a battle by a Viking, and that makes conflict a central aspect of the pantheon. War and battle are common but also politics and diplomacy. Adventure in these stories is often high and powerful.

In the future the Gods and Goddess’ section of Crossing Bifrost will center on a singular god or goddess. There basically will be dossier of them and then some thoughts about them from my perspective. My goal is to draw inspiration with Crossing Bifrost and this section will be no different. I will probably start with Odin of course and then work radially out from him. It seems if there is one thing that binds the whole thing together is the All-Father.

As always I claim no expertise here. I am still learning and reading but I want to keep a record of my thoughts as I do. The goal of Crossing Bifrost is to record my journey in understanding this rich mythology, not necessarily to educate. If while I am doing that you are inspired and learn something then that is a bonus for me.

I hope you continue to enjoy this.

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues – Evening Routine: Reading

January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day

Journal Entry:

Part of my daily routine is study and working on school. As I was putting together my Evening Routine last week, I put together the practical things I needed to do for such a routine but as I went through the week I realized there was something missing – Reading for enjoyment. The need for this pressed on me as I realized that a lot of my routines are about getting things done a discipline. But part of me needs to enjoy life a bit and adding a 15 minute reading session at the end of the day right before I nod off to sleep is needed.

If there is anything I have learned about Routines is that there needs to be a part of each one I look forward to doing. Reading is something I enjoy when I have the time. I need to make the time instead and put it near the end. There is an element of this that is me escaping into another world. I need this more than most people know.

Discipline:

“Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed help with the development with others, so that greater purposes may be achieved.”

Principle: Apply discipline to every aspect of life that it can be applied.

Probably the only thing that concerns me these days regarding discipline is time. Time is the same for every person and it requires discipline to make the most of it. The issue is disciplining relaxation into things so it allows recovery. I need to look at this further, but reading in the evening routine is kind of like that. I also like to game a little on my PC and perhaps that needs to be part of the daily routine for say an hour at the end of the day too. A reward for a successful day. Something I need to look at more so that I don’t get to the end of the day and ask – how has this helped me relax and be more at peace and have no good answer.

Perseverance:

“Perseverance is the ability to stand up and return from defeat and failure”

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

The job search is becoming a matter of perseverance as I seem like I am getting no where but it always seems that way right up until the interview is scheduled and then I know I can do well. It is just a matter of going forward in what seem to be failure and defeat.

Fidelity:

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s Gods and Goddesses, to one’s Folk, to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends was as valued as highly as loyalty to one’s family.”

Principle: Be loyal to those who have been loyal to me.

I hate when I am busy because it always makes family stuff and time with my wife seemed rushed. I don’t like that from a fidelity point of view as people in my life deserve my time.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom:

Balance is a key issue in wisdom and this has caused me to look at everything in the context of cost and benefit. I have often ask people who work a lot – “what good does that do you if you never have time to enjoy what you are building?” It is a question I stop and ask myself from time to time. At the same time if you enjoy what you’re doing then work can be a time of relaxation form a spiritual point of view.

Weekly Routine:

Weightlifting – 4 days per week.
Cleaning – 3 days a week.
Walking – 4 days a week
Writing – 4 times a week
Cheat Meal Count – Currently 2

The real issue is weightlifting and walking still. I don;t want to join a gym only to have job that does not allow me access to it anymore. I need backup plan for both that does not require a gym. A full dumbbell set might do the trick for one. The other I just need to wait for spring as I don’t have the proper gear for walking in the snow. So much hinges in improving income. It needs to be my focus along with school. The cheat meal count has dropped to the level I want it to be all the time. This is the test of whether this lifestyle can be maintained.

Evening Routine:

Take supplements and medications.
Brush and Floss Teeth
Out the Door Preparation
Reading – 15 min.
Go to Bed

Reading for 15 minutes at the end of the day. Somehow this suits me. It also might help me start working through this backlog of books I need to read. But first I got two new ones on Norse mythology. The rest of it is going surprisingly well.

Nutrition:

Nutrition is my main thing now regarding health and perhaps it is good that I don’t have the gym in some ways because it has forced me to focus on it. The fasting is easier than expected and the carb counts are good and the cheat meals. The thing is that in a couple more weeks the diet enters a very serious phase. I need to be ready for it

Weekly Recap:

Foundational – I actually feel pretty good here. I feel like my foundational virtues are good. I need more courage at times but I also think that part of my personality is not to give a shit about offense at times. these are hard virtues to practice because they are so abstract, but I do feel like I have learned to crawl so time to learn to walk in them.

Business – I don’t struggle with the virtues as much here – just the results. Mostly I need to keep disciplined about school and keep the job hunt going while enjoying and getting the most out of my current job as much as possible.

Self – It is in the end about being a better me. It is all I really can control and even then there are some elements beyond my control. Life is more like sailing in many ways. You have to take the wind as it is and make the most of your abilities to still get where you want to go. Sometimes it is at your back and other times you have to tack back and forth. Either way you keep your eyes on the prize and then find out what you need to do to get there.

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues – Incorporating the Higher Virtues.

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day.

Journal Entry:

After some thought on it, I have decided that the ‘higher virtues’ of Love, Justice and Wisdom should be incorporated into my journaling. I will start this next week. Love will become the higher virtue under Foundation Virtues; Justice will be the higher virtue under Business and Wisdom will be the higher virtue under Self. Mainly these higher virtues provide the bigger picture when it comes to virtue.

I am not going to define these until I get to each journal post that first incorporates them. Mostly I need to come up with the definitions and that’s going to require some meditation time.

Mostly though Love becomes expressed to me in the virtues of Honor, Courage and Truth. Justice is Expressed in Self-Reliance, Industriousness and Hospitality. Wisdom is found in Discipline, Perseverance and Fidelity. I will discuss this more as I go through the journal posts the next week.

Discipline:

“Discipline is the willingness to be hard on oneself first and then if needed help with the development with others, so that greater purposes may be achieved.”

Principle: Apply discipline to every aspect of life that it can be applied.

I am actually on the cusp of having to engage my life with more discipline. I have an internship to do but in order to pay for it as far as the university was concerned I had to maintain full-time student status which meant three more online classes on top of that. This is going to mean regular discipline this time as I may switch jobs in this time and I also have to be careful because they are online and it is easy to forget them.

Perseverance:

“Perseverance is the ability to stand up and return from defeat and failure”

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

This week has been a tough one regarding The Grey. Part of it is being with the family and given this past year that has not always been pleasant. My wife’s family in particular was a mixed bag of those who treated me like nothing ever happened and others who completely ignored me. My son being up meant discussing my life as it stands with him, some thing I miss doing because he was always a good wise balance when I could talk to him. So now, I feel like it is cold and rainy emotionally as part of the aftermath, but I keep walking.

Fidelity:

“Fidelity is the will to be loyal to one’s Gods and Goddesses, to one’s Folk, to one’s self, and loyalty to one’s friends was as valued as highly as loyalty to one’s family.”

Principle: Be loyal to those who have been loyal to me.

It’s been a good week for my wife and I. We got to be with our family; just us, my mother, our kids and grand kids. It was a good week in that regard. Despite the almost split of it; our family still stands. That’s a good thing no matter how you look at it.

Weekly Routine:

Weightlifting – 4 days per week.
Cleaning – 3 days a week.
Walking – 4 days a week
Writing – 4 times a week
Cheat Meal Count – Currently 4

Treating writing like a job is the thing here as I make it a four-day a week part-time job where I don’t get paid. At least for now. My cheat meal count changes next week to three.

Nutrition:

Right now nutrition is very important as I don’t know when I will be part of gym again. I don’t want to lose what I have gained and nutrition is key to that. Cheat meals will drop to three for the next couple of weeks and carb sources a day drop to three as well. This is where I want to live after this special diet is over to get ready for my fiftieth birthday pictures.

Weekly Recap:

Foundational – I think adding the idea of love over the virtues of honor, courage and truth is just what I needed to give the picture of what I am trying to do here a little more clarity. That is true of the Business and Self-Virtues as well but it is particularly true here I think.

Business – I have a good feelings going into the next week as I begin school with my internship, try to find a better job and basically improve my prosperity. I am heading into it with a very positive attitude.

Self – Good week here as far as fidelity and perseverance. Struggle a little with discipline because so many changes are taking place so I am adjusting more than anything.

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

Skaal!!!

A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues – Post Holiday Re-Focus

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 / Ed Raby Sr / Leave a comment

Happy Wooden’s (Odin’s) Day.

Journal Entry:

With the holidays over, time to get back to the normal pursuit of self-improvement. As I look back I find Yuletide a really enjoyable holiday time both from a personal and family perspective. I am also glad it is over because much of what I am trying to pursue requires routine and consistency and it is very difficult to be consistent during the holidays.

Right now from a Business point of view i need to polish up my resume and start sending it out to prospective employers. Graduation should have opened up some opportunities for me. I have my internship to do and maybe three other online classes so I can maintain full-time status but for the most part its time to put my education to work finding a better job. One that I both can enjoy and is more beneficial to me.

My motivation right now is to improve my life situation not just for me but for my wife as well the ministry left us both broke and without much in the way of insurance or a financial future. Time to change that. Time to get back to the plan and re-focus on my goals and routines.

Self-Reliance:

“Self Reliance is the spirit of independence, which is achieved not only for the individual, but also for the family, clan, tribe and nation.”

Principle: Work to be self-reliant in all things.

Things can be shaky at times for us. We kind of skate a very delicate financial situation. But that said, we feed. cloth and house ourselves. Our vehicles still run. We both have jobs. This is basic self-reliance but I seek for ti to be a more sure thing and more stable.

Industriousness:

“Industriousness is the willingness to work hard, always striving for efficiency, as a joyous activity in itself”

Principle: Work with enjoyment of work itself.

The time has come for a job search again. School is going to start again with internship and some classes that should be good resume padding. I enjoy this time right now and it is exciting but terrifying in other ways. I just want to find a place in this world where i can enjoy my life and work again.

Hospitality:

“Hospitality is the willingness to share what one has with one’s fellows, especially when they are far from home.”

Principle: Be ready to be hospitable to those who truly need it.

Getting there. I am ready to help in what ways I can. I just don’t bankrupt myself to do it anymore. That’s why I want more prosperity for myself, so I actually have more to give.

Daily Routine:

Communication / Cuddle Time
Blogging
Reading / Study – Half-hour per day minimum or until all necessary work is completed.
Empty In Box
Financial Transaction Input
Carb Count – currently four a day.

I moved writing form a daily routine item to a weekly routine item. Mostly this allows me to tailor four days a week where I can set aside some time to write outside the blog. Probably days off from work and other days where I know I will have time.

Goals:

Be transparent with my wife to improve communication
Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship.
Find a new, better paying job by the end of January 2019 or before.
In 2019 have a clear budget and financial plan working by the end of the year.
Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).
Keep gym membership going somewhere and lift weights minimum of four times per week and walk minimum four times per week through end of 2019
Follow Paleo Diet completely and use intermittent fasting until the end of 2019
Cross one thing off bucket list every six months (Deadlines July 1st, and December 31st of 2019)
Be in the best shape I can be by March 18th, 2019 (50th birthday), take pictures.

Time to work on some of these mostly #2 and especially #3. Number #6 is also on my mind but things are financially tight to joining a gym right now might be a luxury I can’t afford. Finding a better paying job will have greater implications than just more money but more opportunity.

Goals achieved since Summer 2018: 1

Budgeting:

Basic Emergency Fund – $1000
Debt Snowball
Fully funded Emergency fund
Invest 15% of income into retirement
Pay off Home Early
Build Wealth and Give

I think the real reason we are following this is because both of us can agree to it. It will work we just need to up the income side of things.

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

Skaal!!!

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