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Author Topic: Organising your practice  (Read 3352 times)

Haptalaon

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Organising your practice
« on: May 15, 2020, 10:56:42 am »
Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)

  • I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered
  • I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen
  • I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions
  • I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk. I was budgeting for a tablet, but we had to use it elsewhere instead

Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.
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Re: Organising your practice
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2020, 11:19:35 am »


Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.

When I am trying to establish something I go straight for daily because it seems like the easiest thing for me to manage. Monthly or seasonally is too easy to miss, while daily, well, I still miss stuff but it's a lot easier to just pick up again for the next one.

The last time I was trying to reach a whole pantheon I had assigned days of the week loosely based on the planetary rulers of the day, so like Sunday was for Redbird because she's associated with the sun, Saturday was for the Lord of the Labyrinth because chthonic, etc. I set a reminder on my phone and I try to build it into my daily routine, so frex on work days, it's part of my commute. My daily offering routine is literally a short prayer I've memorized and visualized offerings so I can do it as I walk.

Basically I do my best to apply the ADHD-popular advice to make it as easy as possible to my spiritual life too. I still miss shit because I'm distracted or because one tiny change completely resets my brain, but since it's still a relatively short cycle I get another try pretty quickly.

I'm a bullet journaller and I nearly always have a small notebook with me (I keep one small enough to work with a wallet) so I use that to write down prayers and corral any insights or other details I want to remember.

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Re: Organising your practice
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2020, 11:48:31 am »
Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)

  • I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered
  • I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen
  • I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions
  • I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk. I was budgeting for a tablet, but we had to use it elsewhere instead

Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.

Start small and seek out connections!  For me, this means that I need to find the stories.  Stories stick better in my brain than just information.  When I read a story, it comes alive in my head.  Sometimes I do have to read the story  multiple times, but it's a story, so it's enjoyable.  For other people, they may remember things better if it's a rhyming chant, or if the information is in a picture (pictures work well for me too...I make stick figure pictures of things I want to memorize, stuff like zodiac signs).

I found a three ring binder (really any notebook with movable pages) worked really well for me, when I was trying to organize information.  My brain wants things to be 'right', so having just a bound book where I might not like where something is or may not have room to add stuff where I want causes me issues.  With movable pages, I can write stuff down, and then keep it organized...not only does this mean I can actually find stuff  when I am looking (I also love tabbed dividers!), it means if I want to change how it is organized...I can (without having to re-write everything).

For pure portability, I keep key files on my dropbox, that I can access from my phone (and tablets, but you mentioned that isn't an option right now, I don't know if smart phone is, but shared files are very helpful if it is!)

For remembering to do things...I live by my planner!  It's been absolutely key in keeping me on track.  The biggest thing for me is when I think about something...I work very hard to go write it down.  So future dates, plans, that stuff all goes in.  Weekly spiritual acts, tracking daily stuff (so I can build better habits), that is all done there.  I also use an app that lets me set reminders, so I can have my phone tell me I have stuff to do that day (technically my computer does this too, but that's mainly for people's birthdays).  Again, you have to find what works for you, but there are some really cool tools out there, from very manual (my planner is a big paper planner, and I've also done Bullet Journaling which was really cool) to very high tech (with apps and what not).  Just keep trying stuff until you find the ones you like!
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Darkhawk

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Re: Organising your practice
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2020, 11:54:24 am »
      [li$i]I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered[/li][/list]

      Don't worry about what gods are calling you; if you don't have a clear message on that front then it is obviously not relevant to your current practice.

      You get to make calls, too.  Which gods are important to you?  Which ones cover your work, your current personal concerns, your interests?  What is appropriate for them?

      If you are concerned about everyone getting basic attention throw a regular 'party for everyone' day and do that, possibly on some set of your significant festival days, or on lunar dates, or something..

      Quote
        [li$i]I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen[/li][/list]

        Major seasonal ritual stuff is hard to do, specifically because it's so broadly spaced, and if you don't have a community to do it with then it is easy for things to slide.

        It may be easier to work smaller-scale - smaller regular routines, such that it's easy to go "Oh, hey, this is my weekly practice closest to $festival, I'll roll some of that in", or whatever.

        Quote
          [li$i]I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions[/li][/list]

          Embrace diversity.  No natural mythology does not have contradictory versions.

          Quote
            [li$i]I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk. I was budgeting for a tablet, but we had to use it elsewhere instead[/li]
            [/list]

            Is there some reason you're defining some ordinary activities as incompatible with what you're doing? That strikes me as a prescription for needless stress.
            as the water grinds the stone
            we rise and fall
            as our ashes turn to dust
            we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

            goblin-queen

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            Re: Organising your practice
            « Reply #4 on: May 15, 2020, 05:02:21 pm »
            Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)

            Dude I really feel that, I have dyspraxia and BPD. Which means that not only do I have a non-existent attention span I'm also impulsive and tend to jump on the next shiny thing without fully appreciating the one I already have.

              [li$i]I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered

              Just sit and chat with them. Light a candle, make some tea. The joy of Pagan religions is that you're both worshipper and clergy. Take some time out and meditate on what your deities mean to you. Take a week, or month to focus on building a relationship with a specific deity. If you can't decide flip a coin, draw straws or pick a name out of a hat.
              Alternatively, you can do some mental fishing; cast your line and see who bites. You'll soon know if the timing is off for working with that particular deity.

              I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen

              I've tried a similar approach, but such structured worship just doesn't work for me. Instead I tend to revere-on-the-go; if I see a crow I'll greet Odin and the Morrigan. Or I'll just perform devotional acts: this can be a grand sweeping gesture or something as simple as wearing colours I associate with them.
              Also, don't beat yourself up about forgetting/missing holidays. If you start to associate guilt with your practice it'll just suck out all the joy.

              I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions

              I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk.

              It sounds like you could do with organising your current resources, rather than adding more. I sometimes fall into the trap of 'the more stuff I have the more organised I'll be.' Actually, I find the opposite is true; less is better. Nothing kills motivation more than having stuff spread all over the place.
              I recommend allocating a set time in a day to sit down and go through what you have. If you don't already have a journal get a cheap one, they're super useful. Write down anything applicable to your path and put it back in the same place each time you're done with it. I know that sounds obvious but doing so has saved me so much hassle.

              As for remembering festivals try setting up a recurring reminder on your phone and computer. Lastly, when it comes to rituals if you don't remember to write stuff down maybe try recording the ritual instead. If you want you can transcribe it and/or put it with the relevant festival playlist.

              Best of luck!
              « Last Edit: May 15, 2020, 05:05:21 pm by goblin-queen »
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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #5 on: May 15, 2020, 06:32:03 pm »
              Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)

              • I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered
              • I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen
              • I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions
              • I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk. I was budgeting for a tablet, but we had to use it elsewhere instead

              Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

              Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.

              I've had some recent success with a calendar. I typed one out, printed it off, and then stuck it in a binder. I find having a physical copy helps, because its harder to forget about a physical object that I can see. In addition, I also created a checklist for every ritual. This way, I can prepare offerings, and follow the key steps more easily.

              I've still got some work I can do on it. I'd like to combine the checklist and calendar together and make it a PDF (so I can go paperless), and I'd like to create a version for the ritual calendar as well. But so far, it has helped me a lot.

              SunflowerP

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #6 on: May 16, 2020, 02:15:21 am »
              Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)
              Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

              Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.

              I'm attention-different* too, and the best thing I ever did for myself (way back in the '80s!) in practice contexts was accept it. Don't try to meet some external standard of what my practice 'should' be like, don't beat myself up if I can't manage to do a thing every day, etc. It's not a moral failing and doesn't mean I'm lazy or lack self-discipline or whatever; it's just how my brain is wired - the kind of practice that's right for me is naturally and inevitably going to be one that works with my mental wiring, not one that conflicts with it. (If you're overwhelmed, that probably means there's something - possibly many somethings - about your present approach that's at odds with how your brain works.)

              I've found that the practices I find most easily sustainable are often the ones that developed organically over time (and tend to be in a constant state of ongoing development). F'ex, doing something formal on May Eve to celebrate Beltane is fine, but it's no less a celebration of this part of the Wheel to simply notice as tight buds become fat buds become a green haze around trees become leaves.

              Letting things develop organically doesn't mean ignoring them and assuming they'll develop on their own; you do need to pay attention to what you're doing and why, and sometimes nudge it to serve your needs and purposes better. But you don't have to fuss with it (unless you actually want to fuss - but it's useful to learn the difference between genuinely wanting to, and just feeling like you 'should'); sense the flow and go with it.

              It's hard to give really specific advice about this, because specifics that worked for me won't necessarily be helpful to you; you'll need to figure out for yourself just how to apply the general advice in a way that works specifically to you.

              (*IMO, 'attention deficit' and 'disorder' are misleading - I don't have a deficit of attention; if anything, I have too much, which means that if whatever I'm trying to focus on doesn't require all of it, the unused part needs something to keep it occupied, or it'll find its own something-to-do and possibly take some of what I need for the task at hand with it. As for 'disorder', 'it's not a bug, it's a different OS' - we're neurodivergent, not broken.)

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              Jenett

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #7 on: May 16, 2020, 10:18:37 am »
              Any advice? I'm really struggling. (I've got ADHD)

              • I'm struggling to keep up deity work across a whole pantheon. I don't get messages from the divine, not clearly, so I can't focus on just one or two which are calling me (if they are, I can't hear them), and it's a novel pantheon so I dont have the comfort that probably someone else has the other gods covered
              • I'm struggling with time, as in, I've tried organising "I'll revere this spirit at Beltane, that one at Yule" - but come Beltane I forget, or am busy, or distracted, there's always a reason why ritual doesn't happen
              • I'm struggling with note-keeping. I keep repeating the same basic tasks over and over. Like, it's Beltane and I know what spirit I'm supposed to be working with, but???? Even though I know I've done the work of identifying songs and words and acts before. So I start again. Leading to contradictory versions
              • I'm struggling with the role of the digital world. Because of problems 1-3, I've started trying to create a "master notebook" on the computer with playlists and so forth. But then I spend hours a day online, which is incompatible with my path, and it means I don't have things in a nice book I can take for a walk. I was budgeting for a tablet, but we had to use it elsewhere instead

              Any advice, or descriptions of how you organise things, much appreciated. I just feel so overwhelmed.

              Some kind of...you've got a fixed ritual, on fixed days, which you can just use without difficulty...which has eluded me as long as I've been a Pagan.

              So, taking these in order:

              1) Do you need to work across the entire pantheon? And if so, does that have to look the same for everyone?
              Historically, from what we know, that was more normally a thing for a society (or at least a modest number of priest/ess type people), not a thing any single individual did. The single individual might go to rituals/festivals/processions/events for lots of deities, but they wouldn't be the one either planning those things, or maintaining the deity relationships that make them happen. There's all sorts of good practical reasons for that/

              The alternative is to figure out some sort of schedule where you check in on each of them regularly (and maybe not evenly, depending on what makes sense), but sort of by definition, that's going to lean toward something that is a bit more 'rote', even if you also have times where it's "No, I need to do something with X soon" that are more spontaneous.

              Another alternative is to work out some method of doing something regularly that acknowledges all of them, and gives you space for doing something with specific ones as makes sense, but that is still a general offering to everyone. (My current daily offering practice does this: there's a space for me to add on specifics as needed. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Reasonably often the specific is "Hi, M'Lady.")

              2) Time
              The thing that's been key for me has been calendar and time-based events that are not only the thing I need to, but one for planning the thing I need to do. I have a coven, and I feel fairly strongly about telling people what we're doing in ritual at least a week before we do it (aiming for more than a sentence, not more than a paragraph.)

              That means I have to figure out what we're doing at least that far in advance.

              So when we schedule ritual days, my calendar sends an automatic task to my to do app, and when I assign a date to that, it's at least a week in advance of the ritual or whatever, and that reminds me I need to do the planning and prep for it. And then I duplicate it and put on the ritual day. We schedule stuff a month or two in advance, usually.

              If you're doing this yourself and don't have to work around other people's schedule (because for coven, we're almost never doing things on the exact date) then you could go through and do this for six months or a year in advance, or at least have placeholder tasks for "Figure out what I want to do here."

              (Then, of course, the challenge is training yourself to look at the to do list every day.)

              The other trick for me is figuring out what actually needs doing: for my personal stuff, I try to have notes for both a "If I have energy/time/focus" version, and a "This is much smaller and simpler, but is still a suitable thing for this moment." If I do the first, great. If I do the second, way better than nothing. I often find that the process of thinking through the more demanding version means I don't do it, but I've done a lot of the internal prep work, and so get more out of doing the simpler practical version.

              Over time, I think we also figure out what our general capacity is - I am good with really super small daily offerings, oneish coven ritual, and one or two more deliberate personal ritual things in a month. By the numbers, that means I'm not, say, doing both Esbats, a Sabbat, and a couple of personal workings every month. I sometimes feel guilty about this, but what I am doing is working pretty well, so, yeah.

              3+4) Notekeeping
              With my librarian brain on, my personal solution to this is to figure out the system that I can actually keep up with. These days that means a wiki I'm slowly building for personal practice, and I am working on putting the things I would also like in print form (for use in ritual primarily) into a book (I have an ARC bound binder, so I can move pages around.)

              The thing is that typing (and saving files) is so much faster and easier that I am more likely to actually do it, no matter how much I like also having a physical copy of something. Right now, my tarot readings and brief ritual notes go into a notebook, longer research notes go in the wiki, and "This is a thing I want during ritual" goes in the book of shadows. It's an imperfect system, and I'm working on setting aside time every week to put things in useful places.

              One thing I've started doing that helps is that none of those three things get new info unless I've actually used it/done it/etc. If it's just something I've come across, that I'm not using, it can live in a file in a folder on my computer, which is good at holding digital information and can be searched and reorganised to my heart's content without a lot of fuss.
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              Haptalaon

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #8 on: May 16, 2020, 11:01:11 am »
              Is there some reason you're defining some ordinary activities as incompatible with what you're doing? That strikes me as a prescription for needless stress.

              This specifically is one of the three strands of Fencraft.


              • We've got the Solar path, which is magic/religion done with the attitude you suggest: weaving it into the everyday, the "just make a cup of tea" Paganism, the "make a nice meal for Beltane" Paganism, making things as low-barrier to entry and present as possible.
              • The Lunar path is magic/religion done as effort and skill - this covers a lot of ceremonial/ritual magic traditions. Your "you must meditate for 15 minutes every day", "you must learn the Hebrew alphabet", "you must take cold showers for a month", "here's a circle which will take you 20 minutes to cast and you need to pronounce all these god names correctly" magic/religious style.
              • The Stellar path is magic/religion as visionary experience - it aims to replicate terms like nun, monk, hermit, shaman in a pagan context. Experimentation with self-denial, trance states, enethogens, isolation, fasting, mantras, time spent in nature, and all these other techniques to make things weird.

              The goal is to get people thinking about these three *ways* of doing craft as separate from who/what you're revering, and also help them find a craft style that works for them. And being non-digital is part of my Stellar arsenal of tools: if you consider that historically, mystics found it necessary to retreat to isolation or leave the worldly to focus on the divine, in a time when life was that much slower and more quiet.

              More broadly, I've done the "don't worry too much do whatever" Pagan style for many years - it's good and I like it, but part of me does want a bit more rigour in my work nowadays, a bit more challenge & a sense that I'm not just doing what I would do anyway but in a cape, if that makes sense. I've enshrined this way of doing craft because I think it's powerful and helpful and works well, but I don't want to get stuck on just that.

              It's not only about rules for their own sake: spending a month offline and off the computer does very, very weird things to your psyche, and that's kinda the essence of Stellar work. Doing weird things to your psyche to see what happens, and whether there's a gap there for the infinite to flood in. We know that historically and cross-faiths, mystics tried all sorts of things to make these otherworld connections, and I guess my perspective is: people went to these lengths because they *worked*. 
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              Haptalaon

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #9 on: May 16, 2020, 11:04:24 am »
              I found a three ring binder

              For remembering to do things...I live by my planner! 

              I was doing a binder for a while, but never found the actual binder - I like A5 paper, like an idiot, so the papers are in a heap. You're right though, this is the thing I have to go back to. It was working OK. I never remember to use planners, unfortunately - that was kinda the hope of getting a tablet, a planner which makes sounds!
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              Haptalaon

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #10 on: May 16, 2020, 11:13:14 am »
              Embrace diversity.  No natural mythology does not have contradictory versions.
              While I get this, I mean on a far more practical level: I've got six or seven different variant playlists for a god, one online, two on sheets of paper, one in a notebook, one on a digital notebook, one as an actual playlist on my phone...and they're all identical with one or two exceptions, and I'm struggling to find a system which isn't "I'm going to sit down today and put these all together" which doesn't just produce an eighth version....

              You get to make calls, too.  Which gods are important to you?  Which ones cover your work, your current personal concerns, your interests?  What is appropriate for them?

              If you are concerned about everyone getting basic attention throw a regular 'party for everyone' day and do that, possibly on some set of your significant festival days, or on lunar dates, or something..

              I like this & kinda agree; it's part of my mythos of the witch, rejecting the notion of a patron's call and re-emphasising the power of choice. Because people can get so caught on on patrons, I think,hence the desire to write a mythology in which not having a patron is also a cool & meaningful experience.

              At the same time, I'm trying to back away from me-centric Paganism, and try to take an approach as a servant of the divine where what I'm doing is centered around Their needs. It's a new thing I'm trying & certainly don't wish to be critical of others, but for me I want to see what happens when I make it less transactional and more priestly. I think, perhaps, something changes when you revere Midsummer dawn no matter what because you *need* to make the sun rise, instead of it being an optional fun thing you do with friends if you can wake for it and if not it doesn't matter.

              It may be easier to work smaller-scale - smaller regular routines, such that it's easy to go "Oh, hey, this is my weekly practice closest to $festival, I'll roll some of that in", or whatever.
              My difficulty with this is wanting all my rites to have a different look and feel. Casting a circle tends to take so long that it is the primary part of a ritual, and so everything feels like that flavour with interchangeable god names subbed in. I'm trying to develop a different kind of ritual framework for each frequency in what I do, so that some feel sombre, some are anarchic, and so forth. Everything you do in ritual is the ritual, so I find it helps my focus when every element of a ritual is as specific and individual to its purpose as possible.

              I promise I'm not being difficult and contrarian for its own sake  ;D My practice now is kinda shaped by things I did do, which didn't work, and I've adapted things to work better for me.
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              Haptalaon

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #11 on: May 16, 2020, 11:18:38 am »
              I'm attention-different* too, and the best thing I ever did for myself (way back in the '80s!) in practice contexts was accept it.

              I love all of this and quite agree, acceptance is the best way. All the same, I have a sense of...I have rewritten my path around my needs to a great extent (my daily practice is going for a walk, reading something related - be it a nature book or a myth book - and following a couple of taboos - all low-spoon stuff). But I am notionally a devotional follower of this spirit and that, and it's frustrating to me that I can't accomplish even a basic routine of prayer.

              I know that disability is a part of this, and that I can't establish a basic routine of washing my hair, let alone anything else; but it does feel like...I guess, a lesser practice, a practice which is less-than what a literal God is owed. It's a very difficult feeling.

              Back in the day, when I was still in the Seeking stage, it was more OK for my routine to be "idk but I'm a Pagan so let's go to the woods"; but now I have Gods, it feels churlish to not be capable of a greater reverence. Even though I've got "walking in the woods is the reverencing of the woods as a god" written in my notes, I guess I'd like to be capable of lighting the occasional candle.
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              Haptalaon

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #12 on: May 16, 2020, 11:22:37 am »

              When I am trying to establish something I go straight for daily
              planetary rulers of the day
              visualized offerings so I can do it as I walk.

              I'm a bullet journaller and I nearly always have a small notebook with me (I keep one small enough to work with a wallet) so I use that to write down prayers and corral any insights or other details I want to remember.

              I'm going to look into bullet journalling. I have the difficulty though that things either get written all in the same journal, but not organised; or in separate notes/journals that then get lost.

              Your spirits sound interesting & somewhat in the same zone of what I do. Can you tell me more about how visualised offerings work?

              I've got planetary ruler systems written out, but always forget to stick to them...the best routine I ever managed was a once a week "on a Sunday".
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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #13 on: May 16, 2020, 12:51:12 pm »
              I'm going to look into bullet journalling. I have the difficulty though that things either get written all in the same journal, but not organised; or in separate notes/journals that then get lost.

              Technically the answer to this in bullet journaling is the index, though I'm not as good at keeping mine updated as I probably should be. XD

              Quote
              Your spirits sound interesting & somewhat in the same zone of what I do. Can you tell me more about how visualised offerings work?

              I got the original inspiration from Jason Miller but basically I start with a candle. I visualize it as completely as possible as if I was lighting a real tealight, putting energy into it, and then see it multiply until it's a large field of lights. Then I do the same with water, and with food-type offerings. If I'm not doing a full prayer I might just visualize my energy as birdseed and the local spirits as birds coming to accept my offering.

              Quote
              I've got planetary ruler systems written out, but always forget to stick to them...the best routine I ever managed was a once a week "on a Sunday".

              If that worked, maybe start there. Try it again and see if it feels like it fits what you're envisioning or not.

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              Re: Organising your practice
              « Reply #14 on: May 17, 2020, 03:19:13 pm »
              Even though I've got "walking in the woods is the reverencing of the woods as a god" written in my notes, I guess I'd like to be capable of lighting the occasional candle.

              I can offer specific advice here! Continuing your example/metaphor of lighting a candle, but this should be adaptable to other things:

              Make sure you have the candle. You might have it and never remember to light it, true - but if you don't have it, you can't light it, even if you remember.

              Light it when you do think of it. That might be one time, out of ten occasions on which you feel you should have, but that's still much better than none; it might be every single time you remember you have a candle to light. (I would say that doing it more than twice in the same day is a bit much, but OTOH that might work for you.)

              Don't worry about whether you're doing it 'often enough' or anything like that; the purpose here is develop the habit of remembering it and of acting on it when you do, not the habit of any particular schedule.

              By and by, you will very likely find that remembering/acting happens more often. Once it seems to be habitual-though-irregular, you can start thinking about attaching the act to specific things, such as specific days or specific times of day.

              Don't do too much or too elaborate a thing when you light the candle (or, whatever you're doing); keeping it small and simple will make it a lot easier to think, 'Oh, yes, candle; I should do the candle thing,' and not feel overwhelmed by what's involved in doing it. But, having the small simple thing be something meaningful, that gives you pleasure or satisfaction to do, is useful because it'll help mean that you feel its absence when you haven't done it for a while.

              And, per my earlier post, don't scold yourself for not doing it often enough, or too often, or not regularly enough, or it not being a big enough thing, or anything like that; self-scolding sucks the joy out of things, and can (if your brain tends this way, which many though not all AD folks do) start a cycle of anxiety/depression/even more difficulty doing things/more self-scolding (wash, rinse, repeat).

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