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Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Paganism

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  #11  
Old 02-05-2012, 05:57 PM
LadyTerra
Posts: n/a
 
Greetings RiversLady:

Quote:
Originally Posted by RiversLady
If you look at the threads on this board you see so many different ideas and opinions.
Quite frankly, many of them are "out there". Spirit guides, protector spirits, angels, animal
totems, incubus, ad in. Everybody wants one - hel, who wouldn't want a "fairy godmother"
to help them in times of need? Desperation for a friend from the other side, a connection with the
bigger picture, lonlyness,sorrow, and mental illness, depression and fear all can make a person imagine
they have something filling this need. There is nothing wrong with this. Filling a spiritual need
is normal for all, and probably a healthy reaction to things you can't face on your own.

This thread isn't about that. The subject here is about what happens to you when you get
choosen by a god/goddess. For ease of reading God (big G) is what I call the holy spirit or
tao or chi or just plain life force and energy that all things living or not have that keeps
everything connected to everything else. Ever read a poem with the line about
"when a flower is plucked in the heavens a star feels it". I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea.
This isn't for everyone. There is no question when you are tapped. No doubts and nothing you can
do about it. This isn't about you wanting to connect to a higher power. No. This is about
a higher power wanting YOU.

It happens quite suddenly for most people. You may have felt a kinship with something or
not. You may have never heard of the god/ess that choses you. But something about you
has attracted the attention of someone. When they chose to reveal themselves to you
it can be quite a shock. I've heard it described at getting hit over the head with a 2x4.
Some experience reverence and delight, others are confussed and afraid. Many are filled with
awe at what they are experiencing. Words fail me here, but if it happened to you, you know.

This may be what is causing so much termoil soul wise about spirits interacting with people.
Some spirits who were once considered gods are now relegated to the ash can of elementals
and nature spirits. (They started out as nature spirits until man raised them
up and gave them god status. See the cycle of fickle humans?) Their names have been changed,
but their power is still very real. Some are lonely and miss having intemacy with a person.
They may want you to seek out who they are. They may be playing a type of hide and
seek with you. "I am here. Come find me." If you are not familiar with the many types of
paganism, this can be a big problem. Someone who has been raised from childhood in a typical
monotheistic family can believe they are being attacked by the devil. The family itself
may think the person is possessed, and in fact they would be correct. But it doesn't have to be a bad
thing. If you can put away your disbelief and fear for a while, you can make it to the "gellin' period"
where things even out. You go back to normal life. However, your normal life now has someone
new to worship.

On mostly pagan forums I have seen people talk about their experiences. There is no pro-
hibition about saying who your god or goddess is. People are proud to have been chosen by
them, and often want to tell others about how the "choosing" came to pass. Some stories
are quite humerous. Some are about a humans unwillingness to belong to the chooser. All are
very personal and deep, holding much meaning and emotion for the person.

I invite anyone here who has had this happen to post their experience. There is no right or wrong
story. No "my god can beat up your god". Here all stories are equal just as all people are. My only
rule is that only people who have had this happen should post. As I said earlier, you know when and
if it happens to you. And yes, I will post my story. Just need to let my fingers have a break from typing!


The question you have posed here is intensely personal and there may be those who do not feel comfortable describing such an experience on an open forum.

I am a Solitary--who was called from childhood and had to travel a long road to the feet of my Lady.

To be called is to be singled-out--different from others--destined to live on the fringe (in Her service) and to forever be the "odd-person-out". Others instictively feel the difference--try to demonize and ostracize you.

Most HumanBeings have a "herd mentality"--the majority of us are communal by nature. Few would choose to live separte and apart.

Be careful to honor and respect that sacrifice and recognize the right of others to choose whether (or not) they care to share.

Peace and Love on the path of your choice...

Blessed be...
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  #12  
Old 02-05-2012, 06:16 PM
Quagmire
Posts: n/a
 
I have not so much been singled out as I have been a part of it all. I will share my story that starts with the gods of old being seperated from their divine bodies, thus making the mortal and immortal part of the gods no longer intertwined. The mortal part were then forced to incarnate in mortal form while the immortal part were trapped within the spirit world until they once more reunite. Here the other day I found this about the Tuatha Dé Danann (the god people of Ireland) that I believe tells the same tale.

Quote:
It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them
they landed with horror, with lofty deed,
in their cloud of mighty combat of spectres,
upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht.
Without distinction to descerning Ireland,
Without ships, a ruthless course
the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,
whether they were of heaven or of earth.

So I am the mortal part of one of the old gods and therefore have always had one or more gods by my side. In this lifetime I have had the blessing of having Athenas mortal part as my guide since birth and within the last few months since I awakened I have had the honor of visits from Mother Earth, Zeus and Idun In my last life Poseidon taught me all I had to know about the sea (I just wish I could still remember it all ).
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  #13  
Old 02-05-2012, 08:48 PM
Tanith
Posts: n/a
 
Most of the gods/goddesses that I honor and follow I chose; but four in particular are interesting- two of them I'm not sure who chose who but the other two are different.

Athène has always intrigued me, since I was a child. Perhaps it was just a childhood fantasy but when I was young and very absorbed in the Greek pantheon, Athène was the one who always stood out. I honor her, and the Muse Clio, because of my chosen profession. As a historian, I made it a point to seek out and accept Clio; as well as Athène for her wisdom. Also, the owl has come to me more than once as a guide, and the owl is a symbol of Athene as well.

However, the two that chose me took on the Egyptian guise. When I was in high school, I had several very vivid dreams of a white scorpion. When I first "met" it I was startled but completely unafraid, and when I showed as much, every other time I dreamed of the scorpion, it was riding on my shoulder. Usually it came in dreams that concerned other people. I didn't know it during the dream but afterwards I would find out that something was happening/had happened that was relative to what the scorpion was showing me (whether it was serious or not is beside the point).

A little while later (the trip was not because of the dreams, but entirely unrelated) my mother and I took a trip to the local metaphysical shop. As I was walking, I was drawn to the Egyptian section, where a tiny little statue (among dozens) made me stop. I really cannot describe it, but I stopped and stared at the figurine for a long, long time. Suddenly my mother came and asked if I needed to take it home; without words I scooped up the figurine and we went to pay for it.

It was Bastet in her regal cat form- a beautiful little figurine. While we were purchasing it, one of the shopkeepers told me about Bastet and I began learning more about her. Then I asked her what she knew about scorpions as a symbol. She told me about Selket, who was sometimes identified as the Egyptian goddess of writing, but more commonly as a goddess of magic, healing, and medicine, specifically those pertaining to snakes and scorpions.

All my life I had been extremely drawn to snakes and such "poisonous" creatures; the snake is my totem as well as my zodiac. Also, ever since I was very small I would go out and pretend to collect herbs for medicines and practice "healing magic" before I ever even knew the goddess Selket. Now, I grow real herbs for real medicinal and magickal use.

Whether this story is good enough for you or not, it is my story and it is as real to me as anything. Bastet and Selket chose me; and while Athène and Clio may not have chosen me directly per se, it was a mutual discovery.

I also thank Bastet for giving such life to my sweet darling- a cat who is seventeen years old this year and who I have had the pleasure of living with since I was seven or eight. She is my familiar and twin spirit, but that is a story for another thread.
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  #14  
Old 02-05-2012, 09:01 PM
Quagmire
Posts: n/a
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tanith
Whether this story is good enough for you or not, it is my story and it is as real to me as anything. Bastet and Selket chose me; and while Athène and Clio may not have chosen me directly per se, it was a mutual discovery.

It is very much good enough in my opinion
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  #15  
Old 03-05-2012, 12:01 AM
Troll_ov_Grimness
Posts: n/a
 
You're a good writer,
It is in my opinion that solitary initiation is possible. Korean Shamans initiate through a sacrifice of their 'ki' in the direction of chaos and the spirits numbering in 10,000 - an impossibly high kinda number - another way of saying numina.. when they do this they also make a wish and yearn for blessings derived from the spirits of chaos. Chaos means outside of space and time. Chaos lies on the threshold; the periphery of your perception

You may like reading about this subject because it has syncretized with Taoism. as well as Christianity too. depends on the person. every shaman is unique.

When they do the sacrifice of 'ki' in this way, for first timers it triggers a manic psychosis - kundalini syndrome - which has been documented by scientists with a frequency and many case studies.

the shaman through invoking the spirits begins a reciprocal relationship with them. The shaman doesn't shield themselves from this chaos they accept what comes. it is the spirits who owe and reciprocate with blessings, and love, Their shaman.

bibliography :
Korean Shamanism -Muism by Dr. Kim Tae-kon & Dr. Chang Soo-kyung
Kut : Happiness Through Reciprocity by Hyun-key Kim Hogarth
Shamanism In Korean Christianity by Jang Nam Hyuck

if you search for korean shamanism on youtube you will find many interesting videos about this

*

I would say that in the very beginning,
you don't choose,

but that experience allows you to choose afterwards,
because you can feel 'ki' and learn that,
through the ups and downs of your life
you will bless and curse existence
and you'll feel the sharp knives of cursing a 'fair' world
and you will feel the happiness and joy blessing brings

I'll post my favourite poem RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER for those who like poetry...
^ The link is a great animated rendition of the whole poem read by Orson Wells

Part I

It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
`By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?

The bridegroom's doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
Mayst hear the merry din.'

He holds him with his skinny hand,
"There was a ship," quoth he.
`Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!'
Eftsoons his hand dropped he.

He holds him with his glittering eye -
The Wedding-Guest stood still,
And listens like a three years' child:
The Mariner hath his will.

The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone:
He cannot choose but hear;
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.

"The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill,
Below the lighthouse top.

The sun came up upon the left,
Out of the sea came he!
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the sea.

Higher and higher every day,
Till over the mast at noon -"
The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast,
For he heard the loud bassoon.

The bride hath paced into the hall,
Red as a rose is she;
Nodding their heads before her goes
The merry minstrelsy.

The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast,
Yet he cannot choose but hear;
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.

"And now the storm-blast came, and he
Was tyrannous and strong:
He struck with his o'ertaking wings,
And chased us south along.

With sloping masts and dipping prow,
As who pursued with yell and blow
Still treads the shadow of his foe,
And foward bends his head,
The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,
And southward aye we fled.

And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wondrous cold:
And ice, mast-high, came floating by,
As green as emerald.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen:
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken -
The ice was all between.

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!

At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.

It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!

And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariner's hollo!

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white moonshine."

`God save thee, ancient Mariner,
From the fiends that plague thee thus! -
Why look'st thou so?' -"With my crossbow
I shot the Albatross."


Part II

"The sun now rose upon the right:
Out of the sea came he,
Still hid in mist, and on the left
Went down into the sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play
Came to the mariners' hollo!

And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work 'em woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze to blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!

Nor dim nor red, like God's own head,
The glorious sun uprist:
Then all averred, I had killed the bird
That brought the fog and mist.
'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,
That bring the fog and mist.

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea.

Down dropped the breeze, the sails dropped down,
'Twas sad as sad could be;
And we did speak only to break
The silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs
Upon the slimy sea.

About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue, and white.

And some in dreams assured were
Of the Spirit that plagued us so;
Nine fathom deep he had followed us
From the land of mist and snow.

And every tongue, through utter drought,
Was withered at the root;
We could not speak, no more than if
We had been choked with soot.

Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung."


Part III

"There passed a weary time. Each throat
Was parched, and glazed each eye.
A weary time! a weary time!
How glazed each weary eye -
When looking westward, I beheld
A something in the sky.

At first it seemed a little speck,
And then it seemed a mist;
It moved and moved, and took at last
A certain shape, I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!
And still it neared and neared:
As if it dodged a water-sprite,
It plunged and tacked and veered.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
We could nor laugh nor wail;
Through utter drought all dumb we stood!
I bit my arm, I sucked the blood,
And cried, A sail! a sail!

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,
Agape they heard me call:
Gramercy! they for joy did grin,
And all at once their breath drew in,
As they were drinking all.

See! see! (I cried) she tacks no more!
Hither to work us weal;
Without a breeze, without a tide,
She steadies with upright keel!

The western wave was all a-flame,
The day was well nigh done!
Almost upon the western wave
Rested the broad bright sun;
When that strange shape drove suddenly
Betwixt us and the sun.

And straight the sun was flecked with bars,
(Heaven's Mother send us grace!)
As if through a dungeon-grate he peered
With broad and burning face.

Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)
How fast she nears and nears!
Are those her sails that glance in the sun,
Like restless gossameres?

Are those her ribs through which the sun
Did peer, as through a grate?
And is that Woman all her crew?
Is that a Death? and are there two?
Is Death that Woman's mate?

Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
Her skin was as white as leprosy,
The Nightmare Life-in-Death was she,
Who thicks man's blood with cold.

The naked hulk alongside came,
And the twain were casting dice;
`The game is done! I've won! I've won!'
Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out:
At one stride comes the dark;
With far-heard whisper o'er the sea,
Off shot the spectre-bark.

We listened and looked sideways up!
Fear at my heart, as at a cup,
My life-blood seemed to sip!
The stars were dim, and thick the night,
The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white;
From the sails the dew did drip -
Till clomb above the eastern bar
The horned moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip.

One after one, by the star-dogged moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye.

Four times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.

The souls did from their bodies fly, -
They fled to bliss or woe!
And every soul it passed me by,
Like the whizz of my crossbow!"


Part IV

`I fear thee, ancient Mariner!
I fear thy skinny hand!
And thou art long, and lank, and brown,
As is the ribbed sea-sand.

I fear thee and thy glittering eye,
And thy skinny hand, so brown.' -
"Fear not, fear not, thou Wedding-Guest!
This body dropped not down.

Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide wide sea!
And never a saint took pity on
My soul in agony.

The many men, so beautiful!
And they all dead did lie;
And a thousand thousand slimy things
Lived on; and so did I.

I looked upon the rotting sea,
And drew my eyes away;
I looked upon the rotting deck,
And there the dead men lay.

I looked to heaven, and tried to pray;
But or ever a prayer had gusht,
A wicked whisper came and made
My heart as dry as dust.

I closed my lids, and kept them close,
And the balls like pulses beat;
Forthe sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky,
Lay like a load on my weary eye,
And the dead were at my feet.

The cold sweat melted from their limbs,
Nor rot nor reek did they:
The look with which they looked on me
Had never passed away.

An orphan's curse would drag to hell
A spirit from on high;
But oh! more horrible than that
Is the curse in a dead man's eye!
Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse,
And yet I could not die.

The moving moon went up the sky,
And no where did abide:
Softly she was going up,
And a star or two beside -

Her beams bemocked the sultry main,
Like April hoar-frost spread;
But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charmed water burnt alway
A still and awful red.

Beyond the shadow of the ship
I watched the water-snakes:
They moved in tracks of shining white,
And when they reared, the elfish light
Fell off in hoary flakes.

Within the shadow of the ship
I watched their rich attire:
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,
They coiled and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware:
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I blessed them unaware.

The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea."


Part V

"Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole!
To Mary Queen the praise be given!
She sent the gentle sleep from heaven,
That slid into my soul.

The silly buckets on the deck,
That had so long remained,
I dreamt that they were filled with dew;
And when I awoke, it rained.

My lips were wet, my throat was cold,
My garments all were dank;
Sure I had drunken in my dreams,
And still my body drank.

I moved, and could not feel my limbs:
I was so light -almost
I thought that I had died in sleep,
And was a blessed ghost.

And soon I heard a roaring wind:
It did not come anear;
But with its sound it shook the sails,
That were so thin and sere.

The upper air burst into life!
And a hundred fire-flags sheen,
To and fro they were hurried about!
And to and fro, and in and out,
The wan stars danced between.

And the coming wind did roar more loud,
And the sails did sigh like sedge;
And the rain poured down from one black cloud;
The moon was at its edge.

The thick black cloud was cleft, and still
The moon was at its side:
Like waters shot from some high crag,
The lightning fell with never a jag,
A river steep and wide.

The loud wind never reached the ship,
Yet now the ship moved on!
Beneath the lightning and the moon
The dead men gave a groan.

They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose,
Nor spake, nor moved their eyes;
It had been strange, even in a dream,
To have seen those dead men rise.

The helmsman steered, the ship moved on;
Yet never a breeze up blew;
The mariners all 'gan work the ropes,
Where they were wont to do;
They raised their limbs like lifeless tools -
We were a ghastly crew.

The body of my brother's son
Stood by me, knee to knee:
The body and I pulled at one rope,
But he said nought to me."

`I fear thee, ancient Mariner!'
"Be calm, thou Wedding-Guest!
'Twas not those souls that fled in pain,
Which to their corses came again,
But a troop of spirits blest:

For when it dawned -they dropped their arms,
And clustered round the mast;
Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths,
And from their bodies passed.

Around, around, flew each sweet sound,
Then darted to the sun;
Slowly the sounds came back again,
Now mixed, now one by one.

Sometimes a-dropping from the sky
I heard the skylark sing;
Sometimes all little birds that are,
How they seemed to fill the sea and air
With their sweet jargoning!

And now 'twas like all instruments,
Now like a lonely flute;
And now it is an angel's song,
That makes the heavens be mute.

It ceased; yet still the sails made on
A pleasant noise till noon,
A noise like of a hidden brook
In the leafy month of June,
That to the sleeping woods all night
Singeth a quiet tune.

Till noon we quietly sailed on,
Yet never a breeze did breathe;
Slowly and smoothly went the ship,
Moved onward from beneath.

Under the keel nine fathom deep,
From the land of mist and snow,
The spirit slid: and it was he
That made the ship to go.
The sails at noon left off their tune,
And the ship stood still also.

The sun, right up above the mast,
Had fixed her to the ocean:
But in a minute she 'gan stir,
With a short uneasy motion -
Backwards and forwards half her length
With a short uneasy motion.

Then like a pawing horse let go,
She made a sudden bound:
It flung the blood into my head,
And I fell down in a swound.

How long in that same fit I lay,
I have not to declare;
But ere my living life returned,
I heard and in my soul discerned
Two voices in the air.

`Is it he?' quoth one, `Is this the man?
By him who died on cross,
With his cruel bow he laid full low
The harmless Albatross.

The spirit who bideth by himself
In the land of mist and snow,
He loved the bird that loved the man
Who shot him with his bow.'

The other was a softer voice,
As soft as honey-dew:
Quoth he, `The man hath penance done,
And penance more will do.'


Part VI

First Voice

But tell me, tell me! speak again,
Thy soft response renewing -
What makes that ship drive on so fast?
What is the ocean doing?

Second Voice

Still as a slave before his lord,
The ocean hath no blast;
His great bright eye most silently
Up to the moon is cast -

If he may know which way to go;
For she guides him smooth or grim.
See, brother, see! how graciously
She looketh down on him.

First Voice

But why drives on that ship so fast,
Without or wave or wind?

Second Voice

The air is cut away before,
And closes from behind.

Fly, brother, fly! more high, more high!
Or we shall be belated:
For slow and slow that ship will go,
When the Mariner's trance is abated.

"I woke, and we were sailing on
As in a gentle weather:
'Twas night, calm night, the moon was high;
The dead men stood together.

All stood together on the deck,
For a charnel-dungeon fitter:
All fixed on me their stony eyes,
That in the moon did glitter.

The pang, the curse, with which they died,
Had never passed away:
I could not draw my eyes from theirs,
Nor turn them up to pray.

And now this spell was snapped: once more
I viewed the ocean green,
And looked far forth, yet little saw
Of what had else been seen -

Like one that on a lonesome road
Doth walk in fear and dread,
And having once turned round walks on,
And turns no more his head;
Because he knows a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread.

But soon there breathed a wind on me,
Nor sound nor motion made:
Its path was not upon the sea,
In ripple or in shade.

It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring -
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming.

Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship,
Yet she sailed softly too:
Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze -
On me alone it blew.

Oh! dream of joy! is this indeed
The lighthouse top I see?
Is this the hill? is this the kirk?
Is this mine own country?

We drifted o'er the harbour-bar,
And I with sobs did pray -
O let me be awake, my God!
Or let me sleep alway.

The harbour-bay was clear as glass,
So smoothly it was strewn!
And on the bay the moonlight lay,
And the shadow of the moon.

The rock shone bright, the kirk no less,
That stands above the rock:
The moonlight steeped in silentness
The steady weathercock.

And the bay was white with silent light,
Till rising from the same,
Full many shapes, that shadows were,
In crimson colours came.

A little distance from the prow
Those crimson shadows were:
I turned my eyes upon the deck -
Oh, Christ! what saw I there!

Each corse lay flat, lifeless and flat,
And, by the holy rood!
A man all light, a seraph-man,
On every corse there stood.

This seraph-band, each waved his hand:
It was a heavenly sight!
They stood as signals to the land,
Each one a lovely light;

This seraph-band, each waved his hand,
No voice did they impart -
No voice; but oh! the silence sank
Like music on my heart.

But soon I heard the dash of oars,
I heard the Pilot's cheer;
My head was turned perforce away,
And I saw a boat appear.

The Pilot and the Pilot's boy,
I heard them coming fast:
Dear Lord in heaven! it was a joy
The dead men could not blast.

I saw a third -I heard his voice:
It is the Hermit good!
He singeth loud his godly hymns
That he makes in the wood.
He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away
The Albatross's blood."


Part VII

"This Hermit good lives in that wood
Which slopes down to the sea.
How loudly his sweet voice he rears!
He loves to talk with marineers
That come from a far country.

He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve -
He hath a cushion plump:
It is the moss that wholly hides
The rotted old oak-stump.

The skiff-boat neared: I heard them talk,
`Why, this is strange, I trow!
Where are those lights so many and fair,
That signal made but now?'

`Strange, by my faith!' the Hermit said -
`And they answered not our cheer!
The planks looked warped! and see those sails,
How thin they are and sere!
I never saw aught like to them,
Unless perchance it were

Brown skeletons of leaves that lag
My forest-brook along;
When the ivy-tod is heavy with snow,
And the owlet whoops to the wolf below,
That eats the she-wolf's young.'

`Dear Lord! it hath a fiendish look -
(The Pilot made reply)
I am afeared' -`Push on, push on!'
Said the Hermit cheerily.

The boat came closer to the ship,
But I nor spake nor stirred;
The boat came close beneath the ship,
And straight a sound was heard.

Under the water it rumbled on,
Still louder and more dread:
It reached the ship, it split the bay;
The ship went down like lead.

Stunned by that loud and dreadful sound,
Which sky and ocean smote,
Like one that hath been seven days drowned
My body lay afloat;
But swift as dreams, myself I found
Within the Pilot's boat.

Upon the whirl where sank the ship
The boat spun round and round;
And all was still, save that the hill
Was telling of the sound.

I moved my lips -the Pilot shrieked
And fell down in a fit;
The holy Hermit raised his eyes,
And prayed where he did sit.

I took the oars: the Pilot's boy,
Who now doth crazy go,
Laughed loud and long, and all the while
His eyes went to and fro.
`Ha! ha!' quoth he, `full plain I see,
The Devil knows how to row.'

And now, all in my own country,
I stood on the firm land!
The Hermit stepped forth from the boat,
And scarcely he could stand.

O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man!
The Hermit crossed his brow.
`Say quick,' quoth he `I bid thee say -
What manner of man art thou?'

Forthwith this frame of mine was wrenched
With a woeful agony,
Which forced me to begin my tale;
And then it left me free.

Since then, at an uncertain hour,
That agony returns;
And till my ghastly tale is told,
This heart within me burns.

I pass, like night, from land to land;
I have strange power of speech;
That moment that his face I see,
I know the man that must hear me:
To him my tale I teach.

What loud uproar bursts from that door!
The wedding-guests are there:
But in the garden-bower the bride
And bride-maids singing are;
And hark the little vesper bell,
Which biddeth me to prayer!

O Wedding-Guest! this soul hath been
Alone on a wide wide sea:
So lonely 'twas, that God himself
Scarce seemed there to be.

O sweeter than the marriage-feast,
'Tis sweeter far to me,
To walk together to the kirk
With a goodly company! -

To walk together to the kirk,
And all together pray,
While each to his great Father bends,
Old men, and babes, and loving friends,
And youths and maidens gay!

Farewell, farewell! but this I tell
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest!
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.

He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all."

The Mariner, whose eye is bright,
Whose beard with age is hoar,
Is gone; and now the Wedding-Guest
Turned from the bridegroom's door.

He went like one that hath been stunned,
And is of sense forlorn:
A sadder and a wiser man
He rose the morrow morn.
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  #16  
Old 09-05-2012, 08:33 PM
Louisa Louisa is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,810
 
Well, I have had a spirit come to me. I have never experienced any particular known gods or goddesses. I have wondered if the spirit who came to me was an ancestor spirit. Some people worship ancestors, so I think they could be considered gods, in a sense. I mean ancestor of humans, maybe not my actual ancestor. Since I've primarily sensed this spirit through clairsentience, I don't know what they look like or their name. I've had dreams and synchonicities popping up when I pray for information, but it's a blurry and mixed picture I get from that. I sometimes think that spirits are teaching me through illusion. It's good enough for me, and sometimes better than straightforward information too complex or difficult for me to understand or deal with at the time. I have no doubt in my mind that this spirit was real, however, because I am not insane and it was very vividly sensory, though I was having no impaired senses, was perfectly lucid (in fact, was walking at the park in broad daylight). If this spirit is a god, I would most certainly love to know more about their identity. Or if they're not a god, for that matter. All I know is they seem to be extremely wise, a being of light. This spirit has granted me much wisdom, and if I was to put a name on the relationship, I might call them a guide, because they help me through a great many things, all kinds of issues in my life. When I follow their advice, I receive concrete improvement. But I think they might be a god, and I could consider them such.
The place I sensed this spirit happens to be on a trail that was an ancient road traveled by Native Americans and European settlers. Near the trail archaeologists discovered remnants of an ancient civilization dating back thousands of years. All of this was unknown to me at the time. When the spirit came to me, I felt a buzzing, strong energy coursing in my spine and at points along my body, prickling pain, but I was overwhelmed by emotion and the energy I felt seemed to open me up, seemed to evoke emotions within me and insights. My whole perspective on life was changed. I became much more motivated, proactive. My vision cleared and I saw what to do in my life, at least to a certain extent, far clearer than I had been seeing it, but the specific details still needed some clarification. I continued to sense this spirit clairsentiently, and through emotional energy, and occasionally through clairaudience. Before I sensed this spirit, I had the peculiar thought pop in my head of an intelligent, curious bear watching me, following me along the trail. When I sensed this spirit's presence, I saw many snakes, far more than usual. More synchronicities seem to concern bats, pterodactyls, dragons and dinosaurs. Also, I think, the underwater panther/horned serpent of many Native American tribal belief systems, including the Southeast Ceremonial Complex, which is who would've lived in the ancient civilization that had been near this trail. Speaking of animals, I have had very vivid and moving dreams of herons. Once when I was feeling particularly lonely and alone in my life, I felt drawn to do automatic writing, and I drew random spirals. Thought that there was nothing there, but on closer examination, very clear images of herons were discernible, far too distinctive for me to discount. Also, I saw what appeared to be very distinctive images of vultures. Less distinctive, but discernible, there were bats, snakes, and eggs (their shapes less unusual, therefore less distinctively unlikely). Then there was automatic writing, a message comforting me and "we love you." I think this may have been a message from the spirits I saw in the overlapping spirals. Shortly before the spirit came to me, I was charged by a bear on a trail I was hiking. A few days later, camping in a tent, there was a bear in the campground shuffling through someone's stuff. I lay in the tent, paralyzed by fear but it was a transformative event and I was contemplating what I would do if I lived, because I was scared of possibly dying, felt lost, prayed to God and tried to commit my life to some direction if I did survive (not that I really thought the bear would kill me, but every time I moved at all, the bear stopped and listened, so yeah. One of my most terrifying and transforming experiences). Prior to this, I'd been seeking spirituality very fervently, and I think this spirit came to help me on my path, maybe because I was getting lost and needed help. Afterwards, my life has not been easy, and extreme trials have manifested in my life. I feel I am being taught, though, and strengthened. Made to face my fears, put through the fire and learning to transform my worst fears and to transform my inner evil, after first bringing my own inner demons to the surface. I am still in the process of this transformation and trial. Sometimes I feel broken and like I don't know if I'll pass these tests. But in my heart I think I will. Love seems to be my way forward,easier said than done. It is not the words, but the feeling and experience of love that I must find.
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  #17  
Old 09-05-2012, 08:44 PM
Louisa Louisa is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,810
 
In particular, I saw rattlesnakes more often when I sensed this spirit, though I saw others as well. This corresponds with the horned serpent Uktena of Cherokee belief, which is associated with the rattlesnake. I saw pygmy rattlesnakes particularly. The larger rattlesnakes are somewhat uncommon in my area. I later learned that I have a significant amount of Cherokee heritage, and some of my family walked the Trail of Tears.
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