Here are two different translations of the final bit of Proclus' Essay 5 (K69.10-19), on the Republic. What I find interesting in the translation choices — not knowing Ancient Greek — is the word choice between sin and failing. It's also interesting how the first translation separates out the hymns for the Gods from those … Continue reading Who Is the Poet?
Month: December 2020
From Plato, There Is No Escape
Socrates did, in fact, cancel Homer first. Except not. It's complicated.
Wrapping Up 2020, Welcoming 2021
In 2020, this blog had 10,400 views and 3,636 visitors (some repeat visitors, some new, some click-and-leaves). The majority of readers reached the blog through search engines (Google, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, Bing), WordPress Reader, or Twitter, with other social media venues trailing a bit farther behind. The most viewed item overall was the homepage. Some reading … Continue reading Wrapping Up 2020, Welcoming 2021
Some Verses After Reading Proclus’ Platonic Theology 59-60 (Book IV, Chapter 20)
Even within the vacuum, physics awaits, ever-quiet — connecting-receiving stillness, infusions of illuminations, the foamy fizz of particles coming to be, ebbing to nothing — so delicate, voidless, lyrical.
Indigo, Earth, and Starry Sky
A cotton tea towel that I dyed in October 2019 at an indigo dyeing party coordinated by a colleague. A few days ago, I had a sudden thought about indigo (the pigment that is drawn from several plants, including the indigo plant and woad) while praying, and I scrambled to write several lines of verse … Continue reading Indigo, Earth, and Starry Sky
Celebrating the Return of Light
The solstice candle in question, lit and veiled in darkness. Last night, I pulled my super-fragrant solstice candle out of the bubble wrap packaging it had come in. It was a purchase on November 30, 2018, from NaturalWitchRemedies (a store on Etsy that appears to be on hiatus right now) because it looked like a … Continue reading Celebrating the Return of Light
Prayer in Under 5 Minutes
Note: This page has been superseded by an open access online book I wrote for people just getting started with honoring Gods. Please visit https://kayeofswords.github.io/soulsinnerstatues/ and view the chapters "Foundations" and "The Mechanics of Ritual." The past few weeks have been a blur of activity, from academic article-writing to running an internal conference at my … Continue reading Prayer in Under 5 Minutes
ACTS OF SPEECH on Bookshop.org
My exciting update of the day is that Bookshop.org, the indie-bookstore-friendly alternative to the monopoly store, now stocks Acts of Speech. You can acquire it here: https://bookshop.org/books/acts-of-speech/9781735740614 The paperback of Acts of Speech is available for purchase. It has been listed automatically on Amazon, but to order from another source (I highly recommend your local … Continue reading ACTS OF SPEECH on Bookshop.org
Preliminary Thoughts on Intergenerational Polytheistic Revivals
When I think about American polytheism and sustainability, two big things come to mind: (1a), the cycles of festivals and ritual in honor of the Gods; (1b), the shifting sands of what it is to live in a multicultural, multi-pantheon nation, where the boundaries between the traditions are permeable and shifting from generation to generation; … Continue reading Preliminary Thoughts on Intergenerational Polytheistic Revivals