|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:10 am
Does Magic Have a part of your everyday life? Are there rituals you do every morning, prayers you say before or sometimes after every meal? Or do you keep your magical life and your practical life seperate? Long ago when I was still new to the art A good friend told me at the time That in order to be succesful in our Magic it must be incorporated in our every day lives. I believed it and it just seem to fit for me. This of course isn't a standard for every witch and pagan. What do you feel? Does Magic incorporate or seperate from your every day life?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:18 am
It's one of the things on my list sweatdrop While I do want to have a prayer to say upon waking and sleeping, nothing has come to me yet. I figure that when it is time for me to have one, my muse will get off her a** and compose for me xp Allthough, I do tend to have a little personal ritual whenever I find myself in a wooded area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nihilistic Seraph Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 7:39 am
I don't do as much as I'd like to; however, I always do a small prayer-like sign across my body before going to bed. I also percieve many "ordinary" things as magical because it doesn't matter if it's explainable, it's still amazing.
Like a working computer. eek
I do feel that my dreams are also touched with magic as well as insight into myself; I've met either my great-grandmother or maternal grandmother through them, as well as seen some amazing creatures to draw (which reminds me, I really need to draw one before I forget sweatdrop ).
Although not as 'magical' or whatever you want to call it, my mother and I are also empaths. Unfortunately, neither of us are very concious of this in our daily life, and while she has learned to shut it off at times, I still don't really know what to do about it. This leads to us sometimes feeding off each other's tension. xp
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:59 pm
To me almost everything an average person would call 'forces of nature' are magical to me. Yesterday there were some fantastic storms that blew across my area, and there was such a charge to them it was great to experience!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 7:08 pm
My spirituality touches on pretty much everything I do in life. Kemetics are (ideally) supposed to do a small ritual every day, and back when I was training for the priesthood I did practice daily rite (ritual requirements for priests are more strict than for others). But with my move and the new job I simply can't manage to pull a ritual together unless I have two days off in a row. The aim of Kemetic religion is to live a functional life, so I don't push myself on what I feel would ultimately lead to burn out and diminished quality of ritual and life. So now I only do formal rite when I have two days off in a row, but when I wake up the first thing I see in the morning is my shrine. When I leave my room I walk between two opposing statues of Bast and Anpw, which I have placed there both as guardians and as reminders that Ntjr walks with me as I go out into the world.
I recite offering prayers over every meal. Breakfast, when I eat it, is generally offered to Bast since She is first in my heart. On days when I am fulfilling the role of technician in the animal hospital where I work, I offer my lunch to Skhmt. On days when I'm at the front desk, I offer to Djhwty instead. Evening meals are offered to my akhw (ancestors) because in my family, dinner has always been considered the "family meal." On days when I don't work, I may offer to Bast, to Ntjr in general, or to any god or goddess Who seems appropriate to that day.
A more experienced daughter of Skhmt taught me that Skhmt's power resides in the medicines that we dispense, so when I am working with my patients I am literally working with Skhmt. We see a lot of cats at my hospital, so I am also working with Bast's children and representatives on Earth. When I work the front desk, which is a little less common and very difficult for me^_^', I call upon Djhwty's eloquence and organization to help me get through the day. I enjoy Anpw's friendship through the few dogs that we see, pray to Him to safeguard our patients' souls as I induce anesthesia for our surgical procedures (He helps to guide them back when we're done), and I also commune with Him during euthanasias and while caring for the body after any sort of death.
When I arrive home, I am greeted by the many statues of the gods which I've placed around my living room- and my own feline beloved.^_^ I also view weather phenomena as manifestations of the ntjrw, so I see the divine in the wind and the sunrise (which I often see while going to work since I usually get morning shifts), and many other things. God also speaks to us through little sychronistic events, and sometimes through emotions and impulses when you're really paying attention. I ask the ntjrw to approve most of the offerings I select for formal rituals, and watch Their reactions carefully whenever I light up a new brand of incense.
It's a wonderful tradition to come up with little devotional duties to help build relationships with the ntjrw- before I worked in a hospital, I used to commune with Skhmt through martial arts and archery. I took up guardianship of a cemetery in Anpw's honor, and volunteered at animal shelters in Bast's name. I also occasionally take up projects that They like- I'm currently into lotions, which is one of Bast's areas of interest. And most of my jewelry was dedicated to one of the ntjrw as an offering, and is kept on my altar- I "borrow" the items I'd like to wear each day, and return them in the evening.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 11:23 pm
Well, everytime there are stars in the sky I pray to them and make a wish. Whenever the moon is out I ask to Goddess to use my excess energy for those that need it.
However, that's common for me. Whenever I'm just being lazy or having problems sleeping I just envision all my excess energy flowing into the Earth and I pray to the goddess to put it to good use.
But yeah, I'm working on incorporating it into my everyday life.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:24 am
WebenBanu, could you explain your system a bit more? I think I heard about it once in passing, but don't know much about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:08 am
Starlock WebenBanu, could you explain your system a bit more? I think I heard about it once in passing, but don't know much about it. Kemetic religion? It's basically a branch off the reconstructionist Pagan family tree. We live ancient Egyptian religion and take a scholarly approach to it. Kemetics read about modern egyptology to learn aspects of ancient Egyptian culture, daily life, language, politics, etc. which would have influenced their understanding of religion. That way we have the context when we read what they've written about their religion, or modern egyptologists' interpretations of it, so we can better understand what they were getting at and apply it to our lives today. This attitude itself is in keeping with ancient Egyptian culture, since they felt that the universe was perfect at creation and the ultimate goal was to return to the perfection of that First Time. They kept careful records about their own history, so that they could look to their libraries for solutions to whatever problems they encountered in their own lifetimes. One of the main concepts of Kemetic religion is ma'at, which is thought of both as a natural phenomenon and a goddess (like many things, actually^_^). Ma'at's a bit difficult to explain, but think of the world as a machine with many parts working together; when everything's running the way it's supposed to run, the situation is said to be "in ma'at." So basically, ma'at is a system of relationships between all the different parts of the "machine," i.e. different aspects of the world (individuals, communities, species, habitats, political systems, and everything else). In that way we are all related to one another because we have to function well with one another in order to be in ma'at. So whatever one person does to someone or something else will eventually affect that person him or herself, because we're all cogs in the machine.^_^ If any one part breaks down or antagonizes the other, then the efficiency of the entire system goes down. So a major goal of Kemetic life is to live in ma'at, and in so doing, honor the world which the ntjrw have created by helping it to continue functioning as it was meant. We've noticed that once you get one aspect of your life back in ma'at, other parts tend to click into place in its wake, so a lot of beginning Kemetics work on getting their relationships with the ntjrw back in line and in ma'at. Most Kemetics work primarily with only one or two deities Who are often referred to as "Parents," though some people use the term in different ways. There are a few major online temples in the Kemetic community, House of Netjer was one of the first, and most of the heads of other temples were originally trained there. There's also Akhet Hwt-Hrw, which is actually more of a school than a temple. There's also Per Ankh, which was the seminary with which I trained for a little while, though I've been out of contact with them for a long time now. When I left, the program was starting to go downhill.-_- INKemetic is an inter-denominational Kemetic community, which has a couple of nice articles in their library. Also, there's my own journal (shameless plug), Journal of a Modern Kemetic, where I write about my experiences within the Kemetic religion, review books on ancient Egypt, and write essays on Kemetic theology when the inspiration strikes. If I missed anything, feel free to ask more specific questions.^_^ I like writing about Pagan theology- it helps to get otherwise nebulous concepts to crystallize inside my head. And here, it also speeds me on my way to new and better outfits!^_~
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:00 am
I have nothing really set in the way of rituals or prayers; I make sure I talk with SPirit every night before bed simply to say thanks for the little things I may normally forget about during the run of the day, but that's as far as it goes, really. I prefer my magick to be spontanious, while recognizing that there is power and energy in everything around me (although it gets tough working in a factory!). I've taken, lately, to taking walks at work as close to sunrise and sunset as possible. It was recomended by a Shaman I once met, and it's been really wonderful so far; there's definately a magickal feeling to walking along a path and having a deer walk out into a nearby field to meet you!
I've seen myself chant impromptu spells for something I find myself needing, like getting to work on time or asking Apollo to please stop blinding me, and I usually carry at least one stone or ctystal in my pocket. I have an obsidian worry stone that comes to all of my exams and has saved my sanity more than once.
My tarot deck is my favorite, though. Or any of my divination decks for that matter. I'll draw one card first thing int he morning for guidence that day, and write down my interpretation. I'll check back a couple of times a day to see if my impression's changed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 4:33 pm
I make may trades and crafts as much apart of my everyday life as humanly possible. Actually, by now, it's second nature, I dont' realy think about it too much; it's just the way I am now. I light a white tealight candle every morning to clear my mind, and I meditate as I take a bath/shower (depending on how early I get up) Then I get ready, usually I have my drum music on while I do this; then it's off to work or school. When I get home (if I dont' have to go straight to somewhere else) Then I sit and relax in my small den; which I have made in my closet; my matress is in my closet ((I have a matress instead of a full bed)) and there's a built in shelf which I use as my smaller more personal altar. I'm surrounded by a bunch of pillows and blankets, Theres an extremely thick blanket hanging over the closet in which to block out all light. I get comfortable light a candle of whatever particular energy I happen to be needing at that moment. And pick an incense whose fragrance calms my mind. And I meditate, read, study . . . do pretty much whatever I want in there and it helps relax me a great deal. I turn on my music and I let my creative energies flow as I work on my novel or sketch a new character. It's definately my own personal sanctuary which I hold dear to me. There are various other things which I do throughout the day . . . but that is a main part of my day when I'm not frantically running around hectically busy like a chicken with it's head cut off sweatdrop
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2006 9:18 pm
I don't pay much attention to what I do everyday. Out of habit, which could be considered ritual and such, is having a candle lit on my altar all day when I'm home, a slight bow of the head to the moon whenever I spot it outside day or night, lay in bed and just feel the breeze come in through my window with a silent thank you before I go to sleep. Not neccesarily anything magical, just respectful. ^_^
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:27 pm
failesaich I don't pay much attention to what I do everyday. Out of habit, which could be considered ritual and such, is having a candle lit on my altar all day when I'm home, a slight bow of the head to the moon whenever I spot it outside day or night, lay in bed and just feel the breeze come in through my window with a silent thank you before I go to sleep. Not neccesarily anything magical, just respectful. ^_^
I've made a promise to myself to start spending more time in circle, even if it's just to call upon the elements and the dragons and simply sit and enjoy them, converse with them and ask for guidence over daily matters. I also have to start putting my time in with my bodhran, and drumming is an awesome way of simply raising energy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:29 pm
Gypsy Blue and drumming is an awesome way of simply raising energy. I would mess with my drum, but I can't at home. I have one of the metal drums (forgot the name) that's common at faire and my cat tries to stick her head inside it everytime that I play. *Laughs.*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:34 pm
failesaich I would mess with my drum, but I can't at home. I have one of the metal drums (forgot the name) that's common at faire and my cat tries to stick her head inside it everytime that I play. *Laughs.*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 6:43 pm
Gypsy Blue Oh huzzah for cats! Mine hates my drum; he disappears when I come home with it and start to dabble. Dara's all over the place with the drums, loves playing with crystals, and sleeping on my altar. I swear she's part cait sidhe. ^_^
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
