The first post in a month-long series leading up to Imbolc.
(Image description: A photo of a light-skinned person with long red hair standing in front of a ocean while laughing joyfully. They are wearing a blue denim vest and a red t-shirt, with a flannel shirt tied around their waist. The sun’s light is hitting the person’s hair, revealing differing hues of red.) Credit: Photo by Jenna Anderson on Unsplash
The Yuletide season has come and gone, and a new year has started. To mark the time in between the winter solstice and Imbolc, I have decided to write posts about my observations and my preparations for the festival.
I’m still working on my weaving project for the Imbolc Exchange, and I’m really enjoying how it’s turning out! It’ll be a simple piece, but doing it makes me feel connected with my ancestors and relaxed. Weaving can also frustrate me when I have to untangle the yarn, but it’s worth to see the final result.
Since Imbolc announces the arrival of spring, it is a good idea to watch the weather to take note of the subtle changes. However, it has been relatively spring-like since Samhain, with only a few breaks for seasonally appropriate weather. There has been an increase in chilly temperatures, so that may mean that the region I live in is finally hitting its winter stride. The roller coaster temperatures likely indicate the present issue of climate change.
I think observing such changes is important because it reveals how nature can rapidly change within a short frame of time. Perhaps the spiritual understanding of the seasons and their associated holidays may change as the timing and weather differ greatly from what they were like hundreds of years ago.
As a child, I remember my maternal grandfather writing down the weather conditions in a datebook early in the mornings. I now wonder if he ever noticed any distinctive changes in the seasons from one year to the next or even longer periods of time. In a way, noticing these shifts are a means of connecting with him as an ancestor.
The first week of the new year has brought my mind to the purpose of this newsletter. Some of my posts have probably meandered far from what most people might view as monasticism, but I think Polytheistic Monasticism in its many forms will vary from person to person and group to group.
In a way of retracing my steps, I looked up the etymology of monasticism. Its core definition is “solitary, to be alone”. It relates back to any religious recluse, even those who lived in a community. I technically fit that meaning, as I’m creating a monastic path of my own.
A general routine for any monk, nun, or other votary consists of saying a series of prayers during set times, with work, study, and other activities in between them. I follow this sort of schedule very casually. I haven’t worked up to that level of commitment yet, and I may never do so for many reasons.
I think Pagan and Polytheist Monasticism will share some common traits with other forms of monasticism in the world, but I also think it will be unique as well. It would embrace the world and its joys more, but it would also focus on devotion to deities and spirits. Obviously, the perspectives on how all of this would work would be depend upon the path or tradition being followed.
Most Pagan and Polythestic Monastics I know have some form of job or goal that’s indirectly related to their spiritual beliefs. I want to be a craftsperson while following my spiritual path. (Keep in mind, I’m using the word craft very loosely; I don’t think crafts are only physical things to be utilized or admired.) I would like to have both goals be at least somewhat connected.
I’m still not sure how all of this or if it even does relate to the concept of Pagan clergy. If anything, I would likely be some form of clergy specialist. What that even means is unclear to me. Time, patience, and work are involved in finding out what I’m meant to do.
On a final note, I recently drew the Laughter card from my Brighid oracle deck and was inspired by its core message to write a short prayer.
Brighid of Laughter,
help me to laugh my sorrows away,
reveal to my eyes the humor in a situation,
strengthen my health with the best medicine.
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