On Friday, the English translation of poet Tuệ Sỹ's Dreaming the Mountain came in. As per usual, I opened up to a random page. In those moments, just after arriving home and greeting the cats, I read: I live in a sky of boundless spaceA Zen landscape of nothingnessNo things, no people, no busyness,Just flowers … Continue reading Dried Roses, Now Soot
Tag: modern practice
Welcoming Cats
In my last update, I disclosed that I have adopted two cats. Their names are Ever and Koiya (although my mom will probably call Koiya "Chloe" — that's OK). The names are both shortened versions of their shelter names. It took me a while to think of what to call the amber-eyed one because she … Continue reading Welcoming Cats
Scaffolding Platonic Theurgic Practice: A Primer
When embarking on an undertaking of getting to know Platonism and its commentary tradition, and especially when one is determined to deeply engage in it as one’s primary spiritual path, it can seem like a lot. “Writing is a sea / its reeds are a shore,” as Thoth says in the Conversations in the House of Life scribal initiation text. It takes courage, conviction, and good sense to penetrate into those waters and learn how to swim in them.
We Must Unmake to Make Again
At my shrine a few days ago, I asked Apollon what to do because I was feeling angry, frustrated, and without direction. I had been listening to Thenmozhi Soundararajan's The Trauma of Caste (I finished it; go read the review here, and do read/listen to the book if you can; I also made a few … Continue reading We Must Unmake to Make Again
Prayers and Spiritual Practices: What I Currently Do
This post describes my current spiritual practice and the cyclical routines I’m cultivating in my life. I had the idea of sharing this a few weeks ago, but several conversations recently (and also reading someone else's post about their current practice) prompted me to sit down and write this up. As I mention in The … Continue reading Prayers and Spiritual Practices: What I Currently Do
Print version of THE SOUL’S INNER STATUES
The print version of The Soul’s Inner Statues is now available for purchase. As a reminder, the ebook is freely available online: PDF, mobi, epub, and HTML. The HTML page uses the gitbook package because it allows for customization of contrast and fonts for reading accessibility — it's all in the top menu options. The … Continue reading Print version of THE SOUL’S INNER STATUES
Remember, Proclus’ Birthday Is On 8 February
Proclus was born in 412 CE on 8 February. We have his birth chart (amazingly), so he's one of the few ancient Platonists whom we can honor on a birthday. I am posting this a few days early so that anyone who might want to honor him has the heads up and can think about … Continue reading Remember, Proclus’ Birthday Is On 8 February
Nine Evenings of Praying to Nantosuelta
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
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