A votary’s exploration of their monastic journey through art and musings.
Introductions
Welcome to Oaken Roots Hermitage and its newsletter, The Illuminating Spark!
My definition of a hermitage is rather nebulous for a few reasons. I’m a spiritual hermit by both choice and practicality, as my path is my own and there’s nobody nearby to practice with. My hermitage is one of the heart(h). Liminality is a key aspect of my spirituality, which includes the location of the hermitage.
I’ve been a Brighid devotee for approximately 7 to 8 years and have been in the Pagan/Polytheist Monastic community around 4 years. I see Her as my Patroness in many regards, but I don’t feel the need to explicitly define our relationship. Being devoted to Her has fulfilled a need to connect with the Divine through creativity that I have felt since childhood.
As such, Brighid the Poet and Brighid the Smith are the ones I’ve innately felt drawn to because of Their creative ties, but Brighid the Healer I feel connected to because of chronic illness and the aid She has provided over time.
I’ve learned that devotion isn’t necessarily about the big gestures, and it’s more about the everyday stuff we do for deities, which fits in nicely with my developing form of monasticism.
I see Her through other spiritual lenses, but those aspects are part of why of I created this spiritual space in order to share my journey. Another major reason is that there aren’t a lot of Monastic Pagan/Polytheist blogs on the internet, and I would like to add to the conversation as the movement grows.
I was also motivated to begin it after reading this blog post on Patheos by John Beckett. The overlap between being a votary and the different clergy roles in the article is unclear to me, but it’ll be interesting to see the intersection as my path develops.
On the matter of titles, I don’t use the word nun or monk. Discussions around gender neutral alternatives came up in a Pagan/Polytheist Monastic group, and the word votary was put forth as one option. I decided to use it in place of witch, bard, or druid, but there will be similarities with these other titles involving practices I do.
The components of my path are gradually developing, but the newsletter will feature topics such as hearthcraft, ogam, and art projects, to name a few. They feel relevant to a monastic focus on contemplation and the ways it can be manifested through art.
There is no set goal or destination for this newsletter, as the journey is more important than a pre-determined spiritual state. It is mainly a place for my spiritual writings and the occasional conversation.
Send questions you have to oaken.roots.hermitage@gmail.com.
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