The Pagan Heart
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November-December 2005 Issue
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The Right Path
By Rev. C. Palmer, Witch/Pagan Resources There are a lot of new practitioners who are seeking affirmation that they have chosen the right path and that this is the one that will change their life. They look to books and other practitioners in attempts to find a sense of oneness with a higher power. Quite a few question whether or not Paganism in general is a true path to follow or just a lot of new age metaphysical bunk. One of the most common questions I have seen is "Do you really talk to your Gods and if so do they ever talk back?" They question whether they are dealing with those who are truely spiritual or if they are dealing with people who have just lost touch with reality. Most that start out from this stance are going to be sorely disappointed. To quote Buttprints in the Sand: One night I had a wondrous dream,
But then some strange prints appeared,
"My child," She said in somber tones,
"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
"Because in life, there comes a time,
The meaning of this is extremely simple in the effect that each and every person is charged with having their own faith. Without faith there is no foundation to your inner temple and if you have no inner temple then your Patrons have no place to communicate with you through. The term inner temple is a metaphor I use to describe the state of mind when a person finds a sense of spirituality. This is a state of being where within your own mind you have built upon your faith and added your beliefs ethics and morals to the foundation and walls. It can be something simple or extravagant but it houses your spiritual sense. But what about the Gods talking to us? Very few people experience burning bushes anymore. So what is the proof that the Gods talk to us? A man grows disenchanted with his Gods and decides to end it all. He gets up and puts his affairs in order and sets out on a walk to a cliff that overlooks the sea. Before he leaves he meditates and calls to his Gods "Cernunnos and Morghanna I have loved you most my life but you have never spoken to me nor done anything to show me you care. Give me a sign so I may find joy within life and a reason to live" He gets up and walks out. As he steps out the door the sun crests over the mountains and golden light spills over him. He sets off on his walk. After a few miles he sits down again and calls to his Gods "Cernunnos and Morghanna I walk the road to my death, let me know that you care" All he hears is the wind sighing softly through the trees around him rustling the leaves swirling around him with the smell of growing things. So he continues his walk and as he reaches the top of the cliff he tries once more "Mother! Father! I am here and my death is upon me. Give me something to take with me to the grave to know that I did not waste my time having faith in you!" An eagle appears and circles over him crying out. The man sighs and jumps to his death. There is darkness for awhile and then the man is aware that he is sitting in a glade with others and at the far end of the glade sits a wondrous woman and man. He moves towards them and as he approaches they motion for him to sit. He does so and the woman smiles kindly upon him "Look into the pool in front of me child" she asks of him. He does and sees his fiance crying bitterly over a grave. He sees his parents sitting in darkened room shrouded with sorrow. He sees thousands of people dying of a terrible sickness. Sadness and horror fills him and he looks up and the man and woman crying "What does all this mean?" The man gives him a sorrowful smile "Your family morns your death while the people are the ones you would have saved with the medicine you would have invented if you had finished your studies. Thousands are dead because you lost faith in us" The man stands and angrily replies "I asked you to give me a sign! A single sign that my faith in you was not misplaced! You did not give it so this is your entire fault!" To this the man replies "We heard you the first time and we caressed you with our light, did you not feel it?" The woman continues "We heard you the second time and I tried to comfort you with my embrace, did you not smell my perfume?" They both say tearfully "We heard you the third and last time and cried out that you should not jump, did you not hear us?" With utter horror the man realizes that they had always spoken with him, walked with him and been with him. It was not that they were not there he was just never paying true attention to them. Crying in his sadness and shame he stumbled off to walk the Summerlands not seeing the beauty, feeling the warmth or being comforted by those around him. To this day he continues to live in a hell of his making all for the lack of faith. The Gods talk to us every day whether we realize it or not. They are the Mother and Father and the greatest gift they have given us is life. Just the simple act of breathing is an affirmation that they exist. For some, like myself, within a dreamscape I actually walk and talk with two wondrous beings that comfort me, chastise me or advise me. Are they a figment of my imagination or are they real? That is a personal interpretation and one that with my faith I can answer definitively. They exist and they do interact with me. There is no imagination to it but a true experience that I bring forth every morning after I have been with them. There have been mornings where I wake up tired because of my talks with them. Is it a dream or real I will ask myself once in awhile. At some point during my morning preparations for the day I will catch the scent of some exotic smell and it will stop me. It is with that scent I am reminded once again not to doubt the power of my Patrons and that I do not walk my days alone. I do not think people understand what they ask for or how little they really know at this point. You can not just simply ask people to pull their spirituality out like a chit sheet and show it to you. Each individual is tasked to develop their own faith within their spiritual beliefs no matter what path they walk. You can follow by example but at some point it falls upon you to stand on your own two feet and accept what you can not always see. May the Goddess smile upon you, embrace you and comfort you. May the Lord guide you, correct you and teach you. |
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