We Got Spirit, Yes We Do

I've lately been toying with the term "spirituality", and placing it at the top of my priority list, in what I"m interested in focusing on in life. I have my own sense of what this word means. I think of myself as an open person. I don't feel that the words "police officer" are ones to cower at. Cops do their jobs, and yes, over time perhaps they're likely to become corrupt, as perhaps many government officials surrounded by ick might be. But, the idea of going to the police for help is not something I'm opposed of. I am not a user of illegal drugs, and I feel I have nothing to fear from the cops, as I do not engage in illegal activities. I see their bigger function in society: keeping the peace. Also, I avoid protest situations, that are all-too-likely to result in miscommunications, tear-gas, and police demands that the crowd disperse. I feel no need to bruise or break my body in the name of an abstract Concept of Justice. My body deserves to be whole, all the time!

Similarly, some people cringe at the word "spirituality", perhaps thinking of cult-groups, or blind faith. I have no cringe factor around the word, in part because I feel it serves a function, and I understand that function, to the best of my ability. Spirituality, in general, seems a personal path/choice. Pretty simple stuff.

My hobbies lately seem to fall into two categories: social dance and spiritual community. I joined an Earth Medicine group in January, focusing on working with spirits of place to interact with and promote a healing relationship with the Bay Area of California. I also have joined the Hrafnar Kindred of Asatru, focusing on the old religion of the Norse and Germanic peoples. I also do a heck of a lot of Scottish country dance, vintage waltz, and now Scottish step dance.

My weeks are very busy.

More than anything, I love seeing bits of one community bleed into another.  And, sometimes there are lines drawn in the sand, delineating where one community ends, and the other begins, and sometimes I think of an excellent reference that I know my current company cannot appreciate.

That said, I'm very glad for making these notches of community in my life. I look forward to deepening in all of them. And, as much as I like the delicious food of Golden Lotus, I hope I'm appreciated to be something more three-dimensional and grounded than any cult-leader or cult-follower might be. I hope to be respected, even by those who do not walk my path.

Peace out, Amen, Blessed Be!