Last Friday, I started a novena for the first time. I had heard of them being done in contemporary polytheistic practice as a way of bracketing periods of increased devotion for specific Gods, and I had seen this mostly done by polytheists who were formerly Catholic. I have no connection to that frame of mind. … Continue reading Nine Evenings of Praying to Nantosuelta
In Which I Do Something Platonic to Me Not You’s “Kill the Noise” Lyrics
In my Discover Weekly playlist, a piece by an artist called Me Not You was introduced to me. And Plotinus’ On Beauty has been on my mind because I was part of a private group discussion about it recently. So, my mind was primed when I started listening to this, Muses help me. My laundry … Continue reading In Which I Do Something Platonic to Me Not You’s “Kill the Noise” Lyrics
Five Points About Polytheism
In 1931, librarian Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan proposed a set of five laws of library science that are still in use today. I was reflecting on these earlier today while thinking about the ethical difficulties of reader's advisory and collection development (when there is a conflict between the materials you wish people were asking for and … Continue reading Five Points About Polytheism
What to Expect on KALLISTI in 2023
Over the past few months, I’ve been rereading Simplicius’ commentary on Epictetus, and it has given me ample things to be reflective about as I welcome the new year. In particular, over the past week or so, I've been thinking a lot about what Simplicius says about philotimia. The word is usually translated as "love … Continue reading What to Expect on KALLISTI in 2023
Happy New Year!
🎉 Let's begin with a small annual divination I did with the intention of putting it up here. The question was, "What three practices can anchor us in the Gods more fully this year?" and I want to show you what the answer was. The three cards on the table. The cards were Get Curious, … Continue reading Happy New Year!
Matter Is Not Evil
From Proclus, On Evils, §31.5-14, trans. Opsomer and Steel, with images. If matter is evil, we must choose between two alternatives: either to make the Good the cause of evil or to posit two principles of beings. For, indeed, everything that exists in any way whatever must either be a principle of complete beings or … Continue reading Matter Is Not Evil
December 2022: End-of-Year Review
December began when I was walking home from work in the pitch dark and looked up at the moon. Much to my shock and delight, the Moon and Jupiter were together. I couldn't capture them adequately with my phone, but here you go: What lovely brightness. In December, I was only in the office for … Continue reading December 2022: End-of-Year Review
Soul’s Inner Statues: Major Update
My main December personal project was preparing the Soul's Inner Statues for an at-cost print-on-demand version, and I wanted to make sure the text and formatting were in good shape for that. This goal, thank Apollon and Aletheia, has been achieved. Here, again, is a link to the project: https://kayeofswords.github.io/soulsinnerstatues This second stage has been … Continue reading Soul’s Inner Statues: Major Update
2022 Winter Solstice Reflections, Annual Goals, and Household Rites
Yesterday, at sunset (4:25 PM), I gave offerings to Helios, Sunna, Sulis, and Belesama — frankincense and Grüvi nonalcoholic wine. I welcomed the household Gods, read Fragment 1 by Parmenides, and read prayers to the Sun Goddesses from A Year of Pagan Prayer before turning to a prayer that I composed for Belesama and Proclus' … Continue reading 2022 Winter Solstice Reflections, Annual Goals, and Household Rites