Sunday, 7 October 2018

I missed Mass today

I’m skipping church today. I missed mass today, I know it’s not a good thing to do. The Eucharist, the holy sacrament, the Mass is the central part of faith and worship the mystic unity between God and humanity, heaven and earth with all the saints prophets and angels and ancestors. I love the Mass, so why am I not going today? 

For me there is such a thing as too much church, too much obligation and a very real sense of religious and spiritual burnout. I didn’t go today because I didn’t want to sing in the choir this morning I didn’t want to pretend that I’m good at singing in a tired and drained state.  I didn’t want to put on the happy grin of Christian fellowship and communion. I didn’t want the annoying small talk and the sensation of not being heard or listened to or that I’m annoying. I know I’m annoying I ask odd questions that on one thinks of. 

I love Christ, even as a spiritual eclectic and syncretic and a warlock witch, I love Christ and his church and sacraments I love the catholic faith in all its diversity. Sometimes it is best to come away from the community for a time. To commune with God and heaven in solitude and with the holy scripture of creation. To partake and receive Christ in the sacrament of silence, solitude and rest. To go to Christ in the wilderness of simple mundane life before kneeling before his holy and real presence at is glorious altar. 

I didn’t go to mass today. 

Thursday, 4 October 2018

A short rant

One of the many mystic, religious and spiritual traditions I follow and practice to some extent is Witchcraft and my path or tradition is a blended one shaped by many religious and mystic occult idea and concepts. Not going to sugar coat it, I’m a book learned witch (warlock is also a label I like!) I haven’t been part of some powerful initiation through some so called ancient tradition or order, I don’t have a long family heritage of mystic or witchcraft practice. I started my journey as a curious teenager buying books experimenting and learning on my own. My choice mostly. 

From this learning journey I’ve come to the view that witchcraft is definitely not a religion and it’s certainly not “the old religion” as some claim. I reject crypto paganism ideas I reject the witch cult underground servival ideas and I reject any notion that the witch trials involved the execution of any one remotely practicing witchcraft or that it was some sort of religious persecution. I reject conspiracy theories and concepts of a universal pagan witchcraft religion. I reject the historic claims of Wicca but don’t reject it entirely as a modern branch of Witchcraft and/or a type of Mystery tradition. This is something that has taken along time to accept. At least from what I know of Wicca as a tradition outside of initiation and through books. I reject the constant anti Christian and anti Abrahamic religion conspiracies and retric.

While my path and personal practice has been shaped by Wicca and these ideas, it’s easy to see, when reading actual reliable history, that it doesn’t fit and appears completely made up and contrived. Now I’m not completely against Wicca I started with Wiccan ideas and rituals and I have a fondness for some ritual structure of that tradition. But I’m definitely not Wiccan. 

If I’m truly honest I don’t really know what I am or what my path is. Hedge Witch or Warlock are terms I like but they are loaded with baggage. I guess I’m some sort of syncretic, Anglo-Catholic Christian mystic that has a personal blended tradition shaped by folklore, folk magic and folk religion with elements of Occult esoteric ideas, modern witchcraft, neopaganisn and animist spirituality. 




Saturday, 22 July 2017

blessed sacrament and Anglican prayer beads


Chaplet of the blessed sacrament with Anglican prayer beads to be said in adoration of the blessed sacrament in meditation on the body and blood of Christ 

Cross 
+ in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit Amen 
Apostle creed 
Initiatory bead
Our Father 
Hail Mary 
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world with out end Amen.
Cruciform beads 
Angus dei
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Week beads 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament have mercy on us! 
At end of each week say:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world with out end Amen.

At end of four weeks on the first cruciform bead or on holy medals say:

Oh sacrament most holy oh sacrament divine all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. 
Cross 
+ in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit Amen 
Heavenly Father 
We thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of you son our saviour Jesus Christ, through him we offer our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice, send us out in the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory 
Amen 

blessed sacrament and Anglican prayer beads

Chaplet of the blessed sacrament with Anglican prayer beads to be said when unable to receive communion, in meditation on the body and blood of Christ 

Cross 
+ in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit Amen 
Apostle creed 
Initiatory bead
Our Father 
Hail Mary 
O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world with out end Amen.
Cruciform beads 
As I cannot now receive Thee, my Jesus, in Holy Communion, come, spiritually into my heart, and make it Thine own forever.
Week beads 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament have mercy on us! 
At end of each week bead say:
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world with out end Amen.

At end of four weeks on the first cruciform bead or on holy medals say:

Angus dei
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Oh sacrament most holy oh sacrament divine all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine. 
Cross 
+ in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit Amen 
Heavenly Father 
We thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of you son our saviour Jesus Christ, through him we offer our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice, send us out in the power of your spirit to live and work to your praise and glory 
Amen

blessed sacrament chaplet and Anglican prayer beads


Beads of The Blessed Sacrament, Chaplet Prayer

Blessed Sacrament Beads
Blessed Sacrament Fathers
These consist of a medal of the Blessed Sacrament and 33 beads, recalling the 33 years of Christ's life on earth.
On the medal one makes a spiritual communion as follows:
As I cannot now receive Thee, my Jesus, in Holy Communion, come, spiritually into my heart, and make it Thine own forever.
On each bead say:
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament have mercy on us!


Anglican prayer beads 

Anglican prayer bead sets consist of thirty-three beads divided into groups. There are four groups consisting of seven beads with additional separate and larger beads separating the groups. The number thirty-three signifies the number of years that Christ lived on the Earth, while the number seven signifies wholeness or completion in the faith, the days of creation, and the seasons of the Church year.[4]  The groupings are called "weeks", in contrast to the Dominican rosary which uses five groups of ten beads called "decades". The beads between are usually larger than the "weeks" beads are called "cruciform" beads. When the loop of beads is opened into a circular shape, these particular beads form the points of a cross within the circle of the set, hence the term "cruciform". Next after the cross on Anglican prayer bead sets is a single bead termed the "invitatory" bead, giving the total of thirty-three. The beads used are made of a variety of materials, such as precious stones, wood, coloured glass, or even dried and painted seeds.
Anglican prayer bead sets are made with a variety of crosses or, occasionally, crucifixes. The Celtic cross and the San Damiano cross are two which are often used.

Unlike the Dominican rosary used by Roman and Anglo Catholics, which focuses on the germane events in the life of Christ and asks the Virgin Mary to pray for their intentions, Anglican prayer beads are most often used as a tactile aid to prayer and as a counting device. The standard Anglican set consists of the following pattern, starting with the cross, followed by the Invitatory Bead, and subsequently, the first Cruciformbead, moving to the right, through the first set of seven beads to the next Cruciform bead, continuing around the circle. He or she may conclude by saying the Lord's Prayer on the invitatory bead and/or a final prayer on the cross as in the examples below. The entire circle may be done thrice, which signifies the Holy Trinity.[4]
  • The Cross
 In the Name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.


  • The Invitatory
 O God make speed to save me (us),
O Lord make haste to help me (us),
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.


  • The Cruciforms
 Holy God,
 Holy and Mighty,
 Holy Immortal One,
 Have mercy upon me (us).

 The Weeks
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
 Have mercy on me, a sinner.

  
  • The Lord's Prayer
 Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
 thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
 on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our trespasses,
 as we forgive those who trespass against us.
 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
 For thine is the kingdom,
 and the power, and the glory,
 for ever and ever. Amen.


  • The Cross 
I bless the Lord.
(Let us bless the Lord
Thanks be to God.)[5] (Wikipedia)

It would be interesting to merge the chaplet of the blessed sacrament with the pattern of the Anglican prayer beads, as there are similarities. And to include the blessed mother in the prayer. 


Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Love for all on ST Valentine's day

So I have been reading and following recently the issues surrounding the place of human sexuality and marriage within the Church of England. As there is a lot out there that is either negative to the Church's stance on the issue or to those who believe otherwise or in favour of the church allowing same sex marriage I want to share my thoughts a short prayer I wrote to St Valentine.

According to tradition St Valentine was a Bishop in ancient Rome who secretly married couples when the emperor at the time out lawed marriage, St Valentine was someone who fought for the sacrament of marriage and for those lovers to be aloud to have a sacred union and to celebrate there love. Now obviously I don’t for one moment think St Valentine, were he alive now, would support same sex marriages in the Church, it would be lovely if he did! nor do I personally worry if the Church of England will make allowances for gay marriages to be celebrated in the Church, if they do great, if not then they have stuck to their convictions of their cannon laws and doctrines and the church should be commended for that not ridiculed.

As a gay man who would love to be married to my partner in church and to have my faith publicly celebrate my love and relationship, this would be the biggest blessing ever; but I'm not worried if that day never happens because the church has, in  my experience anyway, come pretty far in its acceptance of her faithful homosexuals and our relationship with the Divine. Lets not force things to be done quickly but, in a spirit of love, let things develop slowly and with a foundation in the continuity of the church's history, traditions and reason. I think it is also important to stress that allowing same sex couples to marry in a religious context does not destroy the sanctity of marriage or its holiness but fulfils it and affirms it. Marriage as a holy sacrament should be available for all if they wish it. (this is all my own opinion based on my faith and personl hopes and views)

St Valentine
Dear Saint and Martyr
You who taught the importance of love
And the Sacrament of Marriage, who in
Opposition to the law of your time married those Forbidden from this sacrament,

Please pray to Almighty God that in our time
The blessing of Love and Marriage can be a sacrament Available to all and that none should be Forbidden from its holiness.

St Valentine Pray for us who have recourse to thee

Monday, 21 September 2015

The burden of our cross and life

I haven't written much lately on mystic things as life has overwhelmed me with difficult things and burdens that need attending and carrying. It seems I am also experiencing a "dark night of the soul". But there will be more insights coming and some creative things too.