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I thought it would be interesting to write 'a week in the life' rather than a single day or year. Because I have children it's difficult to practice religion and prayer every day. I currently put some time aside for prayer and blessings about once per week.
A Pagan priest or priestess does not have a singular function, most of us are required to create or bless ceremonial events for other Pagans, or to carry out healing and be a mediator or counsellor. We do not get paid for these services - if a member of the priesthood has a specialism, they may offer that service for a fee, after all, we must fill our kitchen with food and pay our bills. Most younger people would have a day job alongside their vocation. The older we become the more we learn and experience and in my four decades, although young, I've experienced rather more than I wanted to.
In the past my years were spent in study of nature and my religion. I was interested in human behaviour, not the psychology; the animal behaviour. The strange lifestyles and needs common to large groups and cultures. I did this through direct observation. After working on myself I took an interest in abnormal psychology and served as a counsellor within the community. My interests have always been more toward healing, in particular within mental health.
The problem is that many people only turn to religion in extreme circumstances, or if doctors and police have let them down. My own life has sadly contained numerous examples of extreme circumstances. These have shaped me into the (cranky) person I am today. They have given me real life (not textbook) experience and knowledge that I can use to better understand those around me.
The priest/priestess does not convert people to heathen lifestyle or belief, we guide those who ask for information. We do not act as a 'go-between' or mediator between people and the Gods, our teaching is that the Earth is our church, our holy space and that each person can go direct to their own God or Goddess in prayer. We are more like guides and keepers of our faith. I believe a person's religion depends on their biology, as well as their brain type- we are born a certain way and will only ever fit into the one religion that matches our way of thinking and our preferred way of living. No matter what we experience, religion can give a comfort in bad times and an affirmative support when things are good.
So in recent years, for my own health I went back to study and currently do not offer ceremonies or in depth counselling. I occasionally offer a blessing, advice if requested, brief counselling or healing. There are different healing items around my home that I use for myself because I'm not a machine.
A Week In The Life (roughly as I remember it). September.
Monday.
Planned for the week, deciding what I would be doing on each day according to the weather report, time of sunset, appointments etc. Every day I use the internet for different tasks including study for diplomas, as well as doing housework for my family. Last month I made rowan berry jam from a little foraging one evening (see a previous post on here), this month I went out with one of my children and collected blackberries. My blackberry jam did not set. Yesterday was the final attempt to get it to gel together but today I admit defeat. Even with bottles of pectin, my jam is more of a syrup. It sits in the fridge until I work out what to do with it. The good thing is that it won't go off, being so full of sugar. As it's the start of the week and a certain point of my finances, I performed some brief blessings today to encourage healthy spending and increased wealth in my home.
Tuesday.
A little gardening today, longer than my usual hour. I've tried to create a wildlife garden this year, it's doing well but still has some work left. It has been a great achievement to grow a lawn from seed.
I've been interested in lunar gardening but not enough to create a detailed record. Usually being aware of the moon phases and weather is enough for me to plan(t) out a season. Because we are entering the autumn and it is near Samhain (Halloween), a festival that marks the start of winter, I've looked at the garden today to see what needs to be done over the next eight weeks before the weather becomes cold and the days become darker. Our compost bin isn't even half full, it will be of use next year when I need to prepare the ground to plant out food plants. Some of these plants will be used in blessings and healthcare, such as herbs for incense or the bath. When not making jam etc or gardening, I make other things. All of these are seasonal, working with what is available. I prayed briefly for the wildlife and for the plants as food for humans as well. A greater blessing will be carried out before winter really hits and the land sleeps.
Found this lovely image online of birds singing in the cold.
Wednesday.
More focus on the home today. Since nature greatly affects my choice of food and entertainment, I have been looking at how I can clean up my home as the garden goes to sleep. The jams and wines I've made around this time of year always keep through the darker months and they are great as gifts over Yuletide. Spent an hour preparing a room for decorating this weekend. Decided I'd read the tarot cards this week when I have a moment because the last reading I did was in May and it will be helpful as I plan the next 3-4 months. I read tarot 2-3 times per year, with the odd brief reading for a friend or if I'm needing to understand something more.
Thursday.
An appointment required that I visit the city today, so I went to see friends while I was out. We don't see each other that often - the last time I saw some of our friends was in December last year. Picked up groceries and went to a favourite shop to buy Halloween items. Most of my home decor is purchased during Halloween season, the rest of the year is devoted to other aspects like making sure we all have enough clothes and are using everything, if not, things will be recycled or replaced with something we will use. Most of these friends are not Pagan or religious but they are accepting of diversity. I am a great believer in keeping religion at home unless the company are likeminded. Late this evening I watched a Krampus B-movie on dvd, it wasn't that good. Krampusnacht has fascinated me for a while and there are more movies and books being made in English these days so I think if I buy a book for the winter it will be about Krampus. We don't have television and normally watch dvds in my house only twice a month. This is not a Pagan thing, it's just me. I've much preferred making things in life than sitting staring at a tv set.
Friday.
Weather has changed recently, it's been extreme from boiling hot to jumper-wearing cold. Decided to begin stocking up on cupboard food a little at a time in preparation for a bad winter. I do this every year. When I am not able to spend a little time each day among nature, outside - or making things and just having a little space to read a book or pray - I tend to grab some Pagan themed clothing (just a t shirt, not a ceremonial robe) or wear an extra item of jewellry. Today I changed my usual pendant. Normally I'd wear a pentacle or other single pendant that connects to a deity or ritual, sometimes I'll also wear one or two rings. Today I wore what could be called a prayer bead necklace (in the house!). Religious items sometimes become mixed up among different religions, I am fascinated by the idea of prayer cords or beads, found in Catholic, Buddhist and Pagan practice. Sometimes we call it a Witches Ladder and there are knots in it, instead of beads as is traditional with a mala or rosary.
As written in a previous post, a Grimoire (or book of mirrors) is a spellbook/herbal index/record of Pagan lifestyle. At weekends, evenings or during more indoor seasons (Beast from the East I'm looking at you), some Pagans will write a little. This meme (above) that I found recently has a realistic list of the kind of things a highly interactive Pagan, Wiccan or Witch would be researching or incorporating into their year. Have to say, I've been interested in most of the above but not really astrology. It's much more about seasons than days or dates with me, I've noticed this with other Pagans as well; most of us can't be bothered to perform a ritual on a particular calendar day or hour, it's more about the energy of the moment and the wild. Centuries ago, traditions were kept verbally, in song and rhyme. Today, we have books and those books have evolved into memes. That dosn't mean that they are going to be accurate, but nature is an ever changing creature so it doesn't always matter. I carve a shamanic path; no drugs, no smoking but plenty of observation and totem work. We don't just 'know' things, we learn them.
Weekend.
My kids have gone to relatives for this weekend so I'm working on more quiet things and decorating which is easier to do when they are out. My weekly prayer is written onto card or paper and candles are burned onto this. It helps me to concentrate when I write down what I think needs some helpful energy. I did manage to spend half an hour reading a deck of cards this week- instead of tarot I used an oracle, which has a simpler meaning and often oracles have a more positive message for us to think about.
While I was writing this post we had a death in the family so I'm a few weeks late posting. September is when we have the Autumn Equinox, over that weekend I cleared our living room in order to set up a display. Most festivals are not celebrated in my house, I'll often light a tealight to mark the evening but I decided to put a little extra effort in at this time and carved out an apple to use as a tealight holder, adding some more candles and seasonal leaves. The Equinox is almost a prelude to Halloween, the aesthetic can be similar, there is more focus on harvest while Halloween is an ancestor night.
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| Autumn Equinox display. |
Photographs by Volk B
Memes found online.
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