Patheos

BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Patheos

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Witch at the Crossroads

Pagan Poetry

Last updated on: June 3, 2015 at 9:45 pm   by Katrina Rasbold

Pagan Poetry 2015-06-03T21:45:07-08:00 Katrina Rasbold

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

poetry

An old favorite of mine that I happily share with you. Some of the best Pagan literature came out of Green Egg and much of it lives on in canon now.

THE MODERN ESOTERICIST
by Bill Beattie, from Shadowplay To the tune of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General”

I am the very model of a modern esotericistA seasoned astral traveler and edifying exorcist,A sparkling star astrologer, a dead adroit necromancer,A dab hand as a palmist and a card as a tarotmancer,I’ve old tradition lineage from Celtic to Hispanical;I’ve channeled Dion Fortune and I’ve busted cults satanical;Elusively mysterious in Eleusinian Mysteries,I’ve disproved ninety-three percent of Margaret Murray’s histories.My patented aphrodisiacs would make a satyr hornierI’ve manifested unicorns in Southern California.In short, in matters magickal, I’m manic as a terrorist;I am the very model  of a modern esotericist!I am the very model of a modern esotericist.My mystic methodology’s inherently empiricist!I’ve glided over Glastonbury on broomsticks that I travel on;I won’t deny the rumors that I ghost-wrote Mists of Avalon.A truly great Great Riter and a master of tantrickery,I’ve been up the Shining Pathways til the Guardians are sick of me.I dazzle neo-Pagans as I tango round the Wiccan ringAnd, miracle of miracles, I sometimes stop their bickering!I’ve raised the ghost of Crowley in a Gnostic Mass invoking inSumerian, Bavarian, Etruscan and Enochian.I’d sing another chorus but I must rush to see my therapist;I am the very model of a modern esotericist!

From the Green Egg vol. XXIV no.95

…and for those who are not “Pirates of Penzance” by Gilbert & Sullivan literate, here is the tune:

Plus one of my own:PASSINGSAnd so it is that all things work in cycles
In beginnings and endings,
Births, deaths and rebirths,
Destruction and rebuilding,
For that is the way of nature
And the cycle of the Wheel.
The new will forever
Stretch away all
That is old and outmoded
And detrimental to our progress,
Not always with our consent
Or discretion.
People come and go in our lives
Leaving occasional tokens
Of their presence, influence and passing:
A house, a baby, a feeling…
And then they are gone
Like a scent stolen
By a summer breeze.
Others affect us in ways
That we could never imagine
Upon first meeting them,
When eyes make the first contact
And we discern
In our deepest self
The connection of future friend, lover, spouse;
Not always recognizing
That identification
On a conscious level.
Oft times if we knew
In that first meeting
Of the pain that would ensue
With the passage of time
And the continuation
Of that relationship,
We would flee
With our lives and our souls intact,
Never daring to glance that way again,
Gladly foregoing any pleasure
That connection would have delivered
In favor of the blissful lack of anguish
Should that meeting have never occurred;
Embracing instead the void that would have been pain
Had we been but
A little more careful,
A little more insightful,
And a little less impulsive.
Yet then, we would never have lessons,
We would never have the joy of love
And the wisdom of the Ages.
We would never grow and we would never live.
If we guided our own progress and chose our own lessons
There would be none.
To feel love and to chance pain
Or to feel safe and chance nothing,
I would choose love.

518CjQ0zonL.UX250CLICK HERE TO FIND KATRINA’S BOOKS (FICTION & NONFICTION) ON AMAZON

10928866_1041223679237965_1965610168637356891_nCLICK HERE TO “LIKE” PATHEOS PAGAN ON FACEBOOK 

Poetry

Previous Post



June 1, 2015

ABCs of Magic

Next Post



June 4, 2015 Despise the Mothers, Worship the Fathers


Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Astrology Book Reviews Current Events CUSP Energy Magic Energy Magic Words Kitchen Magic Magic in the Media Magical Ethics Magical Protection Meditations Modern Mythologies Pagan Commentary Pagan Humor Poetry Rituals Sabbats Spell Work Spiral of the Year Tarot Tarot Deck Reviews Uncategorized Witchcraft

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015


Follow Us!

Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter



TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus do before He fed the crowd?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Washed His hands Dug a hole Gave thanks and broke the bread Called down fire

Related posts from Witch at the Crossroads

Pagan

Mabon Song

Witch at the Crossroads

Pagan

Weaving the Harvest: A Lammas Poem

Witch at the Crossroads

Pagan

Summer Solstice Poem

Witch at the Crossroads

Pagan

Spring's Promise

Witch at the Crossroads

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Pagan

What do the Gods Look Like?

I was recently chatting with someone on Instagram. She asked me what...

My Blogging Style

While there are many people who share their results, the end of...

The Odyssey

On July 23, I saw Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey which is Homer’s...

Work in progress

As I write this two big events have just finished up. One...

Restoring the Watershed of Divine Love

Perhaps cooperation is not something we manufacture through legislation, ideology, or moral...

Pray Like A UU

Many UUs don’t pray because of bad experiences in a previous religion,...

view all Pagan blogs

Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos Patheos on Facebook Patheos on YouTube