The Art of Devotion

Do you have Patrons? How do you deal with them? Are you a devotee? Do they "overshadow" you? Are you partners? Is it a parental figure relationship? A relationship of lovers? A business arrangement?

I've had all of the above, some concurrently.

Some of the relationships I've read about, have been old about and have witnessed first hand have been along the lines of extortion. A relatively well known example from Italian circles:

To sell a house: 1) Dig a hole in the dirt on your property. 2) Take a statue of Saint Joseph and put him in the hole head first. 3) bury the statue while speaking words to condemn him to suffer in that hole until your house is sold. 4) When the house is sold, dig him up, clean him off, and give him a place of honor in your new home.

This practice is nothing new; The ancient Romans kept a statue of Saturn bound with ropes every day of the year except for the Saturnalia. Funny how nothing on the internet mentions WHY he was bound, just that the ropes were untied on this date.

Plenty of spells and works in the Roman tradition call for the tying, burying, covering and otherwise threatening the being, deity or otherwise. Conversely, many promises are also extracted from petitioners for favor from small things such as specific devotions and offerings, to the promise of a new temple. How many Roman temples were built by leaders who wished to please one deity of another? Add it to my list of things to look up.

I have Patrons I have chosen, and I have Patrons who have chosen me. Lately I've been realizing how intimately they are related, but I will be posting about that a lot, I'm sure, as I use this space to work things out "on paper." I like to make daily offerings. It gives me a chance to practice gratitude and a more intimate connection with those I have invited into my life. I change the form and practice of my devotions seasonally, typically committing to 45 day stretches, approximately. It could be offerings of water, or incense, candles, energy, practical work if I'm in an Earthy mood, etc.

I'm going to close here for the moment. I'll likely revisit this post again soon.