A discussion about what defines my being a votary.
(Image description: A smooth path curves through trees on each side of it. The trees have thick trunks with green foliage hanging down and green grass at their bases.) Credit: Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
Lately, I’ve been wondering about why I consider myself to be on a monastic path. I could just as easily consider myself to be a solitary practitioner and call it a day. However, there’s both overlap between the two and some distinction.
It’s worth looking back at the etymological history of the word monastic. The Ecclesiastical Greek monastikos means “solitary, pertaining to a monk” and comes from the Greek monazein “to live alone” (Harper, n.d.). Its etymology is obviously related to monastery, where many monks would live, pray, and work to keep their holy residence functioning.
Now, what do these meanings have to do with how I define my practice? I can’t speak for Catholic nuns or monks, but I think these meanings are informative.
While they live in a shared space, monks and nuns are ultimately responsible for maintaining a solitary practice even while surrounded by their peers. They have to maintain their religious routine of praying, working, and studying on their own; their counterparts function as role models of sorts, but they are also bound by the same duties.
I have no such framework or support. I am solely responsible for my devotion to Brighid, even though I have my online community to connect with and discuss topics. It takes a lot of dedication to maintain that focus, and I go through varying levels of commitment from day to day and week to week.
The first thing I feel that defines my path as monastic is the label. Nowadays, there’s labels for just about everything. They can be limiting, but they can also give insight into a particular facet of something.
The word monastic’s original definition of being solitary indicates to me that this is my path and I define what that means to me. With all of the books, workshops, and articles that inform it, I’m the one who has to build the structure of my hermitage. That solitary state can allow for the blossoming of joy and fulfillment against the external noise of people potentially influencing the path.
As odd as it may sound, individuality in Polytheistic Monasticism is important. Even if you have practitioners who follow the same tradition, say the same prayers, or follow the same Rule, you’re still going to have differences in people’s spiritual approaches.
Organizing Pagans and Polytheists can be difficult, so any monastic movement within the community needs a balance of individualism and collectivism. Having your personal practice established to some extent can provide healthy growth for the practitioner while having a potential support network with other like-minded individuals.
I really hope that more structures develop in the Polytheistic Monasticism movement, but I also value the different parts that make my path uniquely mine. My path is solitary and monastic in nature, and while it has some basis in others’ materials, my development of it provides depth and distinctiveness on top of the provided foundation. My work will form the walls and roof of my hermitage.
Reference
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of monastic. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/monastic
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