Individuation is problematic. That's the unofficial Ariadne's Tribe motto.
It's sort of a joke, a witty response to difficult questions about divinity. But it's also very serious.
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Blog posts tagged in trance possession
What's missing in modern life (and most modern western religion) that sends people in search of everything from Peruvian ayahuasca rituals to Native American sweat lodges and peyote ceremonies? Ecstasy.
I don't mean the street drug, but the state of consciousness that takes us out of the ordinary and transports us closer to the numinous, the divine.
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Years ago I took my mother to a Maundy Thursday service at her church. I could feel the energy rising and I looked forward to a m -
That kind of experience is all too common, especially among the Protestant traditions, where 'a bunch of people sitting around in
Sometimes when I make art, I take on the role of psychopomp - creating art for the dying and deceased, as well as those left behind: a death mask for a dying man, a painted mailbox for a gravesite for a young teen, portraits of beloved pets who have left this world.
Sometimes my art leads me to the path of the Oracle, creating work for clients to help clear their paths that starts with a Tarot reading and ends with a painting or talisman: finding or defining a vocation, marking a new beginning, or helping to find resolution in the past so that new work can begin.
Sometimes when I am making art, I am the Witch and Conjurer. I pull from my own inner visions to create images and unravel myths. I can simultaneously make works for myself, for everyone, for anyone, and for no one at all, weaving the materials into spells and stories. There is all of the meaning to be unlocked - or none at all, seen and unseen. Much of my work tends to fall into this category.
And sometimes when I make art, I am the Priest and Priestess. The process goes beyond communing with the media, materials, and inklings of visions, and becomes a conversation with Someone Else. You can call it Spirit, God, Goddess, the Mighty Dead, the Ancestors, but those are just labels that help us grasp Them. I have worked with Many over the years - pretty much from every path that you can think of. Sometimes it is for a client, who has been called to have a certain piece (or pieces) of artwork on their altar by their Patron/Matron. Other times, I'll be working on a concept and it will have the effect of calling in Someone new (or old).
CW: animal sacrifice
Up to now my blog posts here have been mostly about research I've done - information about Minoan deities and spiritual practices, with a few notes from my own practice thrown in for good measure. Today I'm sharing something very different with you. Something very personal.
I've spent a lot of time meditating and doing shamanic journeywork to piece together what I can of Minoan religious practice. Usually I get a few glimpses of rituals they might have performed in the big temples or at the little shrines and altars in their homes. A few days ago I got something I hadn't bargained for - a full-blown vision of an oracular priestess doing her thing. It has taken me some time to process this experience and reach the point that I can comfortably share it with you.
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Further work with this vision suggests that after I passed out, my clothing was removed and saved for some sort of reverence. It w
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Powerful stuff, Laura. At very least, one can say that it's consistent with the archaeology and cultural data. Further than that w -
Hi Steven, I do find it interesting that we often have so much trouble separating from our normal/mundane state that we have to b
