#dedicant

I would love to complete study programs with ADF, beginning of course with the Dedicant Program. I'm not ready for that yet, I think. While I don't struggle to understand and apply the information in even advanced level books and papers on the relevant topics, writing structured answers to a prompt has always been a struggle for me and my frustration with the study program has often been a factor in my abandonment of the practice. 

So I'm starting small. I've simplified the Cernunnos devotional I've been using, and blended it with the Hearth Keeper's daily devotional script to make it into something I can do every day. I've committed to performing the daily devotional to Cernunnos and my other Spirit Allies and taking a daily omen, which I am writing about in my divination journal. I hope to add a period of meditation, and eventually trance work, but I'm not worrying about that for now. 

I've been working with only her since 2017, but this morning she called out to me. We spent an hour in ritual together.

This morning I was idly researching ADF study programs and considering the other developments I want to add to my practice - silent meditation, exercise as a devotional act and more. I came to my shrine looking for guidance on which of my ideas were worthwhile, what to do first and so on. I was thinking of so many different things at once I couldn't pin it all down to one question, so I essentially held the whole tangled mess up to Cernunnos and said "uhhh?".

Today's card was Owl. From the guidebook:

1. The power of silence is underrated in our loud, busy world. The Owl reminds you to be still and take in the world around you without adding to the cacophony. The quiet ones are indeed powerful.

2. What we consume becomes a part of us, whether it takes the form of food, art, or information. For a healthy spirit, be mindful of these things and cleanse yourself as needed to remove what you don't need.

3. Death may come for you on soft white wings, but this is only natural and necessary for change. Like Blodeuwedd, we may be beings of flowers woven together with intention - but then we need to go to seed to bring forth new magic.

And a choice quote from the general blurb before the interpretations:

The Owl brings with it an appreciation of silence and knowledge of the realms of magic and mystery.

I don't plan to share about every day of my practice because not all the topics I might address in divination are things I want to share about. And even on topics I'm happy to put out in public, processing a ritual and an omen for public broadcast is much more taxing than processing it in order to reflect in my private journal.

The oracle deck I am using is Gateway to the Liminal Spirits by Laura Tempest Zakroff. I'm fairly new to this deck, having only used it a few times before so I will be using the book to help me with interpretation. I hope to at least write up a post each time a new card I haven't seen before comes up, to help me with internalising the interpretations by having to write about them in a way others can understand.

Today I was looking for some reassurance that I was starting out right, or guidance as to what else I should be doing. To recap my previous post - I have big ambitions for my practice but I am starting out with this simple daily practice to give myself something to build on.

I received the Ocean card. The description in the book is as follows:

1. Embody the patience of the Ocean - it has worn rock down to sand over time and changed the shape of the land. Be persistent and you'll wear down the obstacles in front of you to make your mark.

2. When confronted with waves, we have three choices - dive under them, try to surf over them, or hold our ground and go through them. We can make the best choice when we observe the pattern of the waves. Otherwise we're just battling against the tide

3. Respect the forces you cannot control, or risk being pulled under and battered against the shore. Listen to the whispers of the Ocean for guidance.

Comparative Mythology Book Review (ADF)

Comparative Mythology is a somewhat brief overview of Indo-European mythology spanning multiple cultures over hundreds of years. It’s brevity is the product of a breakneck pace, leaving behind names almost as quickly as it crosses them. Unfortunately, this is necessary due to the vast number of myths that get touched on within each paragraph.

Puhvel makes a valiant attempt to break away from the…

A Dedicant Oath Rite (ADF Druidry)

Today, after modifying a script provided by Reverend Michael Dangler in his book on the dedicant path, I performed my first ADF-style rite, and made my dedicant oath. The alterations were minor, making allowances for my practice of druidical witchcraft, and altering the language just a hair to me more me. Here is the final product:

I, known in the craft as Ròcas Cearcall, before the gods, holy…