Initiate Intention Letter Submitted!
So, as many of you know, now that my DP is complete, I have decided to take up the Initiate Path. After nine versions, and much fretting (fretting!!) I finally just submitted it. I am posting it here for comment because, well, I am glutton for punishment. Thanks to romandruid (my homemade gift for you is almost done!) for the encouragement and to chronarchy for letting me, once again, be a pita and fret to his inbox INCESSANTLY (You rock, you know).
I am drawn to the path of Initiation for very simple reasons. I wish I could describe an epiphany or a deep-seated need to fulfill this as a major goal in my life with flowery and beautiful words. Alas, I am a humble Druid who has finished her Dedicant work only to realize that she is not done. I see my Dedicant work as an excellent foundation, but a foundation is just a beginning. I am drawn to Initiation because I have a desire to learn what I can about Our Druidry and all the nuances for which those words stand.
I see the path to Initiation as one of earning a leadership role. All my life I have found myself in positions of leadership, dating as far back as being the kid on the block at whose house we built the fort. I was king of the mountain. I was teacher when we played school. As I grew up and my responsibilities grew with me, I had no problem maintaining my desire to lead. I became president of several organizations, including the peer tutoring group at my high school. I was also a tutor for groups of students at a time in college. Even now, I am called upon to train new employees at my current job.
What does all of this have to do with Initiation? I have given freely of myself my whole life, and I have always approached teaching with the attitude that I can only help others with as much as I learn myself. If I want to be a Calculus tutor, then I need to learn Calculus. (Note: I have never been, nor will I ever be a Calculus tutor. Ever.) I have a strong desire to teach, and people with questions tend to be drawn to me, so I have a responsibility to learn as much as I can to be able to fulfill the needs of those who have given me their trust in a sometimes vulnerable subject matter.
Initiation will give me the tools that I need to provide for the folk, but it will also tap me into a greater network of others who, like me, have pushed themselves past the veil to gain entrance into the greater truths, the mysteries of Our Druidry. That is the personal draw: to belong to the inner sanctum of the Elder ways. I can think of no better way to fulfill my vows to the follow the Old Ways, serve the folk and pursue study than to take up the work of the Initiate program.
Looking forward to what I presume to be the logical outcome of my completion of this program, I think that being an Initiate is mostly personal. Each one of us will be initiated into the Druidic Mysteries with our own sets of experiences and our own Patrons and Hearth Cultures. For me, being an Initiate will most likely be another starting point, where I can begin the next phase of my spiritual journey.
The courses are designed to hone our mental training and energy workings and prepare us for writing full liturgy to deepen our connections to the Kindred, as well as immersing our minds in the history, lore and anthropology of the Elder ways-all of which will change us. These changes are the very things that will make us better servants to our Groves and our communities. Being an Initiate sets one apart from those who have not committed to learning the greater and more difficult truths, those who have not put in the time and effort to master the skills that require us to be less dependent on our own strength and trust more and more in the power of the gods and the world around us. Being an Initiate is about letting go of control, tapping into a current that is bigger than us, and bringing those energies back to our Groves and communities. Add to this about a dozen things I can’t possibly know until I dive into the work, and this is what being an Initiate (on first glance) means to me.
My goals for providing services to my community change only subtly with the completion of this work. Our Grove is very dedicated to serving the folk through public ritual, works of service, maintaining the health of our Earth Mother through advocacy and cleaning of public spaces, collecting donations to help those less fortunate than ourselves and many other noble goals. I will continue to contribute to all of these things, but after completing this training, I hope to be a better, more equipped servant.
On a more ethereal level, I believe that the more people with strong connections to the Kindred we have in our Grove, the more intense and useful our rituals will be. I want to take what I learn in the training and through my devotion and experience be able to assist others with less training to have those meaningful experiences and to meet their personal goals.
As stated above, I want to teach, and that will come in time. As I write this letter, I am seeing just how much I still do not know. Instead of allowing the gap between where I am and where I want to be intimidate me and act as a deterrent, I choose to use it as motivation. I know this is where I belong. I also know it won’t be easy, but the best things in life, the things from which we learn the most, never are…
Khaire,
Melissa S. Burchfield (Missy)
- What draws you to the path of Initiation within ADF?
I am drawn to the path of Initiation for very simple reasons. I wish I could describe an epiphany or a deep-seated need to fulfill this as a major goal in my life with flowery and beautiful words. Alas, I am a humble Druid who has finished her Dedicant work only to realize that she is not done. I see my Dedicant work as an excellent foundation, but a foundation is just a beginning. I am drawn to Initiation because I have a desire to learn what I can about Our Druidry and all the nuances for which those words stand.
I see the path to Initiation as one of earning a leadership role. All my life I have found myself in positions of leadership, dating as far back as being the kid on the block at whose house we built the fort. I was king of the mountain. I was teacher when we played school. As I grew up and my responsibilities grew with me, I had no problem maintaining my desire to lead. I became president of several organizations, including the peer tutoring group at my high school. I was also a tutor for groups of students at a time in college. Even now, I am called upon to train new employees at my current job.
What does all of this have to do with Initiation? I have given freely of myself my whole life, and I have always approached teaching with the attitude that I can only help others with as much as I learn myself. If I want to be a Calculus tutor, then I need to learn Calculus. (Note: I have never been, nor will I ever be a Calculus tutor. Ever.) I have a strong desire to teach, and people with questions tend to be drawn to me, so I have a responsibility to learn as much as I can to be able to fulfill the needs of those who have given me their trust in a sometimes vulnerable subject matter.
Initiation will give me the tools that I need to provide for the folk, but it will also tap me into a greater network of others who, like me, have pushed themselves past the veil to gain entrance into the greater truths, the mysteries of Our Druidry. That is the personal draw: to belong to the inner sanctum of the Elder ways. I can think of no better way to fulfill my vows to the follow the Old Ways, serve the folk and pursue study than to take up the work of the Initiate program.
- What does being an Initiate mean to you?
Looking forward to what I presume to be the logical outcome of my completion of this program, I think that being an Initiate is mostly personal. Each one of us will be initiated into the Druidic Mysteries with our own sets of experiences and our own Patrons and Hearth Cultures. For me, being an Initiate will most likely be another starting point, where I can begin the next phase of my spiritual journey.
The courses are designed to hone our mental training and energy workings and prepare us for writing full liturgy to deepen our connections to the Kindred, as well as immersing our minds in the history, lore and anthropology of the Elder ways-all of which will change us. These changes are the very things that will make us better servants to our Groves and our communities. Being an Initiate sets one apart from those who have not committed to learning the greater and more difficult truths, those who have not put in the time and effort to master the skills that require us to be less dependent on our own strength and trust more and more in the power of the gods and the world around us. Being an Initiate is about letting go of control, tapping into a current that is bigger than us, and bringing those energies back to our Groves and communities. Add to this about a dozen things I can’t possibly know until I dive into the work, and this is what being an Initiate (on first glance) means to me.
- What services do you hope to provide to your community with this training?
My goals for providing services to my community change only subtly with the completion of this work. Our Grove is very dedicated to serving the folk through public ritual, works of service, maintaining the health of our Earth Mother through advocacy and cleaning of public spaces, collecting donations to help those less fortunate than ourselves and many other noble goals. I will continue to contribute to all of these things, but after completing this training, I hope to be a better, more equipped servant.
On a more ethereal level, I believe that the more people with strong connections to the Kindred we have in our Grove, the more intense and useful our rituals will be. I want to take what I learn in the training and through my devotion and experience be able to assist others with less training to have those meaningful experiences and to meet their personal goals.
As stated above, I want to teach, and that will come in time. As I write this letter, I am seeing just how much I still do not know. Instead of allowing the gap between where I am and where I want to be intimidate me and act as a deterrent, I choose to use it as motivation. I know this is where I belong. I also know it won’t be easy, but the best things in life, the things from which we learn the most, never are…
Khaire,
Melissa S. Burchfield (Missy)