Solitarianism;>.......
Jul. 14th, 2018 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersThe best and worst thing about being Solitary is the same thing; that there is no one "guiding" you. Though unless you happen to be of-the-grid AND in a dead zone chances are you're not really alone. Not like even back in the 1200 baud and BBS days;>. The 1st time I was Solitary was in the mid 80's and in a conservative area. Now THAT was Solitary;>!
One of the things you notice after a while being S is that you begin to realize how much your Practice is about others, not YOU. This is both Good and Bad. It's Good to be part of something greater and to help others. It's Bad when your decisions are more about Pleasing(or at least not Pissing off) others.
One of the biggest negatives is it become very easy to let things slide. 'Course, some had no problem doing that within a group. This is where Goals, Plans and just plain Resolutions come in.
I think the biggest problem comes when you realize that the Rites you've been taught don't work that well with one person.Here is where previous experience helps. You Know how it SHOULD Feel and can "putter" with the format knowing that when it doesn't, you've cut something IMPORTANT. This IMO is why few newbies stay in their alt.rel Way unless they find a group. They'll either keep "juggling" and spend all their Energy just to get the Rite completed or they cut it to a "comfy" size that satisfies NO ONE.
Being Solitary will ALWAYS have effects on your Practice. In the last almost 2 decades S I've gone from Folkish Asatru to something I figure is more like the Fisher or Herdsfolk did; Honoring the Greater and Lesser Wights generally with Toasting. Sort of like an informal Sumbel. I found myself putting Holy Days off because unless they were marked clearly on a calendar, I forgot them. It also doesn't help that the Heathen High Days (with the exception of Yule) can easily be confused to date and even month;>. That's why a couple of yrs ago I went back to the old AFA Wheel model. Still, most didn't fit with either my location or life. I believe that's why I've been getting re-interested in the Wiccan Wheel which pretty much "maps" to my local biome. Normally, I'd wait till the New Yr to start a new project but after Chuck's Stroke, I'm reminded how little time we all may have left. So I'm going to start with Lammas. Here it coincides with fresh Corn Harvest and I'm going to TRY to incorporate Honoring Maize as well as the European grains. I figure I didn't have problems with the Horned Snakes till after a week of Offerings to the Native Wights. I figure a yrly Honoring of the Corn Spirit shouldn't cause concerns. We'll know in a couple weeks then;>….
Cheers,
Pat
One of the things you notice after a while being S is that you begin to realize how much your Practice is about others, not YOU. This is both Good and Bad. It's Good to be part of something greater and to help others. It's Bad when your decisions are more about Pleasing(or at least not Pissing off) others.
One of the biggest negatives is it become very easy to let things slide. 'Course, some had no problem doing that within a group. This is where Goals, Plans and just plain Resolutions come in.
I think the biggest problem comes when you realize that the Rites you've been taught don't work that well with one person.Here is where previous experience helps. You Know how it SHOULD Feel and can "putter" with the format knowing that when it doesn't, you've cut something IMPORTANT. This IMO is why few newbies stay in their alt.rel Way unless they find a group. They'll either keep "juggling" and spend all their Energy just to get the Rite completed or they cut it to a "comfy" size that satisfies NO ONE.
Being Solitary will ALWAYS have effects on your Practice. In the last almost 2 decades S I've gone from Folkish Asatru to something I figure is more like the Fisher or Herdsfolk did; Honoring the Greater and Lesser Wights generally with Toasting. Sort of like an informal Sumbel. I found myself putting Holy Days off because unless they were marked clearly on a calendar, I forgot them. It also doesn't help that the Heathen High Days (with the exception of Yule) can easily be confused to date and even month;>. That's why a couple of yrs ago I went back to the old AFA Wheel model. Still, most didn't fit with either my location or life. I believe that's why I've been getting re-interested in the Wiccan Wheel which pretty much "maps" to my local biome. Normally, I'd wait till the New Yr to start a new project but after Chuck's Stroke, I'm reminded how little time we all may have left. So I'm going to start with Lammas. Here it coincides with fresh Corn Harvest and I'm going to TRY to incorporate Honoring Maize as well as the European grains. I figure I didn't have problems with the Horned Snakes till after a week of Offerings to the Native Wights. I figure a yrly Honoring of the Corn Spirit shouldn't cause concerns. We'll know in a couple weeks then;>….
Cheers,
Pat
