Reflecting on... The Ties That Bind

The idea to write about this particular concept has been bubbling at the surface of my consciousness for several days. It came to me in meditation when I was reflecting specifically on what keeps me on my current path of witchcraft. Where does my faith in the God & Goddess come from? I have been lucky enough to not face much prejudice or objection in the matter of my beliefs which is wonderful and I am grateful for it but it does make me wonder whether if my path had ever been challenged, would I still be on it? I am bound to what I believe only by the belief itself; it was my decision to follow a spiritual, natural and magickal path. So, what keeps me believing? What are the ties that bind me to it? These are fundamental questions which if I did not know the answers, having my path challenged could potentially make me waver from it.

My beliefs have taken years of practice to develop and those practices, that experience is what keeps my path solid beneath my feet. I trust in the presence of deity because I have felt that presence in my circle; I experience the Goddess every time I look at the moon and every time I walk barefoot on the earth; I feel the God beside me each time the warmth and light of the sun surrounds me. What ties me to them is my belief that they are present in each day and night that I acknowledge them; what ties me to that belief is feeling their presence. Therein lays the knot which binds me to the belief in the Lord & Lady whom watch over me and the magickal endeavours I perform.

Being bound to my path is not limited to the belief in the God & Goddess; the creation of my spiritual path has been formed by experiencing many energies: trees, rocks and crystals which bind me to the steady and abundant energy of earth; turbulent storms, tranquil streams and powerful ocean waves bring the element of water flowing through my beliefs and bind me to them; the simplicity of a candle flame and the roaring passion of the sun make fire the binding which keeps me in love with my craft. But stronger than all of these things are the breezes which carry the scent of the season and the eternal fountain which is my imagination; these things bind me to the element of air which is the truest and tightest knot of everything that keeps me believing.

A spiritual path, whether Wiccan, Eclectic, Dianic or otherwise is bound to its traveller by the energies and elements which formed it. The last leaf of Autumn floating on a crisp breeze could be the first step on a spiritual discovery of the seasons. Each path is unique to the individual; I walk my path with the God & Goddess by my side, the magick of the elements surrounding me and all the energy of the Universe as back up. This is the path I am bound to by choice, by love and by respect. The journey creates the ties that bind and each step is another knot.