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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,024,595 |
Question of the Week: 85 - 11/17/2002 What’s Your Motivation? What motivates you? What is the guiding principle(s) by which you steer your course? The Rede? Freedom and Justice for All? Honor? Kindness? Truth? Have you ever had to wrestle with conflicting impulses or actions that may be contrary to what you hold to be your guide? How did you resolve it? Is there a quotation (or quotations) that best sums up the ideals that you try to live up to or that is your inspiration? Please share it! |
| Reponses: There are 97 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| Limitless | Nov 23rd. at 11:57:23 am EST |
| Jibrille (Virginia) | Age: 15 - Email |
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Some people might call me an immoral person, because I don't believe in morals the way most other people do. I view clear cut morals like "harming someone is wrong", etc. are social programming at best. Of course, just because I'm not Wiccan and don't have any real sense of moral boundry doesn't mean I'll go off doing whatever I wish. Although I certainly don't have any restraints as to what I can do, I just don't abuse that privledge which I give myself. What motivates me to try and steer away from what most people term "negative" magick is the fact that I also promise myself that I will accept total responsibility for whatever actions I may commit. By this I don't mean the Three Fold Law, by this I mean the reactions of people around me and chain events that may occur from my actions. If I'm frightened by the potential consequences, then simply won't commit the act (also because if I'm worried about the outcome, my magick won't be quite as potent anyway). I guess I'm kind of Taoist on my view there, but I try not to view the world as divided between colors or elements or anything else. I believe that it's important to see it as a whole and accept it as a whole of both positive and negative, and I don't deny myself of negativity if that's what I feel must be done. Jibrille |
| Direct From The Alien | Nov 23rd. at 10:34:48 pm EST |
| Carrie de la Haye (Wichita Falls, TX) | Age: 35 - Email |
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My sister loves top search the net for stuff about aliens and conspiracies. Often, she sounds completely wacky. Occasionaly she comes across something that seems to fit, seems obvious but always nice to hear again and nice to repeat to one's self. My favorite, that I think of every day is "You create your own reality". Obvious right? But when you think about it not everybody beleives in complete free will. I really beleive we bring on our own realties. Your actions may not always catch up to you right away but I beleive they will, someday. So this is what motivates me. I, like everyone, want a happy, pleasant abundant reality; a balenced and harmonious world. Like I said something take a while to catch up. If everyone worked for such a world we would have one. So, my every action is dedicated to bringing about that harmomy...even if it is only in my car, in line at the store or in my own home with my children (who get told they creat their own reality when they get put into time out!!)Peace. |
| Seize The Day | Nov 23rd. at 11:52:25 pm EST |
| Jasmine Dragon (Cuba, New York) | Age: 17 - Email |
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The phrase Carpe Dium Has a vibe to it that will not allow you to escape it. I hear the phrase and know what it means, this is what gets me through life. I know what i am capable of and what i want, so i go for it to the maximum. Only, while doing this the Wiccan Rede echoes in my mind. |
| Motivations... | Nov 24th. at 12:09:07 am EST |
| Noelle (Ohio) | Age: 23 - Email |
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My motivation comes from Christ and my conscience. There's something so simple about "love thy neighbor as thyself" that sums up just about everything one needs to know ethically. I also have a strong sense of justice. It is very difficult for me to restrain myself from action and patiently await the fullness of time for their just desserts. I try to keep my books balanced so if necessary, the backlash of my actions are contained. |
| "Live Simply So Other May Simply Live" | Nov 24th. at 7:24:39 am EST |
| Morning Dove (Salisbury, MD) | Age: 25 - Email |
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Another Good Moto is "The Best Things In Life Aren't Things!" Materialism and Greed are the greatests "evils" in this word, and I feel that if we all practed an ounce of Buddhism we would be much happier. There is no need to partake in this "disposable world" or to "Keep up with the Jonses". Living Simply is about being gentle on the environment and not spending beyond your means. You don't have to have a new car every year, you don't need to collect all the merchandise from "insert favorite TV show here" to prove your a real fan, and you don't need to buy everything brand new or to throw everything away... Give to Goodwill and buy from it too. Abundance can be a burden, so don't bring it home... When you shop, ask yourself, "Do I REALY NEED this?" or "Will I realy enjoy this for a long time?" Just Say NO to Capitalism! Peace Morning Dove |
| Why I Follow The Path Of Paganism. | Nov 24th. at 7:47:22 am EST |
| K.T (England) | Age: 14 - Email |
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Why do I follow the path of Paganism? That is a difficult question to answer. There are many reasons. a) I believe that people have the right to choocse what they believe in, whether they want to be pagan, christian, budhist or atheist. Everyone has the right to choose their religion and noone has the right to stop them. b)I find that Wicca's beliefs are the ones which most closely match my own, and that Wicca is right for me. c)Why not? because people think I am a child of the devil and worship the moon? blessed Be, K.T (P.S to all the pagans and wiccans out there: you are not alone!) |
| Our Founding Fathers | Nov 24th. at 12:22:20 pm EST |
| Stephanie Stanton (New Orleans, LA) | Age: 47 - Email |
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I know it sounds corny, but it's true for me. Their courage and brilliance and willingness to be reasonous to the Crown in order to found this nation so that freedom and the pursuit of happiness would be the top priority amazes me. Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglas, Abe Lincoln and Elizabeth Cady Stanton motivate me for the same reasons. All of these Patriots risked all for a greater way of life for others as well as themselves. Gerald Gardner is in there as well for me, in working and seeing the Witchcraft Laws repealed so that we may live out of the broom closet. I admire the folks who worked all of their lives to make change, knowing full well they probably wouldn't see the changes within their lifetimes, yet never giving up the fight. "It is Winter we are sowing, and hands other than ours will harvest"...Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Elizabeth knew that was the case and never gave up. And that reminds me of a Yoruban proverb that Luisah Teish says often..."I stand tall because I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors". I will continue to stand on those shoulders and let their passion and motivation continue to motivate me. |
| OOPS!!! | Nov 24th. at 12:24:00 pm EST |
| Stephanie Stanton (New Orleans, LA) | Age: 47 - Email |
|
That was meant to read "treasonous to the Crown"! |
| Karma - You Can Run But You Can't Hide. | Nov 24th. at 1:06:28 pm EST |
| Aleesha Stephenson (Agassiz, BC) | Age: 39 - Email - Web |
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For me, this statement embodies my 'control' over negativity. Situations, people or actions towards me or another. I don't need to do the job of The Goddess, it's Her job to decide who needs a 'rap on the knuckles' and who doesn't. How do I know whether or not I'm getting a karmic payback myself? Do I really want to perpetuate the karma and negativity by re-acting to a negativity? I teach my children that if they refuse to send back negative energy when it is sent to them, then they have an opportunity to stop the cycle. Others may continue to be negative, as we can't control what others do, but we can control how we act and re-act to others. Focus on ourselves and let The Goddess, in Her wisdom take care of the rest. in light, Aleesha Stephenson |
| Taking Care Of Things | Nov 24th. at 2:10:16 pm EST |
| Sphinxring (Snoqualmie, WA) | Age: 50 - Email |
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Hard to explain just how it came to me, but I was given a sense of the pattern of life. When I clear my mind and meditate on what moves with this living pattern best I get insights of how to weigh one course of action against another. What benefits the whole the most is generally the best direction. This sounds long and complicated, but really it's like an instinct that guides me. Like reacting to currents when swimming in a fast river, finding solid footing that leaves no trace while running though the forest, or sensing the winds while sailing. Of course it doesn't always work that easy, some things are more like trouble. Trouble takes longer. Generally trouble comes from people. That sort of thought could make you a recluse, but love changes that. Somehow my love comes from helping others. I take care of a lot of people. Most of my close friends are taking care of people too. Watching over them, keeping them out of trouble, aiming them in the right direction. So taking care of the world around me both nature and people is my motivation. |
| What's My Motivation? | Nov 24th. at 2:13:48 pm EST |
| Tina Schadeberg (Chicago,IL) | Age: 44 - Email |
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I try to live by a very simple rule: I take responsibilty for my own actions/reactions. That's it. If someone says/does something I don't like, it is TOTALLY up to me to respond (or not). Whether I "flip-off" a bad driver, turn and walk away from an insult or go full tilt Arnold Schwartzenegger on someone. How I handle the situation is MY RESPONSIBILTY. This is harder than you might imagine. Someone is always trying to find an excuse, someone else to blame. Society, parents, schools, churches, drugs, sex, pornography, the Devil...it's always someone (or thing) else. And well-intentioned people will try to give you these outs...well, you WERE raised by a single parent; your parents let you play violent video games; your religion repressed your sexuality. On and on. I will always attempt to live in accordance with the laws of the country I am in, but if I cannot, I will not blame anyone else for my choice OR the aftermath of that choice. Pure and simple. I made the decision to do whatever (the old adage of not deciding is also a decision comes to mind)period. And if I am called to meet my God/dess at ANY time I can honestly say I have done the very best I could with the life I lived. Who can ask for more? |
| What Motivates Me... | Nov 24th. at 2:53:06 pm EST |
| PaganDeva2000 (New York) | Age: 38 - Email |
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My motivation is observing the beauty of my spirituality. The Pagan spirituality is as individual as each person is, and we can adapt and change it as we see fit, like shedding off new skin when the old is run down, old and outdated. I have fashioned my life behind "The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruiz, and that was my breakthrough. The Four Agreements are: 1. Be impeccable with your word, 2. Do not take anything personally, 3. Do not assume, and 4. Always do your best. This liberated me because I see that everyone lives in a different reality, therefore, I have no reason to have to adapt to someone else's. If it does not fit between me and another, I move on, and that is it. When I added these things to my way of thought and action, it liberated me, and I began to accept myself, and enjoy my life more. |
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