(no subject)

[felicula]

Background: A short ways in to informally working on the Dedicant's Program, I set out to craft my First Oath. I decided that I wanted a more personal first oath than the one printed in the DP. I wished to use the power of three and a poetic form to create my version. To help me work out what to include, I looked at the information addressed in the sample oath in the DP, broke it down into questions I wanted addressed in my oath, and then free-wrote answers to those questions in a journal entry. This helped me uncover which content I wanted and inspired the structure to contain it. I made my first oath the evening of Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in front of those who are now fellow members of the Shining Valley Protogrove.


My First Oath

I stand, cradled by the palm of the Land.
I stand, warded by the waves of the Sea.
I stand, guided by the shining of the Sky.

It is I, daughter to parents unknown.
It is I, nurtured by another family.
It is I, known as Maureen Judith DeLaney.

I am a Mystic, seeker of the unity of all things.
I am a Pagan, seeker of Gods great and small.
I am a Druid, seeker of the Elder Paths.

I come before the sacred Well, to pour my oath to the primal powers beneath.
I come before the sacred Fire, to let my oath soar, smoking, skyward.
I come before the sacred Tree, to plant my oath in the seeds of the sacred center.

I seek Virtue, to learn what is good.
I seek Virtue, to live harmoniously.
I seek Virtue, to balance order and chaos.

I will make prayers, to find the faces of the Gods who Guide me.
I will make rituals, to celebrate the cycle of the seasons.
I will make sacrifices, to give of myself that I might be blessed.

I will learn. I will study the thoughts of those before me.
I will learn. I will explore the practices of my peers.
I will learn. I will find my path through experiments and experience.

This I swear to the Ancestors, those whose faces are familiar and those unknown to me.
This I swear to Earth Mother, and those Kindred Spirits with whom I share her bounty.
This I swear to the Shining Ones, the Elder Gods, from whom I will find my patrons.

I make my oath, to you: my companions, my friends, my kin.
I make my oath, with my entire being: mind, body, and spirit.
I make my oath, from this day, through the next day, and every day forward.