Beyond the Seasons

  In the same vein as yesterdays post, I've been pondering the evolution of the Craft. When I first started to study modern witchcraft, an extremely heavy emphasis was placed on seasonal celebration. The purpose behind these solar and lunar holy days was to reconnect the practitioner with the cycles of the Earth. The need for such a reconnection becomes more and more obvious every day. However, I think to be a fulfilling spiritual path, Paganism needs more than ritual celebrations.
  To address the deeper hunger for meaning within this apparently chaotic universe, back-to-the-land era practices have to be expanded and deepened. The self-exploratory work that begins in meditation has to become something more. In honoring the cosmos outside of ourselves, we should be reminded to give equal honor to the limitless cosmos within our own consciousness.
  Believe me, I like the rites of Beltane just as much as the next witch. Becoming aware of the way Gaia changes throughout the Wheel of the Year has been instrumental to my building a stronger connection with her. But this can't be the only goal of our faith. Activism, self-actualization, and the realization of our own deity    are just as important.
  Those same cycles occur in each of us. After all, as above so below, as within so without. The next time you check the moon phase, or plan a ritual for Lugh, think about how those same changes manifest in your life. How does your body alter? Your emotions? How is the connection between yourself and the divine shifting? The Wheel of the Year mimics the revolutions of the Wheels of our Souls. Or perhaps it's the other way around. Who knows?