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<\/a>Jason and Ari Mankey just got back from a trip to Greece. Much of their trip was a pilgrimage, and some of that was disappointing. Here\u2019s an excerpt from Jason\u2019s post titled Where the Gods Live<\/a>:<\/p>\n There were fleeting moments when I felt the Gods nearby, but for the most part they were absent. I felt sadness at the Acropolis upon reaching the almost nothing that remained of a temple to Dionysus, and at Delphi there was a flickering of hope upon reaching Apollo\u2019s Temple, but none of it was really comparable to the White Spring, or even what I feel in my ritual room on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n I have always sought the spiritual and in many ways the \u201clack of\u201d somethings in Greece saddened me a great deal. When I asked my wife about this lack of \u201cfeelings\u201d on parts of our trip she responded with \u201cJason, they don\u2019t live here anymore.\u201d And the more I think about it the more correct she is. Why would any deity want to live in a desecrated ruin?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I encourage you to read all of Jason\u2019s post. He makes the points that Gods have always moved, and that Their presence tends to manifest where They\u2019re actively worshipped.<\/p>\n My experiences have been similar to Jason\u2019s. I\u2019ve had this post on the back burner ever since I got back from Ireland in March.\u00a0Where the Gods Live<\/a> convinced me I needed to finish it.<\/p>\n This was my third trip to Ireland and my first since my Oath to the Morrigan<\/a> last year. I\u2019ve made offerings to the Great Queen in Ireland before, but this time I expected it to be different. On our first Sunday evening, I stood at the top of a pedestrian bridge and poured a libation into the River Liffey, with my usual weekly prayers of devotion. Her presence was noticeable, and noticeably different from my usual experiences of Her.<\/p>\n The next morning was our trip to Rathcroghan and the Cave of the Morrigan<\/a>. We poured offerings before entering the cave and again when we came out. Although She did not speak directly to or through any of us, Her presence in the cave was unmistakably strong.<\/p>\n There is something special about worshipping the Gods in their traditional places. It connects us not just to Them, but also to our ancestors who did likewise hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The only word I can use to describe it is \u201cbigger.\u201d Not stronger, not deeper, and not more meaningful, but bigger<\/em>. It\u2019s like the difference between running into an 8-foot high wood fence and running into a 20 foot high stone wall. Either way you\u2019re stopped, but one is bigger<\/em> than the other.<\/p>\n But the strongest experience of the Morrigan I\u2019ve ever had was in my own back yard. Afterwards I wrote this in my personal journal:<\/p>\n It was incredibly powerful, and not entirely pleasant.\u00a0 It was an experience of intense purpose and determination. I can\u2019t remember most of the details, and I collapsed when She left.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Experiencing the Gods is a matter of will and of action (ours and Theirs\u2026 though sometimes only Theirs) not a matter of location.<\/p>\n I visited the Temple of Artemis<\/a> in Ephesus in 2012. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today all that\u2019s left is one column and a few low stones; the result of fires, earthquakes, plundering, and the centuries of neglect that accompanied the shift from Classical Greek religion to Christianity and then to Islam.<\/p>\n Its former majesty is long gone. But what\u2019s there is impressive in its own right.<\/p>\n The former temple floor is now a marsh surrounded by tall grasses. A birds\u2019 nest tops the remaining column. I saw a turtle in the pond, ducks on the water, and blackbirds on the stones. Trees surround the site and flowers grow among the grasses. And the sounds of birds and insects fill the air.<\/p>\n We generally think of Artemis as the Virgin Huntress and Goddess of the Moon, but Artemis Ephesia was depicted as having many breasts \u2013 a Goddess of Abundance. The current temple is as if Artemis said \u201cif humans will not honor my abundance, I will.\u201d<\/p>\n The Temple of Artemis is\u00a0alive<\/em>.<\/p>\n Often we expect the Gods to be exactly as They were when They were regularly worshipped in temples and groves. But every thing that is alive \u2013 every person<\/em> \u2013 changes over time. The essential natures and characters of the many Gods do not change, but how They express Their nature and character does. If we only look for the Gods as They were in 500 BCE, we may miss the Gods as They are now.<\/p>\n My first visit to Anglesey<\/a> in 2014 was a magical experience. Kristoffer Hughes was an amazing host and showed us so much of his island it was hard to come up with new places for us to visit on this year\u2019s trip.<\/p>\n As those of us who\u2019ve studied history know, Anglesey was the center of ancient Druidry. It was also the site of the Roman massacre of the Druids in 61 CE. I expected to experience a connection to those ancient Druids \u2013 I carry their name and I do my best to restore their traditions in our modern world.<\/p>\n So one morning I performed the rituals I needed to perform. I introduced myself, I made offerings, and I listened.<\/p>\n I did not hear from the Druids of 2000 years ago. Instead, I heard from the spirits of Anglesey (which may very well include some of the ancient Druids, but that\u2019s another speculation for another time). They basically said \u201cwhat are you looking for here? Your work is back in Texas.\u201d They weren\u2019t inhospitable (not in the least) \u2013 they just pointed out what should have been an obvious fact.<\/p>\n Pilgrimages are an ancient and powerful religious tradition. But eventually the pilgrims go home \u2013 then what?<\/p>\n Then we practice our Paganism to the best of our abilities, where we are.<\/p>\n I have wanted to visit Egypt ever since I first saw The Mummy<\/a><\/em> and The Ten Commandments<\/em> as a small child. My 15 year relationship<\/a> with the Gods of Egypt has only increased that desire. First I didn\u2019t go because of cost, then I didn\u2019t go because of political violence (including Daesh). Barring an all-out war in the region I\u2019m going in 2020. Several of the ancient temples still stand, and I very much want to pray and chant hymns to Isis, Osiris, Horus, Amun Ra, and the other Gods of Egypt, in the places they were worshipped thousands of years ago.<\/p>\n But my lack of travel to Egypt has not prevented me from forming relationships with these deities. I still pour offerings to Them, talk to Them in prayer, and listen for Them in meditation \u2013 and I hear Them speak to me. Each Summer Solstice I serve as Their priest. So do many Kemetics and other Pagans who have never set foot in Egypt.<\/p>\n Sacred travel is good, but it is not necessary.<\/p>\n I am honored to have been able to pour offerings to the Morrigan in Ireland. But my calling as a Pagan is to honor Her and the other Gods to whom I am pledged and to do Their work, here where I am.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sacred travel is good, but it is not necessary. Experiencing the Gods is a matter of will and of action, not a matter of location.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":9410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[29,4,5,409,8,1742,36],"class_list":["post-9383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-morrigan","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-pilgrimage","tag-polytheism","tag-temple-of-artemis","tag-travel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nPouring offerings to the Morrigan in Ireland<\/h1>\n
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<\/a>The Temple of Artemis<\/h1>\n
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<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/05\/Temple-of-Artemis-2012-02.jpg\")
<\/a>A Druid visits Anglesey<\/h1>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/05\/18-31-Beaumaris.jpg\")
<\/a>Sacred travel is good but not necessary<\/h1>\n