D is for Doing

It’s been a crazy week, so it’s short, today.

Doing sounds like an odd choice for a D word for the Pagan Blog Project, but there’s a reason I chose this seemingly non-Pagan word. There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to DOING witchy things (spells, ritual, meditation, etc.). One school is all about intent. Intent is all that matters. Do the spell you feel like doing when you feel like doing it. Don’t force yourself to meditate, if you aren’t in the mood. Don’t force yourself to do a ritual because you feel like you should celebrate the sabbat. The other school of thought is that of the doing. Do devotions to your patron/ness weekly, even if you don’t feel like it. Celebrate the sabbats, even if you are tired. Meditate regularly, even if it conflicts with other things. While neither of these paths are inherently bad, and most combine these two spiritualities, I like to err on the side of the doing.

To me the path of intent is a self-centered one, in its most extreme. I know that has negative connotations, but I mean that in the most literal of ways. I will pray when I feel like it, will do ritual only when I’m in the mood, will go to circle if I have nothing else to do and feel like it. The path of the doing, is the other extreme. I do devotions for the goddess, I do ritual to honor the celebration of the seasons/ nature and the gods, to take my place within the turning of the wheel. I go to meetings with my sisters to better not only my growth, but to contribute and maybe help someone else. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it, of course – it’s very fulfilling, and the positivity tends to come back in spades. There is a fine line, however between too much structure and commitment to a path, and being lackadaisical in the following of a path. Everyone needs a break now and then to refresh, relax and process. So, we’re tasked with finding that balance.

One who follows the path of doing still needs to be self-aware of their energy and how they affect others, but all in all, I find that doing things for the gods, others, and nature rather than for oneself, is a very spiritually fulfilling attitude to pathwalking.