As you may know, I've been studying Etruscan religion and culture for incorporation into my spiritual practice. They were a people who lived in central Italy, contemporary to the civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome. They were eventually defeated and absorbed into Roman culture. Their language was never completely translated. I am intrigued by this mysterious culture.
Below are articles, reviews and different tidbits revolving around my studies.
Why I'm Interested
Who were the Etruscans?
Book Reviews
Bonfante, Larissa and Judith Swaddling. Etruscan Myth.
Wow- it's snowed! It really snowed! It only snowed in January last year! To think that It was 15 degrees (centigrade) mid-October - we were sweating - and now we have snow! I'm elated.
I just watched part of Polar Express with my roomate's girlfriend, so of course now I'm in quite the Christmas mood. I'm immensely stressed and should be doing better things now than thinking of the holidays, but I can't help it.
I know the local ADF Grove is planning a Yuletide all-night vigil, but I can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. There's a likelihood that I'll encounter people I don't especially want to see , who I went to college with and whom I associate with some bad personal times.
Instead, I'm considering a home vigil: a shrine to the sun, candles lit. MeteoMedia nicely lists that the solstice is the night and morning from the 21st to 22nd of December. I'd like to get my roommate and his ladyfriend there that morning, maybe that's when we could exchange gifts? We won't be seeing each other later, given we'll all be visiting our families'.
Make sun shrine Make a Yule Log and charge, bring it to my mum's after the Sabbat for Christmas. What else?
1.reverence for God or devout fulfillment of religious obligations: a prayer full of piety.
3.dutiful respect or regard for parents, homeland, etc.: filial piety.
I, unlike many others involved within the Paganism movement, was not raised in a religious home. I was not baptized or christened - to be Catholic would not allow for Protestant Godparents, and to be Protestant meant to promise to attend Church weekly (and my parents weren't going to lie.) Religious piety is not something I was every raised with.
Filial Piety, this brings food for thought. I take this to mean the respect, love and duty I feel for my family. When my mother's side - her parents and siblings - moved to Canada with very little money, they stuck together because they only had each other.
As they each married and had families, they still remained close as did their children. I think this is really reflected in how when I visited my cousin at Samhain 2007 and had a laugh how I was just like my mother in my mannerisms. He used to be in my place, being in his early twenties, visiting his aunt and her little daughter - me.
In comparison, I always thought I didn't have as close a relationship with my father's side, but that's not true at all. I realize this the more I am exposed to the families of others. I am actually quite fortunate.
In my family, we respect each other, we feel a duty as family to be a part of each other's lives. We feel we're lucky to have each other, and enjoy each other's company. We also realize we must mind our own business and be polite to each other, and this is where we differ from many others. (In fact, I do know other families that believe they should be more polite and accepting of strangers than each other. I am proud my family does not feel this way.)
Given this, I do have some personal experience with Piety as far as my family. How is religious piety different from filial piety?
Religious piety also requires respect and commitment, but becomes more complicated.It is defined as following in the DP Manual:
Correct observance of ritual and social traditions; the maintenance of the agreements, (both personal and societal), we humans have with the Gods and Spirits. Keeping the Old Ways, through ceremony and duty
Some people say they don't want to one of those "Only Pagan 8 times a year" types - people who only observe the High Days.
I am always a Witch. It's always at the back of my thoughts, often without my being aware. My noticing of changes in weather and in the land, in animal patterns, an awareness of omens. Prayers of need, or of thanks. Certain things I began doing intentionally as I started my path are now natural habit.
I would certainly call myself "spiritual". I observe most of the High Days. I understand them well. I rarely have other rituals - I do not do spellwork as one would do a ritual. I am not simply "Pagan-8-times-a-year". In contrast, I do not consider myself "pious". Joining ADF was part of my attempt to integrate more frequent acts of religious piety in my life. I feel that this is lacking.
Duty, humbleness, awareness and acknowledgment, devotion, responsibility, commitment, intention followed by action - these words make up my understanding of Piety.
I made an attempt at the Two Powers meditation today and it so didn't do it for me.
Some logical reasoning may be no prep. breathing work, I'm stressed with some other work I have to do. This is certainly NOT the first grounding exercise I do, which is probably why I'm so critical of it. I will give at a go again in the future when I'm less pressed, have more time to commit to it and feel it. i will not use the recording, which at certain times too slow and other times too fast.
Why the star as deliverer of "sky energy"? I understand the tapping into the waters in the earth, but not the star. I will have to reflect upon this.
Ultimately, I intend to "modify" this practice of grounding the future. I've seen it done on the ADF website in an "advanced" way to incorporate Norse beliefs. I think that in my studies of chakras, I will formulate a similar grounding exercise to focus on awareness of our bodies. (Chakras are just one more interest of mine on my Pagan "To-Do List".)
I wonder if any Vedic ADFers have done this? I'll ask around.
So, I've been thinking about one of ADF's Nine Virtues, Wisdom. I thought it would be easy, but I have just so much to say about it, it's becoming harder to get around to it.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
the quality
or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with
just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.
I've found myself describing people as being "book smart with no street smarts." To me, they are un-wise.
This quote comes to mind:
"God
grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage
to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." --Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity Prayer
And, to top it all off, I keep thinking of Dumbledore! Yes - Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter! I could write an ENTIRE ESSAY on how the this character utterly exudes WISDOM. You know, I might ask a preceptor if that's okay...
