Spiritual Commitment

Over on The Deepest Well, bloggers are talking about spiritual commitment. The question is if you've converted to Paganism from another religion, have you done a commitment ceremony, and renounced your previous faith? Or do you do a mix/mash of both faiths?

Aine says, "The "way" we find is not always our own creation.  
We are not always allowed to customize it. "


I disagree. I "label" myself as Eclectic Wiccan. The definition of Eclectic Wicca is: 

• A group or solitary may use a blend of beliefs and practices from several different pantheons 
• and traditions.
• A group could be an offshoot of an established tradition of Wicca, such as Gardnerian 
• orAlexandrian, but with modifications to their practice that make them no longer that
• original tradition.

• An individual may be creating his or her own tradition of beliefs and practices, and because
•  this system can't be defined as something else, it can be defined as eclectic.
• A solitary may be practicing what he or she has learned from publicly available sources on 
• Wicca, but not be using oathbound, initiatory material, and so recognizes that his or her practice is eclectic.

Now I never claimed another religion. I was lucky enough to grow up in a home where religion wasn't a "Birthright". Though I think my mother just assumed I'd be Christian, she never shoved it down my throat. Her version of teaching religion was throw a bible at me (literally) and say, "read this". I did read some of it, and most of it didn't sit well with me. However before I made the choice to label myself Eclectic Wiccan, I studied many different religions. My husband and other spiritual leaders in my life were instrumental in my education. In college I also took a theology class. 

Most religions have at least a few things I agree with. I find it easy to incorporate portions of many religions into my own practice. One of my biggest disagreements with organized religion is that I felt boxed in. There seemed to be so many rigid practices. IMO, our perception influences our reality. For example, one person might believe sage should be used to cleanse a home. If you don't have sage some might rush out to buy some before they can do a cleansing ceremony. For me, If I don't have sage, I'll use tobacco or some other herb. As long as my perception of that herb is a cleansing scent/smoke then it will do the job I'm performing. 

Aine says, 

"They want a certificate, a title.  They have barely performed a 
successful spell or seen on full turn of the wheel and suddenly 
they are teaching others. "

Well that is true. Everyone, especially but not limited to Americans, want instant gratification. However I don't believe that a "newbie" to the craft is unable to teach others. Yes their experience is limited so they will not be able to teach as much as someone who has been dedicated to the craft most of their life. But what is teaching if not the practice of exchanging ideas? They can certainly share their experience and knowledge thus far. If they are setting themselves up as a "Know it all, been there and done that, Pagan, then they are misrepresenting themselves and should be avoided. I'm certainly not saying that someone who has just completed a year and a day of commitment to Wicca should go write a book or start their own coven. 

I am saying that they can talk with family and friends about what they believe. If something they say influences or teaches the people they are in contact with something new, then all to the good. When I was first starting out one of my outlets was Yahoo Religion's chat. I certainly learned something new every day. I also taught a lot about my beliefs. The exchange of ideas is never wrong unless your misrepresenting the information as "The one truth" or more than you really know. 

Aine says, 

In my opinion, it's too easy to dedicate to something without 
having to forfeit something else.  There is no risk, nothing to lose and because of this, it's too easy to commit.

For me, there was nothing to renounce before committing to Eclectic Wicca. But what a person has been in their past will always be with them. If they truly believe a portion of that path, then no amount of saying, "I renounce thee" is going to change it. My husband use to be a Sunday school teacher. He left Christianity when his church refused to marry his mother and step-father. (Mixed race marriage) Though he claims no religion, he'll tell you that what he believes closely resembles Native American Shamanism. That doesn't mean portions of the bible he once believed is totally unimportant now. Personally, I find most of the 10 commandments to be pretty good rules to live by. 

In closing, I'd like to leave you with this quote. 

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach." ~ Tom Robbins

Something that inspires you.

I know the Praying Hands is often associated with Christianity, but the story behind the image is something that really pulls at my heartstrings. It inspires me to do the best that I can and to help lift up people when I am able. It also reminds us that we never make it in this world alone. Anyway, I'll let it speak for itself.

Albrecht Dürer
1471 - 1528
The Praying Hands

Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Eighteen! In order merely to keep food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by profession, worked almost eighteen hours a day at his trade and any other paying chore he could find in the neighborhood.

Despite their seemingly hopeless condition, two of Albrecht Durer the Elder's children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy.

After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.

They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.

When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you."

All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ...no ...no ...no."

Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ... for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.

One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - - ever makes it alone!

Author Unknown

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