I haven’t blogged about my spiritual path much yet, despite the fact that my blog’s name is inspired by my earth-based spirituality (and my fiery Aries soul). I’m part of the Reclaiming Tradition, a Tradition of Witchcraft “working to unify spirit and politics.” One of my favorite things about Reclaiming is how much we work with stories. Many Reclaiming rituals, books, classes, and Witchcamps (think summer camp for witches) use a story which acts as a connecting thread, guide, container, and imaginative resource for the work. These stories range from ancient pagan tales, such as the Descent of Inanna, to old fairy tales, to modern mythologies, such as the Wizard of Oz. This wide range reflects other things that I love about Reclaiming: there is no one book of truth which contains all of the world’s answers. Rather, each person is their own spiritual authority and the green, living, ever-changing world is our shared Divine Revelation. I can write my own sacred liturgy. I can improvise my own songs to the Goddess. Reclaiming is a dynamic, evolving tradition. When we create sacred space, we honor and invoke not only our ancestors but also our descendants, those whom so much of our work of healing, transformation, and creation will ultimately benefit.
There’s a quote that captures some of this. Starhawk, one of the co-founders of Reclaiming, writes in her book Dreaming the Dark:
Because the Gods reveal themselves in living women and men, they change. The myths change. Perhaps they revert back to their original forms. Perhaps they take us to places we have never been.
There’s lots more that I could say about Reclaiming, and paganism in general, but there’s something more specific that I want to write about today. A story. The story of Persephone.
I’ve recently become aware that I’ve been deeply living out the story of Persephone. (more…)
