Lion and the Dragonfly

I have always loved mythology. I grew up reading the stories of the Greek and Roman myths and reveling in the world of Hercules and Hermes and Artemis.

It’s interesting that over the years I will occasionally reach out and find out more about myths, but they are definitely more a casual hobby.  In my OBOD studies, I find that we are learning more about myths and what they tell us … and now I look at myths in a different way.

I like to listen to podcasts, and I’ve found the Celtic Myth Podshow.  Recently, they have started a series on the Welsh Mabinogi.  Episode 30 is the first one in this series.  I also really enjoy the re-tellings of the myths that Damh the Bard does.

For folks who are more interested in Norse tales, there is the various translations of the Eddas.  I’m currently reading The Poetic Edda translated by Lee M. Hollander and I find it to be very readable and interesting.

Myths of all kinds tell us about the cultures of the past, much like our fantasy books tell us about our current culture.  Just look at what Harry Potter has done to bring awareness of magic to the current people.

What are your favorite myths?

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Innovation is critical for any culture or society.  Without innovation, we stagnate, we fail to change as the world around us changes, and we die.  We may not physically die, but our spirit, our creativity, our soul dies.  Innovations don’t have to be big, but they need to be there.  Something as simple as trying a new brush with an old paint, or adding a new spice to an old recipe .. these are wonderful, small innovations.

Bigger innovations make larger changes in our world and our perception.  Electricity, string theory, teleporting a proton, these are big innovations that change our view of the world and what is possible.  Even the TV show Star Trek helps to spark innovation.

Within our own pagan and magical worlds, we need innovation to continue.  Modern pagans like T. Thorn Coyle, Ian Corrigan, Jason Newcomb and may others who I have not yet met are taking old ideas and technology and combing them with modern innovations in new ways.

Ian Corrigan, for example, has developed a technology for using ceremonial-inspired magic within a Druidic rite to call upon the Court of Brigid and begin to develop new ways to work with these spirits to support our worlds.  You can find more of Ian’s work on his blog under the “Court of Brigid” label. Ian’s work has inspired another druid, uberrod, to create a similar working with the Norse Court of Sif.

So .. if you have a chance to do something a little different, don’t be afraid to innovate!  It might not go exactly the way you planned, but it could change the world!

Works Referenced
Corrigan, Ian. “Into the Mound: The Court of Brigid – a Druidic Spirit-Working.” Into the Mound. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://intothemound.blogspot.com/2011/08/court-of-brigid-druidic-spirit-working.html>.
uberrod. “Jumping into the Void – Court of Sif.” Jumping into the Void. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://uberrod.livejournal.com/151023.html>.
callisto, ostillac . “magic book.” 2009. JPG file. <http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1204250>

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In my effort to catch up on my Pagan Blog Project posts, here’s my first “I” post … all about Isa

Isa is a bit of an odd rune to get in a reading, and even more odd to get in a single rune pull. On the surface, Isa is about the harshness and danger of ice.  The cold of ice and the sharp spikes of icicles are dangerous to traverse.

Like most runes, however, there’s more than one aspect to appreciate.  In addition to the cold and harshness of ice, there is the protective nature of ice.  Farmers put on their sprinklers during a frost in Florida to protect their oranges.  The water freezes and prevents the orange fruit being ruined by the freeze (Skipp).

When I pull Isa in my daily practice rune pull, it signifies a need to turn inward.  In winter, when there is (theoretically) ice and snow outside, we stay inside.  It’s a time for introspection, for working internally and for understanding ourselves better.  This rune reminds me to do the internal work that I need to do the external work that i’m embarking upon.

At the midsummer ritual for my ADF group yesterday, we pulled Isa as one of the omens.  The seer defined it as a reminder not to try to move the immovable, but to work with it to melt the ice.  Once enough has melted, then we can move it or move around it.

Image sources:
Rune Card: Power of the Runes Deck
Photograph: ice in the coast of Baltic sea by philat

Works Referenced:
Skipp, Catherine. “Florida Freeze: Citrus Crop at Risk in Cold Weather – TIME.” Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews – TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1953384,00.html>

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No matter what path you follow, you will frequently encounter suggestions that you should journal your experiences.

When I started out, I wasn’t the journaling type.  For years I refused to journal unless it was required for a class that I was doing, and then I would do the minimum required.

A few months before I started doing the ADF Dedicant’s Program, started having some very vivid dreams.  To help me figure out what they all meant, I wrote them down in a journal.  Around the same time, I started doing a daily morning practice, and I would write down what I did in my journal.

Initially, what I wrote in my journal was very basic … what exercises I did, how long I meditated, etc.  Over time, my journaling has evolved and it’s now as much about how I’m feeling or odd things that have happened as it is about the exercises that I’ve done.

Periodically, I go back through my journal and I gain new insight on what was going on in my life and, with the value of the retrospective, I see patterns and learn more about myself.  It’s also useful to try to understand the effects that the spells and rituals that I did have had.  The learnings that I’ve had make me happy that I’ve been journaling.

Even if you’re not a journaling person, I really do recommend that you at least write down the things that you do.  You can use your favorite computer program or a hand written journal, whatever you prefer.  Just remember to include the dates, and times if they matter to you, to what you write.

You might be surprised and how you can work with a journal.

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