Journaling
Referencing the Divine

Your journaling this month will provide you with opportunity to begin compiling a tool of reference as you work with and experience the energy of different Deities. Often a Deity will present itself to you through your reading striking a chord as you read the myth of the particular God or Goddess. A Deity may offer guidance as you sit in meditative reflection and you may not know the name of this being but feel compelled to seek them out and know more of their energy. The beauty of this is that when you begin the inner dialogue of seeking to know more of the Divine world you are opening to receiving an answer to what your heart queries. This journaling exercise will set to paper the expression of your desire to know more and before you know it you will have your own database of reference as keys into this realm.

Using a single page each for the God and the Goddess; as you move through this month’s lessons spend some time thinking about what these names (God and Goddess) mean to you. Spend a little time researching the energies of a specific God and/or Goddess. Write this information down and as you move through the month, continue to add to this information. Write any additional insight you may receive as you begin a meditative practice around the energy of the God or Goddess you have selected. At the month’s end, look to see how much information you have accumulated and if you feel the desire to continue exploration of this specific deity or perhaps begin a new exploration of another.

Some thoughts to get you started:

• Begin by thinking about what your personal definitions of “God”, “Goddess” and the “Divine” are.
• What types of beings are included in that definition?
• Have you felt the presence of a Deity?
• How did it make you feel?
• What would you ask of this being?
• What form did they take? Human, animal, or pure energy?
• Why do you seek to commune with the Divine?
• What will you offer in devotion?

Meditation
Sitting with Deity

This week’s focus is on simply opening to connect with Deity. Click here to access the meditation.

Digital Image by: Luke Bailey

Observation
The Divine Surrounds

This exercise is meant to remind you of the beauty and majesty of the Divine World that is ever present 365 days 24/7. The work we have done this month was that of opening the lens of your idea of what Deity is and the connections that can be made beyond the formalized contemplative sitting or ritual.

As you move through your day, pause and give reflection, making note of those experiences and moments of insight that are Divinely inspired. This could be something as complex as a piece of profound writing or painting, or simply taking in the color and beauty of nature and the work of the earth Goddess as you sit outside at lunch or in your garden.

Open to connecting to the experience of feeling the warmth of the Sun on your face and give thanks to the light and heat the solar God has provided. Open to the subtle changes throughout the day as the Sun moves across the sky in its daily cycle and settle in to the calm peace at day’s end as you are carried by the Divine into the dreamscape of sleep and physical renewal.

Observe each human being you come in contact with and see the spark of the Divine within them. Look for the positive energies that they may exude and the potential that is held within the very core of their being. Marvel at the connection you share with these others who are also children of the God and Goddess. Look deeply into the eyes of those you routinely interact with and make connection as you talk and engage. See them as though for the first time and expecting the best of their Divine nature to shine through.

Bring into your concept of the Divine the animals that share our world and possibly your home. They are in the care and keeping of the Goddess and the Horned God. Give thanks for the Divine energy and life giving essence that fills these creatures who offer their unconditional love, as in the case of our animal companions and who offer their wild nature as continuum of the never ending cycles that fill all living things and show us our space of instinct and cunning.

Go outside on a moonlit night and drink in the beauty of the Goddess in her form of the Moon. This is the energy of the Divine Feminine that many have marveled at throughout ages and ages of time. This is the energy that pulls the tides and moves the waters within and without. During the course of a lunar month, try to be aware of the moon’s waxing (from New to Full) and waning (from Full to Dark/New Moon). Make note of the energetic changes you feel.

Observe it all while holding the thought of gratitude for the Divine World and Deity who share their abundance, knowledge and love. Be sure to record your experiences in your journal.

End Note:
If you have been following the exercises offered as Foundations of Practice, you are beginning to form an outline of committed work towards a specific goal. Each lesson shifts your perception of the world and your place in it. This Lesson’s work has opened new doorways of experience that now hold you as a being of Divine potential blessed by the Lord and Lady. Use this awareness wisely and keep the efforts of this work in mind as you move through your mundane affairs and seek out ways to incorporate these in living a magical life 24/7.

May you be thrice blessed in all that has been accomplished thus far!