Don't Grovel Before the Divine

[icymist]

In the Wiccan tradition, there’s a series of magical pointers which include:

Never be servile to dragons—they find it offensive if they offer you aid and you grovel before them—it demeans them for having thought better of you.

Never be arrogant to dragons—they will find you crunchy and tasty.

It’s commonplace in many religious and spiritual traditions to take on the posture of beggar imploring a capricious deity, trying to somehow impress upon it how serious our request is. Often when our supplications go unanswered, we find ourselves reduced to bargaining or making promises that we know deep down we won’t be able to keep, hoping that will convince the Divine to help us.

Ironically, the Universe does not seem to support this posture. Beggars find themselves in constant need and often ignored. The biography of any successful individual, such as Walt Disney, or the history of any endeavor, like the creation of the light bulb, all have one thing in common—persistence: although it’s something deeper than persistence. Those involved were aware that if they were going to make their dreams a reality, they had to reach out and “capture” what they desired, even beyond the obstacles.

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[AnnieBW]

1. Pray to God(s), but keep rowing towards the shore

One of my favorite sayings is the old Russian proverb, "Pray to God, but keep rowing towards the shore." In otherwords, pray all you want, but you have to do the hard work to get where you're going.