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Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

The Smoke and Dust of Myth (Day 56)

2/25/2019

 
Picture
Image Credit: Pixabay

I’m not gonna lie and say I wasn’t looking forward to this post. It took a boatload of self-control to not read ahead after I saw the title a few days ago. 

But, we’ve made it. Here we are. 

Myth. This is stuff I know about… kinda. 

*reads today’s entry in the book*

Shit. That wasn’t about “myth” at all. It was more about… hmmm… legacy? The illusion of legacy? Yeah… that sounds right. The illusion of legacy.

We polytheist folx have an obsession with “doing things that will be remembered”, things that our children will tell the tales of for generations, deeds so great, or meaningful, that we will live on in memory into the ages. 

Time, like Gollum’s riddle, will ultimately get us in the end, and there’s no escaping it. 

Is it possible to live fully in the here-and-now when a big part of our consciousness is dedicated to becoming a character of legend? I argue, no… and I’m sure if my answer doesn’t suit your egoic needs, dear reader, there are DOZENS of other pagan and polytheist folx who will happily support your pet theory. 

Keep a list before your mind of those who burned with anger and resentment about something, of even the most renowned for success, misfortune, evil deeds, or any special distinction. Then ask yourself, how did that work out?
Smoke and dust, the stuff of simple myth trying to be legend…”

(Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 12.27)

​I believe, what Marcus is getting on about is this: we’re definitely going to be forgotten, and if we’re shitty people while we’re here that it’s not our “legacy” we’re negatively affecting... 

… it’s our here-and-now. 

(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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