Who am I?

My name is Sanguina. (Well, not really. But still.) I've been a Pagan and a witch for eight years. I'm a polytheist, an "eclectic Neo-Pagan" of no specific religion. I'm the sort of person that really values study. I like to teach, and help others with their own paths. I've a penchant for prayer-beads and I'm something of a writer. (Now I feel like I've started too many sentences with a variant of the word "I" )

Why was the Order created?

The Order is, in fact, still in a state of creation.

Back in 2007 I spent quite some time searching for some sort of structure to give to my Pagan studies. I joined Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF), only to find that the Druid Order was not right for me. Eventually I came across another Pagan Order that stressed the values of a Pagan Monastic Order.

Elements of monasticism really appeal to me. Study and devotion, peace and quite, prayer and ritual. 

I joined that Order, and it was quite beneficial to my studies, helping to get me motivated and pick some areas on which to focus my studies. But something about the structure of the Order, something about the community wasn't working for me. It was much too focused on joy and light for my tastes. I After months of contentment with the Order, I began to feel frustrated and unfulfilled.

I am still a part of that Order in a general, inactive sense, but currently have no plans to really return to that Order. At this point I am much more comfortable with the Order of the Eclipse, and while it's still in its beginnings, I'd rather work on making this a solid Order.

What is the Order of the Eclipse about?

The Order of the Eclipse is a learning path. It is a journey towards priesthood. If you seek learning and growth on your Pagan path, you might find some here. The program is a mix of spiritual and religious work, as well as study.

The Order is about personal Paganism. There is an emphasis here on polytheism and dedication to deity. While hard polytheism is the preferred deity concept, hard and soft polytheists are welcome in the Order of the Eclipse. The Order chooses not to discriminate, however... there is an emphasis on polytheism and prospective members should be aware of that, but if henotheists, duotheists, pantheists etc wish to join, they may do so.

There is a focus on individual dedication and study.

The Order of the Eclipse embraces the mysterious, the occult, and the hidden as well as that which is visible. As well as the light, the Order honours the dark. Things that might be considered "taboo" in other Pagan organisations are accepted and respected here.

The Order appreciates chaos, and understands that there is no thing that is untouched by it. As there is order within all things, so there is chaos within all things.

 

Why is it called the Order of the Eclipse?

I contemplated "Chaotic Order of the Eclipse", just for a sense of balance but I decided against it.

An eclipse is a holy event. In a lunar eclipse, one can see projected onto the moon the shadow of the world upon which one lives. To see the curvature of the earth, projected for one to see, is a pensive and sacred thing.

In a solar eclipse, the sun and moon embrace. In Wiccan and Neo-Wiccan symbolism, the moon is the Goddess and the sun is the God. It was in a devotional one evening, contemplating whether to remain in the other Pagan Order of which I was a part. In that I saw sun and moon embrace in an eclipse, and the spark of an idea came to my mind.

If I am discontent in one, why not form my own? They did, after all. And call it a name I really love. Not just a name I can live with, but one I would feel proud to be a part of. The name came easily to my mind, and I was tempted to create it just then, I liked the name so much.

The decision was such a big one that I put it on the back-burner for a while, but eventually I felt I was in a position to start developing an Order of my own. It's still in its very beginning and much may change in the future, but everything starts somewhere.