The Chalice in the Grove
Exploration and musings of the spiritual journey of a Wiccan in seminary. This blog touches upon aspects of Wicca and Unitarian Universalist theology. The goal is to provide postings on a biweekly + basis.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
The Long Break Has Ended
I have been away for quite some time now and was taking care of serious business. I was on a leave of absence and now I am ready to continue my journey. In the coming days I will continue what I was originally pursuing. Thank you for your patience. I have triumphed over a huge bump in the road. Take care will share reflections next time.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Spiritual Stages of Development & The Wiccan Rede Part 2
It has been
a while since I picked up the pen to write the next segment of the blog. Today I will continue the discussion on the
Wiccan Rede, by focusing on how I practice it in my life. Then in the next posting, I will expand the
exploration of thoughts surround how religion influences our ability for
spiritual fulfillment based on religion’s capacity to recognize and honor all
aspects of an individual’s humanity.
Looking at
the Wiccan Rede and its usage in my life, I can see that my interpretation of
the Rede has changed through time.
Therefore, the expression and modality of the Reade has also evolved
over the course of my spiritual and religious growth. In the next few paragraphs, I will walk you
through this evolution of thought and action.
During my
initial phase in spiritual and religious development as a Pagan and Wiccan, I
associated the Rede only with the application of spell work. Therefore, I designed my workings around the
principle of “Not to Harm.” During this
stage of development, I focused on workings geared towards self-growth and near
the end of the phase, protection spells.
Because “Harm None” was the guiding principle I took extra time and care
researching and writing my workings.
This was done in order to remain within these guidelines. However, as I moved into performing protection
spells I realized that pure intentions might cause harm. The idea that I unknowingly might be the
cause of someone’s pain shook me to the core of my being. Due to this inner upheaval, I reflected on
the meaning of the Wiccan Rede, which led to a new interpretation.
With a new
interpretation of the Wiccan Rede, I entered the next phase of spiritual
development as a Pagan and Wiccan.
Throughout the duration of this developmental stage, I interpreted the
Rede as an extension of The Golden Rule.
Therefore, the focus was on physical actions. With this type of focus, I continually asked
two questions of myself before acting or reacting to situations. I asked, “Would I want this done to me?” or
“Would I want someone to treat me in this manner?” These are good questions to ask before
reacting or acting on a specific situation(s), but there is a flaw in the
fabric. The flaw is more like a hole in
clothing. Although clothing is still
usable with a hole or multiple holes, the functionality of the material to keep
an individual warm or dry is reduced.
Just like a hole in an article of clothing my practice although
functional was incomplete. The reason
for the incompleteness is that my interpretation of the Wiccan Rede focused
only on behaviors. Therefore, the
interpretation left out other methods of communication such as words and
additional activities that affect the quality of energy such as thoughts. The Golden Rule phase of my spiritual development
lasted for a long time. It was not until
I started attending the meditation class and Dharma talks offered by the Chan
Buddhist meditation center in Houston, TX that I noticed the hole in my
practice.
Through the
Dharma talks at the center, I started reconsidering what the Wiccan Rede is
teaching us about life and living our spiritual practice. I began to think about my actions
holistically. I started to go beyond
behaviors and considered all manners of communication. I considered and implemented the words of the
Shifu at the center. Shifu said that in
order to live an honorable life we not only perform actions respectfully but we
only engage in speech that is meaningful.
The portion of Shifu’s message that influenced me the most was “to engage
in meaningful speech.” To me this means
that we do not engage in activities that send negative energy vibrating through
the world we live in. The most obvious
forms of communication that we engage in on a regular basis that is not
meaningful is gossip. Before I go
further, I want to say that, the topic of talk vs. gossip is important but I
will not explore debate at this moment.
Instead, I want to focus on the
idea that talk without purpose can be harmful and/or a waste of precious time
creating something meaningful. Having a
talk over a cup of coffee or tea with a friend is not idol chitchat if you are
connecting with them. When chitchat
becomes idol, the connection to your friend is weakened and both parties become
unengaged in the conversation. The best
way to know when the conversation is meaningful is when an hour or more of time
passes without either party noticing.
However, when talk is without meaning there is not a purpose, the people
become board, and the chitchat may venture into gossip territory. When meaningless conversation becomes gossip,
the words send out negative energy into our community and one could say the
talk has become harmful to the environment we occupy. Of course, gossip can hurt in more than one
way and it can lead to harmful actions. These
lines of thinking lead me to reinterpret the Wiccan Rede to include thoughts
and words. It also led me to include the
lessons I had learned from previous spiritual and religious development stages.
The current interpretation of the
Wiccan Rede that leads my life is to act in an ethical manner. On a regular basis, I think about how my
actions, words, and even thoughts will affect the environment around me. I believe that the energy behind what we do
is important. That the time put into
considering how the action will affect others will determine if the energy is
positive or negative. From each
spiritual and religious stage I have learned valuable lessons. I have learned that it is important to
reflect on each thought, word, and action.
Through the reflection, we can see if our pure intentions are
ethical. Just because an intention is
pure does not mean that it is ethical.
Only through reflecting on the thought, word, and/or action can we see
the harm that even good intentions can put forth. This leads me to the next phase in my growth
that I am currently in the process of moving towards in my spiritual and
religious growth.
In conclusion, I am starting to
move towards a line of thinking that is adapting the thoughts behind the
Unitarian Universalist’s first principle, which is based on some principles of
Humanism. I am starting to formulate the
belief that it is important to honor and respect that even the principle of “Harm
None” can take a form of harming in order to act in ethical ways. The key to living by the “Harm None” in the
Wiccan Rede is that we heed, honor, and respect through reflection and that we
are truly performing in an ethical manner.
This line of thinking is preparing us for the further discussion of how
religion influences our ability for spiritual fulfillment based on religion’s
capacity to recognize and honor all aspects of an individual’s humanity. Until next time walk in beauty.
By Hano Tawodi
By Hano Tawodi
Monday, June 17, 2013
Announcing Wonderful News!!!
This posting is going to be short and is not going to be an extension of the last post. Sorry, I have not been back to continue the previous post. I have been very busy with school. I have a busy summer semester at both my current graduate school and the seminary. This reason I am posting is to announce that I am no longer a prospective student but an admitted student at Meadville Theological School in Chicago. I am very excited and looking forward to being at the seminary. I will be back soon to finish that other post. Hang in there and keep watching for the next installment of "The Chalice in the Grove."
By Hano Tawodi
Thursday, May 16, 2013
UU First Principle & Wiccan Rede
Part 1
This
evening I was supposed to be working on some schoolwork but I got side
tracked. Tonight when I sat down to
start my readings for the Humanism course at the seminary; I thought it would
be a good idea to research Humanism first.
What began as a short investigation to better understand Humanism as a
religion, developed into an interesting search leading to deep
contemplation. I started to think about
the first principle of Unitarian Universalist and then decided to relate it to my
Wiccan Spirituality.
The
Unitarian Universalist’s first principle is “The inherent worth and dignity of
every person.” From my research and
reflection on those readings the first principle means that we are to recognize
and honor the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Some may say that this means that everyone is
good and in a sense, it does because we are born innocent. We are born into families, cultures, and
communities that influence our development.
The experience a person has in life shapes many aspects of their
character and personality. Due to life’s
experiences, an individual’s beliefs develop and change through time. Those beliefs influence a person’s actions. However, it is important to recognize that
everyone has the capacity to commit wrongful acts.
Although some may argue that, this
recognition is not a part of the first principle, I think it is. I think that if we are to recognize “the
inherent worth and dignity of every person” then it is important to recognize
each individual holistically. This means
that we recognize and honor all the various parts of an individual including
the good and the bad. The reading that
prompted further exploration of the idea that people need to recognize both
their capacity to create good as well as bad actions is the written account of
a sermon delivered by David M. Sargent (2007).
According to Sargent’s (2007),
sermon it is important to be in a religion and spiritual practice, that recognizes
“the sins of man” as well as the good deeds.
For a religion that turns away from accepting humanity’s capability of
producing acts of horror as well as virtuous, then we will not be fulfilled spiritually
leading to disappointment with the religion.
This raises several questions regarding religion and spirituality. One question that comes to mind is can we be spiritual
without religion or is religion important to developing and maintaining our
spirituality. This is an important
question and is one of the big questions I have had for a while. Therefore, it will appear several times in
later writings.
Now let us go back to the idea that
a religion that does not honor all the capabilities of an individual leads to
eventual disappointment and lack of spiritual fulfillment. To me this makes sense because every person’s
experiences are unique. Although many
people experience abuse, oppression, acts of kindness, and any number of
different events, we interpret those events differently. We develop emotions and feelings based on our
personal background and view the world through those lenses. Because an individual’s experiences are
unique then reactions to various situations will vary and if we as human beings
recognize all our capabilities then we may realize that the quality of our actions
are relative to our unique life experience as well as other’s unique life experiences. I know this last sentence might sound vague but
the story David Sargent (2007) tells in his sermon about an Aikido expert that
almost used his skills to protect a mother and child against a drunken man would
have turned into an act of horror. The
act of protecting a mother and child from being harmed by a drunken individual
is noble. However, if one act of
violence is returned by another without considering the other individual’s
humanity then the noble act may turn into a brutality. In this story, the Aikido expert was unable
to act because an old man intervened (Sargent).
Because the old man considered the drunkard’s humanity all participates
in the event learn the man is drowning in sorrow from his spouse’s death
(Sargent). In this moment, the Aikido
expert realizes his noble act of protection would have been a brutality on the
drunken man because he did not consider this man’s humanity (Sargent). This story leads me to reflect on my
Pagan/Wiccan beliefs and see how the Unitarian Universalist first principle appears
in my religion and spirituality.
My first thoughts turned to the
Wiccan Rede, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.” I have done a lot of thinking on the Rede
through my years of being Wiccan. The
way that I interpret the Rede is that I should not commit any actions with the
intention to harm. However, I believe
that there are circumstances that call for us to act in ways that may harm
someone. There is a reason I believe
this due to my unique experiences in life.
I also realize that we do not live in a Utopian world and that as much
as we try not to act in ways that could harm others, we may inadvertently cause
someone harm. However, there are
circumstances that call for harmful actions but it is the intent behind the
action that is important. What the
Wiccan Rede teaches us is to think and consider the other person’s humanity
before we act. If we consider their humanity
and honor their personal worth and dignity then we commit good or bad acts with
caution. Because good and bad actions
can cause other individuals harm, so we should always consider other people’s
humanity when committing any actions.
This is a good place to close this
post for today. Tomorrow I will further
the discussion and express I how implement the teachings of the Wiccan Rede in
my daily life and practices. I will also
further the discussion on how a Religion that does or does not recognize all
aspects of a person’s humanity may influence our ability to be spiritually fulfilled.
The picture on top was taken by me in Chicago, IL. I think it gives a good introduction into the idea of perspective.
By Hano Tawodi
By Hano Tawodi
Reference
Sargent, D. M., (2007). Our
Inherently Difficult First Principle. Retrieved from
http://www.uvcommons.org/uvuu/sermons/inherentlydifficultfirstprinciple.pdfUU First Principle retrieved from http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/index.shtml
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Beginning
Hi
Everyone,
In the Pagan/Wiccan community, I go by Hano or Hano Tawodi. This is the first time that I am attempting
to blog, so I apologize for the lengthy introduction. I tend to talk a lot but I think it is
important that I introduce myself to any potential readers and the reason for
starting this blog.
I have been
a practicing Pagan/Wiccan for 13 years.
However, that is only the official count from when I made the decision
to practice and distinguish myself from the religious roots of my
childhood. I am a Green Craft
Traditional Wiccan (Green Craft originates from Belgium) and a member of a
Unitarian Universalist Church. For right
now, I will leave out my particular journey leading up to and through my
spiritual and religious exploration of Paganism and Wicca. However, as this blog unfolds those stories
and connections will be told. This leads
me to the reason I am starting this blog.
Last year,
I decided after searching deep within myself and talking with friends that I
need to explore the path of religious/spiritual leadership. I have explored this idea before but never
seriously. For years, good friends have
told me to think about becoming a Chaplain, specifically in the military. During that time, I lightly thought about the
idea then shrugged off as I pursued other endeavors. This all changed in 2012 and I began to think
about this calling a little more seriously.
I started listening to the signs and messages from the Gods telling me
my next journey in life is to follow the path of religious/spiritual leader. Therefore, this blog is going to serve
several purposes.
The main
purpose of my writings is to write and talk about my journey of attending the
UU seminary. I will be discussing topics
raised by the courses I study and my spiritual/religious practices. There will be explorations into what it means
to be a UU Pagan and combining it with my Wiccan tradition. Therefore, I will be sharing experiences
related to Pagan/Wiccan rituals and practices along with sharing experiences in
the Unitarian Universalist faith.
Although I
am attending classes at the seminary currently, I am also waiting for official admittance
into the school. I am hoping to be an
official seminarian soon. In addition to
this, I am working on getting into shape so that I can become a Military
Chaplain. On a side note, it is a good
idea to pursue getting more fit and trim anyway.
I will
close for now. I hope you enjoy the picture I have included. I took this
picture outside of Phoenix, AZ about three years ago during an eight-hour
horseback ride. I will try to include a
different picture each time I write, but sometimes I might fall short of
this. Until next time, may you walk in peace.
Take care,
By Hano Tawodi
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