Witchvox Article

Author: Diotima Mantineia [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: September 10th. 2006
Times Viewed: 3,014

One of my favorite nuggets of spiritual advice is proffered by a Christian mystic and theologian named Frederick Buechner. Here�s the quote:

Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is, in the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, for in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.

Grace is a concept common to almost all religions, in one form or another, and indicates � to me, at least -- a state of harmony and communion with Spirit and Nature that serves as the basis of a life lived in joy and real connection with the Web of Life. It�s also something that I feel has been missing in my life lately.

Well, perhaps not entirely missing. There was a deep sense of grace present during the days I spent in hospice with my Dad earlier this year, and at the moment of his death. There is grace in the strong sense of community I experience both in North Carolina and Maryland, and grace in the land I live on, which rewards me every waking morning with its beauty and power. But lately, there are some mornings I don�t even notice, and that�s not good. I�m juggling too many things, and I have to put a few down before I drop them.

I�ve been editing the essays here at the Vox for 7 years, so it was tough to make the decision to put this work down, at least for a while. But the need for time to �listen to my life� is paramount for me right now, and I am going to take a sabbatical � a word which is defined as �a leave usually taken every seventh year�. (Seven years is a quarter of a Saturn cycle and a key astrological marker, but that�s a topic for another essay�.)

Fortunately, when I put out a call for help earlier this year, several people responded and have been working with me to edit and prepare the essays for publication. They will continue to work with Wren to get the essays up each week. My deepest thanks go to Jessica, Cat, Magdala, and Falcon for both their personal support and community-mindedness, as well as to Teresa, who has taken on the Spanish language essays. Thanks, too, to Runewolf, who for several years so ably worked with me to handle a big share of the labor involved in editing and publishing the essays. And, of course, to the brilliant and ever-helpful Fritz, who labored for a long time to design and implement an extraordinary database system that makes the essay submission and editing process easier both for the authors and editors. Finally, big thanks to Wren, who is taking on the work I�m giving up in addition to the Nest and all her other behind-the-scenes work that keeps the Vox going.

Well, not quite finally. My final thanks go to you, the Pagan/Wiccan/Heathen community, for whom this site was designed, has always been run, and whose interest and support has kept it going for almost a decade now. It has been a privilege to read and learn about your ideas and thoughts, both on topics I suggested and on others you found of interest. I am proud to be part of such a thoughtful, intelligent, caring and wonderfully iconoclastic group of people. We have a deep well of information, wisdom and insight right within our community, and I hope to see that well grow and deepen as we continue to talk and read and write and communicate with each other.

While I�m going to pull back a lot, I�ll still be online and connected with the Pagan community. I�ll be doing some writing for The Witches� Voice, and my email addresses will remain the same.

But for now, I�m going to put the proverbial �Gone Fishin!� sign on my virtual door, and go look for the grace that can be found while dangling one�s toes in a cold mountain stream. I�ll see you around!

ABOUT...

Diotima Mantineia

Location: Hendersonville, North Carolina

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