priest

Discipline 2

Final Course for CTP 2: Discipline 2

1) Describe your discipline practice as an ADF Priest. Explain what you have learned from this practice, describe how your connection with the Court of the Sky has grown and changed over the time you have worked with them, and reflect on your journals and omens over the period. (min. 600 words)

What I’ve learned from this practice:

Though I’ve had some significant life changes happen since ordination, I would say one of the biggest things I’ve learned is more of a reaffirmation one of the take-aways I wrote about in Discipline 1.  That is, in order for my spiritual practice to work, it has to be a part of my life, not apart from my life.  Most of the regular devotional work I do now is extremely concise.  It is a part of my day, and wiggles its way into the small things that I do.

I’ve also learned that sometimes it’s useful to strip your practice down to the bare bones and see what you miss and still find value in, and then work on adding it back in.  It helps things stay fresh and meaningful.  An example of this is that as my work situation has changed, I’ve moved away from sunrise devotionals, and I’ve found that I miss it.  That is something that I’d like to start incorporating back in soon.

Another thing I’ve noticed since ordination is that I have to consciously make time for my own practice, whereas before it came much easier.  I think this is in large part because there is only so much time I can be doing spiritual stuff, so I’m having to split, in some fashion, the amount of time spent on me in order to focus on others.  I knew that there would be demands on my time and my spiritual skill set, but I’ve had to work on making sure that while I’m providing for others, that I also explicitly make time for my own devotions to foster my personal connections.  This is reflected in the first statement in my Code of Ethics: “I will pray with the Good Fire.”  If my own flame isn’t kept bright, then I won’t be able to help others kindle theirs.  Part of how I’ve been able to manage this is through doing the Clergy Order Work at the Mound and beyond, which is a time focused on my spiritual growth and needs, and my interactions with the spirits.

How my connection with the Court of the Sky has grown and changed:

The most interesting thing about the Court of the Sky, and my growing relationship with them, is that I interacted with at least some of them before ordination, during my Initiation and the intervening time.  One of the spirits I’ve formed a particular strong relationship, enough that I consider him to be one of my spirit allies, is the Fire Slug.  My first interaction with him was during Initiation, though I didn’t know it at the time, when the stars all fell from the sky and rained down upon the Mound.  He was one of those stars who fell, then caught fire and raced around the edge of the Mound forming a burning ring.

I have found this class of spirits to have an interesting, to say the least, take on the world.  They are part of it, but also really not, and it shows in the way they perceive and interact with us. Most of the ones I’ve met, either in passing, or to work with in any capacity have been related to the stars in some way, as opposed to the Moon or other celestial bodies.  The Fire Slug fell from the stars, and I would probably still consider him at least partially meteorite.  I’ve met some who dance atop the standing stones I’ve found elsewhere in the meadow area who appear to be streaks of light, alien and merry.  The ones I’ve met have a focus on prophecy, divination, or “knowing” in some manner, or they have a focus on strange bargains and how that interacts with magic.  I’ve been enjoying working with them, and look forward to continuing that work.

Reflection on my journals and omens:

Regarding my omens, I’ve found that I’ve gone back to the method I find more meaningful to me, which is taking omens for specific purposes and questions, during full rituals, and about one additional reading a month.  Daily, or even weekly, omens don’t seem to give me added clarity or perspective, but rather seem to get bogged down in the immediate present.  I find I get more use out of the spaced out divination. I have also started keeping track of my omens in a 5-year diary.  I think it will be interesting to see how they cycle through the years.  As before, I’ve decided to take a look at my omens over the past two years as a whole.

If I were to read and interpret the most commonly pulled symbols, I’d say that “it has been a lot of work to maintain my Clergy Oath and the Work that entails, but that it is following the directive I’ve received from the folk and the spirits, and that it is a noble undertaking.”  All in all, this bodes well for the work I have done, and the work I will continue to do.  It speaks to keeping my oath and doing the Work of clergy.  Some other things to note is that Mu was pulled far more often than Iota, speaking to the vast amount of internal work and changes I’ve undergone, as opposed to the external work and external changes I may have made.  Also high on the frequency list are Xi and Gamma. They are a reminder to tend the seeds I plant in order to reap the rewards that the Earth Mother provides.

In general, I’ve found my divination set to be a combination of encouraging me on my path and gentle in its warnings or hard times ahead.  It has also at times seemed to be comforting on recent events of the past, as opposed either looking ahead or being overly critical.

Regarding my reflections and journals, one of the things that has continued to help me be self-reflective about my practice is my method of journaling the things that have surprised me.  I have a quick list that I’ve titled “Things No One Told You About Being a Priest,” that touches on some of the things that I’ve reflected on.  Below are some of the most notable things, or at least some of the things I keep coming back to.

Probably the single item I come back to again and again is how lonely the path of Clergy is, especially as an extrovert.  I have found my personality shifting, becoming more withdrawn.  I think this may happen with any form of leadership (real or perceived) in that I am more aware of the places where a wall has grown up around me, and more aware of the way people react differently to me.  I’ve been able to note this particularly in my grove.  I have been able to watch the way long-time members shift in the way they interact with me, and watch the way new members, who’ve never known me as a non-priest, interact with me.

One of the other things I’ve noticed is that I am able to stay engaged and fulfilled when I remember the real Work.   Love the Earth.  Serve the Folk.  Honor the Gods.  Following that drive and passion and vocation helps me renew my drive, my passion, and my vocation. For me, the most fulfilling part of Priesting is the work I do one-on-one with the Folk.  It’s allowed me to see myself in them, and see where they can grow into various roles they enjoy and fulfill them.  One of my primary vocations that seems to be continuing to grow as I continue on this path is mentoring.

Another big thing I’ve noticed is how much I’ve had to step up my game regarding setting boundaries.  I note in my journaled reflections that there are “hundreds of small sacrifices of family and friend time” and “how the responsibilities eat their way in with small, but noticeable ways.”  This has been a thing I’ve had to keep an eye on and be aware of in order to maintain a balance in my personal and professional life.

And finally, one of the last major points (that I also noted above in what I’ve learned in this work) that I’ve reflected on in my journal and strived to remember throughout this journey thus far is that it is our own practice that lets us keep our center and be able to do the hard stuff.  “Keep your own flame bright, or you cannot show others its light.”

Leaders are Always Growing

This is excerpted from my Leadership Development course, and refers to what I see as my own strengths and weaknesses as a leader, particularly as a leader within ADF.

When considering how I fit within the context of leadership in ADF, especially as it pertains to the organization as a whole and its members, I think I am strongest in Strategy, Shared Values, and Strengths/Skills.  I have ideas how to keep moving us forward as a religion, and work to implement them, especially on a local level, with my peers.  I identify strongly with ADFs Shared Values as stated in our Mission and Vision statements, and work to align my personal work with those shared values.  I think the greatest strength of our church is our individual members.  Everyone has something to bring to the table, and we can grow stronger as an organization by using these skills and making sure all feel like valued and contributing members.

I still have a lot I think I can improve on in Staff, Systems, and Style, as it relates to leadership.  Because Staff refers to the people within an organization, and the general skill sets that they all have, I think that, although I am a people-person, this is someone that every one of us can continually improve on.  I’ve been trying to make a point of making myself available to people who don’t have a local community.  I spend time following and engaging in conversations with folks who I’m unfamiliar with, especially when they are seeking help, advice, or just other like-minded people practicing Druidry. I also do my best to make it to rituals at others groves, and to festivals, though I recognize that they are only a very small percentage of our membership, and so it must be coupled with distance communication with solitary and faraway members.

Because I believe our greatest strength as an organization is the people who are in it, I think it’s absolutely vital to continually get to know those people, and make sure that they have the opportunity to become familiar with me, and know that I’m someone they can reach out to at any point without fear of awkwardness or judgment. I love discussing Our Druidry with people, so I want continue to learn about the individuals of our membership: what their path is looking like, where they want to go, how to help them get there, what they’re carrying with them (skills, knowledge, burdens) on the journey.  I’m an extrovert most of the time, but prefer in depth one on one conversations, so in order to improve this particular Leadership Skill I need to be cognizant of my inclination to want to continue long in depth conversations with people I know, and be able and willing to step outside that comfort zone and make myself available to others.

As far as improving Systems, I think there is a lot to be done as far as the organization itself is concerned to improve these, and I have ideas on how to help.  I can improve this by continuing to follow my vocation and drive, and work on not sitting quietly, but instead taking a more active role in the changes that can and are happening.  I see our study programs continuing to grow and evolve as we get more members, and more specialized knowledge.  I see those study courses each having a rubric, both to help the student as they’re writing, and to help the reviewer as they are evaluating.  Most of all, I see more active work happening as far as creation of useful materials for members, especially solitaries.  The more practical and supplemental help we can provide for those walking the path of Our Druidry, like prayers, ritual scripts, meditations, tools, and other ideas, the better.  The focus here is on contributing more towards improving the Systems that allow each individual member to more fully and accessibly experience Our Druidry.

Because I tend to be rather quiet (indirect and reserved) in many situations within ADF, in order to improve my leadership Style, what I need to work on most here is navigating when to flex that style.  I need to work on flexing from indirect to direct so that my voice gets heard and taken seriously amongst all the other loud, forceful, and passionate voices.  I also need to work on allowing my outgoing side to take precedence more often in non-in-person scenarios.  It isn’t often a problem when I am with other people and conversing in-person.  However, since due to the small and spread out nature of our organization, online and other distance communications are more regularly used, and in those situations I tend towards reserved.  So working on being more outgoing when communicating over distance is another area of focused improvement for this.

Things No One Told You About Being a Priest

There are a lot of things about being a priest that aren’t in any of the training, and that you really only learn or experience once you’re on that path.  This is an ever-evolving list of things that have surprised me, that I’ve learned and experienced, and that I’ve reflected on since becoming clergy.  They’re not really organized in any particular order.  Perhaps at some point I’ll organize them, or write more deeply about some of them.  I have bolded a few of the more important ones, or at least the ones that I keep coming back to.

If you are thinking about the clergy path, or are already on it (at whatever point in your journey you may  be), please, feel free to reach out to me.  I know that I process best when I have conversations with others, and like talking about these issues.  So, no need to feel shy about it.  Reflecting like this is part of growing and learning.

Continue reading “Things No One Told You About Being a Priest” →

Thoughts on Virtues and Ethics

As I’ve been reflecting on some of my Clergy Training Program work, one of the things that I have found to be extremely valuable these past 8 months or so was the work I did to examine what the values and ethics are in our society, and develop a personal code of ethics to help me navigate the work I do as a Priest. Since writing it, this Code of Ethics has continued to be useful to me and to my practice.  This is also part of the clergy continuing education, and is something that is required to be re-examined and re-evaluated at least once every three years, though honestly I expect I’ll be doing it more often than that. Reflection is a key part of this practice, and that commitment to continuing reflecting and re-evaluting my ethics may in fact be one of the things I add to my personal code of ethics when I revise it. Here is my Personal Code of Ethics as it stands today:

Personal Clergy Code of Ethics

  • “I will pray with the Good Fire” – I will maintain my own practice and my own relationship with the Kindreds. In this way I will have the fertile soil in which to grow into my role as a Priest.
  • “I will lead others to the Flame” – This is part of my Initiate Oath, and means that I will not hoard my knowledge or skills. I will be a good role model, guide, and teacher for all those who seek to walk the path of neo-paganism, and I will provide services relating to this path as much as I am able.
  • “I will be kind to others” – It costs me nothing to be kind to someone. My words and actions have the possibility of deeply affecting others, and my kindness may be the only bit of hope a person sees that day. I will also do what I am able to be sure that kindness is a priority in interactions that I observe and am part of.
  • “I will acknowledge growth” – This is two fold: I am constantly growing and as such should strive to continue learning. Others are also constantly growing, and I should allow in my perception of them that they are continuing to learn. I will not hold grudges.
  • “I will be an independent and responsible person” – I will be my own person, and determine my own actions. I will walk my walk, and not let others’ vision of me influence my path. I am responsible for my own actions, and will strive to remember that I am not responsible of the actions of others. I will also fulfill duties that make me a responsible member of society and the priesthood, especially as it relates to the law.
  • “I will be loyal and hold true to my word.” – When I make a commitment, those who are depending on me should be able to be certain that I will not back out, or that if I do it is for a very good reason. I will speak truth whenever possible, admit when I don’t know, and seek out those who do know. I will maintain the confidence of those who have trusted me to hold space with them.

When we write our Personal Code of Ethics for use as Clergy, one of the things we’re asked to look at is the Nine Virtues within ADF, as well what kinds of virtues exist within our society and how those two might play off each other. It is meant to give a starting point in developing our own ethics. The Nine Virtues in ADF are Wisdom, Piety, Vision, Courage, Integrity, Perseverance, Moderation, Hospitality, and Fertility. In addition to the Nine Virtues, other ethical codes that have influenced my own code of ethics in particular are The Delphic Maxims and The Hippocratic Oath. Throughout all these virtues and ethical codes are values that can be seen woven through the fabric of our society. So, where do the values in our society come from and how do they relate to these ADF Nine Virtues and other ethical codes?

Our society places value on wisdom, and as a culture we encourage people to seek out those who have gained wisdom through their life experiences. However, as a Millennial it is also encouraged to seek wisdom from less established sources, and instead seek wisdom through personal experience gained by risk-taking and creative problem solving. I seek to have wisdom by sharing the knowledge I have gained, and thus providing others with the opportunity to share in that wisdom.

Seeking wisdom through personal experience, risk-taking, and creative problem solving also relates to the virtue of vision. We value the ability to see the bigger picture, and plan out ways to make that dream a reality. I have goals, and in order to see those goals come to fruition I am acknowledging that there is always room for growth, and that there is always room for improvement.

This personal experience, risk-taking, and creative problem solving also relates in part to the virtue of fertility. We like to encourage freethinkers and those with creative minds. Fertility really sums up this focus I have on growth and my dedication to continue growing, both as a person and as a Priest, as well as my dedication to helping others grow and acknowledging that they are always growing and changing.

There is value placed on piety in our society, though in ADF we define piety based on the actions we take in our religion, rather than a certain set of ascribed beliefs. For me this is the act of prayer and maintaining my relationship with the Kindreds. It is also important for me to continue in my personal religious practices both for my own piety, but also so that I have integrity when I am discussing those practices with others, and not be disingenuous whether I’m writing liturgy, counseling others, or performing rituals

Integrity can be summed up in the famous line from Hamlet: “To thine own self be true.” From the Delphic Maxims, one of the most well known is maxim #8: “Know Thyself.” If we are in tune with who we are and what we desire we have the ability to begin to sort out what our ethics are, and how to live with integrity in our own lives. I’ve had to examine myself in order to write this Code of Ethics in the first place, and when I consider how I will be an independent person, I need to first have a good idea of who that independent person is.

In America integrity seems to be particularly valued. That attempt to walk to the beat of your own drum and not to let others define who you are. This in and of itself is often something that takes courage. Henry David Thoreau said “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.” We have a history of self-reliance and a certain flair for independence as well as take pride in our ability (and right) to be ourselves.

This integrity is something that often takes both wisdom and courage. It takes wisdom to know what path I should walk, and wisdom to examine my own values and how they apply to my path. It takes courage to be independent and walk my walk. It can also take courage to hold true to my word when I may be pressured to do otherwise.

Perseverance can be seen alongside integrity and courage. In determining who I am, I will need to persevere in order to maintain that sense of self despite any obstacles I may encounter. I will need to persevere in continuing my path of growth and in continuing to challenge myself.

There is a huge precedence for the value of perseverance in America. In is contained in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence that we are each entitled to “the pursuit of happiness.” There are stories, myths, and legends about people in America who came here with nothing and through their perseverance built a life for themselves and became rich an famous. The concept of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is widely known, and generally hugely valued.

Moderation is also something that is valued here, though it seems to be a value that has a variable degree of implementation. One can be moderate in things from drugs and drinking, to consumerism, to sex. We tend to see a lot a press given to enforce the idea of moderation as it relates to puritan ideals such as abstaining from drinking, drugs, and sex. This contrasts sharply with the other part of the virtue of fertility. However, there is less social pressure put on those who engage in rampant consumerism, and in some cases, society even seems to encourage this lack of moderation. For me in my personal code of ethics, I will strive to moderate my behavior to reflect my ethics.

The last virtue, hospitality, is encouraged in our culture, but it seems a bit more one-sided that the value placed on in in the context of ADF and the *ghosti relationship. Hospitality is a guest-host relationship, and each party has duties to hold to. In American society the host often seems to have more duties and the guest less. Think of parties you’ve attended where many of the guests leave without picking up after themselves, or family gatherings where someone always seems to overstay their welcome. For me, a lot of the idea of hospitality, of *ghosti, of kharis boils down to kindness. Being kind to others in as many ways as possible is a way of building relationship, and building the trust necessary to have a good relationship.

Relationships. That can sum up my approach to my spirituality and religion fairly succinctly. It is all about relationships, whether that is between two or more people, two or more groups, a person and the Kindreds, or any other collection of people and spirits. We build these relationships based on reciprocity and mutual benefit. My personal code of ethics allows me to be sure I’m staying true to myself in my actions and interactions with others. And reflecting on and re-evaluating my code of ethics on a regular basis will help me both maintain knowledge of my ethical conduct and allow me to see if there are parts that need to be added or removed to better maintain myself and my relationships with others.

Let this Victory of Love Rejuvenate us!

I took great pleasure in updating the Druid Wedding fliers for Three Cranes Grove, ADF this morning!


Let us celebrate this great victory: revel and take resounding joy as love wins.

And amidst the celebration, let us remember to take this joy and this energy we’ve been given, the rejuvenation and reigniting of our spirits, and continue to fight for those who still lack protections and rights under the law. For those who identify as bi, trans, queer, pan, poly, or any other orientation that does not have the same visibility and same rights that we are currently celebrating: we see you! And the fight continues until ALL love wins!

So celebrate! And let your spirit be reinvigorated for the continued fight ahead!

Brightest Blessings on us all!

~Rev. Jan Avende

Evening Devotionals

I’m in a quiet, calm, and reflective kind of mood, and some nights, when it’s dark and quiet, it’s nice to just light the candles on my altar, enter that sacred space, and just be.  Just exist and do the work that calls to me and walk the path that sings in my blood and my soul. 

A few prayers spoken to invite those who I honor regularly, a few offerings made as I welcome them in. Then healing work for those who’ve requested it. And then contemplating the Fire, and knowing it’s okay that some nights this is all I do, and that it is exactly what I need to be doing. I am at peace and in the presence of the Kindreds.