13 Goals of a Witch
by Scott Cunningham, Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988
If God/Goddess is in everyone, and we are all a part of the same cosmic recipe, why don’t people treat each other accordingly? I think its crucial to find the divine in everyone, no matter how hidden that spark might be.
I think that I am doing my best to see the divine in everyone, and that is not always easy. In my line of work I see people at their worst. I have had drug addicts crying and begging me for pills, I have had people swear at me and threaten me. I have also held people’s heads while they vomit, and held grown men as they sob over the death of a loved one. I’ve gone home with tears still drying on the shoulders of my scrubs. I’ve helped deliver a few babies, and I’ve cared for people as they lay dying, and after.
I want to be the person who finds the divine in everyone.
I spend a lot of time looking within myself, hoping that if I can see that spark in myself, perhaps I can see it in others as well.
I make jokes about ‘compassion fatigue’ but its not always a joke.
Its hard to search and look for the beauty all the time. I can only hope it will get easier the longer I do it.
Last night’s dream included a young man, kind of stubbled beard, dark black hair, singing an acoustic song which of course I knew the lyrics to in my sleep but not so much anymore. The part he said over and over, however was ‘Endless love will save you”. I woke up hearing it.
What is endless love?
Isn’t all love endless?
There are people I love and people I LOVE. There are many degrees of it but I don’t think I ever stopped loving anyone I truly loved–no matter what type of love it happens to be.
Love can change…from romantic to friendship, or the other way for that matter as well. It can go from maternal to friendly, or encompass both. It can be a small jelly bean in the candybowl of life or it can be the grain of sand that made the glass bowl that holds the jellybeans.
All things change.
But does love ever go away? Does it ever end?
Goddess/God love us. We are given life, bounty, shelter and the beauty of the experience. Goddess/God are eternal…endless.
Is not their love endless as well? Can you put boundaries and limitations on something that is part of the Eternal AM?
Is it conceited to assume that the love we feel, as chips from the great Light, is as eternal and enless as Theirs? Or is it perhaps sacreligious to assume that our love can be so limitless?
But are we not challenged to aspire to become Godlike–to nurture the wise and loving traits that are gifted to us from God/Goddess? And if so, then to put limits on the love we feel for others is sacreligious as well.
At first it was nothing, a large void of emptiness. A void so large and so empty that there was no consciousness, just a growing unrest.
Suddenly a spark in the nothingness came into being and ignited…that ignition led to a burst of consciousness.
With wide eyes, the Spark looked around at the vast empty cosmos. “I,” thought the Spark. “I…AM”
and with such great words, the Spark grew into Flame.
Flame breathed and looked around at the vast emptiness. “I AM,” Flame thought, feeling suddenly lonely.
With that thought, Flame separated, and became Twin Flames.
“We Are,” Twin Flames thought, intertwining themselves.
Still lonely, Twin Flames imagined More.
And with that thought, the void expanded, collapsed, and expanded again, only this time there was a multitude in the void. Planets, stars, suns moons…universes.
Twin Flames sighed, and with that breath life was born.
Upon this world, this Earth, the first plants unfolded their leaves, the first baby animals stood on wobbly legs. Water flowed down heretofore bare rocks, tides ebbed and flowed.
Twin Flames sighed again, a sigh of both moments and eons, and Man climbed from the dust.
Man looked around, stunned. “I am,” he thought. “lonely.”
Twin Flames, recognizing this emotion, breathed again and Woman appeared next to man.
Another Divine Breath and suddenly the Earth was populated with People.
Twin Flames smiled.
The journey had begun.
Recently, I mentioned that my family has just joined a Christian church. The pastor is very liberal as far as pastor’s go, believing in both the Big Bang theory and Evolution, and he has found a way to incorporate his belief in God with such hot-spot issues. I like his way of thinking.
Anyway, we went to church two weeks ago and took communion. I haven’t had communion at this church before and I found it very interesting. At other churches I’ve attended, communion always involved the passing out of little squares of bread and teeny little communion glasses (think about half a shot glass) with juice or wine in them.
Having been raised Presbyterian, I always knew that the bread and juice were symbols, and did not actually transform into actual flesh and blood, as some of my more Lutheran and Catholic friends believe.
At this new church, however, we rose from our pews and formed a line to go to the front of the church where we took a piece of broken bread from the plate, and dipped it in the chalice of juice before putting it in our mouths.
Hmm I thought…what does that remind me of?
I had a brief moment wondering if I would be struck by lightning or some other natural disaster would befall me because of my decidedly pagan path. I was glad to survive communion and came out of it with a firmer sense that I am on the right path..whatever unique path that may be.
Today, I was studying my new tarot card deck “The Well Worn Path” and it finally struck me why the communion service, while something I’d never done in that way before, seemed so familiar.
Dipping the bread in the juice to recieve the spirit of God…
Dipping the athame in the chalice to symbolize the union of God and Goddess….
Hmmm.
To me this is a further sign that yes, one can be Christo-Pagan and that Yes, I am still walking the path I am meant to travel.
Great Goddess above Great Mother of all beings
Look down on me this day
Bless me with your love
Bless me with wisdom to know right from wrong
Great Mother of the world, Queen of Heaven
Place your love upon me
that in turn I may love those around me
Free and unconditionally
Mother of the Moon
Grant me understanding
That I may understand others
Grant me courage
That I may face my fears
and help others face theirs
Great Mother, Queen, Goddess
Grant me love and compassion
The ability to forgive
The ability to love with purity
*
Great God in Heaven, Leader of Hearts and Creator of all
Bless me with your strength
That I may be strong for others.
Gift me the knowledge of right from wrong
And bless me with the abundance
Of your love and understanding.
Great God
I ask that you support me in times of sorrow
And provide me the peace to survive
and the love to grow
and the knowledge to express
Your peace and love to others
*
King and Queen of Heaven
You are one and the same
Halves of the same whole.
Grant me Your love
Bless me with Your grace
That I may help others
who walk this path beside me.
