The Curiosity of St Cyprian
Saturday was the feast of St Cyprian and St Justina. That night he asked that I take him out from the shrine room and install him at the center point of the course for the night with a candle and water glass, which I did. The three cards I drew this morning were Magician, Popess, and Chariot – an obvious nod to Cyprian, Justina, and Theoctistus. (The fact that it was not the Pope that came up for Cyprian holds a mystery I think).
Anyway, every feast day he inspires a sort of sermon for me to share. This year it is on Curiosity.
One has to imagine that Cyprian was a curious soul. Legend has him traveling all over the Mediterranean world learning his magic. When he encounters a power that easily diffuses his magic, even when wielded by a young virgin, he decides to investigate and eventually to take ordination. Despite all he knows, he knows that there is much more that he doesn’t. He is curious.
After his martyrdom, he starts to REALLY get around. Norweigan spells, High grimoires like Liber Juratis, Maria Padhila’s Witch cults in Iberia. Shaman in Peru Curanderos in Mexico and the Soutrherm US. Quimbanda in Brazil. Greek Orthodox healing rites. It seems like wherever people get curious about St Cyprian, he gets curious right back.
St Cyprian this year wanted me to write some words of encouragement for the curious. Those who are always learning and asking questions. Those whose only surety is that there is more than they know and more than they can know.
So keep questing. Till the day you die. Keep learning and keep looking.
I see a lot of people out there struggling to look like they know everything already. I see writers and teachers masking where they learned things so that it seems like their ideas originated with them or were fed directly by the spirit. Don’t do this. You are not diminished by learning from others. I am a teacher with over 1200 people in my course, and I learn things every day.
From my teachers.
From my peers.
From my students.
It’s what you do with that knowledge that is yours.
Even if you have been at this for decades and have written dozens of books – seek the places where you can occasionally be the youngest and least knowledgeable person in the room.
Respect the knowledge you receive and where it comes from. Do not misrepresent it. If you change it, and meld it, or create something new inspired by it – than make it clear. Make your source clear and make where you depart from tradition clear. That’s really all anyone can ask of you.
Access and communication are the gifts of the age if we use them wisely. If we don’t then it becomes of the curse of the age. It is fine to use this gift to share what you know, as long as that does not kill your curiosity about what you don’t.
Like John Burroughs, make joy in the universe and keen curiosity about it your religion.
