Words Meme

burningskyfire gave me words. Let me know if you want some.

Death
I spent 42 years virtually untouched by death. Now, what strikes me the most is the finality of it. Whether you're talking about literal physical death or the metaphorical death of something, there is no going back. I feel very strongly about death with dignity, and the right of a person to choose to take his or her own life painlessly rather than be forced to endure weeks or months or years physical pain and/or mental degeneration. I both understand and deplore modern culture's fear and denial of death in all forms. As an Underworld priestess, it is part of my job to help people face metaphorical death and use it as an opportunity for transformation and healing. I would like to become skilled at being a death midwife so I can provide assistance for the physical death passage as well.

Veil
Currently, the veils of Qabalistic tradition are what first come to mind: especially the veil below Tiphareth, which must be opened to progress to the higher levels of the Tree of Life. I also think of veils when I think of the need to be selective about what I reveal about myself and my practices. I believe that part of my job is to be open about my path, so that others can be served by my struggles and insights. But I've learned that some things are too sacred to share. I've also learned that to serve different communities effectively, I need to selectively veil other aspects of myself so they do not get in the way of making a connection.

Counsel
I am grateful for the wise counsel I receive from others, especially my teacher and certain friends. I try to be a source of such counsel for others, trying to be aware of the limitations of my own understanding. I strive to give my daughter good counsel suited to her own understanding, without intefering too much in the process of her coming to her own conclusions. There's a delicate balance there for a parent to respect.

Devotion
It can be a noun or a verb. "Action motviated by love" is the phrase that suddenly comes to me. To love or to have other warm fuzzy feelings but not act on them in a meaningful way either betrays one's self as well as the beloved, or shows that the "love" being professed is actually something else. This is true whether one's beloved is a human, a deity, or some other being.

Joy
An emotion I have felt too little of since LM's death.
Just typing that brings tears to my eyes.

Icon Meme

watersusurrus recently picked up one of my favorite memes: "Tell Me About Your Icons."

1. Reply to this post, and I will pick six of your icons.
2. Make a post (including the meme info) and talk about the icons I chose.
3. Other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
4. This will create a never-ending cycle of icon glee.


She chose:



This was created from "The Moon Never Looks Away" by Shelly Corbett, used as The Moon in The Abyssal Tarot. It's both passionate and tender and I use it exclusively for posts that involve LM.



This evokes Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Beauty and Beast, and Women Who Run With the Wolves. It's also an LM image, since he had/has very strong Wolf energy. Also one of my "feral" images. I suspect the beautifully-gowned lady prefers the company of wolves to that of most people.



This was my default userpic when this journal was called CaveofStars. I've always, always loved and been drawn to the stars. It may not be apparent from my underworld focus, but for me the spiritual has always had a strongly celestial element. The stars inspire, draw upward and outward, decorate the vastness of the dark depths of the cosmos. And yes, there are stars in the Underworld. I also tend to use this icon for posts about dreams or inner journeys that don't have imagery that matches another icon.



I love the Hermit card, and images of lamps and lanterns. Rather than an old man on a mountain, this feminine figure in a desert speaks more of my own path. I love the desert, finding it a place of wild possibility as much as aridness. This icon speaks of hope, persistence, and serenity in the midst of searching.



I call this one "Faery Portal" and I don't use it much. It's a door into the Otherworld.



A detail from the 8 of Swords from The Gilded Tarot. For times when I am or have been struggling with self-imposed limitations. Although on the surface it might seem appropriate for kink-spirit posts, the tarot associations carry over too strongly for me to use it that way.