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  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

Stake Your Own Claim (Day 356)

12/22/2019

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Image by Peter Hauschild from Pixabay

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with a friend who I’ve not spoken to in nearly twenty years. She originally reached out to me for some pagan information for her kiddo about the recent Solstice, but as it goes, we ended up talking about where she was at with some ongoing life struggles her and her family have been facing.

See, my friend, a person of high Integrity, has a hard time holding down long time work because she’s a strong, justice-oriented, opinionated person who isn't afraid to share what she sees as systemically broken in the systems within which she works. Needless to say, people in power don’t like hearing such unabridged truth, as their egos won’t allow it.

By the end of our chat, we came to the realization that she has a lifetime (literally) of insights into education and recreation systems, and that unless she “stakes her own claim” and takes matters into her own hands (aka - starting a consulting business or a not-for-profit that aims to identify and repair systemic issues within educational and recreational systems) she’ll continue to try and apply the rules by which she works to someone else’s claim… and keep getting fired. Cheapening her integrity isn’t an option. While some people want her to diminish her fire and fury to squeeze herself into a conforming box, she and I (and her immediate family) know that if she did that she wouldn’t be the person we’ve all come to love and respect over a lifetime.

She needs to stake her own claim.

Venturing out on one's own is definitely more difficult, and a lot more frightening than walking a road not your own, and parroting the thoughts and intentions of others. But, we must remember that our experiences and life lessons have their own undeniable value, not to mention a ton of their own unique Wisdom.

In closing, my friend shared with me why she models her own Integrity like she does: so her kiddo can see what Integrity looks like, and to inspire that child to be their own adamantine rock of virtue… just like their mom.

Summum Bonum - the greater good. When we live for the greatest good, we cannot compromise virtue and integrity for that life. If we do, we’d be living a lie. Doing what’s right, no matter the situation or cost, is paramount…

… and right-doing rarely happens until we can stake claim on our own inherent power, wisdom, and virtue.

May we all have the wherewithal to do what must be done before life’s end.

(See y’all tomorrow)
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What do You Have to Show for Your Years? (Day 355)

12/21/2019

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Many times an old man has no other evidence besides his age to prove he has lived a long time.”
Seneca, On Tranquillity of Mind, 3.8b

When the end of things comes, and we ask ourselves what we have to show for the years, months, days, and hours we’ve spent on life, no one wants to list off a bunch of regrets and missed opportunities.

In the spirit of the Broadway musical Rent (or the original tale behind it, Puccini’s opera, La Bohème), how do we measure the time spent living our lives?

“In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, a year in the life?

How about love?” (Rent, 1994)


At the end of things, how will we “prove” we’ve lived life to its fullest, and taken advantage of every opportunity we could? Maybe we should answer to the same tune as above…

In wisdom, and insights
With interconnected people
In meaning, in joy, in virtue through life.
Death comes to everyone, without an exception.
How will we account for our time in our life?

How about love?

(See y’all tomorrow)
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Fear the Fear of Death (Day 354)

12/20/2019

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Do you then ponder how the supreme of human evils, the surest mark of the base and cowardly, is not death, but the fear of death? I urge you to discipline yourself against such fear, direct all your thinking, exercises, and reading this way - and you will know the only path to human freedom.” 
Epictetus, Discourses, 3.26.38-39

While I’m certain Epictetus’ path to human freedom isn’t the ONLY one, he does have a point. Fear of inevitable death is the most human, AND most egoic fear we can possibly have. From gulping down pleasure to running far away from pain, we are terrified of the unknown, and death is the ultimate unknown. 

When we fear something, we experience a fantasy world (one not currently happening in the present moment) as if it were completely true. F.E.A.R - fantasy experienced as truth. 

Like Flavor Flav said, “don’t believe the hype!”

Fearing death is like fearing the sunrise: 

It’s going to happen, AND even though we have a hard time coming to grips with it, it’s occurence makes the darkness (fear) go away. Sunrise ends the darkness in the same way that death is the end of fear. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 
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Human Scale (Day 353)

12/19/2019

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Image Credit: Sam Harris

Think of the whole universe of matter and how small your share. Think about the expanse of time and how brief - almost momentary - the part marked for you. Think of the workings of fate and how infinitesimal your role.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.24

​Self-importance is 
ego’s tool for sabotage. 
Avoid it. Always. 

Self-doubt is the same.
When we think it’s about us
we’ve already lost. 

So, remember this: 
It’s only about the work.
See y’all tomorrow. 
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What Comes to Us All (Day 352)

12/18/2019

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Both Alexander the Great and his mule-keeper were both brought to the same place by death - they were either received into the all-generative reason, or scattered among the atoms.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.24

​Aside from death, are there any egalitarian experiences left? I mean, in a time when there is such passion and ferocity spent toward identity and self, the occurrences of polarizing division, perceived difference, and personal or collective elitism seem more like the norm instead of the exception to the rule. Collectively, we seem to yearn to be different and special and unique… 

… which we are. And yet, who gives a shit? 

All the things that make each of us special, and unique, and different amount to nothing at the end of life. We all have the same end to our story. Death: the state in which no one is better or worse. Remembering this helps to keep one on the middle road, the path of equanimity, neither falling into the ego trap of feeling superior because of one’s uniqueness, or consequently,  feeling inferior because of it. 

Again, we all have the same end to our story. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 
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Know Thyself - Before It's Too Late (Day 351)

12/17/2019

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Death lies heavy upon one
who, known exceedingly well by all, 
dies unknown to himself.”
Seneca, Thyestes, 400

Many pagan and polytheist folx aim to live by an ethos of excellence, and while that looks good on paper, what often times ends up happening is they live as a caricature of themselves… a being to be remembered when they’re dead as a character in a grand story, but while they’re still alive in this time and place, sadly don’t know themselves in a philosophical way. A rare few would be able to answer the following questions without either making it a joke, playing semantics, or replying with some canned, theatrical, rehearsed answer: 

Who am I? What is important to me? What do I like? What do I need?

Why does this characterization-of-spirit happen? Heck, I don’t know. Who can say for sure? While I can’t say for sure, I’ve worked in-the-field (as it were) for some time, and have, as a result of that time spent and work completed, gained a particular perspective into the lives of pagan folx, myself definitely included. That being said, I believe that the farther a pagan person gets away from the present moment by putting their spirit and religious-self in a time that’s not now and a place that’s not here, while at the same time supporting a strong dichotomous relationship between their pagan life and their non-pagan life, the more dangerous the ground upon which they build their spiritual life becomes. Being oneself would feel like putting on a play, production, or taking on a character. It’s all an act. It’s not real. Living that way is out of touch with reality. It’s not really who we are, and this whole production is being performed… why, again? (#ego) Consequently, the same is true if one is “pretending” to be someone else in the secular world and being their “real self” in pagan spaces. 

Is this a “problem” unique to paganism? Unlikely, but I don’t believe I’m qualified to speak for the entire human species with regard to how and why we behave how we do. However, I do believe I’m in a position to see “into” a large cross-section of the pagan community. It’s from that place that I can say: while perhaps not unique to paganism, it’s a “problem” we can frame through our pagan experience. 

I’m left asking myself, how do we stop this whole characterization-of-spirit in the first place? How do we not engage in the process as a whole, avoiding ego’s pitfalls and worse yet, an ignorance of self? By consciously engaging in self-exploration with diligence and zeal… that’s how. By committing to oneself to not make excuses when it comes to understanding one’s own body and mind… and being REAL about it… that’s how. 

That’s it. Just that. 

We just have to choose to do it without bullshitting ourselves, or thinking that what matters in the right-now has anything to do with what happened in wherever-the-hell-else over two-thousand years ago. 

But hey, I guess if one needs to believe that a divine being in a far off time and place caused one to do good in the world in the present moment, that’s totally cool, too. As long as there’s good getting done in the here-and-now then maybe, just maybe it’s getting done because people come to know themselves in different ways other than my own martial-informed way. 

Remember, at the end of it all, our “story” is just that… a fucking story. Remember, what LOVES stories, especially ones about itself… the enemy: ego. 

Know what matters. Know thyself. YOU matter. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 
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Everlasting Good Health (Day 350)

12/16/2019

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Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

I tell you, you only have to learn to live like the healthy person does… living with complete confidence. What confidence? The only one worth holding, in what is trustworthy, unhindered, and can’t be taken away - your own reasoned choice.”
Epictetus, Discourses, 3.26.23b-24

Trusting and having faith in what we can’t control is bad business, and we’ve learned over the course of the last year that the one thing over which we DO have control is our own decision-making, choice-making mind. It’s the best tool we have in our life-toolbox, and the best thing about it is this: it’ll never fail. It only fails with user-error, misuse, or when we don't take it out of the toolbox at all. 

No matter our circumstances, illnesses and ailments, or whatnot, we all have the opportunity to practice “good health” by remembering what remains in our control and focusing on that thing.

​Caveat: Abandon or ignore the practice at our own risk. 

(See y’all tomorrow)
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A Simple Way to Measure Our Days (Day 349)

12/15/2019

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This is the mark of perfection of character - to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.69

Perfection is impossible, as is sagacious enlightenment, but we hold “perfection” and “sagacity” and “enlightenment” as ideals for which we’re constantly aiming. However, even though they were unattainable, the ancient Stoics continued to pursue these impossible states of consciousness, these idealistic goals. Why?

Because today could be their last, and if they were “caught” not trying in each moment to be their best, they’d believe they’ve failed at life.

525,600 minutes. That’s a lot of opportunity to practice Memento Mori each year. That’s a lot of opportunity to measure our lives.

How are we measuring our days?

​(See y’all tomorrow)

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What We Should Know by The End (Day 348)

12/14/2019

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When the end of his life drew nearer with each passing day, and illnesses coursed through his body, wise Marcus Aurelius was writing the majority of what we now know as his Meditations. In fact, it’s very likely that he was sure that death would be coming for him at any moment, and because of that, in a sense, he lived scared.

Even though he’d done much in his life, he was still the victim of his own emotions and the direct influence on his pain, thoughts, fears, and frustrations. In the little time he had left, he engaged in “the work” and fought, even then, to conquer his ego and discipline his spirit through practice.

I guess one his greatest lessons to the modern Stoic is this: until you’re dead, keep becoming better. When we live in this way, we enjoy the fruits of good character earlier in life, and ultimately, can be free from lacking gratitude, weak integrity, and an undisciplined mind.

(See y’all tomorrow)
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It's Just a Number (Day 347)

12/13/2019

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I find it amusing that the post titled “It’s Just a Number” falls on a Friday the 13th. The number thirteen even has its own specific fear: triskaidekaphobia. Heck, in reading a bit before writing this post I found out that those who are worried about this particular Friday may be suffering from Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia: a fear of Friday the 13th. 

Really, it’s amazing (to me, someone who doesn’t have the above listed phobias) that a number could cause such fear within a person… 

… but we’ve seen how the numbers of one’s age can cause their own unique form of anxiety. 

I’m not talking about gerontophobia, but the fear the the numerical age we are (or that someone else is) isn’t enough, or that it’s too much. If there weren’t an actual fear of numerical age, then why do people lie about being younger, or older than they are? We fear we’ll be judged harshly because of our age, or that we won’t get access to whatever social thing wherein we want to be. 

But then again, maybe this does have to do with gerontophobia, after all. If we weren’t afraid of aging and fading in power why would there be a complex, multi-billion dollar industry meant to extend the expiration date of a human being?

Other than being able to have legal access to certain things (tobacco, alcohol, adult-themed events, etc.), or creating boundaries for the sanctity of youth and preservation of innocence (consent ages, etc.)... age doesn’t matter. Again, aside from the aforementioned bits, age is just a number. 

When it comes down to it, it’s about what we do with the time we have. Every day. Every breath. Every moment. When we focus on numerical age, we’re missing out on those moments. 

Seneca said, “Life is long if you know how to use it.” 

Live wisely. 

(See y’all tomorrow)
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    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

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