A poem inspired by current events and Brighid’s own loss.
(Image description: A silhouetted person is seen standing in a field, with the point of view from the side. The person is wearing a long dress with long sleeves and a long veil on their head, which billows gently in the wind. A row of trees are on the horizon, also silhouetted. The sun is setting against a pink-orange sky.) Credit: Photo by benjamin lehman on Unsplash
With the traumatic events of the past weeks and months, the idea of Brighid reliving the trauma of Her late son Ruadan came to mind. I’ve seen families from other tragedies facing their trauma as it’s played out again and again on the news. Why wouldn’t deities experience the same emotions? Simply because deities are powerful and long-lived doesn’t mean that They still don’t feel the same things as we do.
I haven’t checked in with Brighid to see how She’s doing, but this poem now has me considering Her own well-being.
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
Some reflections with a couple poems by Langston Hughes.
(Image description: Text reads in light blue chalk: Dream Until It’s Your Reality, written on gray cement. A pair of brown loafers and dark pants legs are seen at the bottom of the image.) Credit: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
I did an oracle reading recently and received the Ireland card, which indicates a need to take a pilgrimage. I tend to interpret that card rather loosely, as it could be applied to physical, spiritual, or creative travel.
The destination for this trip was one of my college textbooks, specifically two poems by Langston Hughes printed on the same page. I have no doubt that the publishers intentionally printed them based on their print years to show how his work reflected each other from 1932 and 1951.
The first poem was The Dream Keeper. Short, protective, and gentle, it also has a hopeful quality to it. The phrase “blue-cloud cloth” reminded me some of the concept of Brighid’s mantle, as it’s frequently seen as a protective and healing aspect of Her.
With a starkly contrasting tone, the other poem is Harlem (Dream Deferred). I’m not sure if Hughes was referring back to the previously mentioned poem when he wrote it or if it related to the Harlem Renaissance in general. As I’m a White person, there’s no way I can fully understand these works as they were originally written in that era or how a POC would interpret it. However, as with any form of art, I think it’s still worth reflecting upon for deeper meaning.
In The Dream Keeper, there’s encouragement for dreamers to be gentle with their dreams, even taking care to swaddle them from the harshness of the world. Callousness can fray at the song of one’s dreams, hence the need for protection.
With Harlem (Dream Deferred), the delaying of time affects how those dreams are perceived by their dreamers. Some of them might be nostalgically sweet or overwhelmingly painful. In some instances, those dreams might set something off, for better or for worse.
To some degree, I can personally relate to the themes of the poems. I’m a skeptic by nature, so I’ve often found it difficult to have any solid dreams. The first poem is a reminder that it’s important to have dreams, as they’re a part of your heart and that it’s necessary to shield them from people or situations that could harm them.
The second poem is relevant for both personal and collective reasons. I’ve had to learn to develop dreams and still struggle with the idea that they can come true. However, if I wait too long or even look at them with rose-tinted glasses, they can develop the traits Hughes conveys. Those painstakingly developed dreams might be for naught.
With the events of recent years, I have to wonder if the collective dreams of many people in my own country are faltering, potentially becoming like rotten meat, a heavy load, or something aged and saccharine. What will those dreams become?
Following your dreams is a common goal encouraged by many, but it’s not an easy thing to do with dreams, which sometimes have to be deferred for one reason or another. Holding onto those dreams gives you something to focus on, but working toward them is also important. I have my own dreams that I hope happen, and reflecting on these poems helps me to realize the complex aspects that dreams can have.
(Image description: A photo of my Bealtaine altar. In the back are three images of Brighid the Smith, Brighid the Poet, and Brighid the Healer by Mask Illustrations. To the left of them is a black LED lantern. A copper sunburst dish and a brass-colored bowl are in front of the Brighid the Smith picture. A couple Brighid’s crosses are on each side of a handmade Brighid doll. A small canvas of fire in water is next to a large acorn. The glass hearth candle holder, an incense burner, and a jar candle illuminate the space. The bell branch is in the far right corner of the altar space.) Credit: My work.
Happy Bealtaine! I hope that your festival celebrations went well, if you celebrated over the weekend.
As mentioned before, my most recent flamekeeping shift started on the sunset of April 29th and ended on the 30th. However, I like to do flamekeeping shifts during the fire festivals, so it blended seamlessly into the start of Bealtaine.
In the previous couple posts, I talked about the planning of a couple art projects, a new bell branch and a flower crown. I successfully completed them, and it certainly feel like writing those goals out helped me ensure that they would be finished in time. Working on them was definitely a push, but doing so turned out to be well worth it.
The bell branch has a lovely ringing sound, and the flower crown fits comfortably on my head. I have included a photo of them together to show off my handiwork.
(Image description: A photo of a flower crown and a bell branch. The flower crown is made of light and dark purple flowers with large green leaves. To its right is the bell branch made of light-colored driftwood with silver ribbon and nine gold bells wrapped around it. They are on an altar cloth featuring Celtic knotwork in two shades of blue. A copper sun dish, two Brighid’s crosses, a small fire in water picture, and a large acorn can be seen above the flower crown and bell branch.) Credit: My work
As I’ve done past years, I rededicated myself to Brighid with the dedication ritual found in the Clann Bhríde Book of Hours. While the idea of renewing spiritual oaths might seem redundant to some, I think that repeating the ritual every year reminds me of my bond with Her and reinvigorates it at a time of high growth.
After that part of the ritual, I offered Her some incense, water, and a poem. The poem is relatively short, but it reflects the meaning behind the ritual I did.
Reflections
Every year the fires of Bealtaine are reignited,
and so my inner flame is rekindled.
Your sacred flame reflects in Your primordial waters,
as it reflects in my soul.
Another part of me is strengthened,
another part shaped.
I do not know what lies ahead,
but I know You are my Lantern and my Guide and my Friend.
Thank You, Blessed Lady.
After that, I pulled a Brighid’s Cross card from my oracle deck, which indicated protection. I also drew a fid on the Oghamantis app. (My main set only includes the twenty feda, so I used the app to have all of the letters present.) I received Ór. This letter is part of the Forfeda and has the general meaning of an item or trait of great value. Given that I specified on the period to go from Bealtaine to Lúnasa, this letter’s characteristics will be my focus for the next few months. I imagine it can relate to valuing family, creative projects, and other things. Given the events of recent months, this fid feels very relevant and I’ll do my best to maintain my focus on it.
May the season of Bealtaine be filled with warmth and blessings for you!
(Image description: A photo of a green field filled with blue wildflowers. A tree stands on the horizon, with large, white clouds in a light blue sky.) Credit: Photo by tsuyoshi kozu on Unsplash
It’s now a week until Bealtaine, and I wanted to give an update on the projects I talked about in the last post.
I’m following through on the outlined plans for the bell branch. I found this bell branch tutorial and used it as inspiration for mine. In place of the embroidery floss, I opted to use some silver ribbon I already had.
The previous bell branch was painted with silver acrylic paint, but I like this option better. The piece of driftwood has a lovely grain and knotholes that I don’t want to cover up, at least not entirely. The ribbon will obviously cover up some of its natural beauty, but it also complements these features. I also think the metallic look will also be a nod to Brighid the Smith.
The bell branch isn’t completed yet, but I’ve strung the bells onto the ribbon. The branch still needs some sanding down in places, as I can still see some small particles of sand in the grooves of the wood. After that, I want to seal it and then wrap the ribbon and bells around it.
I’ve done a trial run of how the ribbon could be situated on it, and it seems like it’ll work out well. I’m still undecided on whether I want to use wood glue to give some extra grip to the ribbon, as doing this would make it difficult to make any changes in the future.
As for the flower crown, I still need to get the flowers and other supplies out of storage. I’m also not entirely settled on the exact style for it. The potential designs include a headband style, a more traditional crown, or even a simple clip.
While my time may be somewhat busy in the time leading up to Bealtaine, I think I will be able to complete these projects in time. Additionally, writing out my goals in this manner does motivate me to accomplish tasks. With practice, I believe that writing tasks out can help me to better focus manifesting my creativity.
Bealtaine is a period of growth until the year begins to darken again. While this association traditionally relates to crops and livestock, I think it can apply to arts and crafts as well. I’m working on the growth of my skills in order to harvest beauty later in the year and for the future.
In the next post, I will be including photos of the finished projects and discuss how my celebrations went over the course of my flamekeeping shift and Bealtaine.
Some art project plans for the upcoming Bealtaine festival.
(Image description: A photo of a flagstone path curving around the side of a hill. A rustic fence is near the path with green and brown grasses on each side of the path. A mountain is seen beyond the hill. Pinkish clouds are in a light purple sky.) Credit: Photo by Michael Cummins on Unsplash
Bealtaine is roughly a couple weeks away, and it’s time to get started on preparing for the festival. While this holiday doesn’t have any traditional connections to Brighid, it’s the festival I yearly rededicate myself to Her. My next flamekeeping shift runs into the start of Bealtaine, during which I keep a voluntary flamekeeping shift as well.
While my focus is to have simple observations for festivals, I feel like my practice has been in a bit of a lull since earlier this year. This post is intended to give myself some direction and to hold myself accountable.
There are a couple things I want to make in the period approaching Bealtaine. One is related to veiling, while the other is a tool I use within my practice.
Back during the last autumn equinox, I found a piece of driftwood I wanted to turn into a bell branch and replace the previous one. I’ve been holding onto it since then and figure this is a good time to redo my bell branch as one of the bells fell off recently. A sturdier base might help with keeping the bells attached, and the driftwood’s triple symbolism has a lot of significance spiritually.
The other item I want to make is a flower crown. Bealtaine is the spiritual start of summer, and a key feature of that is flowers. I prefer a simple layout on my shrine, so the flower crown is a way to incorporate flowers into my celebration while also veiling. It will also use some art supplies I’ve had for a while.
There are other tasks I want to do in preparation for Bealtaine, but these two items are starting points for more tactile forms of art I want to show on the blog. They can be considered as a couple stepping stones to get me motivated for other things, such as the breviary.
Each project will take time to do, so I need to allot time for each one. I figure the bell branch will take longer to create, so that project will most likely be started first. I’ve made flower crowns before, so I feel like this will take less time to do and can be done closer to Bealtaine.
My plan is to do a follow-up post on my progress. I hope that I’m able to get some of the work done on the bell branch. However, depending on various factors, I may be delayed. I don’t want to be hard on myself, but having these objectives to focus on are also important.
(Image description: A photo of a person in a dark, hooded cloak, pants and boots. The figure is holding up a red lantern and is standing in a field of tall, brown grass. Trees are in the background with an overcast and foggy sky.) Credit: Photo by GRAHAM MANSFIELD on Unsplash
(Image description: A photo of a small lined notebook with a pen laying across it. A white, lit candle is to the right of the notebook. A white tea cup with a saucer, a bundle of purple flowers, and bunched white fabric are placed near the notebook and candle.) Credit: Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
This post was inspired by a recent conversation with a friend, and it made me recall why I started this blog in the first place. Polytheistic Monasticism is in its infancy, and there’s limited examples for those who are interested in getting started with it. One of those examples is the expression of prayer through art, especially in practices you may do daily or at least regularly enough.
Before I go over the ideas, I think an important concept at the heart of any practice is asking why about different parts of your path. It’s a simple thing to ask yourself why you are honoring or working with a deity, an ancestor, or any spirit, but it really gets to the point of why you want to create a practice in the first place, which includes breviaries.
I was initially introduced to the idea of asking why by Lucy Valunos’ book One Heart, Many Gods: The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Devotional Polytheism. The author emphasizes inquiring why in different ways and where the question can lead and what will be accomplished along the trek. Your path may have already moved past the beginner stage, but I think this question is important to return to every so often; it can give you an understanding of your spiritual foundation and its current state.
Besides offerings of various types, prayer is a vital part of a Polytheist religious practice. They can be formal and informal, said aloud or silently; they all count. They can be viewed as necessary foundations for Polytheistic Monasticism and Devotional Polytheism.
The subject of prayer brings me back to my breviary plans. To be honest, I still haven’t started on it. Part of this is procrastination, and the other is indecision on design. I could easily just write down my prayers in a journal and call it a day. However, I like aesthetics, which I feel is more ingrained into religious sites and practices than we’re probably conscious of. Writing about this topic also helps me organize my thoughts for my breviary.
The need for satisfying aesthetics probably goes all the way back to cave paintings of hand prints, animals, and mythical beings to grand temples filled with statues and elaborate columns. I want to apply this same logic to my breviary and feel spiritual euphoria from doing so.
Having morning and evening prayers can both prepare you for the day and help you settle down for the night as well. Additional prayers for greeting the Powers, gratitude, and even acknowledgment of beauty can be woven in as you wish. It’s your practice, so feel free to have fun with it!
Choosing what you want to put prayers and other things in is important. It can be as simple or as fancy as you want or can afford. (You don’t need to break the bank for your breviary; the deities and spirits you honor will appreciate it regardless of money spent on it!) Size may also factor into things if you want to take it wherever you go.
The aesthetics for your breviary will also vary. You may want something neat, chaotic, pretty, dark, floral, light, a mix of these traits, or anything else you prefer. You could even be inspired by modern aesthetics like cottagecore and many others (there’s a lot out there!).
For my own breviary, I’d like it to have an artsy feel and a mix of different mediums, such as colored pencils, paint, stickers, and even tissue paper for texture. How well these materials work depends on how thick these additions make to the paper, as the journal I have is relatively small. That factor is also something to keep in mind.
A benefit of decorating your breviary, rather than merely writing prayers in it, can create a spiritual atmosphere while gazing and reading through its pages. This could be a potential method of meditation, depending on what you create. Within reason, it could help you shift your mood from a stressed one to a calm one.
Returning to my above point, asking yourself why you want a prayer in the breviary or why you want to capture a certain feeling will make you delve into the process of making it. It’s a form of creating the sacred in the mundane, and that can make a devotional task that much more powerful. It can also remind you that meaning doesn’t have to be found in big moments. Decorating your breviary can be simple but also purposeful and poignant.
Also, you may want to write down the draft versions of prayers and texts elsewhere and then copy the final versions over to your breviary. It really depends on how much of a perfectionist you are, but you might like having prayers where you can look back at the previous versions to see how they looked.
Prayers aren’t the only things you can add to your breviary. Quotes, song lyrics, and notes about your UPG can also added to the pages. If you’re the type who likes to press flowers, then that adds a small touch of beauty to the process. Essential oils may be another thing you could include, perhaps by scenting the pages or blessing them with it.
Another part of creating my breviary includes making a leather bookmark with colorful ribbons to indicate different sections of it. Depending on how big and customizable your breviary is, you’ll need to decide how you will organize prayers. You could include an index, a table of contents, or colored tabs.
Take your time and enjoy the process of creating your breviary. The point is to make a piece of art that brings you joy and gives you a connection to the Divine, whatever form that happens to take for you. A breviary could be considered like an art book version of your altar or shrine.
If you have any comments or questions about breviary making, you can send me an email or leave a comment below.
A poem about the ways Brighid is connected to travelers.
(Image description: A photo of a silhouetted figure standing in a dark tunnel with white light streaming through at the entrance. The figure is holding up an orange red light, casting a reflection against the blue tones of the tunnel.) Credit: Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
One of the less common connections with Brighid is Her patronage of travelers. Pilgrimages to one of Her holy wells or to Kildare are well-known locations, but I think Her presence in this domain stretches far beyond that. Additionally, there is a short saying in the Carmina Gadelica: “Thou Bride fair charming, pleasant to me the breath of thy mouth. When I would go among strangers, Thou thyself wert the hearer of my tale.” These associations inspired me to write the following poem.
