This is the second of my series on my new long-term goals. Go here to read the first in this series. Last time I covered the first goals under Deepen my Spiritual Journey -- study and practice. This time I will cover the third goal -- build my tradition.
I finally introduced my spiritual tradition in my last post. My goals in this area involve a newfound focus. Prior to this year, my focus had been on building Reflections Mystery School, Connect DC and Dark Flame Coven. But in January, I attended a spiritual retreat that blew my mind and dissolved the blinders I had been wearing. I realized how in every way that mattered, I was focused on the branches and disregarding the tree. So when I returned, I did some frankly painful truth telling and turned my entire world upside down. Since then I have been focused on building the Order of the Elemental Mysteries. I had already turned over the administration of Reflections to Angela Raincatcher. But in January, I also took a very painful step and resigned as Dark Flame’s High Priestess.
This was huge for me, but necessary! So I began this year with some pretty major upheavals. This meant that I had to re-look at everything all over again, which ultimately produced these new long-term goals.
Most new traditions are revealed only after a group has been working together for a while and at some point discover the unique tapestry they have woven together. While others begin as hives from more established traditions. And here I was deciding to build a tradition from scratch, the sheer arrogance of it all paralyzed me initially, which is why I was so focused on the school, ritual group and my beloved coven. Now I was forced to face my trepidations and begin the work of building the tradition separate from the school and ritual group.
My goals in this area include our incorporation as a church, the manifestation of our motherhouse and temple, and extending Connect DC to cover all eight Sabbaths. All are moving forward except extending our public ritual observances. With me starting school this fall, I have decided to hold off adding the three remaining rituals all at once. We may add Beltane in 2011, with Lamas & Imbolc held off until maybe 2012.
At present, the plan is to continue subdividing the work amongst the core group. I hope to be able to make some exciting announcements in early 2010.
This change in focus has been challenging. I have had to face some of my personal demons concerning inclusiveness versus singular vision, directed versus open processes, and perfectionism versus real world limits. I am learning what is truly important and what is illusion. I hope to keep folks updated as to our progress.
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Submitted by katrina on Mon, 08/31/2009 - 8:00am.
Wish I could be there. Very well spoken.
Katrina,
I wish you all the blessings and power you need on your journey. Thank you for these words. It is good to remember that returning to work (and thus returning to grace) bring a chance for us all to rest and have joy.
Wishing you joy in the Work.
David
Dear Katrina- Thorn reposted your blog and happy am I. Your passion, always so immense, comes blowing out in these words. So akin to my own heart and soul that it makes me have a bittersweet smile.
The Storm is only now coming to the edges of our universe and yet it will sweep and consume all that is. In the end, our beautiful universe will be so much...more? Different? Complete? Who knows?
All I do know is my soul came here to witness and be part in this period. I cannot shrink from the work. I am here with you, fae sister!
Thought-provoking piece, Katrina. Thanks.
I don't know what to call myself either. In Pagandom, I've taken to referring to myself as a Witch at Large. In the interfaith world where I'm active, I call myself a Pagan. Sometimes I call myself an uppity woman or a Second Wave Feminist. I've never really thought to publicly identify myself by my sexuality, het woman, which is very "white bread" and old-fashioned. Not only het, but serially monogamous for the most part. It seems almost a liability these days to say you're het, but I am proudly and happily so. I tend towards intellectualism but only have a BA, which doesn't carry much weight, at least in public and professional worlds, no matter how much you've studied, trained, and can articulate, even teach.
My biological heritage is Irish, Dutch, French Huguenot, Euro-mongrel. My social heritage is Roman Catholic on one side and conservative Methodist, temperance-crusading, women's rights and education on the other, with distinct East Coast sensibilities, now mellowed by more than half a century living on the Left Coast. My maternal political heritage is conservative Republican (altho what my relatives might think of current trends in the GOP I cannot imagine, since they did have brains and they did think and they did have a social conscience), yet I am much farther left in my outlook than any elected official I know. My paternal political heritage is blue collar Democratic, except that my dad broke with his family on politics and allied with my mother's family's conservatism.
I'm a former hippie, a home-birth advocate, a home death and green burial advocate, an opponent of capital punishment and resorting to warfare to resolve humankind's differences. I support the right to conscious self-deliverance. I rejoice in any and all consensual expressions of love and eros. I'm a lover and a mom.
I have never missed voting in an election and I disrespect those who don't avail themselves of this hard-won right. (I have ancestors who fought the Brits in the American Revolution.) I support workers' rights. I recognize our interdependence on this planet, so could be called a greenie. I'm a committed environmentalist in my day-to-day life (in terms of eating locally grown food, expanding public transit, recycling, preserving open space and wildlife, opposing exploitation of natural resources [strip mining, oil-drilling, nuclear facilities, agribusiness, monocultures, clear-cutting timber, overuse of pesticides, genetic modification, etc.]) I want to make the city streets "safe for dancing," as my old friend Tony Serra said when he ran for mayor of SF on the Platypus Party ticket.
Well, you got me going there, my friend. Thought-provoking read, as I said. ;-)
xo,
Macha
Lovely azaleas!
[cough][gag][snort][sneeze]
Just lovely...
I know what you mean.
I feel you. There is too much bs- particularly when people decide that their temperament is tantamount to truthful and ignore everyone else.
I get irked by immature extroverts or closet introverts who ignore you REPEATEDLY and then pretend you're out of line for being upset by the time they can't pretend you didn't say anything anymore. I find that the same people will ignore you if you blow up right away, too, and that it's because they just don't think that honoring what you value is important to maintaining a relationship, or even worse: that you don't know what you value at all and that it's all a mind game for their pleasure or annoyance. Then they call you passive-aggressive, aggressive, moody, touchy and temperamental. I call them "not listening".