Quite a while back, I wrote a post about how Mythology is sometimes viewed in terms of static being. The point of the post was that the stories that make up the Mythologies we turn to for insight are so much more than that. Sure, the stories are essentially written in stone and never-changing, but that the themes extracted from those stories are alive and played out daily in our lives. That same thing can be deduced about our Spiritual beliefs.

We live our lives everyday. Our Spiritual beliefs and practices inhabit every step that we take in the past, currently and into the future. Where we step, so steps our belief and connection with the world. I am a Polytheist. I hold strong beliefs within the realm of Animism. For me, the world around me – wherever that may be at the moment – is alive. When I reach out with my mind and my being, I can feel All that is present. Some of All of that is not as strong as the connectivity of others, but All is there. When I juxtapose the ideas of the stories that I have read into that space, I can feel how the themes present in those stories mesh or clash with All of that. And from that mesh/clash moment, I can see how all of that works (or doesn’t) with myself.

Currently, I am unemployed. Life has been feeling a little messy and unorganized for me. I’m unsure of where my footing will be found or how solid it will be when I get there. In a manner of speaking, I feel like Theseus about to enter the maze. To provide a solid feeling, I count on my friends to be there to steady me from time to time. In this manner, I have my own version of Ariadne providing me with a ball of twine to navigate my way through the maze. But in a contrast to the theme, my goal is not to navigate my way out of the maze, but to a new job. Somewhere. However, utilizing the wider thematic of the maze, Ariadne, and Theseus, I can provide a more solid footing for myself as I move forward. What is happening with me is not the Myth, However, utilizing the Myth allows the theme to grow with what happens to me going forward. The actual Myth remains what it is, but the thematic idea grows with me – in success or failure.

My Spirituality grows, changes and evolves on a daily basis. As I reach outwards to discovery new connectivity with the world around me, my understanding of that same connectivity evolves. Some of the connections die off or alter in ways that continue to expand my understanding of things. My Spirituality is alive in that sense.

For instance, most people know my desire to not utilize magick or spells in my daily Path. I have always been of the mind that sweat, hard work, and physical investigation are the first tools any magick worker should turn to. However, there are times where those efforts produce no results, and an investigation into the efforts of magick and spell-work should be looked into. I am not at this point in my job search. I continue with the first tools, but have also added my prayers to the Gods as well. I am also not one to beg the Gods for assistance as my first steps towards a solution. But I have exhausted my first steps – the first tools – at this point, and am now seeking assistance from another angle.

Many folks might find my reluctance to call on the Gods for assistance to be a little odd. After all, if one looks to the Christian faith, there is a constant measure of beseeching that is made for the smallest things. Such as asking for God’s assistance in getting a new iPhone. Should I not hit my knees or trundle on out to the backyard circle and make my offerings? “Oh Crow, help me get the required monetary needs for an iPhone.” I would think that the Crow would smack me upside the head if I turned to such measures. No, I think I will leave the wailing and rending of clothing to the Christians for such things. Not that those folks are Christians…but that’s a conversation for another time.

As a Polytheist, I believe that the Gods are all individual Beings. That They grow, just as we do. That They are capable of change, just as we are, but not at the speed or pace that we do. As an Animist, I believe that everything is alive. From the trees and rocks around us to the plastics that we use to wrap our disposable foods within. I also believe that the stories that we ingest, the tales that we seek comfort within; that these themes are also alive and constantly in motion within our lives. For me, the world is a living place. That there is motion in everything. Some of it, like the changing of the stones, takes place at speeds that are imperceptible to us.

I try and take a walk every day that I can. Not just because I enjoy taking a walk. Not just because I like being outdoors. Because the world is alive around me, and my walk is just a celebration of that particular state of being – alive.