One day, I sat in front my altar and lit a candle, inviting any whisper of insight.
As I gazed in turn at each of the earth treasures upon the altar, I began to tell myself a blessing story about the soul seeds I hope I am planting.
What is a blessing story? A kind of spell … a kind of prayer … a means of tending the inner landscape.
I envisioned these seeds within being nurtured by the powers of the sacred elements, symbolized on my altar: earth, air, fire, water and spirit.
I asked that sacred Earth hold my seeds in waiting darkness until they are ready to unfold.
That sacred sun and rain awaken the sleeping seeds, calling forth fragile roots and tendrils.
That my soul seeds grow my spirit in the directions it needs to grow; that they someday bear flowers and fruit, to feed what needs to be fed.
That I am one with the Turning of the Wheel — the never-ending rebirth of this ground that we stand upon — which holds us so faithfully, without faltering, through our entire lives and beyond.
I offered gratitude for Earth’s sacred gifts, uncountable as the stars.
And I thought: We are the gardeners of our own souls.
Who will tend them, if we do not?
That is very true my friend: Care of the Soul (ever read that book of the same name, by the way?) is a task we alone can do...As a keen gardener in the past, my own inner garden is in a shambles (ha)! At the same time, as the Dao De Jing reminds us, ‘We are nourished by the Great Mother’. I too used to have such an alter as you describe and it brought back such memories, but nowadays I’ve gone minimalist and try and see the whole world as my alter. I remember in 2016 or so when the last temple to the goddess Ishtar was deliberately destroyed, I wept bitterly for the loss; but then the goddess said not to be dismayed, for I was her temple on earth and others like me, and I was content. I hope you keep posting, because it matters to those of us who need reminders of such things to wake us out of the briar patch that we find ourselves in, and come back to our Selves. Peace always, R
ReplyDeleteI have not read that book! Onto the list it goes. I love your story of the goddess and that the world is your altar. I see the moon rising right now in the east, looking so serene and sublime...hope you see her beautiful face tonight, too.
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