2012: Will Do

I have never liked New Year's or it's accompaniment of promises, vows & resolutions. 

Will Bloody Do. *

As I was wandering the deluge of New Year's themed blog parties & pages, I thought to myself, "Self, perhaps you could just make a couple of goals. You know, firm up your commitment by putting it into writing... besides, your whole bloody family reads your blog, so that kinda makes follow through inescapable... a kind of achievement-by-entrapment." After reading a few other folks' "spiritual resolutions,"many of which struck me as superficial & not particularly spiritual (at least as I understand it), I grew skeptical. Then I decided it was dumb.

My attitude was radically readjusted New Year's morning. The Changeling suffered a seizure. We were transported by ambulance to the hospital an hour away on winding, high-altitude roads, by three of the six (!) volunteer EMTs who came to our house. I sat in the little hospital's ER with the flaccid Changeling in my arms, filled with gratitude, thinking about the benevolent & attentive hospital staff, marveling at the kindness of the emergency crew. I was taken back to March, the Changeling's arrival... Then to my desire to pay it forward.

I decided that perhaps carefully considered & conceived spiritual goals are a worthy endeavour (for me) -- if they have depth, if they reach beyond 'I want to dabble in the Dark Arts this year' or, 'I am going to brush up on my I Ching.' If I am going to opt-in to the New Year's claptrap, (experimentally, of course) it had better be worthwhile. So, for myself & the universe, I cease the ramble & commit my aspirations to writing:

1. I will seek more occasions to "pay it forward" by being open to opportunities to serve & give of myself, my talents & my assets (be they material or otherwise). Why? Because in serving others, my communities, my fellow humans & non-human brethren I honour my values, model them to my children & live in service to the gods.
2. I will strive to have all my actions always be a reflection of my values, to live in deference to Nature & its immanent divinity. Why? Because this is how I can best live faithfully to my beliefs, model them to my children & live in service to the gods. As a modern human, I realize that this will not be an easy task & perfection is impossible. I hope that by making this a goal, I can bring it to the forefront of my consciousness, guiding my decisions & activities.
3. I will take time to study an area of religion/spirituality that is outside my comfort zone. Why? This goal supports my belief in tolerance. Without understanding, rash judgement, assumptions & misconceptions can become barriers to discourse, meaningful relationships, peace & general harmoniousness (which I realize is a long way off). Understanding others is also a pathway to better understanding myself.
4. I will begin the process of finding formal training/classes/mentorship whether this be through personal connections, coursework, correspondence or other interpersonal formats. Why? The well-read are just that; well-read. Being well-rounded is what I believe will help widen & enrich my spiritual horizons. I seek to be well-rounded because it will help me better attend to goals 1-3.  
5. Finally, I will complete my Mushroom Hatred Remediation Program. Not that this needs to be a goal -- it was going to happen anyway -- but this s a good place to put an extra fire under my seat. Why? Well... go back & read the posts.

*Maria Germanova as The Witch in The Blue Bird of Moscow Art Theatre, 1908. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons. (However, I discovered the image at a favourite blog site, A Polar Bear's Tale.)