06.12.09
Stewardship
The subject of this post is stewardship. This concept applies both to the land one occupies, as well as one’s own self.
As an example, there was a few days ago a fatal car accident less than 100 yards from my home, less than 50 yards from the edge of my property. A teenage boy was killed, and several other people were seriously injured. Obviously, this type of event can seriously disrupt the energy flow of this space.
Adding to this, there has been a steady stream of mourners to the crash site, leaving offerings. I went there tonight, there are 4 or 5 large crosses, lots of photographs, several dozen burning candles, and various other mementos. Clearly, this kid was well-loved and will be missed by his community.
However, as a Druid, or more broadly as one who is sensitive to the energy flow of my environment, I felt a need to rebalance the energies of the space. The suddenness with which this young life was snuffed out is palpable, and I was having some difficulty with that energetic disruption.
Tonight, I went and smudged the intersection where the accident took place, and left an offering of burning sage at the site, with all the other offerings there. I also hearkened back to my days as a Wiccan, and cast a protective circle around the intersection. It felt like the right thing to do.
In the same way, we must be good stewards of our Selves. I must be aware of the energy flows within myself, of what energy patterns I am taking in, and what energy patterns I am spreading out into my environment.
This is related to the self-initiation in the previous post. I am feeling called to take on a year-and-a-day self-initiation. The specifics of this are still brewing, and will be for another week or so until the summer solistice. But the focus of my work this year will be on increasing my level of power.
Power is a scary term, but when viewed through a Starhawkian (is this a word? It is now…) lens, I am speaking purely of power-from-within. I have little interest in power-over, particularly over other sentient beings (being a parent notwithstanding).
The purpose of this self-initiation is to cultivate my own personal power-from-within. This will certainly manifest in mind, body, and spirit. Each day I want to do something to increase my own personal power. This much I know. The specifics of what this looks like will likely be fluid from day to day.
Awen is the reward of this sort of work. On that note, the crash the other day inspired an idea for a novel that I am very excited about. I’ve been keeping careful notes about this. I’ve been wanting to write more for a long time, and the prospect of writing a novel like this actually sounds fun, whereas writing the other nonfiction/philosophical book I have in my head sounds suspiciously like work just now. Time will tell….
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