The Eighth Sermon to the Dead

Two noteworthy milestones: 1) The Hesychasm Prostrations have made it into my daily practice.  I've been slowly increasing the number (from 10 to 60).  Unfortunately, just before Christmas I hurt my knee, and every time I get up from laying on the floor it causes great pain.  So, rather than put it off, I've been doing another physical act of devotion: I touch the floor after every repetition of the Jesus Prayer.  After 4 days, I'm starting to notice physical differences (mostly a bit of soreness after, a bit of sweat during).  Also, my  mental state is staying quite even. 2) Divinations:  I voluntarily did a divination this morning.  It's geomancy, so it's complex and only about half calculated, but I had a question and I now have the information for the answer.   An interesting occurence for me. Something I didn't plan on or mention is a resumption of journaling.  And a renewed dedication to getting the work done in my Order.

In response to this prompt. . Inspiration: Cuts you Up ( You know the way it throws about/It takes you in and spits you out/It spits you out when you desire/to conquer it, to feel you're higher/To follow it you must be clean/with mistakes that you do mean/Move the heart, switch the pace/Look for what seems out of place ) You know, any task needs to be cut up, after all... 1. How are you going to accomplish these large goals in your daily life? Project 1: Grow the Church Find a place to hold services (I've contacted the UU Church in town) Hire help with the newsletter (I've contacted a freelancer) Identify places to advertise Make Plans for the Seattle Mission (which has been approved and is in the preliminary stages) Project 2: Stabilize my situation Looking for a new apt (showing tomorrow at noon) Save up security deposit ($200-$500 already saved) Let Landlord know so I have a goad to get out. Buy a futon (Currently I sleep on the floor, by choice.) Project...

This is in response to the prompt of last week.  I'm about a week behind on this. Inispirations: Music: Furr , by Blitzen Trapper Deities: I'm gonna go with Our Lady of the Woods on this one. Moon Phase & Day: Waning, Wed. 12/21 Cleaning: I've been keeping up with my banishing, keeping things cleansed.  Sunday I did the bathrooms and took out the garbage.  Haven't really gotten through with vaccuming my room or changing my bedding though.  I think Wed. will be a good day like that. Time: I've already cut my tv watching/video game playing down quite a bit.  Going more for reading and talking with people.  I had a little bit, but I was also making a present, so I feel OK about it.  My biggest time waste is my commute, but even then I'm trying to listen to books on tape. Rocks: I'm not sure what I carry around, except the death of my Father, which happened 13 years ago or so last week.  Every year it casts a bit of a pall over my...

Who is this I that desires transformation into something new? Is it this collection of atoms?  This bundle of cells that powers what I laughingly call "I"?  If so, how much of these atoms constitute "me"?  Is it the ones that share my DNA?  Is it the microbes that live upon me, up to 90 trillion different individual living things?  Does it include the air I breathe, once I breathe it?  Does it include the air I exhale, filled with cells, microbes, carbon from my body and oxygen that's been burned?  Is the skin my boundary, or do I include the food I eat, the fluids I secrete, the people I join with in physical contact of one sort or another? Perhaps I'm being to physical.  Perhaps me is the thoughts generated from the cells?  The grey matter in my skull, reacting and firing over and over.  But what thoughts are mine?  What are put there by other outside influences?  What thoughts originate in my gut, or my foot, or my groin...

So,  Charmed, I'm Sure  has an experiment she wants us magical types to do.  I'm always up for an experiment.   And who doesn't like transformation?   Let's see what happens.  Deb says: Get up, get up! Don't miss this moment. Create magics great and small, mundane and mystical. Find everything you've been looking for, mysteries revealed in every form of divination and song and when you fuck it up, when you are too tired to try, bring each other up from bloodied knees to get back up smiling. You are all made of stars and you have stardust in your veins. Do something about it. RO talks about what he'd like to do .  Jason Miller does too .  These folks are both inspirations to me, so I'm going to give it a shot. However, as a priest, my ideas of wealth and kingdom are slightly different than theirs.  I'm less concerned with my own life, except as how it impacts my ability to grow the Kingdom of God, and specifically my little tribal slice...