As individuals, we take on roles throughout our lives. We have roles in relation to ourselves, family, and our community. With each role is a persona, a part that we play in relation to the role at hand.

In our spiritual practices, it helps to have roles clearly defined so that we bring the proper persona to the task. It also helps to have structure for interacting in these roles. The purpose of community structure is most relevant when practicing in groups. However, it also helps to differentiate between the roles we take on in our practice and why it’s important to separate oneself from one role when taking on another.

For instance, just as you probably wouldn’t go jogging in your pajamas, you wouldn’t carry the warrior (Kagara) persona role into the priest/priestess (Kiminia) persona role. You leave one behind to engage another if you want to partake in it fully, reap the rewards, and bring your best to the experience.

 

These are goals we strive for in daily living in order to achieve and maintain our optimal state of being. These are not rules, and there is no failure if we do not achieve all of these goals every day. They are collectively an aim toward optimum health of body, emotions, mind, and spirit.

 

Fasting has a certain stigma attached to it. It’s either looked at with awe, reserved for highly disciplined spiritual masters, considered dangerous to one’s health, or is just one of those things “I could never do.” When one has to have surgery or go for a blood test, the idea of fasting for a certain period of time brings terror.

Let’s look at fasting in another light. I find fasting to be a powerful healing method, a way to reset the body back into its optimum processes, and a method of self-mastery and discipline that gives you a sense of “I can!” Proper fasting, with the right mindset going in and throughout, has saved my health and my sanity. It has opened me to possibilities and allowed me to understand my body.

NOTE: Anyone reading this that is bulimic or anorexic should not read further on your own. Print out a copy and bring it to your therapist. If you aren’t in some form of therapy, get help immediately. This is a method of healing, not a tool of self-destruction. The author takes no responsibility for misuse of this information or any personal injury arriving thereof. The following is informational only, not meant to cure or prevent any disease, and should not be taken as medical advice. Any practice of these methods is at your own risk.

I had been going through a long rut in regards to spiritual practices with others. It came when I realized that I personally don’t connect with Spirit all too well in a structured, usually indoor environment. Practices of others wouldn’t work with me. Historical tales of Gods and others had no relevance. It got to a point where there was no actual spiritual work being done in our gatherings for quite some time.

That’s not to say that I’ve done nothing. On the contrary, I find myself at “church” nearly every day.

I was forwarded this link and thought it was wonderful to share. It's a streaming video on the hidden costs of production of the "stuff" we buy. It's in an easy to watch, entertaining format, with a message of hope at the end. If you've ever wondered why you can get tons of stuff at ridiculously cheap prices, take a gander. http://www.storyofstuff.com

Autumn is my most favorite time of year. There's nothing quite like the cool fire the burns across the mountains here in NJ. In my back yard, the Norway Maples turn a brilliant yellow. When the sun shines through them, the forest floor takes on a golden glow that sings right to your heart. If you look for it, hidden in a neighbor's yard where perhaps only I can see it is a Japanese Maple with an intense red that stands like a warrior before the heavenly gold and announces itself bravely in pure color.

I take many walks during this time of year, and one of my favorite things to do (besides stare at the colors until my eyes hurt) is to collect the beautiful leaves that have fallen. It's more than just yellows, reds, and oranges. Some have patterns of multiple colors with even the green still stuck in there. They are beautiful works of art, each one of them.

What do I do with them once I collect them? I bring them home and press them to pull out later and decorate my shrine.

The Graxean Calendar

This is a calendar of the holidays Graxeans observe. Some may coincide with common religious and/or secular holidays. We changed the name to add to the spirit of the Wheel of the Year. The names are Graxean and have no ties to any other religion or culture.