Virtue #3: Vision

 

 When I began work on this Virtue, I had just watched Grove of the Midnight Flame announce live on Google+ that they had purchased 94 acres of property.  That prompted me to reread the article written by Rev. Isaac Bonewits that laid out the vision for ADF.   What was the difference between a vision and a goal, I asked myself?  A vision, in my definition encompasses the entire big picture, whereas a goal or goals are the steps we take to get there—the individual pieces that eventually complete the puzzle.  I ventured online to get add some clarification to my own thoughts:

“When you have a vision, you know where you want to go and you can see your next steps – but you won’t be able to see the entire path.

Vision is not about the path, it’s about the destination. As you take each step, the next step becomes clear as long as you stay focused on your vision.

Goals are important.  Goals quantify and define the steps you must take. They are the signposts that let you know you are moving in the right direction. They are measurable and answer questions like When? and How much? (rather than Why? which is addressed by your vision).”   (http://seapointcenter.com/vision-and-goals)

I have my own vision as it pertains to my membership in ADF.  A vision that includes one day expanding beyond my solitary practice and worshiping with other members.  After I complete the Dedicant Path, I want to start a Protogrove on my 13-acre property in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (as of now, I’m the only member in a 16,452 square mile area with a population of over 300,000 people--but what better movie quote is there than, "If you build it, they will come?" to help motivate a gal?)  I have already started work on building a Sacred Grove/Nemeton in my beautiful woods.  There are steps I have to take and goals I need to accomplish before my vision can become a reality. 

High Day Explanation: Lammas/Lughnasadh

Lammas, Freyfaxi, Hlafmaest, or Lughnasadh (named in honor of the Celtic God Lugh), marks the first of two harvest festivals and is celebrated at the beginning of August.

I grew up in Green Bay, WI, a city surrounded on all sides by miles and miles of corn fields and dairy farms (so much of it has since been sold off to developers) so I had a very rudimentary understanding of what the growing season entailed.  Driving west out to Seymour Lake many times over the course of the summer, I could gauge whether or not the corn was growing on schedule (knee high by the fourth of July).  Late summer heralded the beginning of the Brown County Fair and the grocery stores were flooded with sweet corn and farm stands began popping up everywhere.    

Now, as a baby homesteader on thirteen acres of land with ever expanding vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens, I understand the harvest in a much more personal and physical way than I ever did as a kid.  I’ve been enjoying the fruits of my labor since late June, but now the gardens are exploding.  I’m out in the gardens almost every day and my canning equipment has been dusted off and won’t be put away until December when I finish making my homemade sauerkraut.   Preparations for winter are underway and besides stocking my pantry with canned goods to last us for the next year, my husband and I are busy cutting, splitting, and stacking wood (which takes us at least two months to finish) that will feed our wood stove and keep our house warm throughout the many cold months ahead.

Virtue #2: Piety

Some thoughts on Piety…

I was raised Catholic but not in a religious household.   I can count on two hands the number of times we attended church as a family outside of weddings and funerals—it was such a rare occurrence that they tend to stand out.  I attended a parochial grade school for two years, received my first communion, and graduated from a four-year, all-girl Catholic high school.  I knew all the prayers, what happened when and where during mass, and when to stand and when to kneel.  Catholic was what was stamped on my dog tags when I joined the Air Force.  I loved the beauty and general concept  surrounding the rosary but found the prayers associated with it dull and uninspiring—spirituality by rote never appealed to me.     Catholic was more of a family identity than a religion I practiced.  “I’m Catholic” was just as automatic of a response as “I’m Norwegian and German” growing up.

It’s been difficult to create a regular devotional life.  It was a foreign concept to me and a habit I never cultivated in my life.   The word piety conjures up memories of dull masses, monotone prayers recited in unison, and stories of ancient saints that lived such austere existences that I couldn’t even begin to relate to them, much less muster up the desire to imitate them.  

I’ve had to pretty much start over from scratch—to throw away a narrow, lifelong held definition of piety and transform it into a beautiful and positive expression of my faith instead.   My new and improved definition includes two words:  relationship and practice.   I approach my altar every morning and evening, not from a place of resentment or forced obligation, but from a desire to nurture my relationship with the kindred—something as simple as saying  “good morning” and “good-night” helps us stay connected.  Every relationship in my life requires constant attention and nurturing—why would those relationships be any different?   I haven't kept my best friend for over 31 years by ignoring her phone calls.   

And my devotional life improves with practice.  Just like my first love -- the piano, I never would have progressed beyond "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to performing Grieg's "Concerto in A Minor" without making a commitment to learning music theory and practicing every day. 

Home Shrine: Update

My Shrine/Altar use to be situated under my bedroom window, but 7-month old kittens wanting to hang out in the window sill, kept knocking everything off so I had to move it to a safer place.

My shrine has gone through several changes over the years.  I try to keep it simple because I can't stand clutter.  It's on top of a small dresser so my space is limited.  Eventually, I'd like to hang a couple of shelves above it so I will have more room to add pictures and other representations of the Kindred. 

Here is what I currently have on my altar:

1.  Altar cloth that I knitted with a multi-colored yarn.

2.  World Tree:  I printed out a beautiful Yggdrasil graphic onto a clear, full-page label and wrapped it around a white 7-day candle.

3.  Shed Deer Antler:  Found out in my woods (Freyr symbol)

4.  Memorial candle for the beloved pets I have lost.

5.  A vase that I keep full of fresh flowers that I pick from the wild and my gardens (for Freyja)

6.  Cat figurine I received as a Christmas present from my brother because  I rescue and foster cats for my local shelter (Also a Freyja symbol)

7.  Seasonal candle (Summer)

8.  Earth Mother:  A beautiful white rock mass of fossilized seashells that my husband found when he was working down south along the Gulf Coast a few years ago.

9.  Well:  Clear, blue bowl

10.  A glass candle holder for three tea candles (that also represent each of the three Kindred).

11.  Two decorative bottles (one clear and one pink) that I purchased as housewarming gifts for myself after I celebrated my divorce in 1998 and moved into my first apartment. 

12.  The Catholic rosary that belonged to my Grandfather who died when I was seven years old (Ancestors).  I have it hanging on the clear decorative bottle.

13.  Holder for incense sticks

14.  Jar with stones and feathers I have collected on my property (Nature/Land Spirits)