Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | January 22, 2010

Impromptu worship

Well, I was going to write about how impromptu worship always seems to be the best kind. But that’s not strictly true. Allow me to provide two recent examples.

A few days past, it was “Set kills Apep” or “The Day Set Kills the Rebel”. I decided for once this was a festival I’d like to mark. I don’t do much, I light my shrine candles with a prayer from the Egyptian Prayerbook by Rev. Tamara Siuda, and light incense with another, usually incense the God has chosen or that I find very appropriate.

I felt strongly pushed towards using some dark amber resin (not truly a resin, but essential oils and resins in a beeswax base I believe). I’d never used it before, but had read that amber was supposed to resemble ‘musk’, and that dark amber was a spicier type. How fitting!

I thought nothing of the plumes of smoke, thinking it similar to what one normally gets from resins, or from stick incense, until the smell hit me and I couldn’t breathe. The particles of the incense caught on my throat and I would hack and cough, unable to get any air into my lungs. I had to scramble to the window and push my head out of it, gasping, until the room ventilated enough. Once that was done, I sat before my shrine and apologised to Set. For being presumptuous, for being stupid (ignoring the smoke against my instincts). I don’t feel like he meant ill by any of it.

Quite an experience. Tonight on the other hand was lovely. I felt moved for no real reason to give worship to Ra-Heruakhety. Even though it was night time, in winter, pitch black, I felt like the sun was shining like the summer’s day when he introduced himself to me. He was very specific, Dragon’s Blood, cone, not stick nor resin. I offered praise and was in awe of him. I prayed, for the people in Haiti, for friends, for family, for people in the House of Netjer. As I prayed I felt disembodied, hovering above myself. I think it was dissociation kicking in bodily, as it often does these days. Afterwards I felt satisfied and calm.

I think the Gods made all the difference. Set didn’t want ass kissing from me, not the first time I spoke to him. He didn’t want to kiss my ass either. So he helped me see my problems in a rather harsh but effective way, and humbled me in the process. Ra-Heruakhety on the other hand, knows me well, is a king, so long as I am respectful and offer sweet scents and bend the knee he is gentle and asks what he can do for the child before him. Not that he always responds by granting it on a silver platter!

Unstructured worship is difficult for me, but my experiences with Netjer are slowly helping me to fear it less. It will always be hard, but it may not always be so scary.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | October 4, 2009

Shrine Update

For the Pagan Blog Prompt on Altars I posted some pictures of my Senut shrine, and my statue area.

As it happens I also have an ‘allshrine’. It’s not an actual ‘shrine’ as such, but it’s where everything else seems to gravitate. And since I last posted, it’s become very, very full. I picked up a few statues at Retreat for example, and I have a fox tail who needs somewhere to lie, as well as yet more magpie feathers. I’ve been meaning to move the statues over to the statue shrine for quite a while, leaving the ‘allshrine’ for other things, but I’ve never seemed to get round to it. My statue shrine was all pretty and symetrical, I’m a sucker for that.

But, last night, I braved my fears and got it over with. Time for some photographs.

The new and improved statue shrine!

Finally you can actually tell who my Parents and Beloveds are. Wepwawet has his place at the front, surrounded by his rather quirky offerings, and my Beloveds are lined up behind him, with other Gods not in my line up given their space to the right. Heru gets money, so that he can make more. I give him different currencies (his other statue has some euros) so that he can help my friends worldwide, not just me.

The gemstone necklaces are shen, devotional objects made by a House of Netjer member. They are each dedicated to a God or Gods, and have a Netjeri (non-human spirit) in them. One is clear quartz and red jasper, with moonstone accents. It’s a healing and purifying shen in service to Serqet. The other I only recieved the other day, it’s smoky quartz and leopardskin jasper, and is in service to Wepwawet. The scarab necklace at the front is my Shemsu-Ankh scarab, I leave it in my shrine whenever I’m not wearing it.

That box Serqet and Bast are standing on was a bother. Serqet and Aset worked well facing each other, but Serqet needed to be higher. A shoebox was too long, making Ra-Heruakhety the tallest man in the house. I had a box with Lush stuff in it, and it worked well, elevating only Serqet and Bast, but it was made Very Clear it was not suitable in its default form, even emptied.

Through a mix of intuition and an incense recipe in a book I own, I worked out something we were all happy with. I went through all my herbs, oils, and gemstones, looking for things that felt right or had correspondances that worked. I wanted something to rededicate the box. I ended up with (strangely) a piece of what I think is amethyst I didn’t know I had, so dark it’s almost black. I remembered a recipe called Twilight, had a feeling it was right. So I opened the box, sprinkled in some red sandalwood, shredded in a bay leaf, added a few cloves, some small benzoin pieces and crumbles, and some small lumps of frankincense. Put the stone in it, closed it up, and sealed it with some dragon’s blood oil. Everyone seemed much happier. If I can find a nice dark purple silk or satin cloth somewhere, I’ll cover it with that instead of the white cotton.

To the left of that is my Senut shrine. I’ve described it before, in my Altar post, but I haven’t had a good picture of it with the new Ma’at statue. Here’s what it looks like now.

The Allshrine.
This is where Everything Else goes. Things that I like, or love, or want to see in my day to day life, but don’t know where to put. They congregated in one place, and became a kind of shrine all their own. Amongst the many objects, there are small natural knick-knacks my mum sometimes brings home when she’s been on holiday without me, a magpie feather a dear friend gave me, an unknown feather I found a long time ago, a blackbird egg, Roe deer skull and loose antlers, and the old Ma’at from my Senut shrine.

My fox tail does finally have a corner, of sorts. It’s not ideal, but it’s a space and it’s his.

And to the left of that, is my previously described but not pictured akhu shrine. Very small, and very sparkly at this point.

I’ve been feeling so much better since I finally got this done. I didn’t realise how much it had been bothering me.

1 Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | September 23, 2009

The animals in my life

Reading more about totemism and neoshamanism has made me think more about the animal forces in my life. I wondered if I should be trying to Journey before I write about them, but I think marking where I am now before I start down this path is a good idea.

I don’t really have any animals working in my life physically. From my dad’s side of the family I have been blessed with an array of allergies. I am deathly allergic to cats and horses which I love, I have hopefully mild allergy to dogs, and most likely various other things like birds, deer, cattle, you name it. I plan on having a dog, so this should be fun. Oh, and I have hayfever. And problems with dust. While I live here I am not allowed to own reptiles due to my mother being squeamish about them in her home. That pretty much leaves me with fish.

So, physically, nothing. Spiritually, I have a number of creatures that affect me in different ways. Here beginneth a wall of text.

Dragon: This is my theriotype, my kintype, me. I’ll give you a moment to find your eyes, as I’m sure they’re rolling around the floor right now. I do believe this is a past life thing, and I do believe it’s an “other worldly” thing. However, I don’t believe it was physical, not the way we are. And that gives me an interesting bit of leeway. I pretty firmly believe that what I ‘see’ as myself, and call a dragon, is just what my human brain is managing to produce. Maybe my form looked nothing like this, or maybe my ‘past life’ wasn’t past at all. But my world view is limited, my brain is limited, so this is how the data is interpreted by me.

My dragon side (as best I know it) is average horse sized most of the time, and shaped similarly but with canine and feline touches. Furred, shades of blue mostly, dark mane and tailtip, dark short horns, green eyes. Sometimes I feel winged, sometimes not. There’s always been a strong sense of ‘aquatic’ though. Webbed paws to help with that.

My therian nature doesn’t affect me much, despite being a fundamental part of me. I… am me, fur, paws and all, but I go for months without stopping and thinking “oh yeah, I’m a cool dragon.” I am who and what I am pretty much the same as any non-therian. Much as anybody reading this doesn’t spend their time thinking “Hey, I’m a human”, so I don’t seem to think about what I am. I’m just… me.

Clouded Leopard: That cute face at the top of my blog. The energy of this tree loving kitty has been overwhelming in my life for a few months now. Whenever I ‘feel animally’, it’s Clouded Leopard I’m feeling like. Long tail, short limbs, big paws, flexible and prone to climbing. My best guess is simply that I’ve found an animal that I feel represents me best. Strange, really. I ‘am’ dragon, but I feel like this lil critter shows the shy playful me that will chew your arm better than dragon ever will. I’ve found pictures of Clouded Leopard showing the exact expressions I use when curious, or suprised, or bashfully saying “is my [object]“.  I’d almost call it my Fursona (and become a Dirty Furry, oh noes!) except I really feel the energy and personality of this cat all over the place. I can’t shake it!

I plan to approach Clouded Leopard totem. Check that there’s no message or lesson to be learned here, no relationship shi wishes to form. I can feel it in me, like I *am* one. Maybe shi’ll have some advice on how to curb it.

Magpie: Magpie is strange. I’ve called Magpie a totem of mine for a long time. I’m not really sure that it’s true. “companion” might be a better word. And I feel it’s primarily the local magpies. For as long as I can remember I’ve greeted them and felt like we’ve known each other.  I’ve been speculated to be a magpie therian, for my love of shinies :P I feel like we’re good friends. But now that I think of the concept of totems, I’m not sure that I know Magpie hirself. Maybe I know a part of hir. I think I’d like to honour my magpies in shrines or work, but I don’t think I have any desire to work with Magpie directly. I appreciate Magpie’s lessons, but I don’t feel they call to me right now. We’re just… friends.

Horse: I consider this another kintype, but not enough to ever publically identify as it. I remember being horse. Not much, things about being in open grass areas, being with other horses. I remember the flightiness. It frays my modern stressed out nerves on days that I feel horse-like. There’s so much alertness, jumpiness, the urge to RUN if something startles me. It can be a very aggressive side as well. All in all it can make me feel thoroughly unpleasant.

It makes me curious about what materials to go for when I’m buying things like drums. Horsehide has the potential to offer me a really personal experience. Then again, perhaps not. While horse is something I have been, it’s not something that crops up in my life very often, so the spirit in the hide and I may not feel any particular kinship more than average.

Muntjac Deer: The only totem I know I have. Shi showed up when a guided meditation turned into a mild accidental journey like experience. I didn’t even know what shi was at first. Since that time I haven’t gone out of my way to do anything neoshamanic, and even now I don’t feel like Muntjac’s energy is the kind that barges into my life and demands me to take notice. Not at the moment, at least. I am not 100% sure, but I would hazard a guess at Muntjac being my Primary totem. Showing up so young, and staying around so subtly for this length of time. I’m really happy that shi’s still here, and I really look forward to working with hir and hopefully evolving more spiritually.

And those are the critters in my life. I really dislike the way that gender neutral pronouns are so feminine by the way. I need to find some better ones.

1 Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | September 8, 2009

PBP – Deities and Pantheons

Do you have a single patron god and/or goddess? Or do you stick with a certain pantheon of deities?
How did you come to connect with these deities? Did they choose you or did you choose them?

I work both with a pantheon, and with a ‘single patron’, though I guess the most accurate desciption is somewhere in the middle.

  • I acknowledge, and if I want to, or they want to, work with, the Ancient Egyptian pantheon of deities. Even the ones I have no personal interest in could have a part to play in my life.
  • I have a ‘patron’, my Parent, Wepwawet, who is the focus of many things and at times the sole force to consult (such as in fedw divination)
  • I have ‘sub-patrons’ and ‘sub-patronesses’ in the form of Beloveds. Serqet, Bast, and Ra-Heruakhety. Unlike other Gods of the pantheon, these three I am obliged to honour, even though they are not my Parents. Beloveds can be strong forces in one’s life, more even than one’s Parent.

My statuary is all over the place, and the activities I do to honour these Gods are also all over the place. Unlike many Shemsu, I do not do Senut in honour of any given God at any particular time, unless Ma’at itself/Herself counts. So my honouring of them mostly involves having statues of them, sometimes burning incense for them or using an incense they like during Senut, and keeping them in my thoughts or chatting to them.

I have statues of Gods in my line-up, statues of Gods who aren’t, and the sizes aren’t always what they ‘should’ be. But it works. The idea is supposed to be Parent(s) -> Beloved(s) -> Rest of Pantheon.

But when has anything ever worked out quite like that ;)

I don’t honestly remember how I found myself interested in Egyptian deities. I only remember being fairly young, and loving Bast. I had a bit of a weird childhood. Nobody ever really told me that various things were wrong or ‘imaginary’, and it never crossed my young mind to think that they might be. My dreams/visions/day dreams (I no longer remember which) of Bast and Horus were one of the many things that as a result were as much a part of life as the physical reality around me.

I remember Bast as a woman, taller than me. I think she had a human face. I say I think, because it has always felt like there was so much cat there that it was almost visible. Like a mist over her. We would most often be in a place in Egypt, and she would call me her child. I would feel the warmth of her arms and know I was safe. She smelt like gold, if there could be such a thing.

On one occassion a falcon flew to the balcony, and instead of simply landing he became a man who perched on the thick stone rail between us and the drop. He had a cocky, sideways grin. He would tilt his head at me in a curious way. I knew him as ‘Uncle Horus’. We were never close, but I had only affection for him and knew he had his eye on me.

Since those days, I have called Bast mother. I call her so even now that I know Wepwawet is my Father, who made my ba. She will never stop being that loving maternal force in my life. For now though she is content to take a back seat. To watch me with golden, heavy lidded eyes, tail swishing slowly. She led me to the House of Netjer, as I’m told she often does even with those who are not Hers. Now she lets me get to know my father and my role in this new faith.

As for the matter of choice, well. Wepwawet, Serqet, Bast, and Ra-Heruakhety were all told to me through a divination. Wepwawet was involved before I was born, so definately no choice! The rest, well… I think other Gods in the future, maybe I will be able to refuse, certainly others say that this happens. But I think by the time I heard of these Gods, even by the time Bast walked into my life when I was a child, I was already theirs. I already loved them, was bound to them somehow. There was never any decision to make.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | September 6, 2009

PBP – Does Location Matter?

If you were planning to attend a pagan ritual (public or private) and you realized that the ritual space was in a Christian church basement, would you have a problem with attending? Would you refuse to attend? Or would it make no difference to you?

In this prompt we are asked, “does the location of a ritual matter, beyond the obvious usefulness of the space?” And the quote provided with the prompt particularly focuses on conflict of religion. I have a bit of an image for my response.

“DUA WEPWAWET!” I stand from my chair and my hand joins the others reaching to touch my Father’s statue as the people jammed into the room shake their sistra and tambourines and whoop and cheer, the noise is deafening and the joy is overwhelming. It is Wep Ronpet, the days upon the year are over and we bring out the statues of the Gods to share in the first light of Ra! We, Shemsu and Remetj of Kemetic Orthodoxy in our ritual whites, watched each statue with equal joy, raising the roof every time, surrounded by altars and shrines and art and all the trappings of our faith.

After it is done, we at last cut up the apep cake, and step out into the dining room to feast upon the offerings. The building is old, and far from Egyptian in theme! We are in what was previously a convent, home to nuns and sold to our church by the sisters who lived there.

Does location matter? Only so much as you make it matter. A space itself can be as welcoming as any, regardless of what went on there before. Temporary spaces however may not give you the luxury of cleansing them and making them feel appropriate to your satisfaction. It really depends what you have to work with.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | September 2, 2009

The Gods around us

I originally posted this on the House of Netjer forums, but I think it’s fairly fitting for here too.

We’re often all very focused on how to speak to Netjer directly. There’s nothing wrong with this, but I think sometimes we forget where else we can hear Netjer.

When I was on the plane waiting for take off next to Akhyt, and they weather systems were causing horrors for take off, she spread her hands to pray. And somewhere in my head, I knew that’s what she was doing, but I still playfully started to walk my fingers on her closest palm. Turns out it was okay, because she was praying to my dad anyway :P

Since then several times it’s been in my head, that that was my dad’s way of saying “I’m already here and on it kiddo”. What better way than to have one of your kids go *teehee, poke, hi* when you start asking him for help.

I’ve had a lot of images in my head like that about Wepwawet recently. That a jackal’s a jackal, if you want to hug a Wepwawet, hug a Wepwawet kid, if you need to know he loves you, hear the love from a jackalsib. He’s not distant and hard to hear because he’s here in his children, somehow.

I wonder if this is true for the other Netjeru. Experiences, thoughts?

I also remembered that my Christian friend and ‘we’ experience this kind of thing very intensely a lot. She’s expressed several times that she’s sometimes heard God answering her through something we or one of her other friends have said. And we’ve several times felt that something she’s said really has been *from God*, not just advice between friends. And that she’s so much a child of him that when we speak to her about feeling cut off from God, we feel a little bit closer to him.

I guess what I’m saying is, we don’t have to lock ourselves in shrine trying to listen, nor do we have to look for omens outside. Sometimes if we’re looking for Netjer to say something to us, it’s through their children that they speak. The last thing we want to do is be so busy mourning that we can’t hear them, that we miss when they’re speaking so clearly and audibly.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | June 12, 2009

Altar

Another Pagan Blog Prompt. From sacred spaces we now have altars, what they look like and why.

This is my Senut shrine.

As a space it is ‘ritually pure’ as define by Kemetic Orthodoxy, except for perhaps one item. Apart from the little statue, everything is made from natural substances, such as cotton for the cloth, soapstone for the burner. A run down of the items:

Two pewter candlesticks and unscented uncoloured beeswax candles. Fire is a very common offering, obligatory in some situations, and I’ve avoided resin holders or petroleum based candles. A soapstone bowl filled with clean uncoloured sand for charcoal disks or stick incense, and a soapstone oil burner. Scent, again, a common offering and at times obligatory. Four green onyx mini goblets, for libations. And finally, a small statue of Ma’at to remind me of the purpose of Senut, and four tourmalinated quartz gems to honour Ma’at’s duality and balance. When not in use I cover the whole shrine with a piece of white silk, nice and light so as not to topple anything. This protects the shrine from dust as well as general emotional clutter. Especially important as my shrine is in my bedroom.

Senut is the main rite of Kemetic Orthodoxy. It’s taught in the (cost-free and obligation-free) beginners class for any who are interested in learning it or simply curious. One of the requirements (barring allowances made by the Gods for the reality of how we live these days) is that the space be pure. No animal products, which includes things like plastics, and even things like some incense sticks. I probably cross the line with my beeswax candles, but I’ve heard no complaints, and they know it’s for difficulty finding plant based candles of the right shape. Same with the silk covering. All items on my Senut shrine are washed with natron water and set on a windowsill in the sun for four days before being allowed into the shrine space.

My statues.

Back left: Aset. Back right: Sekhmet-Mut. Mid-left: Wepwawet. Mid-right: Bast. Front: Heru (don’t know which, I don’t care and neither do They).

I got all of these before my Kemetic Orthodox Divination, though Wepwawet, Bast, Aset (as Serqet) and Heru (as Ra-Heruakhety) made up my Divination results. Bast and An Unknown Heru have been with me since my childhood, hence their purchase. Wepwawet smugly tagged along as part of the Bast ebay auction. Sekhmet-Mut was bought for being the best statue I’ve seen of her, and for the strong similarity I feel between her and my headmate Isha. Aset I asked permission to use a tarot bag with her image on it, and then asked her to bless my deck and help me use it, in return for which she could have a statue of her choice. She chose the one in that picture (the silver skin she enjoys because we should never forget she is not human), and as promised has helped me with my tarot deck through which she offers guidance and reassurance.

Since the picture was taken I have been guided to two tealight holders, made of some kind of shiny black stone with what looks like a quartz of some kind running through it in lovely formations. They are about four inches tall, with a slot in the top of each for a tea light. There’s also a small pouch of offerings by Wepwawet’s feet, containing cloves, tobacco, and a pound coin with one of the many special designs on it. This was as thanks for speaking to me and guiding me one day recently. It’s the general practice to leave non-consumable offerings on the shrine, as they belong to the Gods.

To the right is a bible I was given by a Catholic at a Scripture Union camp when she left feeling she was being brainwashed (she was right), an aquamarine rosary that was custom made for my headmate, a premade chaplet from the same seller, and three chaplet bracelets. My headmate is sort-of-kind-of Christian, so I keep her things out in the open where they can be seen and remembered.

Not shown are the very small beginnings of an Akhu shrine, which I have up on a shelf. On a magnetic photo frame I was given when I was younger I have a photo of a very dear friend who died last year, a picture of her most recent gryphonic ‘form’, and when the printer is working again a picture of her headmate who was also a close friend. In front of it are a tealight in a low version of the candle holders described above, and a small glass bowl I keep topped up with water. The reason I have all this is because of the KO beliefs about Akhu. They are in the Duat, yes, but they also love us an take interest in our lives. Most commonly our Akhu are our blood relations (back to the dawn of time), but others may also become your Akhu. Cool water, fire, and most especially just remembering them, are considered to sustain their spirit. Other offerings can be made as one sees fit, or as thanks for help given.

I’m actually thinking of redoing my shrine space. During the beginners class there’s an emphasis on not including particular deities in it (I made an exception for Ma’at due to her nature), and a white cloth is specifically mentioned. At first I found this a little annoying and restrictive, but I quickly grew to love it. Senut is strong heka that helps to uphold Ma’at. I like making sure my shrine is a celebration of Ma’at, and does not show bias towards anyone in particular. Of course, now that I am all settled this way I find that a great many (if not most) Shemsu actually have very informal Senut shrines, full of colours, offerings, and statues. I can’t even seem to make my less restricted shrine flow that freely.

There’s a strong idea that during Senut you should honour your Parents and Beloveds above other Gods. But I’m so very stuck in my love of its simplicity and neutrality that even though I *want* a more free flowing shrine, I can’t seem to go for it. I think I’ll be asking other Shemsu their experiences shortly.

1 Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | June 11, 2009

Pagan Values

Apparently it has been decided it is International Pagan Values Month. As with many others, I don’t think that there is such a thing as a single set of pagan values. But the line “let us write of the virtues and ethics and morals and values we have found in our Pagan paths” speaks of the paths as plural, so I shall post on the values of my path.

The easiest and yet hardest to pin down are those I come by from Kemetic Orthodoxy. There are precious few set values in KO. Instead much everything hinges on Ma’at. Both a goddess and the concept of universal balance and order, she is what we all aspire to. It is against the concept of ma’at, embodied in an ostrich feather, which our hearts are weighed upon our passing.

Ma’at is not ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Ma’at is balance and justice. That isn’t to say we should do equal amounts of evil! Isfet, uncreation, is constantly being done by apep, by unsavoury people, and accidentally by ourselves. In making efforts to be kind, fair, and reasonable, we seek to balance that out and ensure that creation remains in its created state.

There’s plenty of debate to be found on the subject of isfet, what actions are or are not deserving of that label. What contributes to Ma’at and why is also not fully understood. I guess that’s part of KO’s appeal to me. Its ‘morals’ are up in the air, and left to the individuals and their Gods.

A general idea of right and wrong can be found in the 42 Negative Confessions. The important thing to remember as one reads them is that they are not sins, we are not tainted if we miss a step. They are simply ideas of how one might strive to live in the context of ancient Egyptian culture.

My personal values, from my meandering eclectic path through aspects of several faiths and general paganism, are mostly based on gut feeling. They’re difficult to quantify as there are exceptions to every rule. I have my own morality, but unlike many of the big organised faiths I don’t have the advantage of a book which clearly states them to copy paste. I am against murder, and manslaughter, yet under the right (very extreme) circumstances could support both. I am against rape no matter who the victim is or what they have done. I am pro-life but vehemantly against the torture of an aware woman in defense of that life. I am against the judgement of people for their lifestyles and choices, but fully for the judgement of their lifestyle and choices so long as it is in a fair and educated manner unmarred by bias or faith. I think that animals are more aware than we give them credit for, and that cruelty to them is punished nowhere near severely enough. I think that our system for treating new offenders is disgustingly lacking. I think that small family units are not ideal, and that communities have become too disconnected. I feel that the brotherhood and supportive atmosphere faith can create is something to aspire to.

I have no ten commandments, no mitzvot, no dharma. My path through paganism has taught me that kindness without weakness, love tempered by determination and justice, and above all my heart and my connection to God, are all I need to keep my values sound. In that respect I am very similar to a person with purely secular morals. With no rulebook, we are forced to work things out for ourselves.

Should I come across examples that help to explain and define my morals and values, I will be blogging them this month. Maybe I’ll even come closer to finding some unifying theme amongst pagans.

1 Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: Tai'awepwawet | June 8, 2009

Sacred Space

Kicking off with a prompt from Pagan Prompts, as that’s what finally gave me the push to start a blog anyway.

Sacred Space

This has become a pretty important subject to me recently. My ex-boyfriend is leaving in less than a week. Until this point, the only ‘sacred space’ has been where my shrines are.

I have a chest of drawers under a big mirror in my bedroom, and had a top fitted to it to make a kind of make-up desk a long time ago. A while back I cleared that completely, and instead made the left side my ritually pure Senut area, and the right side my informal area for statues and offerings and general prayer. It is a sacred space, of sorts. But it’s not My sacred space, it’s Their sacred space. It’s not somewhere for me to feel comfortable and at peace. It’s somewhere to offer respect to Them, and if They grant me peace, awesome. I never place anything that isn’t specifically for Senut in the Senut area, and the informal area I always ask for permission before placing anything there. I say “excuse me” if I have to lean on it whilst putting my shoes on in the morning. It’s Their space.

With the departure of the boyfriend though, my whole bedroom can become a sacred space. And with the abundance of negativity that’s been clouding that room and my life in general, I can’t wait. I plan to strip the bed, then blitz clean the room. Clear every item from the floor, reorganise every cupboard, then hoover and dust the whole place. Next up, smudging. I’ve never smudged before, I’ve never wanted to until now. Going to smudge every nook and cranny until there’s not a single corner where any left over energy could hide. Wash/dust my statues, as I’d rather do it after all the smoke, any needed cleaning of the ritually pure space too. Warding. Whatever combination of willpower, prayer, energy work and sigils on the entrances that my instincts tell me to use. Anything to mark the place out as a safe secure area for metaphysical work, and more importantly that it is Mine. Finally, redoing bedding and bringing in/arranging items on shelves, minishrines, all that fun stuff.

I cannot wait until it’s all done. I’ve never attempted anything this cleansing for a room before. But when it’s done, it will be my sacred space.

Other than that, I think that a lot of places feel sacred for me. But they’re out in the open. Within a religious context, within the idea of having a place to kneel and pray and give offerings, I have to say my ideal would be a room, even a small one, indoors, dedicated to it. I like the serenity of a minimalist, quiet ‘temple’. My ultimate fantasy would be specially plastered with raised images of the Gods with me giving offerings to them, and hand written heiroglyphs describing what’s happening (powerful stuff that), and a state shrine in the centre of the far side of the room. Maybe some day, when I’m a grown up W’ab priest with enough money for that kind of work.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Spirituality | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Categories