Twig&Torc grove held its first ceremony during summer solstice/ Alban Hefin. we (Penny, Karen and I) had a special birthing ritual for our new Grove
It was during this momentous occasion that we put our heads together and came up with a kind of Motto for Twig and Torc to fulfill. A fulfillment for ourselves and for those who join and/or are inspired by us. It goes as such: May we have Love, Nurturing and truthfulness. After some time and thought it came to me that although each word is credited as a wish from each of us, they all intertwine beautifully and one without the other two is not necessarily impossible but rather unfruitful. So a proper triskel or simply a triangle representation of the of us. As grove sisters we chose these words carefully without discussion, without premeditation, we chose them from instinct. Their complimentary nature reflect our own as sisters on this quest for knowledge and discovery. Now this will be a bit lengthy so please bare with me and I'll try to explain the simplicity of its complex working. 1) The foundation of all is LOVE. every faith the world over starts with the seed of love. be it the god/gods you worship he / she/ they created out of love. simply put, without love there is no you or me. Without even the smallest drop of love there is no interaction between people to create more people. Or the love of something to divide them. Love can build and love can destroy....whoa , wait! your like "didn't you just say that love was an important ingredient?" yes... I did but love works best when in concert with the other 2. 2) Here I introduce nurture......The love of money, power, land and/or stuff nurtures negative outcomes.....war/ greed/jealousy and everything that tags along with these events. The nastiness that shatter the power of love when we only think of ourselves. We need to use the simplicity of love to NURTURE, to wrap those around us in a big loving hug. Not just those we "love" like our families, friends, pets, peers but the "love" that is also synonymous with acceptance and respect. Loving another being creates a nurturing environment to support, to encourage, to help, to foster , to learn and teach about the differences between us. To cherish our worth, because we are different and because we can bring something to our fellow humans. When we cannot love those around us we cannot nurture them and make our experience on this earth a positive one. We cannot guide those who need or want guidance. We cannot build bridges to cross the gaps of indifference and fear. we need love in order to nurture to rise above. 3) yes I did mention 3 words at the beginning and the circle isn't complete until I incorporate TRUTHFULNESS. Truth, undeniable, carved in stone truth. It is the hardest thing to grasp. It is fluid, it is harsh but it is dependable. The truth itself doesn't change, its our misguided love and lack of nurturing that enable us use the truth to our advantage. We do so to gain something, to create importance, to feed our egos.... The truth is a tool that starts sharp and erodes unevenly until it is so distorted it can conduct chaos and confusion. We then forget the "true" meaning of love. we must first be truthful to ourselves, warts and all embrace our shortcomings and celebrate our strengths. We must value ourselves first so that we can understand its necessity and in turn can nurture love and truth in others. I use the word "truthfulness" in our motto and it is slightly different from the word "truth" in that: we "fill" ourselves with our "truth". when our truth is full, we are open to love and ready to nurture. These three "basics" don't rule out all the other emotions. These are but seeds that grow roots deep within the earth. That also push shoots towards the light of day. this beautiful tree of life that fruits respect, compassion, integrity, service, protection and many others. Properly nourished and kept in balance it grows and embraces humanity. If these same seeds are lacking nourishment it grows into weak, twisted roots and limbs. Precarious and unpredictable in nature. Where selfishness, jealousy block the sun and rain. It is a living thing, but a thing not of beauty but of pain, confusion and hurt. This is a humanity built in shadow and loneliness, doubt and fear. We must never surrender to the feeling of inadequacy, each of us holds something of value. This value we must look for and recognize in each other. It enhances sharing and most of all it creates a sense of community. Where Love, truthfulness and nurturing can be perpetuated. With the initial spark of love, a mother has the opportunity to nurture a child that will grow with its truth and love themselves in order to nurture others and fill them with their own truth.... This is a circle that never ends, the search that intertwines itself in our hearts, our heads, our hands, our path and the world around us. I hope everyone finds their truth and nurtures those around them with the strength of love.
