Changes to my Personal Path

With my chronic illness issues, what I'd LIKE to do doesn't always mesh with what I'm actually ABLE to do, physically and mentally. So I've been doing some thinking about what's REALLY important to me in my spiritual path. I've read a LOT and have found some things that I'm really drawn to. Shamanism, Druidry, Tarot and Oracles, Crystals and Stones, candles, the Elements, Nature (of course!), etc.

I was exploring on the internet, or getting lost in InternetLand as my husband calls it, and I was reminded of the technique of "3 Most Important Tasks" for to-do lists. This led me to think more about simplifying and using the idea of "3 Most Important..." for helping me to clarify what's really important to me, on a variety of topics. Since my spiritual path was on my mind I decided to start there. I asked myself "What are the 3 most important things to me with my Spiritual path?" I wrote down the first three things that came to my head, without thinking about it too much. They were Tarot and Oracles (divination), Crystals and Stones, and Nature. Also, candles, the Four Elements, and reading/learning. I know, technically six things, but the way I thought of them was three and three.

I was quite surprised that shamanic journeying and Ritual weren't even a passing thought while I was doing this process. Shamanic journeying was a very important part of my spiritual practice for several years. Lately I've been having difficulty journeying... I've been really drawn to the ADF Druidry style of ritual lately. I have been wanting to incorporate this ritual style into my practices but hadn't really had the energy to do it. I've also been very drawn to the AODA Druidry Three Paths idea. The Earth Path is about spending time out in nature, at least 15 minutes or more a week in direct contact with nature. For me, Paganism is about Nature. Understanding the world around me seems to be an important aspect of that. I feel very drawn to understanding bio-regional and local (to me) aspects of ecology and Nature. The Sun Path is about celebrating a cycle of Holy days, like the Wheel of the Year. I've always felt drawn to the Solstices and Equinoxes, Halloween, and the Full and New Moons. The Moon Path is about practicing some form of meditation regularly, working up to a daily practice. Lately I've been having a lot of difficulty with journeying, meditation, and visualization. However Mindfulness has been a topic that has come up several times recently, leading me to consider its usefulness to me.

I feel like the AODA Three Paths is a decent structure for working a personal spiritual path for me. Plus, it's a "three" and that seems to be a significant theme for me right now. I decided to journal a bit, taking into consideration these themes of "three" that seem important right now. Doing this has REALLY helped me to clarify both what I truly want to do with my spiritual path as well as what I'm likely able to do, both physically and mentally, with my chronic illness limitations. I've decided to narrow my focus to what's working best for me right now. For me, this means:

• A daily/weekly practice that includes: 
• personal healing work with my crystals and stones, candles, colors, and the Elements
• personal Tarot and Oracle readings using whatever methods I'm drawn to that day
• divination practice and learning (for my upcoming Tarot business)
• A seasonal practice that includes:
• Seasonal observations and nature journaling on the Solstices and Equinoxes (chronicling the "Wheel of the Year")
• Seasonal Tarot reading on the Solstices and Equinoxes (a way to celebrate/honor "Holy" days)
• Full/New Moons nature journaling
• Full/New Moons check in with the seasonal Tarot reading

I'll also be incorporating aspects of mindfulness including the Five Senses, the Four Elements, Breath, and Feelings/Emotions.

These practices incorporate and tie in to the AODA Three Paths as well as my Three Most Important Things in ways that are doable and interesting for me. I'm already doing a daily (at least most days) personal Tarot practice. I'm also working with my crystals and stones fairly consistently through the week for personal healing. I've already been working with doing seasonal Tarot readings using two spreads I found in Barbara Moore's Tarot Spreads book. Nature journaling would include aspects of the Earth Path in a way that's interesting to me, including aspects of mindfulness which is a part of the Moon Path.

These practices are all interconnected with each other, as well as being an interconnected way of utilizing the Three Paths. This gives me a focus and helps me to not be "distracted" by other interesting things that might not work so well for me. I can continue to explore and read/learn about other topics and practices. But I don't have to feel an "obligation" (my personal issue...) to try to incorporate them into my personal spiritual practice, at least right now.

What new spiritual practices are you working with lately? Please feel free to share in the comments.

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