(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.

Comments

compared with Spiritualism

[flnerd.livejournal.com]

it's interesting to read what's important to you. and then it's interesting to compare/contrast with what's important to me, as a spiritualist. i dare say a lot is similar, except the main thing of a spiritualist is to 'prove the continuity of life.' but then we add in things like the golden rule and taking care of yourself and it makes a hell of a lot more sense to me. Probably my favorite sentence of yours is, "This I swear to the Ancestors, those whose faces are familiar and those unknown to me." That resonated with me. :)

[sarjanya.livejournal.com]

This is very beautiful! Well done! Much of what you say, I too say in my version, only not so eloquently. Mind if I use some of your wording?
MotherBear

[blackfelicula.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! You may certainly use what you'd like. :)

[cedarravenna.livejournal.com]

That is very lovely. I like things in triads as well. ;)

Re: compared with Spiritualism

[blackfelicula.livejournal.com]

The Dedicant's Program for which this was my First Oath is a part of Ar nDriocht Fein (http://www.adf.org/core/), one of the modern Druid organizations.

Regarding proving the continuity of life, I have two beliefs: first, I do believe in reincarnation and the Buddhist concept of karma; second, I believe that everyone leaves echoes of themselves in places they've been, lives they've touched, people and objects they've treasured. (Sometimes I find it amusing that I both believe in ghosts and reincarnation.) E=mc^2 all the way!

[blackfelicula.livejournal.com]

Thank you! When I was younger and practiced more of a Wiccan form of ritual, the quartered circle resonated with me more than the triskelion. Now that I've been working with ADF's COoR, I've been feeling the dynamic energy of threes so much more vividly.