{"id":31765,"date":"2025-04-20T03:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T09:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=31765"},"modified":"2025-04-24T08:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T14:14:31","slug":"do-the-work-thats-in-front-of-you-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2025\/04\/do-the-work-thats-in-front-of-you-now.html","title":{"rendered":"Do The Work That\u2019s In Front Of You Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I\u2019m back from vacation.<\/p>\n

I needed to get away from work, from writing, and from the non-stop barrage of bad news. I wanted to visit some \u201cbucket list\u201d places. I wanted to see some things we don\u2019t have on this side of the Atlantic: things like castles, cathedrals, and ancient Pagan temples.<\/p>\n

And I did.<\/p>\n

This was a vacation, not a pilgrimage<\/a>. As good as this trip was, it can\u2019t compare to experiencing the Temple of Artemis<\/a> in 2012, my first trip to Ireland and Wales<\/a> in 2014, or visiting Rathcroghan (the cave of the Morrigan<\/a>) in 2018.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean there wasn\u2019t a spiritual component to it.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Temple of Zeus \u2013 Olympia \u2013 Greece<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For one thing, I maintained my daily, weekly, and monthly spiritual practices. There were some accommodations \u2013 as is appropriate for vacations<\/a> and other travels \u2013 but I\u2019ve been doing daily prayers for so long I can\u2019t not do them. I introduced myself to the spirits of the places I visited. And there was a strong spiritual element to my visit to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic games.<\/p>\n

Mainly, though, this was a chance to take a break and get some mental and spiritual rest. I had hoped the break would also provide some inspiration, or at least some clarification about my direction for days ahead. And perhaps, some guidance as to how to deal with \u201call this\u201d that\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n

Under the full moon in a faraway land<\/h2>\n

Instead, as I stood outside under the full moon on one of the last nights of the trip, I heard loudly and clearly:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll admit that was a little disappointing to hear. Not surprising, but disappointing. Things are hard right now. They\u2019re hard for me and they\u2019re harder for many others. I was hoping \u2013 though to be honest, not really expecting \u2013 to hear some new strategy, some new direction, some new project that would make things better for me and for the world at large.<\/p>\n

No.<\/p>\n

I listened further, meditated, contemplated. The message was clear (interpreting these things gets easier with regular practice<\/a> over time). It wasn\u2019t talking about my paying job, or blogging, or even my local Pagan work.<\/p>\n

This was about building the kind of life I want. It\u2019s about living the way I want to live and the way I\u2019m called to live and not letting anyone keep me from doing it, and in the process showing other people they can do the same thing, even if what they want isn\u2019t the same thing as what I want.<\/p>\n

The environment in which we work<\/h2>\n

Because the core problem in this country is a spiritual and cultural problem, especially the problem of certain people assuming their way is the One True Way. I can\u2019t force them to vote the way I want them to vote. All I can do is show them that not everybody agrees with them, and show those who want something different that another way is possible.<\/p>\n

To be clear: none of us are absolved from being engaged citizens. We still have to vote in every election, express our opinions to our elected representatives, and contribute to both political and relief causes as we\u2019re able. Democracy only works when good people participate, and we\u2019re here because too many people haven\u2019t bothered to participate, or mistakenly believe that not participating will somehow make things better.<\/p>\n

At the same time, we help no one and we harm ourselves when we obsess over things we cannot control. Do your civic duty as best you can, and then live your life your way.<\/p>\n

The work in front of me now<\/h2>\n

So, what is the work in front of me?<\/p>\n

I have a UU Sunday Service to lead in June and I need to start working on it. I\u2019m in awe of ministers who start writing their sermons on Thursdays or Fridays or even Saturdays, but I\u2019m not capable of doing that.<\/p>\n

I have a presentation and a ritual to prepare for Mystic South<\/a>. I have help with the ritual and I need to get together with the other leaders to make sure we\u2019re all on the same page (it\u2019s going to be awesome \u2013 you should be there if you can).<\/p>\n

I have another new presentation to get ready for the Harvest Gathering<\/a> in Connecticut in August.<\/p>\n

I need to work on the next UTAO online class<\/a>, coming in the Fall. This one is going to be deep, and I need to get most of it prepared well ahead of time.<\/p>\n

I know what the class after that is going to be, and I need to start turning my concept into an outline. Look for it early next year.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t just claim the title of witch<\/a> last November. I put myself on a path to embrace the mythology of the witch and to do the work of a witch. As I write this I\u2019m 30 weeks into a long-term magical working to accomplish that. It\u2019s going very well, and I need to continue it until it\u2019s complete, whenever that is.<\/p>\n

I have some tangible work to get ready to move when I\u2019m finally able to move. That date isn\u2019t set and it isn\u2019t close, but it\u2019s a lot closer than it was when decided I have to get out of Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And even though I\u2019m not on vacation anymore, I need to remember to enjoy life whenever and however I can<\/a>. Watching old horror movies is better than doomscrolling, and reading good books is better than watching old movies (not that there\u2019s anything wrong with watching old movies). I\u2019m a natural introvert \u2013 I need to make sure I connect with the people I can actually see and hear and touch.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a><\/p>\n

A short-term plan toward a long-term direction<\/h2>\n

This is the plan for the next nine months or so \u2013 till the end of the calendar year, more or less. None of this will radically change my life right away. None of it will change the direction I\u2019m headed.<\/p>\n

What it will do is to move me further down my chosen path.<\/p>\n

And perhaps more importantly, doing the work that\u2019s in front of me will keep me from constantly reacting to all the bad stuff that\u2019s going on in the wider world. One of the things I learned while traveling that it\u2019s possible to keep up with what\u2019s going on with a few minutes of online time in the morning and a few minutes in the evening.<\/p>\n

Stay informed. Be an engaged citizen. Don\u2019t obsess.<\/p>\n

Live my life my way.<\/p>\n

What work is in front of you now?<\/h2>\n

This is one of those posts that could have been in my private journal. Parts of it are. Other thoughts along these lines remain private. I\u2019m sharing this because I believe the message I heard is relevant for many of you:<\/p>\n

Do the work that\u2019s in front of you now.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t see a way out of \u201call this.\u201d But I\u2019m firmly convinced there is a way out \u2013 a way through.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t come from one of the Gods dropping something big and dramatic on you.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t come from some metaphorical lottery spell, much less from a literal lottery spell.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t come from a political savior in 2028\u2026 and in any case, 2028 is a long ways away.<\/p>\n

It will come from doing the work in front of you now. The daily spiritual practice. The monthly magical workings. The seasonal celebrations. The mundane work to improve your life and your living conditions.<\/p>\n

It will come from keeping your eyes on what you want<\/a> \u2013 what you really want, not what you\u2019ve been told you\u2019re supposed to want, what you\u2019ve been told you deserve, or what you\u2019ve been told you\u2019re capable of achieving.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s for you to decide, not anyone else.<\/p>\n

Choose your path. If you\u2019ve done that, recommit yourself to the path you\u2019ve already chosen.<\/p>\n

And then do the work that\u2019s in front of you now.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can\u2019t see a way out of \u201call this.\u201d But I\u2019m firmly convinced there is a way out \u2013 a way through. Choose your path. If you\u2019ve done that, recommit yourself to the path you\u2019ve already chosen. And then do the work that\u2019s in front of you now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":31771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[4,5,10,36,67],"class_list":["post-31765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-spiritual-practice","tag-travel-2","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nDo The Work That\u2019s In Front Of You Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I can\u2019t see a way out of \u201call this.\u201d But I\u2019m firmly convinced there is a way out \u2013 a way through. Choose your path. 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