World's Worst Pagan

[thtrelady]

I'm such a slacker. Granted, I'm a slacker in more than one aspect of my life so it's not just my pagan practices that take a backseat to things at times. But for some reason, I find it remarkably easy to tell myself that I'll do something "soon" and "soon" never seems to arrive

Comments

[bluedolfyn]

My goodness, this so could be me! And, if you read my writing blog, you'd see that it is. Not so much with the spiritual aspects, but the whole getting down on myself so much that it's near impossible to even think about trying.

I'm going to say what I know you aready know, so please don't be annoyed. I need reminders, too. Start small. The internet won't disappear or break if you don't happen to check your FB page or LJ or any of those places. Communication is great! It's not a substitute for the deeper stuff that people like us need (not that we're better, but there are those who seem satisified with the social level of things. Obviously, you are not. Not better, not worse, just different). So, what about reciting a prayer to someone instead? Or taking a minute to contemplate? Or just doing some breathing exercises to pull you back to yourself?

It's worth doing! My morning ritual with Poseidon consists of pouring him tea from my first cup of tea, into a special cup that is his, and placing it on his shrine. Aside from festival days, that's as formal as I get with him. My mornings are busy! I have to get up and I have the dog to tend to and I have to shower and get ready for work, and make myself okay to leave the house (harder some days than others). It's a small gesture, but it makes a world of difference. It tells me that hey, I started the day right.

I love the idea of prayer beads for focal points, but they end up being more of a distraction for me. I'm a minimalist at heart. Shrines and shiny bits at home are great, but when I'm on the go, if I can't do it myself, i'm not likely to drag around tools with me. I knit when in transit, and I read, and if I feel the need to be especially mindful, I'll bring along thematically related reading material.

I've taken time to structure my life so that I have minimal intrusions once I get home, so I can focus on what I want to focus on: my gods, my writing, my crafts, my family. The biggest distraction I face is the lure of the Internet, and some days are better than others. Be gentle with yourself. Compassion. If you can't at least manage that, aim for detaching your emotions with regards to yourself, since they obviously can't be trusted to be fair.

It's so easy to become cluttered. I don't know the answer for you. I know for me, the way around that -- how to spend the time I wanted to spend doing what I wanted to do -- was to remove things from my life that detracted from it. Of course it doesn't hurt that I find housework to be meditative and spiritual, but we've got a tiny space now and it's a lot easier than it used to be.

[thtrelady]

Structure is definitely where I need to focus some of my attention. I am good with habits once they become habits, but it takes me a long time to get to that point.

And forgiving myself. Thanks Blue.. I did need to hear it.