Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Challenge

Blessings, Darlings!

This post is for my Pagan readers.  Foodies, preppers, and snark-addicts - read it if you want, but the challenge is not for you!

Modern technology has made information virtually free.  You're reading this via the internet in some form.  You can get this from a terminal at your local library for free.  While there, you can pick up books on neo-paganism, or witchcraft, or herbalism, or astrology, or whatever - for free.  Most of you are accessing this in the convenience of your home.

Many of us spend our time accumulating not just things, but information.  Can we ever get enough of either?  Yes.  In fact, most of us here online have TOO MUCH of both.

So....

Stop the accumulation of "Pagan information".  Use - WORK THROUGH - what you already have, at least until Lughnasadh, preferably until next Imbolc.  No new books until you're read and done all the exercises in the ones you've already got.  No downloading new rituals to try out.  No new tarot spreads until you've mastered the decks and spreads you already have information on.  Do every meditation/visualization you already have in your possession. Master every tarot deck. Become intimate with the Nature Spirit of every herb/spice/resin you work with before getting more information on how to make potions or incenses.

Use, rather than consume/amass/hoard.

If that means not reading my blog, I'll understand, altho' I post rather less on Pagan/magic/worship/Gods/power than I'd like to be, and I always think I'm rather light on adding to the information overload in general.  Still, if you have to decide whether to read a blog or work a book you own - read the book, not me!

Work it.  Internalize it. There is no 'Wicca 400' level books/blogs - there is introduction and then the working, the making your path manifest in the challenges of life.

Frondly, Fern

Vaguely related links:  Altars, an Alternative View

7 comments:

  1. I accept your challenge! But I'll still read your blog, because I like it. Besides, most of your magickal stuff seems to be more about application, and less about actual ritual, etc. That's one thing that typically is left out of the books.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great!

    OTOH, starting tomorrow I kick the monitization of the blog up a notch. But I expect that only my non-pagan readers (if ANYONE) will buy anything thru' the blog. It's not like this is Big Business!

    ReplyDelete
  3. well, that's easy. i already quit buying how-to books (i will not stop buying source material!), i have been lax in ritual but need to step it up using rituals i already like, and i only have a couple of tarot decks that i haven't mastered and am not looking for any more.
    :) khairete
    suz

    ReplyDelete
  4. I accept! I'm looking forward to reading my bookshelf full of half-read and never-opened books! I've gathered a ton of info from the interwebs for over a year now. It's going to be tough to break that habit... But here I go! =)

    -MrsDPC

    ReplyDelete
  5. Definitely a challenge I need to accept! You'd think after 20+ years of collecting books I'd be sort of knowledgeable by now, but I still feel like a beginner. I have way too many unread books, its as if i think just buying them will be enough and I'll magically absorb the info. High time to start going through the exercises.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I accept the challenge! The books I ordered last week don't count against me though :)

    There are quite a few books on my shelves that I've never managed to finish. Some I left because I didn't like the material or the author's view, but even these should have been worked through since you don't have to agree to learn.

    Thanks for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great plan!
    Made that pledge about 30 years ago. I'm from traditional witch family, so the 'new age' caught up with us...

    Work mainly in bindings. With black widow webs. And, yes, I keep a journal on the 'projects'.

    Onward!

    ReplyDelete