At the Crossroads: Anyone Bring a Flashlight?

A day in the life of one witch’s attempts at community organizing, group leadership, public Paganism, and joyous shenanigans. Balancing inner work with external obligations, a professional career with public Paganism, and a full social calendar with gratuitous amounts of sleep.

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Trivia at the Crossroads

Last year I facilitated a (very) small gathering devoted to the Goddess Hekate in the basement of a local metaphysical shop. My Comrade and I celebrated The Rite of Her Sacred Fires, a global ritual written and organized by Sorita d’Este from the Covenant of Hekate, an organization devoted to Hekate, Our Lady of the Crossroads.

The Rite of Her Sacred Fires is a very sweet and very powerful ritual, celebrated annually by people all over the world on the full moon in May. (This year the full moon is on Saturday, May 21.) We chanted, we sang, we decorated candles, we raised some power, and together we spoke these words:

Great Hekate, who spins the web of the stars and governs the spiral of life, guide us through towards pathways of understanding. From crossroad to crossroad, the torchbearers and the keybearers of your mysteries will always find one another.”

I was profoundly moved by this prayer and I think of it often – “from crossroads to crossroads, we will always find each other.” After this ritual I felt a deep connection to my Comrade who had skipped dinner that day to come to the ritual (who cares if no one else showed up, we had a great time!). I felt a deep connection to my brothers and sisters around the world celebrating the Rite, and I felt a deep connection to other Pagans and witches, too, to magical folk, occultists, magicians, and various others who find themselves on this path, one way or another.

D’Este’s words also reminded me of words from another familiar and beloved ritual, written by Uncle Buck (Raymond Buckland) in his Big Blue Book (Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft):

As woods and meadows blossom and green, we celebrate this ancient rite as the old ones did before us. We cast our hearts into the mists of time and space: Where we stand now, in years to come, may scores of other Pagans be. So mote it be.”

My Circle speaks these words together every Beltane. And each year we come together to celebrate the Merry Month of May we indeed gather in a larger circle, with more friends and family around us, with bigger fires, brighter glitter, and more joyous dancing than ever before. So here we are at this Beltane season, this cross-quarter between the Equinox and the Solstice, rambling and dancing where mysterious and magical folks often find themselves – at the Crossroads. Sometimes we’re walking together, sometimes we’re wandering alone, sometimes we bump into each other, and sometimes when we’re lost, we find one another. It is here in this liminal territory I find myself stumbling through my interesting, fascinating, frustrating, awesome life – I’m a witch, a Circle facilitator, a high priestess, a group leader, a clergy person, a member of a coven, trying to get my professional career going, a free-lance writer… All of these paths come together and maybe, hopefully, meet somewhere at the Crossroads.

For the sake of this blog I borrow the name Trivia. It was loaned to me by a loved-one many years ago for an initiation that never happened. (But that’s a lesson of the Crossroads, too. Sometimes “Big Plans” happen, and sometimes they don’t, but they often leave an impression.) Trivia is one of the Ancient Roman names for Hekate, who is mistress of the Crossroads, of magic and mystery and all sorts of wonderful things. Naturally, I understand the hubris of taking the name of a Goddess. As a contemporary Pagan and a modern person, however, I can’t help but bring to mind the dictionary definition of the word trivia – unimportant facts or details, facts about people or things that are not well-known, or, according to Miriam Webster, “a quizzing game involving obscure facts.”

Now, anyone who has been involved in group leadership or public Paganism can surely relate to the quizzical, game-like nature of what we are doing/trying to do. Along this journey I’ve made many mistakes, have enjoyed some really great triumphs, and have learned hard lessons. (Sheesh, I’m sure I’m due for a few more of those any day now!) I’ve asked myself many, many times “what on Earth am I doing?” and “how on Earth do I do this?”I’ve collaborated with other community leaders, consulted beloved mentors, poured over dozens and dozens of books, fawned over “Big Name Pagans,” and screamed angrily at online forums and blogs. Basically, here I am, wandering seemingly blindly on the Crossroads of group leadership and personal discovery, wondering who on earth has a flashlight and a set of keys to help me through this thing.

So I present to you, Trivia at the Crossroads. This is a blog about being a public witch, trying to build a professional career in the mundane world, facilitating groups, being in a leadership role, and trying to be a competent clergy person, competent priestess, and a competent human being.

As d’Este’ writes:

From crossroad to crossroad, the torchbearers and the keybearers of your mysteries will always find one another.”

With these words, I know that I am not alone in this adventure of community organizing, group leadership, public Paganism, and joyous shenanigans. May this blog function as a key to unlock ideas and insights. May this blog function as a torch to light the way. Most of all, may this blog give you something to chuckle at and hopefully relate to as you make your way through your own Crossroads.

Maybe we’ll bump into each other along the way!

A useful link!

(Also, very special thanks to Zazzel for the avatar image! You rock!)

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Trivia is a social worker, freelance writer, minister, and priestess. She loves to have a good adventure. Follow her exploits on Twitter (https://twitter.com/TriviaXRoads) and on Tumblr (http://triviaxroads.tumblr.com/)!
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Comments

  • Tamrha Richardson
    Tamrha Richardson Thursday, 19 May 2016

    I feel as if I could have written this! I'm right there with you, in so many ways.
    Great post!

  • Trivia at the Crossroads
    Trivia at the Crossroads Thursday, 19 May 2016

    hahah, thank you, Tamrha! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. And YES. I knew I wouldn't be the only one having these experiences! =) I look forward to connecting more on future posts... see how often our crossroads intersect, tee hee!

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