As I go about my eight hour a day job, balance my checkbook, get an oil change for my car, or try to juggle numerous responsibilities, I'm frequently reminded that much of life is short, stressful, and filled with many things which are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
I take my breaks to be alone with my thoughts and my gods when I can. My lunch hour, when it is pleasant outside, is used for meditative walks up and down a mile long street. I see and hear crows as I walk. They remind me that no matter where I am, what I am doing, or what I am thinking about, Apollon is always there with me.
Dionysos is with me too as I remember to take what moments I can to relax, let go of the day's concerns and stresses, and enjoy that which is beautiful. The trees are starting to look as if life is returning to them. I can smell the earth in the mild spring air.
Always remember that no matter how hectic the pace of life gets, there is always time and room for the gods, for spirituality, and for those quiet moments of relief in which the stress doesn't matter. It is not easy. It is never easy. There are bills to pay, a boss breathing down your neck about deadlines, a family to worry about, and a million and one concerns piling up on your lap and in your head. But there is always that room, that space in your head and heart where you can let it all go, and relax. People should make time for spirituality more, allow themselves even as much as five minutes a day to think about something meaningful to them--or nothing at all, to let it all go and fly off into the wind.
I try to tell myself this, too. :)
There is much that I myself am thankful for, whether I am in front of the computer or indoors. It is during those moments which I am mindful of and thankful for the presense of the gods that I can feel the sun's warmth and smell the fresh air, even if I am trapped indoors and in front of the computer most of the day.
May the gods find a way to send you that sunshine and fresh air--and may you find that time during the day to let them!
Today was my first day back in the three 8 foot by 8 foot garden
plots that serve as my vegetable garden, working the soil in
preparation for later planting. Even in a small space like mine, it
takes considerable time and manual labor with my digging fork to turn
the dirt after it has settled since we brought in that last bit of
lettuce the Fall. No doubt, the years of work we've done previous
has made the red clay into a dark brown and healthy loam. The few
weeds come out easily, as do the ubiquitous rocks so common here in
Maryland. I discard the things that don't belong so that the work of
cultivating can begin.
As I work, I realize how truly present the wonder of the Gods is
around me. Helios, with the help of Apollon, returns from his Winter
home in the South and has melted away the heavy snows, warmed the
land, and let the spirits of the Land wake and flourish. I can see
the hand of Persephone in both the delicate beauty of the March
blooms and in the compost heap that slowly transforms my garden
rubbish into something with which I can give care and honor to the
land. The sense that Demeter waits for the first seeds to be planted
is palpable, and I know that when it comes time to make the offerings
to the spirits of the land and nature, that they will welcome the
remembrance. I'll be honoring Aristaeos with a beehive shaped yard
sign I got at the dollar store for a couple bucks. And inevitably, I
sense the hand of Eris when my little boy gets in my way and
distracts me from my work.
Gods be praised; I am blessed.
As Spring wears on, I will no doubt become discouraged, annoyed, and
bored with the work of my garden. Yet in order to enjoy the delights
of it, work I must. In this way, it is much like seeking out and
embracing the Mysteries--it is an unending cycle of perseverance,
discipline, and passion that lets us enjoy and better appreciate the
fruits of our labors.
Hesiod spoke of two Strifes. In this time, we can all benefit from
the Strife that let us Strive toward our goals, be they personal or
within our families and communities. Be it gardening, writing, or
any of the myriad ways that we can express it, we can aspire to work
a little harder and maybe attain a closer relationship with the Gods.
It's not always easy, but at the same time it is through the work of
doing, listening, seeking, finding, and enjoying what we have that we
find the ways to appreciate the gifts that the Gods give to us so
freely.
May everyone reading this take the time to look at the world, see the
wonder therein, and know that the Great Mysteries are built on the
myriad small ones that exist all around us in our everyday lives.