{"id":6857,"date":"2017-08-10T05:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T11:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=6857"},"modified":"2017-08-09T17:58:00","modified_gmt":"2017-08-09T23:58:00","slug":"5-requirements-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2017\/08\/5-requirements-will.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Requirements of Will"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last Tuesday I went outside to celebrate Lughnasadh with a brief devotional ritual. I made offerings to Lugh and to Tailtiu, and I prayed a fairly common prayer to Lugh: \u201cplease grant me Your strength.\u201d I have many challenging tasks ahead of me (as do all of us) and the strength of Lugh would be a big help.<\/p>\n

Lugh answered, but it was not the answer I was looking for.<\/p>\n

Do not pray to Me for strength. You have strength enough. We have told you what must be done. Find within yourself the will to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

I asked for strength but was told what I really need is will\u2026 and that I can find it within myself. So I think that\u2019s worth exploring will in more detail.<\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s ever tried to lose weight or stop smoking by \u201cwill power\u201d understands that simply making an intellectual decision and then trying to force the rest of your being to submit is a recipe for failure. In Make Magic of Your Life<\/a><\/em>, Thorn Coyle said will is like a muscle: it must be exercised and trained. I agree \u2013 exercising your will in small things teaches you how to exercise it in larger things.<\/p>\n

But even starting small and working your way up is likely to fail if you don\u2019t begin with the requirements for engaging your will.<\/p>\n

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

Will requires context<\/h2>\n

Our common understanding of will is based on imperial and military assumptions: the superior issues an order and the subordinate obeys without question. This works for military commanders because they have the ability enforce their orders \u2013 disobey them and you can find yourself demoted, imprisoned, or shot. Your intellect has no such ability.<\/p>\n

Successfully exercising your will requires knowing why you want to do something and what it means to do it. In the context of people who spend all their time making money and watching TV and those who have no concept of real Gods, this Lughnasadh message is a quaint fantasy.<\/p>\n

But in the context of a world full of Gods and spirits, and of the difficult times<\/a> in which we live, I have plenty of reason to get off the couch and do something.<\/p>\n

Will requires knowledge<\/h2>\n

Now that you understand why your goal is important and what it means, you\u2019re ready to do something. But what, exactly, are you supposed to do?<\/p>\n

Before you decide, you need to know what your options are. And if you don\u2019t like any of those options, you need knowledge of how to create new options. If you want to stop smoking, you need to know the processes, risks, side effects, and success rates for nicotine replacement, prescription drugs, hypnosis, and cold turkey. Then you can consider the options and make the best choice for you.<\/p>\n

In my case, I know what I\u2019ve been told to do. I\u2019ve shared some of it here \u2013 other parts remain private, for now. Most of it I know how to do. The rest I know how to approach even though I don\u2019t know exactly what\u2019s going to be involved.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying to exercise your will but you don\u2019t know where to get started, you probably need to do some basic research. Will requires knowledge.<\/p>\n

Will requires inspiration<\/h2>\n

Even when you know you need to do something \u2013 and even when you want to do it \u2013 actually doing it can be hard. What gets you off the couch to go run? What gets you out of bed to go help your CUUPS group do roadside cleanup? What gets you to sit down and meditate for 5 minutes, or 15 minutes, or 30 minutes? We all need inspiration.<\/p>\n

Inspiration isn\u2019t an intellectual thing and \u201cgood reasons why\u201d aren\u2019t inspiration. Inspiration is an emotional thing \u2013 it comes from stories and from art. It\u2019s how you feel about what you\u2019re doing and what you expect you\u2019ll feel like when you\u2019re done. That was the purpose of 12 Movies to Inspire Your Magic<\/a>. We know<\/em> we can\u2019t ever be Gandalf, but watching Gandalf makes us feel magical, and that inspires us to work the magic we can do.<\/p>\n

What inspires you may not inspire me, and vice versa. In this case, my inspiration is a vision of stronger and more intense relationships with Gods, spirits, ancestors, humans, and other living beings; relationships that help us get through the coming dark days. Reality is likely to be somewhat different from my vision \u2013 maybe very different \u2013 but it is the vision that inspires me to work toward creating that reality.<\/p>\n

Will requires sacrifice<\/h2>\n

\u201cSacrifice\u201d has two meanings in common usage: \u201cto give up\u201d and \u201cto make sacred.\u201d Will requires both.<\/p>\n

If what you want \u2013 what you\u2019re applying your will to manifest \u2013 is something you really want, you\u2019ll work hard to get it. But if it\u2019s something sacred \u2013 something special, something holy \u2013 you\u2019ll work especially hard. Sacrifice it: dedicate it to the Gods and make it sacred.<\/p>\n

And when you do, expect to give up something. No matter how smart, how strong, or how rich (money is often a substitute for time) you are, you can\u2019t do everything. You have to prioritize. In saying \u201cyes\u201d to some things, we must say \u201cno\u201d to others.<\/p>\n

The work of which Lugh spoke is sacred work: demanded by the Gods (or rather, by certain Gods) and dedicated to Them. But doing it requires giving up other things. I haven\u2019t read fiction in months. I enjoy certain authors, and fiction can be inspirational, but I simply haven\u2019t had time for it. I\u2019ve also had to cut back on my internet time (less downside there).<\/p>\n

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

Will requires perseverance<\/h2>\n

This is the part that\u2019s closest to the popular understanding of \u201cwill.\u201d What you want \u2013 what you will<\/em> \u2013 will not come easily. If it did, it wouldn\u2019t require will. Things will get hard. There will be setbacks. There may be times when you think you can\u2019t go on, or when you question if you really wanted this to begin with.<\/p>\n

Context told you why this was important. Knowledge let you see how you could get there. Inspiration let you feel it in your soul. Sacrifice made it possible. Now you just have to keep going. Perseverance is a virtue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This, I think, is the gist of Lugh\u2019s message. The context is clear, the knowledge is adequate (though still less than I\u2019d prefer), the inspiration is there, and the sacrifices are being made. All that\u2019s left is to keep moving, keep working, and keep doing what I\u2019m called to do.<\/p>\n

I am thankful to the Master of All Arts for His presence in my Lughnasadh ritual and for His message. Now it\u2019s up to me to find the will to do what must be done.<\/p>\n

Do not pray to Me for strength. You have strength enough. We have told you what must be done. Find within yourself the will to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who\u2019s ever tried to lose weight or stop smoking by \u201cwill power\u201d understands that simply making an intellectual decision and then trying to force the rest of your being to submit is a recipe for failure. 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