The purpose of my expanse is to exhibit my beliefs and practices alongside my blog posts. These will change as I mature and gain knowledge into myself and the faith, so don’t go thinking everything is set in stone as the water of knowledge erodes all of man’s law. To keep continuity I will have an archives section to host past beliefs and practices. Like it, love it, hate it, I believe what I believe and the consequences of my beliefs, practices and rituals are between me and Deity. May this serve as inspiration as you grow in your path be it in a group or alone
Paths of the Soul
You are not you. You are not the physical embodiment of your beliefs and senses, nor are you the person you experience at work, school, or in the warehouse. What you are is deeper than that as you are the person behind the mask you wear daily to keep yourself protected, to keep yourself sane in a world full of contradictions and general insanity. Be it by ignorance or deception, the human world is what it is and there’s nothing you can do about it. What you can control is you and how you act, react, and interact with the world. That choice stems from you, not the mundane, physical form, but the Soul. That is you without the mask, the frustrations, your actual identity uncovered.
As you walk this spiritual and physical journey, you must understand yourself and the world around you on its fundamental level. As a novice first steps into the world as a baby and must learn the basics of the world, colors, shapes, letters of the alphabet, basic name to image associations. You too must re-understand the basic concepts of Paganism, yourself, your beliefs, and the world. The Four Paths are like the four forces of nature, fundamental aspects of life and creation that build upon each other to create Spirit, the life and breath of Deity and creation itself. Walking down each path is necessary to understanding and utilizing yourself and the world to its most positive extent.
Path of Air, Your Mind- Art, creativity, knowledge. Irrespective of mundane or spiritual, your responsibilities as a Soul.
Path of Earth, The World- How you act, interact, and react to the world, its people and creations.
Path of Water, The Self- Understanding and managing yourself, your thoughts.
Path of Fire, Your Faith- What you worship, how you worship. The rules, laws, and responsibilities you bind yourself to as a follower of the Divine.
Bind of Temperance– Despite the allowance or disallowance of a rule, you must act in temperance and act in moderation and self restraint as the situation deems. In emergency or life or death situations, the Bind is released and you may act as necessary to protect the life and safety of yourself and others.
Freedom of Action– Following or not following the path is your own responsibility. Take note that all actions bear consequences. Tread lightly.
Strike of the Left Hand– You may meet fire with fire to physically, verbally, spiritually defend yourself from anyone who threatens you or people around you.
The Strike is not for petty squabbles or savior complexes where the perceived victim shows no objectionable sign of needing aid or feeling threatened.
Touch of the Right Hand– Embrace those that genuinely embrace you, do not walk the Path with a suspicious heart nor a paranoid mind.
The Holidays are sacred and are to be celebrated as the Wheel of the Year turns.
If time cannot be made to celebrate on the day and time of the holidays then they must be celebrated later and before the next occurrence of the holiday.
Only those initiated into the faith are bound to celebrate.
Major holidays are Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon as well as Paganings and Day of Conversion.
Self- initiation and group initiation are identical in weight and either can be used to become a follower of the Divine.
Either initiation types will be done with audience of the Divine and Great Spirits
Divinity be it by candle, statuette, or other means will take a position of prominence.
Rituals will be conducted within a consecrated or dedicated space.
A consecrated space is one where a dedicant has purified and called said space a worship area for the Gods through a consecration ritual.
A dedicated space is an area in which a consecration ritual hasn’t happened, but the space’s sole or primary use is to worship Deity and the cycles of the Divine.
Despite the ills and pressures in life, succumbing to addiction is an ill that will inevitably cause your soul to stray from The Path. Temperance is necessary to prevent faltering.
The more addictive the drug the less of it you should take.
Drugs that induce psychosis, violence, or trauma in the moment or through time is forbidden.
Those who succumb to pressures and the influence of drugs must at least help a fallen practitioner.
At a certain point however, the cutting of the ties must be done to save the practitioner and the stress induced by those who have taken the hook of drugs.