Path Forging - Divine Work, Geas, and Taboos

In the last Path Forging post, the questions revolved around what it means to serve deity and what forms that service might take. For many of us, service to a deity means that not only are we expected to do work on their behalf, but also that we face one or more geas or taboos as we do so.

So, a few questions to ponder:

• Does deity demand that you work on their behalf? If so, what is the nature of this work?
• Does your deity have expectations of things that you will do at their request?
• Does deity impose rules, restrictions, or limitations on your behavior and actions?
• Are taboos or geas a part of your path?
• Does your deity explain the reasons for such prohibitions?
• What are the consequences of breaking one?

Although, I've posed only a few questions, my answers to them may take a little more space than usual. My patron goddess does indeed demand that I do "her work", but her work in its most basic sense involves living and acting in a way that is true to my own soul. It is her will that I make the most of the gifts that I have been given and share those gifts with others in ways that are appropriate (i.e., not harmful or destructive).

In a way, it seems quite simple. Be true to my innermost self and I can't go wrong. The problem is that being true to who I am is not always a simple matter. Like many other human beings, I don't always know or understand what it is that my soul was born to be or to do. It can be difficult to determine if what I want to do is simply a product of logical thought or something more fundamental. Part of my inner work is to figure out, with her guidance and the aid of others, what it is that my fundamental being is meant to be doing. With her help (and those guided by her), I have come to understand that my work for her is to include teaching, healing, guiding, nurturing, protecting, and stewarding. This does not mean that my vocation needs to be one of doctor, peace officer, or teacher. It simply means that I must find my own ways to do these things as a part of my day-to-day existence.

There are geas that affect what I do, but for the most part, they aren't open for public discussion (a geis about geas!). Sometimes the reasoning behind them is explained and sometimes it is not. Many take the form of "I (Herself) will allow a, b, or c... if you abide by rules x, y, and z." I am, for example, allowed to exercise whatever mediumship abilities that I may have, but there are things that I must heed in order to continue to do so: 1. This gift may not be used solely for my own profit, 2. I must help those She sends to me who need assistance in matters regarding spirits and hauntings, and 3. I cannot seek out or initiate contact with certain souls that I've known in this life. The penalty for failing to follow these rules is that I temporarily lose the ability to sense, see, and communicate with those who have passed. Yep, my life gets weirdly complicated at times. :)

Path Forging - Serving Deity

Our conversations about deity continue with this lastest Path Forging post and I'd like to shift the focus to how we may or may not serve the deities which we follow.

• Does your deity require you to serve them in some manner? If it is not demanded by your god(s), is it a requirement of your path or your own personal desire to serve deity?
• What forms does service to deity take?
• If it is not required (either by deity or your path), do you still seek ways to serve your deity?
• Does serving deity affect your day-to-day life? If so, what impact does it have?
• Does service to deity take higher priority than other types of service (e.g., to your country, to your community)?
• If you refuse to serve deity, are there consquences or penalties?
• Does service bring you closer to deity or help in spiritual development?

I will likely have more to say about my personal outlook on serving deity in the next Path Forging post, but I do serve my patron deity at her bidding and as she wills it so. My service to her takes priority over other forms of service, yet there is rarely a conflict, as it is usually her will that I serve others when my help is needed. This means that, at her bidding, I often find myself serving my community or assisting individuals.

Refusal to serve is an option open to me, but if I do so, it is with the full understanding that she will not sheild me from the consquences of any refusal that I choose to make. We aren't talking about being cast into some stygian darkness for disobediance. Rather, it is reality that she provides no small amount of protection and guidance to me and will not hesitate to remind me of what it means to stand alone without her blessing. I have, for a period, walked my path without her guidance. For me, this is not some form of hell or divine retribution, just a life made more difficult than it needs to be, an existance without the grace of divinity present.