O holy Brighid of the Eternal Flame
You who inspire the hearts and minds of the poets, warriors, and healers,
You of the flaming hair and starry cloak,
We honor you and give you thanks.

You breathe the words that evoke beauty, honorable deeds, and commitment.

Your spirit incites us to do great things beyond what we think we are capable of.

You lay your hands upon us and heal our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits.

O holy Brighid of the Burning Forge,
Temper us in the heat and pressure of life,
That we may be strong and steady.

O holy Brighid of the Sacred Well,
Quench the thirst of our bodies and souls,
That we may be compassionate and true.

O holy Brighid, today we call to you
Inspire us.
Temper us.
Strengthen us.
Heal us.
Work through our hands and speak through our mouths,
That we may make this world a better place,
That we may live in freedom and fullness.

Blessed be.

“When We Talk to Our Dead, They Talk Back” ancestor altar,
installed at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA,
for “Dia de los Muertos: The Art of Remembrance” exhibition, 2011

How do we relate to problematic ancestors, family secrets, and past betrayals of faith and trust? Honoring the ancestors seems to imply that you accept them and their life choices. But who doesn’t have issues with their blood family? Can we really look way back into our family tree to those ancestors we never knew and ignore the ones we actually had relationship with?

I am the daughter of two Spiritualist mediums who, when I was young, channeled discorporate entities on a weekly basis for the public. I wholeheartedly that the dead lived on as spirits and could communicate directly to the living. The world was a magical place where all things were possible. As I got older, I was introduced to some of the family trade secrets. Not able to see anything real beyond the illusion, I turned my back on the religion of my family.

But beyond the showmanship of Spiritualism’s physical phenomena, the ancestors continued to call to my heart. As an adult, I have struggled with what is real, hoping that the world wasn’t as cold and empty as I sometimes saw it.  As a Pagan priestess over the past ten years, I have walked between the worlds and experienced the spirits directly without the mediation of mediums. And yet, I still feel mired in a morass of self-doubt–is what I am experiencing real or am I making it all up in my head?

As I cross into middle age, I grapple to understand my family’s past and hold compassion for myself as I explore the intersection of what is real and what is illusion. I am starting to come to peace with this part of my past. As the slate on the altar reads: The Sight is real, the Show illusion. I honor my experiences because they give me insight into the complexities of life lived in a world filled with contradictions. Nothing is what it seems at the surface, especially if it seems simple. Decisions that others may judge easily and quickly as right or wrong are full circumstantial caveats, if one really looks at the constraints and motivations of the people living with those decisions.

]]> http://www.nineravens.com/archives/problematic-family-history/feed/ 2 http://www.nineravens.com/archives/short-film-remembrance-dionysus/ http://www.nineravens.com/archives/short-film-remembrance-dionysus/#comments Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:16:02 +0000 Angela http://www.nineravens.com/?p=445 Damn, I am excited.

I am transfixed, mesmerized, and pulled inexorabily forward into the world of this film: go to Youtube.com to see it.

I remember in my late teens and early twenties being fascinated by Dionysus, but never quite having the courage to surrender fully to the madness and the ecstasy.

This film, by Brielle Siomone Greenburg, is brilliant.

I am in awe of her muse.

I’ve been working on this piece for two and a half years. It was supposed to take only two months. The vision from the Baron was so clear. I felt all I had to do was gather the pieces and put them together. And yet it took so long.

If I have learned anything in creating art work for the gods is that the work happens on their time frame, not mine. They guide my process, spurring me to climb the stairs to my alternately freezing cold or sweltering hot studio on the third floor, when it suits them. They show me what they want and are loud and clear when I put something in the piece that they do not want — even if it “should” work.

Today is Memorial Day. My plan was to work on some writing projects. But no, the Baron had other plans. I had sweated for hours working on his shrine yesterday — surely that was enough. I wanted to work on my other projects coming due (or overdue). About an hour of stop-and-start writing, I was antsy and couldn’t concentrate. I need to move and do something with my hands. So, it was up to the studio to put the finishing touches on the shrine. And three hours and a damp shirt later, it was proclaimed done. I ate lunch and then decided where to hang it downstairs.

Somehow I am not surprised, now that I actually think about it, that the Baron wanted his shrine finished on Memorial Day — a day we are directed to remember the men and women who joined the Ancestors in defense of our nation.

If you purchase before next Sunday, March 27, use the coupon code “Blog2011Spring” for 10% off your order.

Geburah: Breaking the Bonds

A growing tumor in her brain
breaks down the walls
between life and death
between form and force
between here and gone
As she falls down the well
into the unknown 

Sentences stumbled over
and left unfinished
leaving her without speech
leaving her without context
leaving her without a name
As she walks through the gates
into the unknown

Her body must be broken
before she can leave us behind
to rip our clothes in grief
to scream in rage and terror
to hold each other in love
As she climbs the tree
into the unknown 

…into the arms of her lost beloved

Surrounded by Sacred Fire by Angela Raincatcher, 2010

I am the Fire around you.
I am the spark of life within you.
I am the flame burning through you.
I am all that I am.

Behold, there is magic all around us.
Behold, there is magic all around us.
Behold, there is magic all around us.
Awaken! Rejoice! Sing!

– from “Behold” by Abbi Spinner

Dance of the Beloved, Angela Raincatcher, 2007

You light the fire of love
in earth and sky
in heart and soul
of every being.

Through your love
existence and nonexistence merge.
All opposites unite.
All that is profane
becomes sacred again.

Rumi, The Alchemy of Love

1) As part of Wishcasting Wednesday, Jamie Ridler asks in her blog: What do you wish for your creativity? This is so timely for me as I have been asking essentially the same question of myself.

2) I am reading Alex Grey‘s The Mission of Art, which is sparking some major “ah-ha” moments for me, such as these beauties:

When artists give form to revelation, their art can advance, deepen, and potentially transform the consciousness of their community.

Artists offer the world the pain and beauty of their soul as a gift to open the eyes of and heal the collective…. Art sings and shouts from the axis of truth to wake us up to who we are and where we are going.

And these are just from the first chapter!

3) Yesterday, I created a new logo for Nine Ravens Studio to use on boxes and cards for my jewelry and wrote a new mission statement for my art practice.

I create manifest forms of deep beauty that act as portals and vessels for the gods and other spiritual energies to make themselves known and felt in the physical realm.

This is my wish and intention for my creativity, my Artist self, that part of myself that brings dreams and visions into manifestation.

Oh yeah, and I’m back in the studio painting and working again on my Qabalah book.