Welcome to "The Gods Are Bored!" Here's a nice shot of the Central New Jersey Pagan Pride Day! The gal in the purple dress is me. I got to the event just in time for the very end of the mid-afternoon Ritual. That's not so bad as it sounds. If I had just used my reliable sense of direction, I would never, ever have found that place! The GPS knows best.
Some people don't care for Pagan Pride Days because the Rituals are "lite" and cater to all sorts of beliefs. That is exactly why I do like them. Since I'm a gal who worships deities whose names are lost to time, it's always joyous to mix with people from a variety of praise and worship groups. I'm not particularly interested in the differences between Wicca and Druidism, or between Rhiannon and Freya. Everything flies with Anne! No exceptions! Don't believe me? I've got a picture of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus on the shelf right behind me. Color me egalitarian when it comes to deity. Possible exception of Vulture, which is the One True Religion, over and above all others -- literally.
You might ask, "Anne, if you believe in all deities, how in the world do you worship?"
Simple. I call the Quarters.
Whether you're at a big ol' Pagan Lite Ritual, or just all alone in your tiny back yard, you can encompass the Divine and All Goodness by acknowledging the Directions. Suddenly the whole world is a great big circle, and you're in the middle of it, and all the deities of all the pantheons in the here and now, and the past, can be with you in your circle.
I've seen Quarters called in various ways. I like to begin with East (the hawk of dawn), move to South (the great stag), then to West (the salmon of wisdom), then to North (the great bear). Then, instead of calling a specific pantheon of deities, I just open up to the Divine.
You know what the bored gods tell me? That we modern humans are too serious when we worship. The bored gods were party gods. They want to dance, and laugh (and get drunk ... alas, those days are over for me). Therefore, my neighbors get treated to worship that looks like someone dancing to the Talking Heads. Which is sometimes what I do. With the bored gods, once you're harming no one, you are free, free, free to feel Their warmth, any way you choose to praise Them. They are in the circle with you. Glad to be seen and heard and felt.
One thing you'll never hear me say (mostly because I usually work solitary) is, "Am I doing it right?" When you worship the bored gods, there's no wrong! Their right rites have been lost to the mists of time.
Dance. Move. Laugh. It's a big circle.
4 comments:
I agree -- people get way too caught up in the minutiae of ritual. There's no point getting bent out of shape or being humourless about "right" and "wrong" ritual elements or deities. Chillax, people!
This is as close to a description of my practice as I have been able to manage myself!
Even if I invite no One else, I always Call quarters - in my daily meditation as well.It's fundamental, I think, to connection.
And speaking of connection: The Church of England, in the land where I grew up, is Catholic Lite - nothing wrong there.It's more about how we personally experience and live the deities than correct ritual.
You look like you were having fun!
Love,
Terri in Joburg
I got a similar Nudge this summer- that as long as you're doing something. I've gotten really interested in estactic ritual since Beltaine, and how the very act of moving can be a ritual. I was also told outright recently that as long as you're doing something, They don't necessarily care if it's 'right', as long as you're making the effort- and They're definetly going to let you know when you've crossed the line into doing it wrong.
In other words someone asked me how I can consider knitting to classic rock a minor ritual and the answer was as long as I'm in the right headspace, because I can.
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