The Care And Feeding Of Your Spirituality

The care and feeding of your spirituality belongs to me, and no one else.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a seeker, and look for guidance where Demeter leads me, but ultimately the work is mine to do ALONE.  Alone was a big deal to me for a long time.  But, now I realize that being alone is a state of mind, not a state of being.  And, more importantly, it’s crucial for spiritual growth.

In Paganism, we get to choose our teachers, and our paths.  We learn, from these teachers, hopefully because they give us lessons. Sometimes even though you need to work alone to do the work required for the growth, you’re sometimes in a group when the light shines on the answer to the task given by ones teacher.

Which leads me to a question, when does one move on from one teacher, or lesson to the next?  More importantly, how does the teacher feel when the student leaves?  I ask this more for myself, than for anyone else.  I have started a coven recently.  We have started talking about our curriculum and how and when we’ll take on students.  I am intensely aware of how involved I can become with people I am intimate with.  When the time comes, and the birds leave my covenstead to form their own place, how will I feel?

Will I be sad? Will I be resentful?  Will I rejoice in the stepping out into their own?  I would hope that I would be thrilled.  In fact, I’d like to say that the words, hive and daughter covens never have appealed to me.  Extensions sound much better.  Even Sister seems more palatable to me.  Why?  Hive is cold, daughter because of the saying, “a daughter is a daughter her whole life”, sounds like they have to come back for holidays or all hell will break loose.  Extension is better but still sort of attachment is implied.  Sister implies a love relationship (I’ve never had a real life sister but some of my very good friends make me feel this way) without the necessary obligation to always having to share every second of every intimate moment together.

So, I guess I said all that to say this.  Your spirituality, your choices.  No one can stand up and make you worship, or have a relationship with Deity for you.  You have to do the dirty work.  You have to commit to making yourself better, discarding what doesn’t serve you any longer, and cultivating what does make you a better person.  Stand up put on your adult pants and take responsibility for you.