Mythic Thoughts

I've subscribed to the "Daily Arrows" portion of the Myth and Culture website an old friend of mine runs. I'm not sure if she even remembers me or not. She was such a big part of my growth and answer-finding a few years ago. She ran a Stregheria board that I participated on, and we slowly went chapter by chapter through some of Grimasi's works.

She's such an amazing fount of information. I can't even believe that one person could know all that much. She's got some amazing insights, and I really enjoy reading her writings.

I wonder if she remembers me. We used to compare jenga to how to build upon the foundation of beliefs. You can't muck around too much with the foundation, or else the whole thing tumbles down around you. I can understand that. If you worship at the buffet of belief, I think you're just spinning in circles. You end up with beliefs that don't jive, or images of deity that don't work together. You'd end up frustrated when things don't work, or when you realize that your beliefs contradict themselves.

That's what I really like about Stregheria. You have a firm basis upon which to build your beliefs. It's the firmness that I like. There's structure, and a sense that what you're working with wasn't just made up last week. There's a comfort in saying the words that Strega have said for hundreds of years. There's a quiet calmness in the structure of ritual. It's almost akin to the building of a house. You build the foundation, then the walls. Then you work on the interiors. You would never pour the concrete slab, then set up your living room, and then drywall around it.

Recap

I suppose it's been ages since I've last posted. I honestly forgot that this blogger-thang was here. I tried my hand at LJ for a while, but I can't post to it at work without it going all wonky. So good thing I remembered my login and password here!

So much has happened since that first post. For the past year, I've been studying with a local Strega coven. I'm coming up on the end of my "year and a day", when the coven decides if they want me to continue on, and I decide if I want to continue on. Then I become a dedicant and work towards Initiation.

I can't begin to describe all the ways I've changed in the last year. I'm starting to see more of the divine in everything around me. I don't see the tree outside my house as just that plant that drops acorns on my car. It's a living, breathing entity, with a spirit all its own. And it has a lot to share with me. I notice the Moon and the Sun, and how I feel when one is hidden behind rain clouds, or waxing in its cycle.

I feel the spirits of my ancestors coming back to me. I feel their presence as if they're standing right next to me. It's very comforting to know I have their support. I often worried if my family spirits might not come to me, as they practiced a different religion. I suppose, in the end, we are all Children of the Goddess, and we all love our family. So we are joined through blood, and through those family bonds that were created in life.

Plus I've got a little bit of a family of my own. I've now got a small broode of cats that live in my house. I've raised Romeo since he was 2 months old. He's now about a year and a half. Then I got "sisters" for him - Spooky and Samantha (Sammy). They came into our lives in April, and the whole lot of them seem to really get along together well, except for the occasional spat between Romeo and Sammy. But I notice things more. I can look at Romeo and know if he's happy or sad, just by the look on his face. I can tell when Sammy wants to play, and if she's upset, I feel it in my chest. And Spooky will suck all the energy out of you to make sure that you get a good night's sleep.

And I've learned so much. And I've made such amazing friends. The coven really is starting to feel like family to me. I feel honored and blessed just to have met them all.