If I repeat a point, it just might be because it's an important point which folks will do well to remember and use.

One advantage we have over the more mundane folk is that while their holidays end at the stroke of midnight on the day of the holiday, each of our Sabbats can be seen as never being really over until the same Sabbat of the next year arrives.  Yule of 2008 will be with us until Yule of 2009, and we will see it not only in every other Sabbat between now and the next Yule, but in each and every single day - if only we look.

And Yule's big gift to us, the one I spoke of last week, is ours to cherish the whole year.

And here is where I find the need to take off the figurative gloves.  I am known to be not only tolerant but generally accepting of other spiritual paths.  But in one place I draw the line and I will not move that line.  I find it impossible to accept, believe in, or follow a deity whose would constitute abusive behavior if one of us mortals did the same thing. 

And within this is a gift from The Divine, and it is a gift which we can indeed cherish and nurture each and every day. 

And herein is the greatest gift of Yule, and the one we can really put to use all year!

Blessed Be!

It's Yule! 

Yule is one of my favorite times of the year.  So many spiritual paths converge at this time of year, whether they want to or not.  Why?  Because there is something special at the root of all of the celebrations at this time of year, and it is something special that everyone needs, whether they want to admit it or not.  As for me, I admit that what I've found at the root of all of these celebrations is something that I do need.

Now, what could Yule, Christmas, the birth of Mithras, Hannukah, the Winter Solstice and some others have in common?  Why do so many of them include the exchange of gifts and feasting in their celebrations?  Could it be that there is a gift at the heart of this?  Could it be that these celebrations, especially at the root which all of them have in common, have this gift in common?

And what is this gift? 

The gift begins with a promise.

Go back to the beginning, when our ancestors were first trying to make sense of the world in which they found themselves.  Peer out of your cave at this time of year, and what do you see?  What would you be wanting?  What would you hope for, and what promise would be the most precious right about now if you were living back then - and knowing only what they knew?

Know what?  That gift is still there, still waiting for each of us - including you!  And for some of us, it is even more precious today.  Claim your gift, and join in the celebration we offer on this wonderful Sabbat!

Blessed Be!
 

From how many wells may you drink?  The simple answer would seem to be that you may drink from as many wells as are necessary in order to quench your thirst.  But what about drinking from spiritual wells in order to satisfy a spiritual thirst?

How many spiritual wells may you drink from when you are seeking to quench a spiritual thirst?  This is one of the toughest questions you will face in your spiritual quest, and you will indeed face it.

In the beginning (or re-beginning, if you are seeking a path after losing a previous path), you need to find a tradition that meets your needs.  That means building a relationship between yourself and not only a tradition but also (and especially) its deities.  That will be enough to keep you busy for quite a while.

Later, you may want or need more dimension and/ or depth, such as noticing an affinity to some deity, discovering a need, or the call of ancestors.  You might also want to come to peace (not necessarily reconcile, but come to peace) with a former path.  For these or other reasons, you'll have grown to the point where you find yourself  needing to drink at more than one well to satisfy your spiritual thirst.  How do you deal with that?

There are all kinds of answers.  Some incorporate a fact which makes the followers of some paths cringe.  Nevertheless, there is only one answer which is valid for you, and you need to know where and how to find it.  And that's what this is about.

Blessed Be!

A time to be selfish?  Yes!

The problem with selfishness is that most of the time when someone is talking about it, they're talking about its excess or abuse. 

The fact is that a small, healthy dose of selfishness is not only not wrong, it is healthy and necessary.  Without it, we become doormats.

It might be unreasonable to expect folks to make a big deal of every little thing you might do for someone, it is extremely reasonable that you should at least expect that a reasonable effort not be insulted or snubbed.

We have become what we are  because we help each other.  We each also have our own boundaries.  We need to know where the line is.  We need to know what we're going to do if someone steps over that line.

You've heard me speak of the need for balance before, and none quite so much as here. 

While we reach our potential by helping others, we must also look out for ourselves.  And in this episode we explore that.

And armed with this, we can explore even more.

Blessed Be!