21 October 2009

The Threefold Law

OK, I'm not saying I've been everywhere and I've seen everything, so you fellow pagans out there...feel free to correct me.

Pagans and Wiccans, in general, try to live their lives as simply as possible. There are no Wiccan Ten Commandments, per se, but there are a few guidelines. One of the appealing things for me is the flexibility for interpretation of these guidelines. There are a couple of principles that I try to apply to my existence, which include:

1. Everything in this universe is connected and sacred. Everything.
2. People are responsible for their own actions - thus "Do what ye will, but harm none". Ultimately, whatever you choose to do, you must willingly accept the fallout, good or bad.
3. Because of the connectedness of the universe, whatever you send out into the world comes back to you.

This last one has been on my mind for the last day – it’s referred to as the Rule of Three or the Threefold Law. Basically, if you send out good vibes, that’s what you get back. Conversely, if you send out bad energy, that’s what returns to you.

It’s not a hard and fast, black-and-white rule, and thus, the skeptics inevitably have a problem with it.

Many Wiccans apply this rule especially when they are working magic. However, that is a realm in which I do not have much experience…but the Rule of Three is an idea I think would apply in the mundane world.

See, the problem at my house these days is the negativity. We are busy and stressed, certain members of the household are unhappy with their jobs, and relationships are just not exactly where they should be. There’s a lot of tension around here some days. My husband rolls his eyes at this, but this house has absorbed a lot of the negative energy – I can tell. Often I feel oppressed just when I walk into this house. It’s seeped into the carpets and walls.

I believe the Threefold Law is at work here. We’ve sent the negative energy out into the universe, and it’s now what surrounds us. No surprise, really. However, we are at least conscious of it now and are endeavoring to send positive vibes out into this house and world.

Alas, I suppose I should also locate a good banishing spell to get rid of the junk that’s still here.

13 October 2009

Watching Little Ones

And no, I don't mean this in a deviant, pedophile way.

Life is pretty busy around here - almost more so than when I was working full-time. All five of us are involved in at least one activity...and that equals craziness.

However, I still have found the time to watch my children grow and marvel at what they can do.

For example, my ten-year-old now eats everything. I mean, he just simply falls to it. Seconds, thirds, and fourths, if it's something he really likes. He's growing, and I realize we are headed for the teen years. He's also a voracious reader, as well as avid video game player, drawer, and dancer. That makes me think of my friend Kimba's MBRH. He (MBRH) had the same interests as a kid, and he seems pretty cool now, so...

Then, Kirby is eight going eighteen. She's very much the mother hen, the leader, the bossy Bessy. I think I'm OK with that, though. I call her 'assertive'. Even if she does alienate some people because of it, I do think it's a trait that serves a woman well later in life.

And oh! The baby. Thank goodness he will still let me hold and kiss him. However, he knows how to maneuver his way around a computer! I let him have some laptop time in the morning, while I'm getting ready. (Don't worry, he only wants to go to Pokemon sites!). Well, he's quite the pro at mousing, clicking, etc. He hasn't really caught on to Internet surfing, though...LOL. So, while he's "mature" in that regards, he still is enough of a kid to want to lick the spatula after helping me make a cake.

I used to scoff when all those old folks instructed me to enjoy the time I had with them now, because they'd be soon grown up. Huh, well, I don't scoff anymore. I welcome each new phase of development, that's for sure, but it's mingled with that strangely hollow feeling that time indeed marches on. We sure don't get anything back.

I am thinking now of Robert Herrick's poem (famously quoted "Dead Poets' Society").

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying.
This same flower that smiles today,
tomorrow will be dying.