POETRY

all poems written by

Michael Matejka

Hymn to Sophia

Holy Sophia,

living waters of the dark flux,

mother of the gods,

eternal virgin presence,

you support, nourish, and sustain me.

You shine your light on me.

You shine your light through me.

You are my refuge.

You are my redemption,

O goddess most profound.

A Prophecy of Oak

While under a buzzing oak tree I slept,

in the heavens came a quicksilver light,

and in that light, I found there was a Wheel—

wheels that sink within wheels, wheels that rise,

wheels of gold and crystal, wheels of moonlight,

nervous wheels, wheels swimming with eyes,

wheels that break greater wheels, and wheels that die.

I dreamt of that great Wheel named Destiny,

that wheel whose movement impels all motion

and drives all heaven in revolution

while I slept under a buzzing oak tree.

So stars wheeling flow in streaming currents

to paint a Vision across the night sky,

and down here below heaven’s mighty arcs,

where the powers of Chaos seem to rise,

and storms do shake all but the strongest oak,

the pulse of each heart is yet synchronized

to the solemn beat of one profound drum

that thrums at the center of everything,

and the rhythm of the universe

flows unbroken through this moment of death

to ring open the swells of our rebirths.

Into that opening there,

there deeper I saw

until by seeing did I come to know

that Wheel’s arcane purpose:

Destiny images eternity

by a moving picture that signifies

the rich present and unchanging moment

to a mind yet bound by linear time.

Deeper still I saw

and now do still remember

all of everything I have ever been:

Druid and shaman

hangman and priestess

serpent and salmon

falcon and whale

vulture and vole

bear and raven

tiger and sparrow

owl and lamb

beaver and beetle

salamander and butterfly

crocodile and crane

turtle and chameleon

belladonna and henbane

wolf and worm

oak and fern

cypress and mulberry

basil and pine

yew and ivy

elder and rosemary

birch and thyme

wolfsbane and witch hazel

cherry and apple blossom

willow and clover

elm and bay laurel

poppy and toadstool

lotus and sage

moss and mold

lily and rose

liver and neuron

tendon and nerve

molecule and element

particle and star.

I have been all

and shall be so again

for all is One

and one flow guides us all.

The One became human.

I return to the One.

The One becomes star.

The star returns to the One.

The One becomes oak.

The oak returns to the One.

I am the One.

The One returns upon the One.

Remember.

Here I always am,

here at this axis of the oak.

Here, where the Wheel turned me around

till I woke to an acorn’s drop.

Petition for Relief

O you ancient powers of Grace

and spirits of benevolence

who attend on my mortal fate,

if ever I’ve deserved mercy,

if ever I’ve gained your favor,

see how fears now batter my heart

with visions I cannot put down

of futures I cannot avoid,

where grief chokes on present horror.

Demons have infested my mind.

Cast them out! Be gone, dark spirits!

By the powers of Grace, get out!

O you, my angels of blessing,

come to me now. Come defend me.

Keep me from the demons I see.

Come seal my soul, and bring me peace.

Hymn to Apollo

Hail to you, midnight sun in shamans’ cave!

Spring and source of all my richest blessings,

golden Phoebos, mind rich and radiant,

visionary flash come sudden and stark

in the cold and dark ecstasy of truth,

dream king and Lord Apollo, hear me now.

In the golden silence of your temple,

your high priestess delivers oracles

from the secret and most strange heart of fate.

By the guidance of your potent visions

am I restored to your governing light.

Come, Lord. I am your pilgrim. Hear my prayer.

Lift me into the stillness of your truth.

Carry me in the balance of your light.

Transport me by the measure of your song.

Bless me in this ecstasy of your dream,

and let your dream be my awakening.

O distant Lord, bring me that life worth living.

Communion Grace

I receive this food from the world.

To the world, I give thanks.

I give this food to my body.

To my body, I give thanks.

The world and I are one.

My body and I are one.

Energy ever flows.

Everything becomes everything.

All is sacred.

All is One.

Hymn to Athena

When first I felt the touch of your presence

you fluttered into the space of my chest.

Your bright face rose to saturate my mind.

O gray-eyed queen, most admired goddess,

I needed you, and you did come to me.

Your luminous eyes roused my weary heart,

and so I rose to face that bitter day.

Gray eyes, virgin and warrior goddess,

no need for deception, craft, or disguise.

Come as you are, and speak to me in human words.

What is simple is also most strong.

Lend me your wisdom, goddess, and raise my heart.

Remember how you’ve come to me before.

In hard times, you were always by my side

with a winning word to bring me courage.

Don’t leave me now to languish here alone.

Inspire me with the plan you think best.

Daughter of Zeus, be my captain once more.

I welcome your counsel as my command.

Ancient words dominate

these modern thoughts.

Enter through me,

enchanted, radiant grace.

Extend the establishment

of eternity.

Only descend

to the innermost

void.

Below the deep,

a field of primal grace.

A voice of whispers

in a world of shouts.

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