Tuesday 20 May 2014

"What's with this Witchy Stuff?"

Not long ago I sat down with a friend who is a priest in the Anglican church. She's been beside me for sometime as I have been battling the Goliath in the church called homophobia. She is someone very dear to my heart and I have the utmost respect for her.

I hadn't seen her in a few months and since then I had come out about my spiritual beliefs which are very close to the Wiccan beliefs, although I do not necessarily practice very many rituals. So she asked me, "What's with this witchy stuff?" I had been worried about telling her, because she had the most faith in me becoming more involved in the church, she told others in the church that she could see me in ministry. She had set up appointments with people in the church in regards to my vocation with the church.

It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time... but deep down inside the depths of my heart, mind and soul there was this battle going on. I had this fear, that if I were to obtain such a role in the church, that I would be lying to myself. I wondered if I would change certain aspects of myself that I cherish. I wondered if I would actually be me, or be holding back on the magic inside me that now seems to flow so beautifully and freely.


Just before my priest-friend's sabbatical leave, I stopped going to church to break free and dig down deep into my body, mind and soul. The result being that the magic inside me, hadn't been enlightened in my life to it's fullest, which is now my official spiritual goal. Then recently, I was sitting in my priest-friend's office about the Christian support groups which we had coordinated together.

I basically answered that I was journeying and that I had become in touch with my most inner-self. That I wasn't sure about the "God thing" because I don't want to be narrow minded and not consider what other's believe. I told her that I loved the Jesus story but question it's legitimacy. I asked, who really knows that they're right about God in this world?

At the end of our meeting, I was sitting with her, waiting for my boyfriend to come pick me up. She told me a little bit about this story about these blind men feeling this elephant.



The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a WALL!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a SPEAR!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand, 
And felt about the knee
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he:
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a TREE!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a FAN!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Source:
http://www.constitution.org/col/blind_men.htm


She told me that God is like the elephant and the blind men are all like men from different religions.  That God is even bigger than what any man can describe, which I would have to agree with.  Whether it be "God" or some other sort of supernatural force, the story behind our existence will most likely always remain incorrect by the human race.

So we retreat and we find our own personal meanings in our lives.  For me, it's spirituality, the power within, family, friends and most of all; love.  A lot of the things that are taught in religions are valuable and work great for people, and I have nothing against that.  But in today's world, I think that it's all common sense now.  That we don't need to worship ancient stories in order to find divination in one's life.  Doing your best as a human being and following your dreams are what brings this world together.

Maybe indifference will one day be defeated if we all just learned to listen rather than bite each other's heads off because of simple disagreements and misunderstandings.

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