This week I was the guest writer on the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans Patheos Blog.
I think we’ve all had the fantasy about the big, elaborate shrine in a wild-ish place somewhere. We can see it in our mind’s eye – the natural stone, the altar, some vines creeping in a decorative-but-not-annoying way. Maybe we’ve even started on building one out in the yard, or on a nearby patch of unclaimed land. We imagine making our offerings there, in that perfect spot. It never needs weeding, the weather is always nice, the walk is always easy and the bugs leave us alone. Or maybe we plan a large altar for inside our house. Once we find a spot where multiple tiers of candles and magickal accoutrements won’t get dusty or attract the attention of little hands or curious felines. And we plan to really focus on our devotional practice then. Once the altar is set up. Once everything is perfect.
But then something happens. We get sick. Or we need to work more hours and don’t have as much down time. Or our obligations become overwhelming and at the end of the day, we’re just plain spent. Maybe we fight chronic pain, fatigue, or inflammation. So the altar never gets built, or never gets tidied up. We tell ourselves that we’ll work on it when we can – when we feel better, when we have time, when there’s a free weekend. And once that happens, then we’ll really focus on our spirituality. The days become weeks. The weeks become months. And now it’s another springtime, and we’re still waiting for the ‘right time.’
