Black Stone Sanctuary
/blxstonesnctuary39
A goddess-centric polytheist monastery-bootstrapping project by Danica Swanson and Trish Deneen. We call it "contemplative animism with a goth nesting instinct."
"Each devotee’s path is different, and the vows they might take are going to vary." One topic that might bring up kind of a knee-jerk reaction with monastic polytheism is the idea of taking vows as they're associated with concepts like poverty and celibacy. In this excellent post, polytheistic monastic NíDara, who honors the goddess Brighid, explains their vows and the thought process behind them. https://oakenroots.substack.com/p/the-illuminating-spark-thoughts-on-62c
If you follow a polytheist monastic practice or adjacent one, do you have a midday prayer practice you'd like to share? I have a phone alarm set because I don't always remember to stop and take a few moments when I'm in the middle of work. It's proven helpful.
Hi, folks. I hope you like our new banner, a generative art work depicting a priestess praying at a goddess statue. This is part of our series of praying priestess pieces. I like to think of this scene as part of a daily or weekly pilgrimage to a shrine in the woods for contemplation before retiring to the Sanctuary for the evening.
We're quite happy with the recent changes to channels.
We're excited to continue developing Black Stone Sanctuary as a gathering space for contemplative animist monastics, goddess-worshippers, and supporters.
Co-mod @trishd, who created our new PFP, is working on a new banner for the channel; meanwhile, I'm preparing the Ulf Söderberg interview for release.
At some point we'll launch a Fan Token for this channel. We haven't decided when, but we'll give advance notice before the auction.
In the meantime, we'd like to get to know the channel's current followers.
We invite you to introduce (or re-introduce) yourself. A short basic intro is fine; mostly we just want to know you're a human.
If you want to write more, we welcome that too! We'd love to hear:
- How did you first hear about BSS?
- What interests you most about our work?
- How would you describe your religious/spiritual practices?
- Do you have any experience with monasticism (in any religion)?
- What questions do you have about BSS?
We're excited to continue developing Black Stone Sanctuary as a gathering space for contemplative animist monastics, goddess-worshippers, and supporters.
Co-mod @trishd, who created our new PFP, is working on a new banner for the channel; meanwhile, I'm preparing the Ulf Söderberg interview for release.
At some point we'll launch a Fan Token for this channel. We haven't decided when, but we'll give advance notice before the auction.
In the meantime, we'd like to get to know the channel's current followers.
We invite you to introduce (or re-introduce) yourself. A short basic intro is fine; mostly we just want to know you're a human.
If you want to write more, we welcome that too! We'd love to hear:
- How did you first hear about BSS?
- What interests you most about our work?
- How would you describe your religious/spiritual practices?
- Do you have any experience with monasticism (in any religion)?
- What questions do you have about BSS?
Every month at the dark moon, Black Stone Sanctuary hosts a day of rest, contemplation, and quietude, including meditation with drone music.
This month we're also using @trishd's excellent new spoken meditation for grounding, centering, and shielding. It's made for an interfaith audience.
This month's theme for contemplation: wholeness.
As in: "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
https://zora.co/collect/zora:0xcfa43a880fb6c783d2c2cef0cbc04e42ee10d334/12
This month we're also using @trishd's excellent new spoken meditation for grounding, centering, and shielding. It's made for an interfaith audience.
This month's theme for contemplation: wholeness.
As in: "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
https://zora.co/collect/zora:0xcfa43a880fb6c783d2c2cef0cbc04e42ee10d334/12
Update on the Ulf Söderberg/Sephiroth interview: I had set Oct. 3 as the target publication date, but I've decided to postpone it a little longer because:
1) I think it's best to wait until the dust settles from the big changes to channels (happening tomorrow).
2) @paragraph just launched a cool mini-app that lets people read articles in a frame without even leaving the feed. I'd like to see if I can publish the interview in-frame in some way that enables both writer and readers to be rewarded with Moxie. Not sure if this is possible yet, but we'll see.
More news soon, I hope!
https://warpcast.com/danicaswanson/0x5b5fc02c
1) I think it's best to wait until the dust settles from the big changes to channels (happening tomorrow).
2) @paragraph just launched a cool mini-app that lets people read articles in a frame without even leaving the feed. I'd like to see if I can publish the interview in-frame in some way that enables both writer and readers to be rewarded with Moxie. Not sure if this is possible yet, but we'll see.
More news soon, I hope!
https://warpcast.com/danicaswanson/0x5b5fc02c
Hi folks. This is our new generative piece entitled, "Morning Walk to the Shrine." I wrote a little blurb: "As they walk the path to the entrance of the courtyard of shrines, the priestesses chant the names of their Holy Powers."
What does your vision of a morning walk to the shrine of your Holy Powers look like? Feel free to share.
I have several WIPs, both generative and mixed media art, depicting Sanctuary shrines. It's an inspirational topic for me.
What does your vision of a morning walk to the shrine of your Holy Powers look like? Feel free to share.
I have several WIPs, both generative and mixed media art, depicting Sanctuary shrines. It's an inspirational topic for me.
Good news for everyone who's been waiting patiently for the interview with Ulf Söderberg:
I've just sent off the final (yes, really and truly final) version to Ulf for approval. (Final word count: 8500). More news very soon.
As a reward for your patience, here's a little sneak peek: new music written by Ulf for the "Njordheim" trailer — a collaboration with Marcus Sandgren from 2023. Enjoy!
https://vimeo.com/901129942
I've just sent off the final (yes, really and truly final) version to Ulf for approval. (Final word count: 8500). More news very soon.
As a reward for your patience, here's a little sneak peek: new music written by Ulf for the "Njordheim" trailer — a collaboration with Marcus Sandgren from 2023. Enjoy!
https://vimeo.com/901129942
Just published onchain: our collection of 4-line hails for the Nordic goddesses we call the Healing Court of Lyfjaberg, and some reflections on our aspiration to build a "healing house of the sacred dark."
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/hail-mengloth-and-her-healing-court?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/hail-mengloth-and-her-healing-court?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
Here are the final two editions of the Sanctuary's Meditation #2. First up: "This non-spoken version is intended to be used as a meditative focal point for those who prefer non-guided meditations." https://zora.co/collect/zora:0xcfa43a880fb6c783d2c2cef0cbc04e42ee10d334/14?referrer=0x7a5C9E31Fafc9df4274251f51574521C9e0F7C9d
Hi folks. As promised, here's the Transcript for Black Stone Sanctuary Zorbish Meditation #2: Grounding, Centering, and Shielding. The non-voice version of the meditation will be up shortly, and the captioned version will be up by the end of the day today. Have a marvelous Sunday.
First published at the Pagan Bloggers portal in 2017, this widely appreciated "concept stewardship" essay is now released onchain.
"Negativity is not inherent in darkness itself. It is in suppressing or avoiding it that we run into trouble. Excessive focus on "the light" or "positivity" is a form of spiritual bypassing that can lead us away from inner power. Sacred endarkenment practice can lead us toward it."
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/what-is-sacred-endarkenment?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
"Negativity is not inherent in darkness itself. It is in suppressing or avoiding it that we run into trouble. Excessive focus on "the light" or "positivity" is a form of spiritual bypassing that can lead us away from inner power. Sacred endarkenment practice can lead us toward it."
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/what-is-sacred-endarkenment?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
Welcome to the Sanctuary's first spoken meditation for grounding, centering, and shielding (GCS for short). I created this piece for an interfaith (or no faith) audience because of how positively a GCS practice has impacted me.
A transcript will be published today, and the music only and captioned versions will be published by this weekend.
This piece is 12 minutes long and is inspired by @danicaswanson's essay Cave Dwellers Unite, which I'll link in the comments. I was also inspired by the generative art piece I created for that essay of the devotee praying in a cave. I hope you enjoy.
A transcript will be published today, and the music only and captioned versions will be published by this weekend.
This piece is 12 minutes long and is inspired by @danicaswanson's essay Cave Dwellers Unite, which I'll link in the comments. I was also inspired by the generative art piece I created for that essay of the devotee praying in a cave. I hope you enjoy.
Just published onchain: the Sanctuary's devotionals (including a poem I wrote) to Our Lady of Night — Nótt, the Nordic goddess of darkness.
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/hail-the-unsorrowing-welcoming-nott?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/hail-the-unsorrowing-welcoming-nott?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
Slowly but surely, we're continuing to bring our backlog of blog posts onchain. Here's a reader favorite (originally published in 2022) that reflects on some of the challenges and losses involved in acceptance of limits.
"Following the ways of non-contrivance means learning to release habits of effortful pursuit, and confronting the limits of conscious objectives."
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/the-contemplative-practice-of-accepting-limits?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
"Following the ways of non-contrivance means learning to release habits of effortful pursuit, and confronting the limits of conscious objectives."
https://paragraph.xyz/@blackstonesanctuary/the-contemplative-practice-of-accepting-limits?referrer=danicaswanson.eth
Here's a glimpse of what turned out to be a pivotal chapter of the Sanctuary's history, told through the eyes of a friend.
TL;DR: In 2021, after reading about Gwynne's vision, I petitioned Juno Moneta. Got a nudge to get into crypto. I did. Then in 2023 I joined Farcaster, and started writing about it. Gwynne read it, joined, and now she's here too.
Full circle.
Gwynne writes:
"In 2019, after one of the many times I mentioned Juno Moneta in my writings, a friend of mine - @danicaswanson who is another monastic polytheist, developed a connection with Juno Moneta and got the nudge from her to start exploring crypto in early 2021.
She did. To great success. […]
…Then one day… the friend who'd gotten a nudge from Juno Moneta to get into crypto mentioned Farcaster in her newsletter, and I felt the nudge again…
I made my first cast.
I started getting tips, which was fabulous... Farcaster had it built right into the culture. […]
I’m gonna keep following those nudges from the Goddess of Money."
TL;DR: In 2021, after reading about Gwynne's vision, I petitioned Juno Moneta. Got a nudge to get into crypto. I did. Then in 2023 I joined Farcaster, and started writing about it. Gwynne read it, joined, and now she's here too.
Full circle.
Gwynne writes:
"In 2019, after one of the many times I mentioned Juno Moneta in my writings, a friend of mine - @danicaswanson who is another monastic polytheist, developed a connection with Juno Moneta and got the nudge from her to start exploring crypto in early 2021.
She did. To great success. […]
…Then one day… the friend who'd gotten a nudge from Juno Moneta to get into crypto mentioned Farcaster in her newsletter, and I felt the nudge again…
I made my first cast.
I started getting tips, which was fabulous... Farcaster had it built right into the culture. […]
I’m gonna keep following those nudges from the Goddess of Money."
The spoken and music only versions of the Sanctuary's second meditation video are in the can, so to speak, with the exception of a few minor tweaks. I'm now working on the captioned version and the transcription for accessibility. I plan for the release to be next week. So excited!
On another note, have you ever listened to yourself guide yourself in a meditation? It's a bit Twilight Zoneish hearing my own voice do that. ☺️
On another note, have you ever listened to yourself guide yourself in a meditation? It's a bit Twilight Zoneish hearing my own voice do that. ☺️
Hi folks. This piece is the first in a series of still quotes from our PMVPC Collection named after the book "Polytheistic Monasticism: Voices from Pagan Cloisters," in which one essay and one interview by @danicaswanson are published. As far as I know it's a first-of-its-kind anthology from the emerging Pagan monastic movement. I hope you enjoy.
Fascinating manifesto. The author takes all modern Pagan polytheist revival efforts to task for being basically LARPs, socially irrelevant, and lacking legitimacy due to broken lines of initiatory and priestly lineage.
TBH, I can't argue with that. (If you've read my rant on why I once attended an Episcopal church out of sheer frustration after 25 years in Paganism, this won't come as a surprise to you).
Quote: "The origins of Western neopaganism place it firmly as sub-sub-culture of the New Age subculture, despite possible protestations to the contrary by some."
The author then suggests that ALL would-be revivalists should look to the only living and fully intact Indo-European tradition: the Vedic (Hinduism) for a religious framework that could then be "localized" with specific IE pantheons (Nordic, Celtic, etc.)
I think this idea has merit. But how to pull it off? Good question.
https://aryaakasha.com/2021/04/20/a-manifesto-for-the-resurrective-reincarnation-of-the-loka-lized-indo-european-faith/
TBH, I can't argue with that. (If you've read my rant on why I once attended an Episcopal church out of sheer frustration after 25 years in Paganism, this won't come as a surprise to you).
Quote: "The origins of Western neopaganism place it firmly as sub-sub-culture of the New Age subculture, despite possible protestations to the contrary by some."
The author then suggests that ALL would-be revivalists should look to the only living and fully intact Indo-European tradition: the Vedic (Hinduism) for a religious framework that could then be "localized" with specific IE pantheons (Nordic, Celtic, etc.)
I think this idea has merit. But how to pull it off? Good question.
https://aryaakasha.com/2021/04/20/a-manifesto-for-the-resurrective-reincarnation-of-the-loka-lized-indo-european-faith/
Enjoyed this thoughtful and respectful 1-hr interview with George Lizos, a Greek Pagan polytheist who articulates very well some of the challenges faced by all of us with religious practices in modern polytheistic revival contexts (which, of course, includes /blxstonesnctuary). To wit:
"When I tell people what I practice, they think it’s just myths because they don’t know the theological and religious aspect of it. (We were taught that didn’t exist)."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb5M4Ud3ZVc
"When I tell people what I practice, they think it’s just myths because they don’t know the theological and religious aspect of it. (We were taught that didn’t exist)."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb5M4Ud3ZVc
If you've followed Black Stone Sanctuary's work for awhile, you may know that later this year I'll be releasing a long-awaited 8000-word interview with the Swedish musician Ulf Söderberg, aka Sephiroth.
When I was writing about music on Substack, I started a YT channel solely for the sake of uploading two performance videos from a Sephiroth performance I attended in Stockholm, Sweden in 2017. Worth a listen if you enjoy dark ambient music.
https://warpcast.com/danicaswanson/0x807f8694
https://www.youtube.com/@endarkenment-dark-ambient
When I was writing about music on Substack, I started a YT channel solely for the sake of uploading two performance videos from a Sephiroth performance I attended in Stockholm, Sweden in 2017. Worth a listen if you enjoy dark ambient music.
https://warpcast.com/danicaswanson/0x807f8694
https://www.youtube.com/@endarkenment-dark-ambient
Thanks for the query, @alditrus. Some book recs on dream incubation:
1. Dream Guidance: Connecting to the Soul Through Dream Incubation by Machiel Klerk - an overview with how-to guidelines
2. The Practice of Dream Healing: Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine by Edward Tick, Ph.D. - narratives about pilgrimages to dream incubation sanctuaries of Asklepios, with lots of journaling/reflection
#1 is a fairly easy read with instructions and a more practical focus, while #2 is a longer exploratory psychological/philosophical journey.
Hope that helps!
1. Dream Guidance: Connecting to the Soul Through Dream Incubation by Machiel Klerk - an overview with how-to guidelines
2. The Practice of Dream Healing: Bringing Ancient Greek Mysteries into Modern Medicine by Edward Tick, Ph.D. - narratives about pilgrimages to dream incubation sanctuaries of Asklepios, with lots of journaling/reflection
#1 is a fairly easy read with instructions and a more practical focus, while #2 is a longer exploratory psychological/philosophical journey.
Hope that helps!
This amazing piece on The Order of the Third Bird is worth recasting for /blxstonesnctuary, because so much of our darkness incubation work focuses on refinement of human attention.
Attention sovereignty is one of the building blocks in our approach to "open-source modular monasticism."
Attention sovereignty is one of the building blocks in our approach to "open-source modular monasticism."
Thanks for cheering us on, @pjc! /blxstonesnctuary has been hosting mini incubation retreats in Portland since 2011. We have two guidebooks ready to go in our publishing queue:
1) How to Host Dark Moon Incubation Retreats
2) Darkness Incubation: Designing Slowcore Rooms
We hope to find a suitable space to expand this work IRL one day to focus more on dream incubation specifically.
Here's a podcast on dream incubation with author Gil Renberg.
"...when the pagan cults were gradually suppressed under Christian hegemony... Incubation seems to have come to an end in the fourth century … or did it?"
https://shwep.net/podcast/gil-renberg-on-dream-incubation/
1) How to Host Dark Moon Incubation Retreats
2) Darkness Incubation: Designing Slowcore Rooms
We hope to find a suitable space to expand this work IRL one day to focus more on dream incubation specifically.
Here's a podcast on dream incubation with author Gil Renberg.
"...when the pagan cults were gradually suppressed under Christian hegemony... Incubation seems to have come to an end in the fourth century … or did it?"
https://shwep.net/podcast/gil-renberg-on-dream-incubation/
It's humble but it's free. 😁 I printed this image of Skadi that's in the public domain (found at Wikimedia Commons) and glued it to an index card. I wrote a prayer on the back and laminated it with a self-sealing laminate paper. I created cards for different Norse deities in this manner for daily devotionals.
According to the Wiki, it's "an illustration from Fredrik Sander's 1893 Swedish edition of the Poetic Edda." Link to the image below. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skade_by_Saltza.jpg
According to the Wiki, it's "an illustration from Fredrik Sander's 1893 Swedish edition of the Poetic Edda." Link to the image below. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skade_by_Saltza.jpg
