Each morning I look at the beautiful print I have on the wall in my bedroom – it was painted by a wonderful, sensitive and spiritually focussed American artist called Melissa Harris, and depicts a woman in a green robe with a red lining (like my own ritual garment) standing by a Cornish windbush – the kind that you see a lot there – all bent and misshapen yet at the same time very beautiful. The print is entitled To the Goddess in You, and at the start of my day it reminds me that I myself am a living manifestation of the Goddess and am divinely guided.
Yet at the same time I know that we function best when we are responsible and conscious beings, aware of karma, or the law of the harvest as we Druids call it, and knowing that each action results in a consequence. That’s a far cry from the ‘cop out’ of giving up to ‘Fate’, ‘Providence’ or ‘Destiny’.
I have used an extract from a book called Do it! Let’s get off our buts by Peter McWilliams, on a women’s programme I run regularly – and have repeated it throughout the three months that the group are working together – it’s a really powerful and direct piece of writing and resonates well with the content of the programme. I read it out again this morning to some colleagues and reminded myself of what a worthwhile message it is:
“Here’s the premise: We are all, right now, living the life we choose.
This choice, of course, is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, “I’m going to move to L.A., and in five years I will be a waiter in a so-so restaurant, planning to get my 8-by-10’s done real soon so that I can find an agent and become a star,” or “I’m going to marry a dreadful person and we’ll live together in a loveless marriage, staying together only for the kids, who I don’t much like, either.”
No. The choices I’m talking about here are made daily, hourly, moment by moment. Do we try something new, or stick to the tried-and-true? Do we take a risk, or eat what’s already on our dish? Do we ponder a thrilling adventure, or contemplate what’s on TV? Do we walk over and meet that interesting stranger, or do we play it safe? Do we indulge our heart, or cater to our fear?
The bottom-line question: Do we pursue what we want, or do we do what’s comfortable?
For the most part, most people most often choose comfort–the familiar, the time-honored, the well-worn but well-known. After a lifetime of choosing between comfort and risk, we are left with the life we currently have. And it was all of our own choosing.”
And believe me, I do need to listen to my own advice!
Yes I think this is mainly true, I do believe for the most part we reap what we sow.
If we lived alone and only had ourself to consider, our choices would be much easier to make
I also think we change so much as we get older and often the decisions we make when young we have to live with
The premise is that we always have a choice, and that we ourselves are products of those choices. We choose whether to live alone, share our lives with others, the work we do etc. Our values – the things that are important to us, influence our choices of course – and can set a course for us – being married, having children, deciding to care for others etc. Or we can walk away from this if we choose to – we always have a choice.
Some have no choice,and have to live with the choice of others, what when a partner leaves and goes of with someone else,what choice do they have then? their life then is someone elses choice!
Thanks for visiting and offering the contra view. It took a while for me to get my head round this one too, but ultimately my view is that embracing this concept leads to empowerment and personal responsibility. We claim our own power and don’t give it up to others.
I choose empowerment!
Hi my dears.
Yes I agree that we claim our own power; when a partner leaves we can choose how to react….we can take responsibility that we may have influenced their decision/driven them away…and choose to live happily without them, or even to win them back if that is what we and they want.
This is the same premise that I teach my Bi-Aura students – that we choose how to live our lives and how to react to everything, even what to think – and that changing our habits and thoughts changes our lives, and it is very empowering.
I love the blog.
I have been thinking on the philosophy of this subject, what a difference it makes when you encompose this! True we all do have a have a choice.
it’s all in the way we see what choices we have. We can choose to rejoice and see the best of the sad things that happen in our lives, or spend the rest of it feeling sorry for what we have lost!
I will forever be greatfull for the good things, and not waste anytime on dwelling on the sad things!
THank you for the reminder…