Special Topic: FlameKeeping

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[Chabas]

Here it is, the very first special topics discussion.

Vieva is probably familiar to most of our members. She is a writer, SAHM and... founder of her own religion. Those of you that have been around TC for some time have likely heard of FlameKeeping, and there are even some converts to be found among TC membership. But what *is* FlameKeeping, really? What is it about, what do FlameKeepers do? This is your chance to ask all you want to know, and get answers from the one person who should know best.

The stricter rules for the folder will be enforced for this thread.

--Chabas
Special Topics Coordinator

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

What is FlameKeeping?

FlameKeeping is a religion that I am writing.  It is a pantheistic faith: the Universe is Divine, and It is more than the sum of Its parts.  It is also polytheistic: there are gods that are intermediaries between ourselves and the Divine.  Being closer to the Divine nature, They can see more clearly what's going on and what needs to be done.  Being individual, though, They can act in ways that appear to conflict with each other.

What is FlameKeeping to the individual?  It is a calling to improve the Universe, both by improving oneself and by improving the world around us.  Because we are of the Divine, improving ourselves improves the whole.  But we're only a small part of that Divine.  We must also reach out and improve the world around us, or we are neglecting our abilities.

To be a FlameKeeper is to be aware of our inner Divine Flames.  There is the Bright Flame, that which is what we show to the world around us and which guides us to others.  And there is the Dark Flame, the inner darkness that renews and heals us.

Joining FlameKeeping is a two-step process.  The first one is deciding FlameKeeping makes sense and studying it.  The second, and the one that makes you a "full" FlameKeeper, is adding to the religion.  This can be with another essay (as it has been so far), with artwork, with action, or anything else that shows that the ideas have been incorporated and added to.  If it adds and shows understanding, then that too is added to FlameKeeping and the person is considered a full member.

I'm more than willing to answer questions.  Also, everything is at my website, www.flamekeeping.org

[Ocelot]

I'm more than willing to answer questions.  Also, everything is at my website, www.flamekeeping.org

While Shadow is certainly the authority on FlameKeeping, as a member myself, I'm also willing to try and answer questions to the best of my ability.

[Rivenstar]

Wow, Hartshadow I just checked out that link and was realy impressed with your poetry! As to the rest, I thought it was very interesting. Hartshadow, I know how tuff it can be to build your own religion, and your including others to boot!  All I can say is good luck and keep up the good work. I will definetly be waching!

[Steve - ComW]

Wow, Hartshadow I just checked out that link and was realy impressed with your poetry!

What did you think of mine? Its the one called "I see"

(is working on his objectivity. needs to ask)

[Dania]

I've started doing collab work between Walking with the Gods and Shad's Flamekeeping. So now I'm contributing to her blog, and building my path as well.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

I've started doing collab work between Walking with the Gods and Shad's Flamekeeping. So now I'm contributing to her blog, and building my path as well.

Which makes me very happy!

The more I look at FlameKeeping, the more I think it's a useful mindset for a lot of paths to work with.

hmm.  I should think about that.

[Dania]

There's not much in Flamekeeping that would really conflict with anything. I mean, I know Walking with the Gods would conflict with a lot of beliefs. I try to keep that to a minimum by stressing that it can work with *any* deity you choose to work with (even the Christian God for instance) and that it's about following your own personal belief in right and wrong and how you should live your life. (Follow the Wiccan Rede? Great! I don't, but there's no reason we can't work together) But I know there is going to be conflict nonetheless.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

There's not much in Flamekeeping that would really conflict with anything. I mean, I know Walking with the Gods would conflict with a lot of beliefs. I try to keep that to a minimum by stressing that it can work with *any* deity you choose to work with (even the Christian God for instance) and that it's about following your own personal belief in right and wrong and how you should live your life. (Follow the Wiccan Rede? Great! I don't, but there's no reason we can't work together) But I know there is going to be conflict nonetheless.

Well, it has to be a pantheistic religion for FlameKeeping to work with it.  Christianity wouldn't overlap in its traditional form, f'ex.

But a LOT of Pagan religions could probably incorporate FlameKeeping without bending.

[Star]

There's not much in Flamekeeping that would really conflict with anything. I mean, I know Walking with the Gods would conflict with a lot of beliefs. I try to keep that to a minimum by stressing that it can work with *any* deity you choose to work with (even the Christian God for instance) and that it's about following your own personal belief in right and wrong and how you should live your life. (Follow the Wiccan Rede? Great! I don't, but there's no reason we can't work together) But I know there is going to be conflict nonetheless.

(Psst--don't forget to quote.    Sorry to be a bug about it, but...  you know.)

[Dania]

(Psst--don't forget to quote.    Sorry to be a bug about it, but...  you know.)

I didn't think there was really anything to quote there Maybe there was, I guess it was kinda spurred on by Shad's last post...

[Ygraine]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but since it was inspired by my thoughts on one part of Flamekeeping, I thought I'd post it here. I've been reading about it lately and I hope I'm getting the point of things. Either way, the exercise I tried the other night was a good one, spiritually.

The other night, before I went to bed, I tried something interesting. Thinking of the Flamekeeping idea that everyone is of the divine, I decided to apply it mentally to the people in my life. I went through a lot of people I knew, starting with my sister, and for each one, I said (out loud, though it was mainly about the thought behind it):  _____ is of the divine.  It gave me an odd feeling to say it out loud—my sister and I get along okay but I wish we were closer. It reinforced my desire to do something about that.

So I went on and said a few more names. Then I decided to apply it to someone I really can’t stand.  (We’re not direct enemies, but this person is the sort that is “charismatic” to some, and “obnoxiously full of himself” to others.)  I said, out loud, using his full name, that he is of the divine. And…it really struck a chord with me. It was almost as if I understood him better, because maybe he wasn’t as different from me on the inside as it seems, even though his behavior can really bother me.

Spurred by this, I did the same thing with everyone I could think of that I had problems with. It was a little tiring, accepting each one and moving on, but it was definitely a good thing.  To take a mental break, then I said that my boyfriend is of the divine. It caused an even stranger feeling—as if his spirit had plopped down on the bed next to me and given me a big hug, even though he’s actually miles away and I haven’t seen him in a week. 

Perhaps the oddest feeling, though, was my roommate. When I said her name (I’m home for the summer, so she wasn’t physically there), I sensed a resistance. I repeated the phrase “____, you are of the divine,” as if I was convincing her of this, not myself.  I wonder if somehow she sensed it too, or if it just represented my need to share something with her (our friendship has hit a place where we aren’t as intimate as we used to be because of a number of outside influences).

In between all of these, of course, I named other friends and family members. It was a truly cleansing experience.

The most rewarding of all, though, was using the names of my enemies, and making them seem more human to me, and the names of my most dear ones, and getting the sense of comforting one another in spirit. That doesn’t mean I’m going to go up to someone I don’t get along with and hug them next time I see them, but if I do this enough, it could make difficult relations with others better, and the good relationships even stronger.

[Dania]

That sounds wonderful! It sounds like something I need to work on, when I'm stressed out and being really annoyed by everyone. I tend to get angry with everyone when I'm stressed.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

In between all of these, of course, I named other friends and family members. It was a truly cleansing experience.

The most rewarding of all, though, was using the names of my enemies, and making them seem more human to me, and the names of my most dear ones, and getting the sense of comforting one another in spirit. That doesn’t mean I’m going to go up to someone I don’t get along with and hug them next time I see them, but if I do this enough, it could make difficult relations with others better, and the good relationships even stronger.

Wow.  that sounds like a really powerful exercise.

Actually, that sounds similar to one of the rituals I wrote.  It comes to much the same thing - focusing on the idea that various people, whether we like them or not, are of the Divine.

[Nevyn]

FlameKeeping is a religion that I am writing. 

I would actually love to hear about how it came to be that you started writing your own religion, was there a catalyst, or was it an organic development from you trying to find your own path. Did you ever invisage that others would choose to follow the same path? Or has it all come as a bit of a surprise? Do you ever feel inadequate and that you have bitten off more than you can chew?Also what do you hope to get from flamekeeping (or not get), what your thoughts for the future develoment of the faith are, if any?

Lol a lot of questions I know but I have actually been considering doing something similar for a while, making my spiritual and in my case magical system a cogent tangible whole, that others could take and use. So I am very interested in hearing about your experiences

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