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Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Goals of Giving, and Forgiving: an excerpt from 'One Man's Philosophy' by Shadar
Studying concepts of ethics and morals, I realized that many of these come from much higher standards and idealistic goals that we hope to achieve at some point either as individuals or as a species. The two that hit me the most as 'high' ambition ethics would be;
Giving- To freely open oneself to freely giving, without hesitation, without expectation. To be able to provide that which is needed without recompense or terms of any repayment in action, material or deed. To honestly give with humility and humbelness not requiring recognition and thanks.
Forgiving - To truely forgive any and all grievence, hurt, mistake or wrong doing by others unto yourself and others. Forgiving without required penence or repayment. To accept all faults and wrongs as done and be open to recieve new things including forgivness. To be able to forgive, not only others, but yourself, for acts that fall short of expectation and desire.
I have done my best to live under the Laws of Hospitality as was custom of the Celtic peoples. To give freely to all who come, to treat honestly all who ask, and to provide for those who are in need. Sometimes I fall short in these, some times I excell in these. And I am not talking about material needs and the availability of things to give, but in the Spirit, the emotional and the mental aspects of things needed and or asked of. I once took an Oath of Hospitality, also of one of Poverty (not to remain poor, but to agree to provide for community before myself) to help me focus my live and Spirit toward these goals, of Giving and Forgiving and Hospitality.
I have discovered that is had been my Ego, my selfishness, and my feeelings (being hurt) that has held me back or made me fall short. Also it has been these same concepts that has allowed me to excell in being able to follow Hospitality, to Give and to Forgive. So through observation and much soul searching, I see that I do carry expectations, apply conditions, and allow my selfish feelings to alter and control my ability to Give, and Forgive honestly.
Is it my feelings? My ego? Should I remove my feelings? Without my feelings I could no longer empathise with others feelings. I would not know how to react in our society which depends much on feelings. I could not work personal nor natural magical acts, nor show proper honor to my Gods. Without ego I could no longer defend my personal needs, and I would no longer strive for my personal wants or goals, and my goal is to improve myself. Mental disipline, ego and or self control goes a long way, but only so far.
I know this is a life long work of improvement, trial and error, and growth. Without experiance and the chance to grow, and fail, I cannot gain a foothold along the path to Give and Forgive as I believe I should be. So I will continue to grow, to experiance, to learn how to do this, and other things.
So, Forgive me for my failings, and Give me encouragement.
I honor your Gods, and drink at you well,
I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place.
I openly negotiate in honor and am not subject to dissappointment.
Namaste, and 'escalandes du Touta n Diea' ( welcome in my Tribe and my Gods)
Giving- To freely open oneself to freely giving, without hesitation, without expectation. To be able to provide that which is needed without recompense or terms of any repayment in action, material or deed. To honestly give with humility and humbelness not requiring recognition and thanks.
Forgiving - To truely forgive any and all grievence, hurt, mistake or wrong doing by others unto yourself and others. Forgiving without required penence or repayment. To accept all faults and wrongs as done and be open to recieve new things including forgivness. To be able to forgive, not only others, but yourself, for acts that fall short of expectation and desire.
I have done my best to live under the Laws of Hospitality as was custom of the Celtic peoples. To give freely to all who come, to treat honestly all who ask, and to provide for those who are in need. Sometimes I fall short in these, some times I excell in these. And I am not talking about material needs and the availability of things to give, but in the Spirit, the emotional and the mental aspects of things needed and or asked of. I once took an Oath of Hospitality, also of one of Poverty (not to remain poor, but to agree to provide for community before myself) to help me focus my live and Spirit toward these goals, of Giving and Forgiving and Hospitality.
I have discovered that is had been my Ego, my selfishness, and my feeelings (being hurt) that has held me back or made me fall short. Also it has been these same concepts that has allowed me to excell in being able to follow Hospitality, to Give and to Forgive. So through observation and much soul searching, I see that I do carry expectations, apply conditions, and allow my selfish feelings to alter and control my ability to Give, and Forgive honestly.
Is it my feelings? My ego? Should I remove my feelings? Without my feelings I could no longer empathise with others feelings. I would not know how to react in our society which depends much on feelings. I could not work personal nor natural magical acts, nor show proper honor to my Gods. Without ego I could no longer defend my personal needs, and I would no longer strive for my personal wants or goals, and my goal is to improve myself. Mental disipline, ego and or self control goes a long way, but only so far.
I know this is a life long work of improvement, trial and error, and growth. Without experiance and the chance to grow, and fail, I cannot gain a foothold along the path to Give and Forgive as I believe I should be. So I will continue to grow, to experiance, to learn how to do this, and other things.
So, Forgive me for my failings, and Give me encouragement.
I honor your Gods, and drink at you well,
I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place.
I openly negotiate in honor and am not subject to dissappointment.
Namaste, and 'escalandes du Touta n Diea' ( welcome in my Tribe and my Gods)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tradition?
Tradition?
...and why to we keep our heads covered? I'll tell you... I don't know. But it is Tradition!....
Yeah, still my favorite play/musical/movie, and all due to Tradition. No I'm not saying it is cool to do something out of tradtions sake and not know why. If you do so, and hold to that tradtional thing, then maybe you do so to honor the whole of the tradtion without know the details of each traditional thing involved. Deep hugh?
Tradition, what a wonderful thing, it carries the concepts, ideas, beliefs, and unity of a culture forward into time. Without traditions we could not 'see' each culture in the crowd. Tradition feeds and will eventually breed diversity! And it should. Diversity is change within and because of tradition, and evolution of tradition and a birth of new traditions, as each culture, religion, society creates it's own tradition.
Embrace diversity, but not at the expence of dissolving tradition. These is no honor in the new traditions to come if we cannot see nor understand why we do what we do compared to why we did it differently. Tradition usually works, at least for the time needed to transend time into the generation(s) that come after the inception of a tradition. Change within traditions are there to help keep it alive, not kill it. New traditions come and go, as do older ones, but at what costs? It is our history that shows us our path into our future. You don't believe me? Fine, walk into the wilderness without ever learning about what to eat, the ways of the preditors, how to find water and if it is safe to drink. We learn all these from history, someone learned it, recorded it, and shared it. You are not born with that information, only the instinct to survive in the wilderness, not How to.
History gives us many traditions to come from, and a lot of the 'new' or Neo-Pagans find no harm in adapting, changing and combining traditions to suite them. At least some give honor to the original traditions by keeping it's history alive. I change, I adapt, but I am still seen and knnown as a traditionalist. I know the history, the reasons why the details of my tradition, each facet, each detail, and teach that so it will not be lost. Does it all still apply today? Yes, however in different conceptual applications and with modern or more politacaly correct expressions.
With out the founders of traditions, with out the histories of our cultures, religions, sciences, and governments, we whould have to make this up as we go and hope to survive it's ramifications and reactions of others. It's wakling into the wilderness as a babe, and being eaten by the bear! We know because some one, at some time, honored someone's history/experiance/knowledge and culture/tradition/religion and taught us! Tradition is more than how we do things or why we do things, but how we believe and what we believe. Its the 'proper way' to act/react to situations. It's the language we speak, the menue we all order form in our day to day life. It is 'normal' for us, or if it not seen as the normal way, then it might be from someone else's tradition.
EXAMPLE: Why do resturants place a glass of water on the tabble, before asking for your order?
No, had nothing to do with whetting your dry mouth or washing down the traveling dust. King Henery once toured his countryside, and upon entering a tavern ordered a drink. It was watered down! He declared that from then on, all taverns, inns, and gathering houses were to offer the water to the patrons, and serve the drink undiluted.
That not only became a law then, but a tradition that most resturants still observe today!
Many traditions survive it's original cultures and or religions. They do so by adapting or being adopted. They are altered a bit now and then, and ressurected time and agin. This is the way of the history of all cultures, and the survival of them. From clan, to tribe, to region, to state, to country. We all declare some sort of cultural nationality. The same holds true in religious beliefs and traditions, and can be spread as far as we can travel to as many as we can teach. Tradition allows us to contact and commune on a cultural level with ancestors and others of that tradition sometimes with out words but by the action of observing or keeping a traditional custom. The depths of traditions go as deep as the thing that gives it birth. And to stay alive, it remains not a 'thing' but a 'reason' of that which birthed it.
Embrace Diversity, Honor Tradition, change will come, when it is time.
...and why to we keep our heads covered? I'll tell you... I don't know. But it is Tradition!....
Yeah, still my favorite play/musical/movie, and all due to Tradition. No I'm not saying it is cool to do something out of tradtions sake and not know why. If you do so, and hold to that tradtional thing, then maybe you do so to honor the whole of the tradtion without know the details of each traditional thing involved. Deep hugh?
Tradition, what a wonderful thing, it carries the concepts, ideas, beliefs, and unity of a culture forward into time. Without traditions we could not 'see' each culture in the crowd. Tradition feeds and will eventually breed diversity! And it should. Diversity is change within and because of tradition, and evolution of tradition and a birth of new traditions, as each culture, religion, society creates it's own tradition.
Embrace diversity, but not at the expence of dissolving tradition. These is no honor in the new traditions to come if we cannot see nor understand why we do what we do compared to why we did it differently. Tradition usually works, at least for the time needed to transend time into the generation(s) that come after the inception of a tradition. Change within traditions are there to help keep it alive, not kill it. New traditions come and go, as do older ones, but at what costs? It is our history that shows us our path into our future. You don't believe me? Fine, walk into the wilderness without ever learning about what to eat, the ways of the preditors, how to find water and if it is safe to drink. We learn all these from history, someone learned it, recorded it, and shared it. You are not born with that information, only the instinct to survive in the wilderness, not How to.
History gives us many traditions to come from, and a lot of the 'new' or Neo-Pagans find no harm in adapting, changing and combining traditions to suite them. At least some give honor to the original traditions by keeping it's history alive. I change, I adapt, but I am still seen and knnown as a traditionalist. I know the history, the reasons why the details of my tradition, each facet, each detail, and teach that so it will not be lost. Does it all still apply today? Yes, however in different conceptual applications and with modern or more politacaly correct expressions.
With out the founders of traditions, with out the histories of our cultures, religions, sciences, and governments, we whould have to make this up as we go and hope to survive it's ramifications and reactions of others. It's wakling into the wilderness as a babe, and being eaten by the bear! We know because some one, at some time, honored someone's history/experiance/knowledge and culture/tradition/religion and taught us! Tradition is more than how we do things or why we do things, but how we believe and what we believe. Its the 'proper way' to act/react to situations. It's the language we speak, the menue we all order form in our day to day life. It is 'normal' for us, or if it not seen as the normal way, then it might be from someone else's tradition.
EXAMPLE: Why do resturants place a glass of water on the tabble, before asking for your order?
No, had nothing to do with whetting your dry mouth or washing down the traveling dust. King Henery once toured his countryside, and upon entering a tavern ordered a drink. It was watered down! He declared that from then on, all taverns, inns, and gathering houses were to offer the water to the patrons, and serve the drink undiluted.
That not only became a law then, but a tradition that most resturants still observe today!
Many traditions survive it's original cultures and or religions. They do so by adapting or being adopted. They are altered a bit now and then, and ressurected time and agin. This is the way of the history of all cultures, and the survival of them. From clan, to tribe, to region, to state, to country. We all declare some sort of cultural nationality. The same holds true in religious beliefs and traditions, and can be spread as far as we can travel to as many as we can teach. Tradition allows us to contact and commune on a cultural level with ancestors and others of that tradition sometimes with out words but by the action of observing or keeping a traditional custom. The depths of traditions go as deep as the thing that gives it birth. And to stay alive, it remains not a 'thing' but a 'reason' of that which birthed it.
Embrace Diversity, Honor Tradition, change will come, when it is time.
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