Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Remember to Feed Your Soul

Remember to Feed Your Soul

Last updated on: March 16, 2025 at 3:00 am by John Beckett

0 Comments

Remember to Feed Your Soul 2025-03-14T10:55:40-06:00 John Beckett

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.

Last weekend a few friends came over for dinner and ritual.

We used to do that regularly. Gather at someone’s house, have a potluck dinner, then go outside and do ritual.

Sometimes it was a simple devotional ritual centered around offerings to a particular deity and asking for their blessings. Sometimes it was an oracular ritual, where a deity or other person would speak to us. Other times it was a magical working.

The rituals followed our usual liturgy, but the scripts were sparse. Or, like this time, non-existent. That ritual order is burned into my brain, and getting the words exactly as-written isn’t critical. Most times there was one simple altar, but sometimes there wasn’t even that. There were never the kind of “make this place look like a Pagan temple” decorations we often use in public ritual.

When you’re working with dedicated, experienced practitioners, these things aren’t necessary. Oh, they’re nice and I love them, and sometimes I’ll set an elaborate altar for solitary work. Different occasions need different surroundings. But for this, all we needed was a central fire, whiskey for offerings, and each other.

There was a time when we were doing these gatherings once a month. Then it was three or four times a year. And then we just stopped doing them. Covid was part of that, but far from the main reason. Some people moved away, some got busy with other things, and all of us were dealing with a lot in the ordinary world.

At Imbolc some of us realized just how long it had been, and just much we missed it. And so we found a date when all of us could get together.

The exact workings of this ritual are private, if not strictly oath-bound. They’re also not the point of this post. What’s important is that we did something that was deeply meaningful to us, and we came away with a better understanding of where we fit into “all this” that’s going on in the wider world.

We fed our souls.

The purple spot is an ordinary lens flare. The non-ordinary parts of this journey weren’t visible with physical eyes.

Journeying into the Otherworld

Journeying is something else I used to do a lot more frequently. For me, it’s easier to do this in a small group, with someone else journeying with me, and someone else to keep watch in both worlds. And to take notes. Remembering everything you heard and said while in what amounts to a light (or not-so-light) trance is difficult.

Many times my journeying and other ecstatic experiences took place in the same small group rituals I described above. Occasionally I would do them solo, or with one or two other people supporting me.

Sometimes they happen out of the blue, but that’s another topic for another time.

Regardless of the context and format, I haven’t been doing much of this for the past several years.

Paying attention to divination

I have been doing a fair amount of divination. A recent Tarot reading for myself yielded this:

“What you’re doing isn’t going to get you where you want to be. You’re so close, but you’re afraid of going in too deep. You’ve got to get more than one toe in the Otherworld.”

I’ve always said that I am required to keep one foot in the ordinary world. I’m not allowed to go in so deep that I lose my ability to navigate the ordinary world and to “speak reasonably of unreasonable things.” But there’s a big difference between “don’t go in too deep” and “stop going in at all.”

So a few days after the group ritual, I scheduled some time to go “over there.” I like to do these things outside with a fire, but the weather was less than favorable, plus I wanted quiet. So I set up the chair, table, and candle you see in the picture.

As with the ritual, the specifics of this journey are private but also not the point. The point is that the journey was successful. I saw and heard things that helped clarify where I am and what I need to be working on. And also, the phrase “it’s the journey not the destination” is at least partially true here – just sitting down and doing this was meaningful and helpful.

I fed my soul.

Regular spiritual practice is necessary but not sufficient

One thing I haven’t reduced is my regular spiritual practice. Daily prayers, weekly offerings and meditations, monthly magical workings, and seasonal celebrations are what keep me grounded and keep me connected to my Gods and other spiritual allies, and to this path I call ancestral, devotional, ecstatic, oracular, magical, public, Pagan polytheism (because I don’t have a simpler name for it, yet).

I could not have made it through the pandemic without my spiritual practice, especially my four daily prayers. I would have lost my way in 2024 without my spiritual practice, especially the monthly magic and seasonal group celebrations. These practices keep me going.

But they’re not enough to take me as deep as I want to go.

I want to be very clear. I’ve said everyone should do regular spiritual practice and I’ll re-emphasize that here. I’m not saying that everyone needs to do ecstatic work. Honestly, most people don’t. But I do.

You need to do what’s necessary to feed your soul. This is what feeds my soul.

Maintain the sovereignty of your mind

Before the 2017 Presidential Inauguration, I wrote Maintain the Sovereignty of Your Mind where I advocated for “clear thinking, honest speaking, and courageous action” so that we could live according to our values instead of reacting to what someone who does not share our values was trying to get us to do. Overall we did a pretty good job of that.

Just after this year’s inauguration, I wrote Keep Your Eyes On What You Want. I outlined a process that, while it can’t stop bad people from doing bad things, “can stop a trainwreck from dominating your life … it will help you build a better life, not just for the future but also here and now.”

We’re dealing with one outrageous thing after another after another on a daily basis. While we have an obligation to be engaged citizens, we cannot allow the course of our lives to be dictated by someone who’s actively trying to harm us and our friends. Or worse, to be so agitated or depressed by the “shock and awe” that we regress into inaction.

I don’t have enough years left to lose any of them to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the people working to implement Project 2025.

You may be significantly younger than me, but you don’t either.

Live your life your way.

Remember to feed your soul

This would be much easier in a world – in a country – that was fair and just and was trying to become more fair and just. Sadly, we don’t live in that world, in that country, right now. Nor are we likely to any time soon.

That this is not easy makes it that much more necessary.

Take care of yourself. Eat good food. Drink plenty of water. Get enough sleep. No, seriously – get enough sleep. If you try to “power through” because you feel like there’s no other option, you’ll run yourself down and end up accomplishing less than if you had just made whatever adjustments are necessary to get enough rest and especially enough sleep.

Regular spiritual practice keeps you connected to your Gods, ancestors, and other spiritual allies. It keeps you connected to your highest virtues and values, and reminds you of why fighting this fight is necessary.

Remember to feed your soul.

This is what it looks like for me. It may look different for you – that’s fine.

It may require other people (hint: it will probably require other people, at least part of the time). That’s OK. You can get through this alone (probably… barely…) but it’s so much easier and so much nicer with other people joining you for the journey. If that means you have to do the work of finding people and organizing events, do it.

I wish things were different, easier, more accepting and less combative. More cooperative and less me-first. But they aren’t, and they aren’t going to be any time soon.

Keep moving.

Keep living your life your way.

And remember to feed your soul.

Previous Post

March 9, 2025

Is The Star Trek Future Is Dead?

Next Post

March 19, 2025 When You Call The Gods… And They Show Up

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Concern about the attitude of Islam toward Pagans is not limited to the Trump Administration. ..."

Maureen Richmond

The Fear of Witchcraft

"Thank you for your much needed review of the Lucas Miles polemic. A key point ..."

Maureen Richmond

I Read Pagan Threat So You ..."

"A number of these are also available streaming through the Kanopy digital service, carried by ..."

C. Lee Vermeers

The Vampire Films of Jean Rollin

"Happy October!"

renniejoy

The Vampire Films of Jean Rollin

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 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 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian tradition is most noted for the use of incense and elaborate liturgy?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Presbyterian Baptist Eastern Orthodox Methodist