Weekly Linkage

Catching up with a lot of links, as I was a bit too busy the past few weekends to get this post out.

I recently joined the Polytheist Monasticism forum and have been reading a lot of the posts there; many of them are not available to the public, however. Through the forum I encountered this post on positive asceticism and thought it might be useful for other Pagans and polytheists who feel a call to monasticism and wonder how asceticism might fit in our practices.

Perhaps it is because I’m more aware of Eastern philosophies, but I think ascetic practices can be applicable to us (speaking as a polytheist). Properly used (de-Christianized) asceticism is not self-punishment or self-denial. These acts are intended to increase spiritual awareness and strengthen one’s connection to the Powers.  They can be a means of showing devotion and dedication. They can be methods of putting oneself into “headspace” or trance, to open oneself to Divine communication. They can be a way to disconnect from the toxic aspects of material culture, at least temporarily, so one can shift their viewpoint towards better spiritual understanding. Asceticism, even much of the painful bits, is not some way to create a suffering believed to be deserved, but a way to create an experience that enhances.

Weeping Crow

Here is a lovely poem, ‘On a granite mountain peak‘.

John Beckett has a post on 15 different types of roles for Pagan priests. Discussions about clergy, priesthood, and leadership have been popping up all over the place recently. I think the question of, “…what do we want our consecrated religious specialists to do, and what should be the responsibility of the people in general?” is an important one.

Mat Auryn has some amazingly detailed book recommendations for traditional witchcraft.

Thorn Mooney, one of my favorite bloggers, has a post on setting up a home shrine.

Finally, a video about ‘Cannibal Holocaust’. Content warnings for gore, animal abuse, cannibalism, sexual abuse…basically every content warning. I’m a big fan of horror and find Ryan Hollinger’s videos about horror to be very thoughtful and engaging. This one isn’t an easy watch though.