“Basic Pagan Principles: Scope of Consciousness” – The Pagan Pulpit

 

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, 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 given to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Fulga” – SKALD

Translation: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/fl%C3%BAga-fly.html

A fun little song here.

Meditation:

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Text:

Most pagan religions believe that consciousness extends far beyond the restraints of human form and physical existence. All life forms contain some level of consciousness, from the smallest insect to the giant redwood trees growing in the forest. Furthermore, consciousness does not end when we die, rather it survives death and exists simultaneously on multiple levels of reality.

Source: http://exotic-pets.yoexpert.com/exotic-pets-general/what-are-some-of-the-basic-principles-of-paganism-2192.html

Sermon:

Working the idea, pagans simply acknowledge there is something out there that is spiritual in nature beyond our normal five senses and reason to understand. That there is a part of existence that extends beyond biology and chemistry. That our own consciousness goes beyond our physical form.

Some pagans go to the point that saying every living thing has this as well.  Others go even further and extend the idea to everything that exists, that everything has a spiritual side to it and spiritual reality.

This part of pagan belief also extends to the idea of life after death.  There are so many different views here it is difficult to make any general statements and the author of our text wisely noted that pagans say we exist beyond death in a multitude of differnt levels.

I believe in science and reason.  There be no denying that science and reason are powerful tools in learning to live in this world effectively.  To learn how to achieve what we want and need very much requires reason and knowledge.  I, however, do not think that reason or science addresses all reality.   That there is something more to know is one of the tenents of science and perhaps we simply haven’t figured out how to measure the reality of consciousness.

The one thing for sure we can say is that science cannot explain a lot of things yet if they are honest and perhaps these things may be considered spiritual in the sense they remain mysteries. Once discovered the rational scientific people may discover that there is a spiritual side to man after all; they simply didn’t have a way to observe or measure it.

The reason I remain a pagan in this regard is that I hold open to the possibility of a spiritual reality that cannot be understood by normal means.  There is something more to love than biology. Something more to attraction than physics. Something more to the beauty that the eye of the beholder. I still think that without this idea of a spiritual reality, you have a very dead meaning to a life where life’s only purpose is life itself.  So I wander as a seeker looking for it.

Parting Thought:

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Learn to be wise and you will always be free.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Midsummer Blot (June 20-21)” – Odin’s Eye – Pagan Holidays

Happy Thor’s Day.  Happy Midsummer.  

Discussion:

Blot is actually, as I understand it, pronounced as ‘bloat’.  But this is a pagan holiday celebrated by nearly every European pagan tradition. It has many names and none of them are purely pagan in origin as Christianity has gotten ahold of a lot of it.  But mostly it is a celebration of the longest day of the year.  The high day of summer and then it begins to decline back into darkness.

There are a lot of god and goddesses celebrated and having a part in this festival. Balder as the god of light who was killed by Loki’s treachery.  Freya and Freyr are both honored as nature and fertility gods on this day.  Sif for her golden hair remembering the golden grain of wheat. Njord for fishing. Etc. In short, all the wondrous activities of summer are represented and are honored.  For the Vikings, this is the time of raiding too. For all pagans, it is the second most honored day of the year second only to the 12th day of Yuletide.

Lots of things happen on this holiday from feasting and rituals to honor the gods this day.  Lots of fruits, vegetables, and beer are consumed.  Flowers are used everywhere and the maypole makes another appearance reminding us that this is a fertility festival – so sex is also an undoubtedly part of this too. Think life and living it fully and you got the spirit of this festival.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

Faith:

This festival has a lot of ways to celebrate it. From a faith standpoint, the seasons are one thing that seems to always be there for us in the northern climates. They would definitely be something to trust in and this celebration reminds me of that a lot.  Faith in the planet to provide is something that is most sure but also a little bit of belief at times.

Religion:

It is these holidays that push paganism to the edge of being a religion.  Asatru is a recognized religion in certain countries.  For me, it is not the religious aspects of Asatru that draw me to it but the virtues. That said, I know the power of having a community around you as you work out your faith to both support you and your life. Every holiday reminds me how much I am alone in this at least in my immediate family and other folks.  Once I have more certainty about where I am going to live and work it might be time to seek out a community for both learning purposes and that sense of community.

Theology:

I don’t know if the natural forces of this world are guided by nothing or some divine force keeps them balanced and going forward. What I do know is that there is something to be said for stopping and smelling the flowers and enjoying the moment’s life gives you and Midsummer Blot is a good time to do that and pause and meditate on how good life can be at times like this. That as dark and cold as winter can be, summer is bright and warm.

Spirituality:

There is a lot of spirituality to be drawn from life and Midsummer Blot is a festival that focuses on that. It is a time to reflect on life and living it fully.  It is a nice reminder of the life part of the cycle of life and death.  The fragile nature of life doesn’t seem as fragile on this one.  I can resonate in my soul the nice wonder of life and its fruits and joys. It does minister to me in a way I can’t describe and it is these holidays that cause me to have points where I reflect on the spirituality of life.

Conclusion:

So have a beer. Eat strawberries, apples and the fruits and vegetables that are ready.  Wonder at the crops that still grow.  Make love to your lover and remind yourself that life can be very good at times.  That is ultimately what this time of year is about.  It is the high point fo the sun and every day will get darker from now on, but the positive is the long night is still far away.  Enjoy the sun and the world around you.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Asatru and Honor” – Of Wolves and Ravens – Honor

Happy Tyr’s Day

Discussion:

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 – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

As I start the cycle of going through each of the nine noble virtues I am using a little help and I am also looking back at the last time I did this.

The help I am referring to is this website page which I have looked at often to make sure I was thinking about the Nine Noble Virtues in the understanding of some of those that follow Asatru. It has been a good resource for me and I want to share it.  For these discussions, I am engaging the ideas found here as I write, so it is a good backdrop.

Website: Ravenbok – The particular page is: The Values of Asatru

Last time I looked at Honor was January 8, 2019, and I described it as the most difficult virtue: Honor: The Most Difficult Virtue.  I would probably stand by that idea still as it is still the most difficult virtue to grasp because it is so personal.

Without honor we are nothing.  Honor is the central element of Asatru as far as its central moral imperative. If Norse mythology teaches anything that is truly valuable, then it is that honor matters. People with honor are valued and respected long after death, people without it are despised. Those trying to embrace the Asatru ideal of Honor should strive to be the former. To guide myself into a better understanding of it, I look to my wolves and ravens.

To the Wolves and Ravens:

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

Needs (Geri):

When I left my faith in Christianity, the need for a new moral compass was very real.  I was struggling with a lot of questions of self-worth,  What was my value if I wasn’t a Christian minister? The main question though was a question of the value of self. The need for honor was overwhelming in the light of the fact I really had nothing outside of my faith before.  My marriage at the time was bad.  My career as a minister was over.  What was central to myself was a big question.  I needed answers and I found the first and most significant answer in Asatru and its Nine Noble Virtues.  In particular, Honor became the foremost virtue in my mind in addressing these questions.

Wants (Freki):

Once I knew the need for honor was present, I wanted it.  It began to stabilize my life quite a bit.  I had a lot of questions but my conversion from Christianity to being a Deistic Humanist Pagan needed focus and some way to make it consistent. Honor became a particular challenge for me.  I was following my heart but it had no guidance or wisdom and Honor came in as I not only needed it, I wanted it so I could find a path back to being respectable without all the nonsense fo faith in the Chrisitan creed. I wanted to know that I was on a path where my inner value of myself would lead to an outward reputation that was respected or at least – feared.

Reason (Huginn):

Honor is knowing what is true about yourself.  This takes a hard look at yourself to see what is true and then change accordingly.  Meditation and thought about who you are is essential and I have found this road requires a lot of thinking things through to find the paths that need to be taken that are both reasonable and wise. This is the start of finding the honorable path. Asatru helps with this in that it gives me other virtues that are tools for finding honor – Truth and Fidelity being the most notable, but all the other virtues in a sense combine into honor. This path I am on is a rational one because of this.

Wisdom (Muninn):

I find that when it comes to honor, wisdom says that honor leads to a good path that is well chosen not just because it is of the most advantage to one’s self, but because it also benefits others. Honor leads to respect and respect is a benefit to anyone who has it.  It leads to a lot of benefits when you have a society where people are honorable and respected for it.  There is no coercion or fraud in such a society and everyone benefits.  This is the wise path made possible by being each person being honored as each person pursues Honor.

Conclusion:

I still struggle with honor mostly because I know I am capable of greater things than I am doing.  I just feel the need to catch my breath with all that is happened this past year. The taking stock of where I need to go and then move forward. What matters to me is Honor – my own feeling that I have value.  To know what is true about myself and work to make it better. I cannot walk the path as a follower of the virtues of Asatru or as The Grey Wayfarer without it. So it remains the most difficult but most essential virtue.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Moving from Religious Slavery to Rational Freedom” – Odin’s Eye – Deism

Happy Thor’s Day

Discussion:

I remember as a pastor helping people through so-called tests of faith.  Now as a more deistic person in search of a rational divinity, I would say that it wasn’t so much a test of faith, but a person running into legitimate problems with their religion and their rational mind trying to get them to see that.  A lot of the times this doubt of ones religion is interpreted as doubt in one’s faith and that is only partially correct.  Regardless it is not a bad thing, but rather our own mind trying to help us see that we have bought into a pack of lies.

Religion doesn’t seem to have very many positive purposes.  It is used to control and manipulates through fear or by creating imaginary concepts that are passed off as read to change people’s thinking and thus their behavior. Occasionally a religion might talk about virtue or character that human beings should have or exercise and in that regard religion might do something positive.

For myself, this transition into being a deistic humanist with pagan tendencies is about firstly a search to see if a rational god can be found.  Secondly, I am trying to throw off the trappings of religion to embrace a more spiritual and practical philosophy of living my life. I work to be spiritually attuned to the world around me but rationally grounded.  Mostly though I seek to be free of religion’s negative effects and thus freer.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

Faith:

I have faith that there is something beyond ourselves.  We talk of romantic love for another person but there is no rational reason to believe it is anything more than hormones being exchanged.  Yet, there we are talking and very much believing we fall in love, that making love is more than just hedonistic pleasure for the purpose of procreation, etc. Concepts such as beauty and friendship fall into this category as well, there is more to human senses that the five senses and more to determine what is true and real other than the rational mind. I have faith that this is so still.

Religion:

I avoid religion as much as possible. I find people who are religious to be inherently self-righteous as much of religion centers on “we have found the truth about the divine”.  It is this belief that leads people to think they have arrived in some place that is superior to others whether they openly say so or not. They find themselves looking at others either as poor wretches who still need to find ‘the truth’ or ‘sinner in the hands of an angry god’.  There are inherent condescension and hubris to any religious belief.

Theology:

My theology as a deist pretty much does not have a divine entity or entities that intervene in human affairs. I won’t say that I don’t believe miracles are possible as even Einstien conceded in his probability based universe, all things are possible no matter how unlikely.  I have just seen too much as a Pentecostal believer to believe miracles are as common as they say.  I have seen a tremendous amount of con artist fraud and sleight of hand magician’s tricks to buy that it happens. I don’t fall into the deist problem of believing in the larger miracle of creation and not believing smaller things called miracles can’t happen, but I also have found that most miracles have a rational explanation and usually it is some form of deception followed by a large amount of confirmation bias.

Spirituality:

I would consider myself no longer religious but spiritual.  My rational mind is part of that spiritually.  I just think there is more to mankind that a computer lodged in the head of a biochemical body. If there is any spiritual practice that has changed for me is I don’t spend a lot of time praying, if at all.  I realized that people when they get a result they wanted often cite that as proof prayer works.  I challenge such people to rationally do an experiment for a bit.  Keep a record of everything you pray about and be absolutely honest about how all of the things on that list are ‘answered’ I know when I did this about 20% of the things I was praying for came about.  80% either didn’t happen at all or things went a completely different way from how I was praying.

No, I spend more time thinking and meditating on things to understand them these days rather than praying.  I find it leads to far more freedom of thought and a better way to navigate through life’s challenges.

Conclusion:

I became a diest because of ignorance.  I think the human race simply does not know enough to dismiss the possibility of the divine. What I also am fairly sure of is that most religions are irrational and are basically attempts to either fool people or control their thoughts and behaviors using appeal to divine authority to do so.  I search for a rational divine, not one which is defined by others through religion.  It has been a very liberating choice.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Basic Pagan Principles – Responsibility of Belief” – The Pagan Pulpit

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, 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 sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: ‘Úlfhéðnar’ – Norse Viking Music

If you want to get the most out of the Pagan Pulpit.  Put the theme song on a loop and then read the rest of it. The Ulfhedmar were the wolf warriors of Odin.

Meditation:

Image may contain: 1 person, text

It is important to know the difference.  One requires sleep and the other requires action.

Text:

The most basic tenant of paganism is that it is your own responsibility, not the responsibility of any government, institution, church or other people, to choose what you believe in regards to spirituality, values, ethics, the nature of Divinity, etc.

Source: http://exotic-pets.yoexpert.com/exotic-pets-general/what-are-some-of-the-basic-principles-of-paganism-2192.html

Sermon:

In Paganism there is no appeal to authority to justify your actions. This would violate the first of the basic tenets which is that each person is responsible for their own beliefs. This is called the Responsibility of Belief.

The first point of this is to accept your responsibility for what you believe. It is yours and no one else to decide what you believe and how you practice your spirituality.  It is yours alone and there is no one to blame or praise for where your spirituality is or your conduct regarding it. No blaming God.  No “God told me to do this.”  You act on your spirituality and take full responsibility for the results – good or bad.

The second point is to emphasize what cannot be used as a scapegoat.  The government is not responsible for your spiritual state, nor a religion, institution or community of people. None of these things can be responsible for where you are in regards to the spiritual part of your life.  Just you and only you.  Your spirituality is the product of your own choices and journey.  They should not be dictated to by anything else nor should you blame anything else for them.

The third point is the scope of what we mean when we say ‘spirituality’.  It involves all things that touch spiritual life, ethics, morals, values, the nature of Divinity, etc. These are all yours and no one else to take responsibility for.  If it can be considered spiritual in some way, then you are responsible for it. This is why I find most things have a spiritual side to them because they involve ethics, morals and simply a spiritual sense to them. There is more to this than pagan rituals and feelings.

There is no “Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet” in paganism. No “I am waiting on God to make me more patient, loving, etc.”  If you feel you lack spirituality, a moral compass or ethical understanding; it is on you and you alone to fix that. That is the essence of Responsibility of Belief.

Parting Thought:

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says '"Now, every time I witness a strong person, I want to know: What darkness did you conquer in your story? Mountains do not rise without earthquakes" -Katherine MacKenett ITheMindsJournal THE HEMINDSJOURNAL'

The great face down the struggles of life and use them to become stronger.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Still Four Objections with No Answers” – Odin’s Eye – My Four Theological Objections to Christianity Revisited

Happy Thor’s Day

Discussion:

I am approaching the date now where I will have been out of the ministry and away from Christianity for a whole year.  I have literally not darkened the door of a church in that entire time. I can’t say I miss it. Mostly, it is the simple fact that it no longer makes any sense to me. It is my four objections that I formed that stand stronger than my faith ever was.  No one has come forward and no one has offered answers. To review my objections with links provided:

Odin’s Eye -Objections to Christianity – Part 1 – The Bible’s Inspiration by God

Odin’s Eye – Objections to Christianity – Part 2 – Sin: An Imaginary Man-Made Problem

Odin’s Eye – Objections to Christianity – Part 3 – The Cross and Empty Tomb – An Imaginary Solution to an Imaginary Problem.

Odin’s Eye – Objections to Christianity – Part 4 – The Justice of the Biblical God – An Unbalanced Scale

I still stand by them.  For the Eye today I am more looking at my feelings about my former faith than anything else.

Time to Look Through the Eye:

Faith:

The most nonsensical statement in Scripture is Hebrews 11:1 –  “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”  Most Christians think this is deep and profound but what it really is saying is that the only evidence and proof of the things we ask you to believe in is your own choice to believe them.  There is no evidence to prove any of our assertions, so the Writer of Hebrews simply asks them to take their own choice to have faith as the substance and evidence that proves it.  How would this be any different than simply asking people to believe in Thor or Apollo in the same way?  Nothing really. Christian faith certainly isn’t special in that regard.

Religion:

I now look at Christianity even more skeptically than before as a religion.  I see how religion can be used to control people and Christianity is a great perpetrator of that.  Before as a Christian, I was like George Washington in that I may have been devout but I was skeptical of a lot of things.  Now I am just skeptical.  I am working on my first non-fiction book that might be considered anti-Christianity, but trust me I have a list I considered on various topics and it is quite possible that this could be a deep well of ideas that could lead to a writing career doing nothing more but being a skeptic. Christianity has a lot of problems particularly in the USA and it could be a gold mine for a writer with my knowledge of it and my current mindset about it.

Theology:

My four objections are theological and they are also hard to break.  I know I have tried to break them myself for years.  This transition from being a theologian who is an apologist for Christianity to one that is a skeptic of Christianity was personally very difficult. But I refuse to waste my time being an apologist for something I now consider to be as made up as other religions. Christianity is sophisticated makebelieve, but makebelieve nonetheless. It’s my knowledge of theology that tells me that.

Spirituality:

I love it when I tell people I am no longer religious but spiritual.  I think they think I am some warlock chanting some magical shit, but nothing could be further from the truth. Mostly I draw my spirituality from experiencing life and all that there is to it. I find myself listening in meditation now almost exclusively, I don’t pray at all. I think not whining to the universe or the Divine and taking personal responsibility for yourself is a good first step in being a mature spiritual adult.

Conclusion:

I think to myself sometimes about the things I have lost by leaving Christianity.  Friends, colleagues and a sense of community that were all left behind. However, I have gained an honesty that I find much more satisfying and more appealing to my actual self than ever. I still remain open to someone trying to give me some answers, but so far nothing.  In the meantime, I walk the road of life. My eye wide open.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“A Warrior’s Foundation” – A Skald’s Life – Foundational Virtues

Happy Moon’s Day. 

Journal Entry:

Identity is one of the most important things that a person can understand particularly when it regards themselves. How one views one’s own identity has a great bearing on the decisions they make and the level of success they attain. I have spent a great deal of time these last few months meditating on the subject of my own identity.

In the end, three words keep rising to the top: Warrior, Wayfarer, and Wolf.

Today I want to look at the Warrior.  To me, this is foundational to my identity as far as what is a core identity.  I know there is little cause for a man to be an actual warrior these days.  Very few have the true necessity of fighting in a real battle. But the battle of life still requires in my identity a warrior’s philosophy. “Better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war.”  A warrior’s foundation allows one to face all things in life with honor, courage, and truth.

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 – To possess a feeling of inner value about myself and my future with a desire to find the same in others.

Goal: Maintain a daily blog streak of one post per day for an entire year (365 days).

Bucket List: Hike the Northern Lakeshore Trail along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Part of this core is and perhaps the central part of the core is Honor. To be noble of being and to recognize it in others. To be positive about my future.  This week marks a year since things regarding the honor of my past identity came unraveled. My life as a pastor ( my central identity at the time) came to an end just a year ago, and a change from pastor to the warrior as a foundational identity started.  It has been a rocky road to get here, but I am feeling like something is about to happen here that will be a larger leap into a more honorable me. Part of this is to surround myself with honorable people, who are my core friends.

Courage:

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

Principle – Act with Courage at the right time.

Goal: Cross one thing off bucket list every year. Deadline March 31st

Bucket List: Go Back to Budapest, Hungary for a vacation.

It is not always easy to do what is right.  As I look back at last year at this time because I was a pastor only in name and not in full truth; it was difficult to show courage. These days I face mistakes much better and own up to them when they happen.  The change is simply a matter of understanding my identity of being a warrior that takes responsibility for his actions. Courage is central to that.  To act with courage at the right time has become a core principle.  At the same time, it also takes courage to confront when people are not taking their responsibility and that has its risks but that is a far better course than to sit back and let them continue to avoid their responsibility.

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 – To Be Honest, and Speak Truth to Myself and Others.  To Be Silent in the presence of Fools.

Goal: To Write a Non-Fiction Book by March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: Learn Latin by March 31st, 2020 to the point I can take a test and show my self proficient.

The warrior faces the truth.  Lies do not become true men of action.  I know one man who was a friend of mine who is now an enemy. I would say this is his greatest failing.  He is a good combatant, but he surrounds himself with lies. He is a false front of bravery, but he never seems to have the courage to face the truth. He only bolsters his own previously held opinions, no matter what the cost might be to what is true. I seek to never be like that.  One needs humility to know, understand and apply the truth. If you can’t face a simple truth that it is not possible to be right all the time, the truth will not be your core.

Higher Virtue: Love:

What does a warrior love? It is a modified version of the question: which path is the most loving? If the path is honorable, requires courage and embraces the truth, it is the one the warrior would walk.

Morning Routine:

  1. Review Nine Noble Virtues (NNV), Principles, Goals and Bucket List
  2. Meditation – 3 min.
  3. Check Communications and Email.
  4. Paper Journal: Create Daily Log and To Do List.
  5. Stretching / Yoga
  6. Breakfast, Medications, and Supplements.
  7. Shower and Personal Hygiene
  8. Get Dressed for the Day

I decided to make daily stretching a part of this routine again.  I am noticing that without this I have a lot more problems with stiffness and joint soreness. It also is a good continuation of the calm meditative state I am going for in the morning.

I want this next week to be a test of all the disciplines from today to next Sun’s Day. Let’s see if we can have a full and complete week.

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

Skaal!!!

“Basic Pagan Principles – An Introduction” – The Pagan Pulpit

Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

There is going to be a format change to the Pagan Pulpit. Most notably that I will be removing two songs and the poem out of it.  I want to focus on music specifically in The Skald’s Lyre which debuted yesterday.  Poetry I am still deciding what to call that but it will also be separate.  Any poem I write myself Goes under Skald Poems. This will leave Announcements, Theme Song, Meditation, Text, Sermon and Parting Thought.  Hopefully, this will make it both easier to write for me and a little more streamlined for you.  I am just trying to provide some spiritual inspiration here, not dominate your Sun’s Day.  To the rest of the announcements.

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods, 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 sees a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Theme Song: “Odin” – SKALD

Translation of lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/%C3%B3dinn-odin.html

A band called SKALD and a song about Odin.  It fits my Paganism and a great song to start this series with.

Meditation:

Image may contain: text

With paganism, each person’s path is unique to them.  There is no right or wrong path necessarily.  Just a journey.

Text:

“Pagans may be trained in particular traditions or they may follow their own inspiration. Paganism is not dogmatic. Pagans pursue their own vision of the Divine as a direct and personal experience.” – Pagan Federation international

Sermon:

The real problem with getting the dictionary definition of pagan or paganism is that the word has had a negative connotation in common use for so long; those definitions are still colored by that negativity.  The observation above is made by pagans themselves and when people ask me why I consider myself a pagan is it because of this basic idea of each pagan chooses their own spiritual path.  I have had my fill of religions telling me what to believe, I seek it myself.

For the next six weeks including this one, I want to go over the basic five principles that pagans hold in common. Specifics can vary quite widely.  The five principles I see most often are:

  1. Responsibility of Belief
  2. Personal Responsibility for Your Actions and Personal Development
  3. Everything is Sacred
  4. Freedom of Choosing Diety
  5. Scope of Consciousness

http://exotic-pets.yoexpert.com/exotic-pets-general/what-are-some-of-the-basic-principles-of-paganism-2192.html

For myself, I have realized for a long time that religions, in general, are simply that someone did the above and then codified it to a point they discarded large chunks of this until you are left with none of it.

The truth is we all choose our faith, and within that faith choose a path. Some of us choose a religion and that religion limits the paths to a certain selection of choices approved by others.  Paganism throws all that off. It says that all paths are valid, the real issue is to responsibly walk the one you are on.

Over the next five weeks of the pagan Pulpit, I will be exploring each of the above principles in detail.  I hope you enjoy it or at least learn something about the path of the people who identify themselves as pagans.

Parting Thought:

Yep, highly recommended that you do this from time to time. Don’t let anyone else define this for you, do it yourself. This should include your spirituality.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Meditations of Iron” – A Skald’s Life – Self Virtues

Happy Frigg and Freya’s Day

Journal Entry:

This last month and a half’s progress has been greatly aided by my return to a gym.  This is not just true of my body although stepping on the scale this week and seeing that I am 281 lbs., which is the lowest I have been in a decade, was a particular thrill.  As most of you know the thing that I enjoy about lifting is the mental state it trains in you. Meditation is central to lifting in that every set, rep, and exercise has a way of challenging your mind as well as your body.

The goal is actually not weight loss either, but fat-loss coupled with muscle gain which is an entirely different thing.  I measure this with a mirror. This is Jack LaLanne’s method of staying motivated, which is to step out of the shower and gaze at your naked body in the mirror until you get angry enough and motivated enough to do something to change it and reforge it.  I do this every day.

See the source image

I still have a long way to go.  But the goal is to trade fat for muscle, not just lose weight, so I meditate on the best way to do that.

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.

Goal: To follow A FULL Paleo Diet Plan from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

Bucket List: Do a rebellious act on April Fools Day, April 1st, 2020.

My diet has been more spot on and for the most part, this is due to the fact that every time I eat something off plan it makes me feel like shit. Not because I don’t make allowances for cheat meals or carbs during the day, but it literally makes me feel a little queasy and I think my body is trying to tell me something.  I think I am ready for some more purging of things I shouldn’t have in my diet.

Perseverance:

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

Principle: Keep getting up after every defeat or failure.

Goal: To engage in an exercise program that involves weightlifting, hiking/walking, and stretching/ yoga an average of three days a week from April 1st, 2019 to March 31st, 2020

Bucket List: To get at least one tattoo by March 18th, 2020.

The exercise plan is coming along, I just need to make some changes as far as routines and when I do things to have it completely consistent. There is a spiritual side of all my exercise.  Weightlifting is not alone in that regard as hiking and stretching have their meditative side.

I have been saving for the tattoo.  I am currently engaged in the process of deciding what to do first.  Much has changed since I last spoke on this but there are some tattoos that keep rising to the top. The question is which one would be the most significant as the first one. Right now I leaning toward something like this as it is the most complete expression of my philosophy I have seen in a single tattoo:

The only problem would be where to put it.

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.

Goal: Celebrate my wife and I’s 30th anniversary (June 10th, 2019) with a mini-vacation

Bucket List: Discover all the countries of origin from my genetics and visit them all by March 18th, 2029.

My wife and I are scheduled and we both have the time off for June 9th through the 11th and we have our reservations at a hotel so the mini-vacation is set.  It is less than a month away so it is something we are both looking forward to.  There is also this family vacation on the horizon, so the next goal of saving for that might simply fall into place.

A genetic test is not beyond the realm of possibility within the next year.  Once I know the results I can start the research into where my ancestors got on the boat and got off.

Higher Virtue – Wisdom: 

The wise choice in this is to take care of my body and be loyal to myself first. Something I meditate on often to assess whether or not I am staying true to this. If I don’t do either of these things, the rest of it becomes jeopardized.  Painful but important lessons learned.  Wisdom gained and being implemented.

Weekly Routine: 

  1. Weightlifting/Stretching – Minimum 3 days per week.
  2. Walking – Minimum 3 days a week
  3. Job Search – Minimum 3 days a week
  4. Cleaning – 3 days a week.
  5. Writing – 3 times a week
  6. Latin – 3 times per week
  7. Cheat Meal Count: 3 per week.

This routine needs more dedication, but it is solid as a plan.

Goals and Bucket List Items Achieved (Since Summer 2018):

Goals Achieved: 2

  1. Graduated College with a BS in Political Science and minors in Economics and International Business – December 2018
  2. Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019 – May 2019

Bucket List Items Achieved: 0

I added the completion of my internship this week and thus the requirements for my degree are finished.

I remain,

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

Skaal!!!

“Business Meditations” – A Skald’s Life – Business Virtues

Happy Wooden’s (Odin’s) Day

Journal Entry:

So today, I looked up all my transcript information and grades for my last classes and low and behold I got an A for my internship.  I did well in the other three classes as well so my final GPA was 3.61 – Magna Cum Laude. This semester was all about finishing the internship and gaining some business skills – Mission Accomplished!

I basically have two issues right now which are: 1) Finding a job utilizing said degree and 2) Meditating on what I want to do next as far as education.  The first is made easier now that I have the degree in hand. The second is a question of following my virtues to something that fits me both professionally and personally.

I find in my morning meditations this comes up a lot.  What Next? The Business Virtues come up a lot at these times.

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: To achieve and maintain personal independence and advocate for independence in my family, state and nation.

Goal:  Find a new, better paying job by the end of June 2019 or before.

Bucket List: To own and run my own successful business or company.

I still have a month and a half to find a new and better paying job.  I enjoy the people I work for and work with currently, but I need a new challenge and I need to make a lot more income to be self-reliant into the future. The goal is to ‘retire’ running my own business or company so this is step one toward that.

Industriousness:

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

Principle: Work with the enjoyment of work itself.

Goal: Finalize last requirements for my degree – Internship by May 2019*

Bucket List: Write A Novel and Get it Published.

Goal Achieved*   Now I have to come up with a new one for Industriousness.  That will require some meditative thought as well. I know what I want to write for my novel and now I can truly get started so my secondary career as a writer can get started. Transitioning here at what I am working on is the issue for the next couple weeks.

Hospitality:

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

Principle: To share out of my abundance to help people where I can with their life’s journey.

Goal: By March 31st of 2020, to be the leader of a support group of some kind.

Bucket List: To own my own home by March 2024.

I have a little bit of time on the goal here as well as the bucket list item.  I just have no idea when this is going to be or even where with my career focus being up in the air right now. I just want to make sure compassion is part of my business and I provide a place to be hospitable to others.

Higher Virtue – Justice:

Being just is something I meditate on a lot. There is a reason why these higher virtues don’t have strict definitions because I feel all of them including justice are difficult to define in some ways. I meditate on each relationship I have and try to figure the best way to approach it. Being just with each one is different because each relationship is different. When you find out what is important to someone, the just thing is to respect that not use it to your advantage at their expense.

Daily Routine:

  1. Wife: Communication / Cuddle Time
  2. Blogging – Organize, revise, write a new post for the next day, 15 min. work on fiction.
  3. Reading – half-hour. Priority order: work, school, pleasure
  4. Study / Homework / Research: half hour per day minimum or until all necessary work is completed.
  5. Personal Business: record financial transactions, savings plan actions, budgeting, appointments, other actions, etc.
  6. Check Communications and Email after 2 pm but before 4 pm.
  7. Weekly Routine Items
  8. Nutrition: Daily Carb Count – 2

Next week I will be really bearing down on this aspect as a lot of things right now in front of me require this routine to be tight.

Still walking,

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

Skaal!!!