Monday, June 16, 2014

Initiation & Ordination Countdown

A little over a week from now, I will go through a second degree initiation and a legal ordination. I've been preparing for months, and it has been a very interesting ride.

One personal learning I can share is that for some reason, part of my path is to minister to interfaith and Christian populations. It's tied together with my healing work, in some cases. People come to me and find that I can help them, even though they don't know why or can't explain it with science.

Aside from the healing work, many patients feel safe enough to ask for what can only be described as spiritual counseling. This has happened throughout my life. I'm an empath. People somehow know this, trust me with their secrets and ask for help. I have to wonder about my super conservative Christian clients. Surely they must sense that I'm "different" in some way. Many times, I even wear a pentagram to work. Yet they are not threatened by me and appear to truly value my viewpoint.

This mystifies me.

I'm happy about it, of course. I feel a certain sense of pride and satisfaction about my ability to reach people regardless of their faith. I fervently believe that the way forward for humanity is to acknowledge the validity of all faiths. To focus on our similarities instead of our differences. To come together, rather than continue to be driven apart by belief.

But as a shamanistic witch, this isn't how I envisioned my "ministry". I don't even like to use that word, yet "priestessry" doesn't sound right. I thought I would start a coven and have magical adventures. So far, my compatriots have not yet found me. But such is the spiritual life, eh? We have ideas, but things don't always manifest the way we imagine.

My interfaith Meetup group, South Wake Spiritual Community, is my focus at the moment. We have a core of lovely people who have loyally supported nearly every event. For that, I am eternally grateful. But growth is slow. We just hit our six month anniversary, and we still have less than 50 members. It still doesn't feel like a community to me.

All of which shows that I'm still finding my way as a spiritual leader. I'm okay with that. I have faith that it will manifest in the best way possible for all involved. I'm taking steps each day. I take care of myself and tend my own spiritual practice. I continue to learn. I'm open to opportunity.

Meanwhile, I prepare for the event itself. Along with the ritual, I will be changing my legal name. I'm waiting on one last background report so that I can file the petition with the court. The ring that will symbolize this event has arrived. My ritual tools are all in order. The ritual itself is on its way to completion.

Today I've embarked upon a ritual fast. Due to the nature of my work and body, it's more of a healthy foods week rather than an actual fast. My body can't function without animal protein, and certainly not without solid food. I have done the Master Cleanse and other cleanses/fasts before, but it only works if I lay around. I can't be very active, and the last time I tried it (2010-2011), I didn't make it a whole week before I started to feel dangerously ill and weak. I've learned from my experiences, and combined with my Yogic knowledge, I've come up with a plan.

So here is what my week's "fast" looks like:

  • Egg/kale/carrot bake for breakfast
  • Kitchari for lunch (Ayurvedic healing dish for all body constitutions)
  • Chicken or fish for dinner with plenty of veggies
  • Lots of water
  • Tea - dandelion or turmeric (intent to detox and tone organs)
Avoiding:
  • Sugar
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Dairy
  • Red meat
  • Pork
  • Processed foods


The only other preparation I am considering is attire. I'd like to have some new ritual garb to wear. This weekend I spent some time thinking about my preferences and trying to decide. In fact, I may write a whole post about ritual and magical attire. So far, the idea of a zip/snap front white ritual robe with hood and half sleeves is winning out. It doesn't sound that exciting, but it also sounds like the right thing.

It's almost here, it's almost here!



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