Quizzes

Feb. 16th, 2014 04:50 pm
I know I haven't posted here in some time, my focus has shifted over to [livejournal.com profile] sorgae_tarot. But, my High Priestess devised a Directional quiz some time ago and recently fixed it so it functions again. Both Cervus and I took it today.

Satya (who could die of Not Surprise) )

Cervus (with thoughts) )
Many Pagan systems divide the year into two halves. Some call it Light and Dark, or Winter and Summer. Some use the story of the Oak and Holly Kings, others say one half is for Goddess and the other for God. Sorgae also divides the year, into the Spiritual and Material.

The first four Sabeot/ds (B/Pelatin, Ardunakh, Lamasu, and Vestraven) make up the Spiritual half. From my understanding, this can be compared to the "planning stage" of a project, from the first inkling of an idea to a fully formed and detailed plan. If I plot them with the Directions, this is what I see:

B/Pelatin - Northeast - potential, anything is possible
Ardunahk - East - pure knowledge, the idea, transition into energy
Lamasu - Southeast - decision, the moment things come together
Vestraven - South - Will, commitment to the plan and path before us

The next four Sabeot/ds (Soven, Salanakh, Vol'ka, and Ostraven), make up the Material side of the year, when the plan is put into effect. So my Directional interpretation continues:

Soven - Southwest - risk, taking that first step, intial action
Salanakh - West - daring to act, making it happen, trasition to physical
Vol'ka - Northwest - quickening, actions breathing life into the idea
Ostraven - North - solidification, manifestation, completion, results

Unlike Wicca and other Pagan paths, the Sorgae year is not centered around a Deity's life journey. Instead it focuses on renewal of the Wasteland*, our term for the state of the spiritual landscape at the turning point of each year. In my mind I compare it to farmland; just after the snow melts, the land seems barren, dead, an expanse of nothingness. But beneath the surface, there are nutrients, bacteria, enzymes, evem insects. There is life. So it is the duty, responsibility, and privilege of the farmer to prepare the land, seed it, tend it, and harvest the crops.

As Sorgae Witches, I feel we share that duty, responsibility, and privilege, but our preparation, seeding, tending, and harvest occurs through our ritual work. Each year, our Coven performs divination to determine our role, our goal, what "crops" we will raise that year, both for the individual members and the Coven as a whole.

[*Note: However, this does still reflect the idea of the Sacred King myth, that the King must die for the sake of the Land, for He IS the Land. In Sorgae, we seem to "cut out the middle man," in a sense, and work with the Land directly, instead of with a surrogate.]
satya_firestone: (Hekate)
Click images to enlarge.



Northwest Goddess – Hekate (heh-KAH-tay) –She deals with the mechanics of magick and spellwork. Hers is the physical craft of the Art Magickal.  She is far older than and became the Celtic/Greco Hecate.

This Goddess is sometimes thought of as a Queen of the Witches because of Her associations with Magick. She is also associated with Crossroads and hounds.



Hermes is the new South God. Not much at all is known about His relationship and function in Sorgae yet, as His inclusion in the pantheon has just begun. So In an effort to gain insight, I turned to Astrology, researching the planet Mercury (Hermes' Roman name), the Zodiac sign of Aquarius (since this is the Aquarian Age), and what Mercury in Aquarius means.

Read more... )
satya_firestone: (Goh'len)
Click the images to enlarge them.



I am the majesty that is thine
I am that which is greater than all things
I am that which runs beyond the secret seas
Thus is how my entry must begin


High Goddess – Ghiana (guy-AH-nah) - She is the ‘over-arching’ Goddess. We associate Her with the old primordial Goddesses such as Ki (Sumerian) and Gaia (Greek).

But Ghiana is more than simply our Earth. She is one half of the First Division, the counterpart to Iove. She is the Life that springs forth, the growing, the result of the Will of Creation. She represents Time, Silence, Knowledge, and Bounty.



Southeast Goddess - Gwenhevar (GWEN-heh-vahr) – She is the “White Raven,” the “White Hind,” the “White Swan,” (though She is "burnt black for love of [us]," for nothing can blaze bright white without scorching). She is the guide between Faerie and our world, the gentle teacher of the True Quest. Her Elemental association is the Spark, where Air leads to Fire, the initial idea that leads to Will and drive and action.

Mythologically, we associate Gwenhevar with the Aruthurian Guinevere (though the original Welsh spelling of her name is "Gwenhwyfar," and means essentially "white enchantress"). It is thought by many that Guinevere betrayed her king-husband by having an affair with his knight, Lancelot. However, it is only because of this seeming "betrayal" that Arthur is able to realize potential and claim his full power as the Sacred King. In this way, Guinevere is a very similar figure to another Welsh Goddess, Blodeuwedd. There are also stories of Guinevere being abducted, which relates her to another descent Goddess, Persephone. In these ways do we name our Gwenhevar as a teacher and revealer of Divine Truth, who does so through the power of Her Love.



Northwest God – Goh’len (goh-[glottal stop]-lehn) - The God in the Northwest is represented by a golem or humniculum, the idea of a form that has yet to have life breathed into it. He represents the inherent ‘aliveness’ that is in all things, even inanimate things, the ‘life’ that exists in the realm of the Dead. (See also the old definition of fiction.) His Element is Clay, the combination of Water and Earth, which represents the Form that Magick can and will take.

It is no accident or mistake that His name is similar to the Hebrew word "golem," for a golem was a clay statue created by a magician, which would be brought to life through Magick (often using a specific word or phrase, writing it either on the golem's forehead, or on a slip a paper put in its mouth). Early in the Biblical book of Genesis, in fact, Adam was called a golem, because he was at first a "body without a soul." This is in fact the only Biblical use of the word "golem." It seems significant that, under this Abrahamic Tradition's definition, the creation of world's first human paved the way for other humans to learn the art of Magickal life-giving, and so have a portion of the power enjoyed by this Tradition's God. Especially when we consider that it was in fact gaining this Knowledge that led to man's downfall later in the same creation story; the fruit that Adam and Eve ate, was from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, sacred Knowledge that their God said belonged only to Him, and so, because they now knew what He did, He cast them out. And yet, Adam was made from this power, and his "descendents" have since learned to give a soul to their own creations, both figuratively, and literally. Goh'len is our tie to that power and ability, the manifestation of our works, the Divine thread in our Magick.

Elements

Mar. 1st, 2013 08:33 am
satya_firestone: (Crossroads Witch)
Below the cut is the piece my High Priestess wrote about the Directions, Elements, and Powers recognized in Sorgae 'Craft. I'm posting her piece instead of writing my own here, because this already covers very clearly and concisely what I would have struggled to say.

Quarters and Crossquarters )

For my own contribution/amusement, I found pictures to represent the Elements, and also created an easy reference chart:

Pictures and Chart )

Directions

Feb. 22nd, 2013 12:52 am
"Most Pagan systems acknowledge the importance of the cardinal directions, North, East, South and West. The Sorgae system adds the midpoints between the directions; Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest."

The above is quoted from a piece my High Priestess wrote about the Directions, and their associated Elements and Powers in Sorgae 'Craft. I plan to include that in next week's post dedicated to the Elements, as it is a very cohesive thing. So instead of editing and abridging the piece, I'm going to talk about "assigned" Directions.

Just as Sorgae Deities are associated with specific Directions, so are Sorgae Witches. Thus far, this has happened in ritual via Channeling. That is, Deity has informed us of our Directional associations.

All Sorgae Witches are automatically associated with the South, as it is the Direction of Will, and we are the vehicles for the Gods' Will on this plane. Each Witch is also associated with the Direction that corresponds to their Western Astrological Sun sign. In my case, that puts me West, since I am a Scorpio, which is a Water sign, and Water is in the West (again, more on the Elements next week).

However, I have also been told that I am "of the West and North," which indicates the arc from West itoi North, and therefore includes Northwest. So, to sum up, I am South, double West, North, and Northwest. Some Witches, however, are only given one Direction from Deity, not three as I was.

So when I say that a God or Goddess is "mine," I mean that They are associated with one of those three Directions (for reference, They are Kur and Ariadne in the West, Goh'len and Hekate in the Northwest, and Ianos and Arduina in the North). Though perhaps it is more accurate to say I am Theirs, as I do feel very much Owned by and Devoted to Them.

Otherwise, I am not entirely clear on what function these "assignments" serve yet. Perhaps it will mean I am most adept at Channeling those Goddesses, and understanding the messages of those Gods. Or that the Powers of those Directions are best made manifest through me.

As a fun sort of joke, my High Priestess recently bought me this shirt, part of the product line for the upcoming movie, "Oz, the Great and Powerful."

Click the image for full view )

A final thought; I felt a personal pang of disappointment when I was not assigned Southeast, as I felt (and still feel) a deep connection with Atamenoch in that Direction. However, His Priestess (the South Goddess, Salonshai) asked me directly to keep a place for Him in my heart, and I've since realized that my placement in Northwest sets me up to look towards Him across the Circle. And I plan to, with all the love and adoration I can muster.

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