Dver
A Forest Door

About Dver, and this site



But what she didn't understand is that they have artists among them too....
And for some of them, we are the materials they use.
Our lives are their raw canvas; our emotions are the paints.
We're the clay: they push a little here, they prod a little there, till the work is done.
If they drive a man or woman insane in the process, it matters little to them.*

While I have gone by many names in my life, some public and others private, some spiritual and others mundane, in this work I am using the name Dver, which means "Door" in Russian. 

I have been a pagan since 1996, soon afterwards becoming focused on Hellenic polytheism. While I still consider that my primary religious path, I am also a spiritworker, and as such I sometimes am called upon to build relationships with gods and spirits of other traditions. Hence I may occasionally work with certain Slavic or Germanic gods, and often the wights of the land I live on, regardless of their type. I have good reasons when I move outside of my "home" tradition, and take care to always be respectful of the gods and spirits involved in my work and worship, and the traditions themselves. 

My first love was Dionysos, and He is still foremost in my heart and in my practice, though now I also count Hermes and Apollon as secondary patrons (though in very different ways). I have certain personal spirits (animal, plant, and others) I work with intimately, including a tutelary spirit and a spirit lover whom I refer to as my daimon - a large and mostly private part of my Work revolves around Them. I pay a lot of attention to the nymphs, other land wights, and the dead. I also regularly honor Persephone, Hekate and Trophonios, among others. My spiritual "family" is very complex, and I am still learning how They all fit together, but I know They do. 

I have been calling myself a spiritworker since the fall of 2006. Although I was doing many of the same practices before that, it was only then that I accepted the calling as a vocation, and fully committed myself to it. Which of course meant that my life immediately became much more interesting, and much more intense. This is not a hobby for me, it is not something I pursue on the side of my regular religious practice - it is who and what I am. And I do this not only for myself, but as a service to the gods and to those who worship Them, that I might bridge the gap and allow for deeper communication in both directions.

This website is the latest task They have given me, and one that I have been avoiding for as long as I could. It is very difficult for me to write about these matters - some things seem to me aporrheton (mysteries that should not be spoken of) and some arrheton (mysteries that cannot be verbalized). Part of me would much rather keep them to myself. However, it has been made clear to me that there are people out there who need to read this, who may be receiving similar callings but with no idea how to begin, who may be inspired by some of what I have done (as I have been so inspired by other spiritworkers and their writings), who may be interested in how one can be a spiritworker in a Hellenic context (so far a pretty rare combination, I believe). This will also be a way to reach more people in need of the oracular services I provide, which is the focus of the public side of my spiritwork. And perhaps there are reasons to have this site that I do not yet foresee - I trust my gods that They are steering me in the right direction. 

As I make the transition away from leadership roles within mainstream Hellenic polytheism, to a position further on the outskirts (from temple priestess to nympholept in the cave, as I sometimes think of it), as I make a new life for myself where gods and spirits are my constant companions (a life both inexpressibly wonderful and often lonely), I have carved out this little niche where I can speak about some of what I do, and perhaps find others like myself. I hope what I share may do some good.




     *Quote from The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
     
Contact: dver@winterscapes.com
      © 2010