Today is the Vernal Equinox. It is celebrated in my faith under the name Ostara. It is the feast day of Springtide. In my tradition, the Spring season begins with Imboleg (Feb. 2) and runs until Beltane (May 1). Ostara is recognized as the height of the season.
At Imboleg, we plan for the growing season. Those of us who garden or do plant magic have the time between Imboleg and Ostara for planning and preparing for the planting. Between Ostara and Beltane, we plant. Ostara could also be known as the celebration of the First Furrow.
At this time, seeds and planting tools are blessed. All endeavours that are begun at this time are considered auspicious. Doubly so if they are undertaken during the waxing moon. Children born during this time are considered by some to be especially luck and of an outgoing nature.
With the waxing of the Sun, we find the overt signs of life and fertility are all about us. The world turns green with new growth, animals come out of hibernation, and many different kinds of young are whelped. It is the return of the Greenman and a time of blessings. This is a joyous time. A season for new beginnings and hope for all.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Acts of Devotion.
I write because it is in my blood. I write because it is part of who I am. I write because it is the one gift that I can give that has truly come from within myself. It is the gift that I can give that is worthy of the gods.
Sure, I can crochet, knit, spin, or otherwise manufacture something physical. Something more tangible then words, I suppose. That, however, is the art of manipulating something that someone else has produced. My words are strictly mine.
I struggled with the idea of my writing being considered good enough for the gods. Then it was made clear to me that it doesn't matter if I feel that it is good enough. It just matters that I do it. It is difficult to step around my ego and simply let the words flow.
It is a difficult habit to break, this self-judgment. Still, I try my best. Some days I am more successful at suspending my disbelief in myself then I am at others. It is not an easy task but my Beloved husband made an excellent point one time when he said that nothing worth doing is easy.
Acts of devotion for any faith are not supposed to be easy. They are not supposed to be formulaic or rote, something performed by way of muscle memory with out any aspect of the thinking mind engaged. Acts of devotion are supposed to challenge us. They are our outpouring of our side of the relationship with the divine. For some people, reciting a litany of prayers is difficult and it forces them to focus more upon their unique relationship with their god(s). For other people, different acts of devotion are required.
This is not because these other acts of devotion are of greater or lesser value compared to each other. This is because each person is unique and their acts of devotion must be tailored to their own unique method of communicating with the divine.
That, however, is just my late evening ramblings upon the subject.
Sure, I can crochet, knit, spin, or otherwise manufacture something physical. Something more tangible then words, I suppose. That, however, is the art of manipulating something that someone else has produced. My words are strictly mine.
I struggled with the idea of my writing being considered good enough for the gods. Then it was made clear to me that it doesn't matter if I feel that it is good enough. It just matters that I do it. It is difficult to step around my ego and simply let the words flow.
It is a difficult habit to break, this self-judgment. Still, I try my best. Some days I am more successful at suspending my disbelief in myself then I am at others. It is not an easy task but my Beloved husband made an excellent point one time when he said that nothing worth doing is easy.
Acts of devotion for any faith are not supposed to be easy. They are not supposed to be formulaic or rote, something performed by way of muscle memory with out any aspect of the thinking mind engaged. Acts of devotion are supposed to challenge us. They are our outpouring of our side of the relationship with the divine. For some people, reciting a litany of prayers is difficult and it forces them to focus more upon their unique relationship with their god(s). For other people, different acts of devotion are required.
This is not because these other acts of devotion are of greater or lesser value compared to each other. This is because each person is unique and their acts of devotion must be tailored to their own unique method of communicating with the divine.
That, however, is just my late evening ramblings upon the subject.
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