Shoulders back. Head up. Go for it. Do the work.
This is my mantra this morning. It is my mantra most of the time but especially when I am feeling particularly stressed and just kind of crappy. I am having one of those times right now. Summer Funk. Awakening to my heart rate being elevated as my mind launches into the rotations of things I need to do better, things that have impending deadlines. How I am falling behind. How I need to be better. It’s stress induced. It isn’t logical. It can lead to headaches and just in general feeling like trash. An infestation of brain weasels and not a brain dachshund to hunt them down in sight.
But that’s life, at least life as I have known it. These things happen, they will pass and happen again. Yet there is still work to do and sometimes the way through is to just keep working. Do the thing! Like writing this blog 😉
So where were we? Learning. Good, good. Keep doing that. That never stops. It is like breathing. But now that you know some things, now that you feel acquainted with the Keeper of the Lore, now what?
Do something.
The what and the how are really not as consequential as you might think. If you were reading the stories and myths and learning about the Irish culture, chances are that some things have jumped out at you as being things that sing with the melody that the Dagda sings. They might have felt red, had a heat, and made your heart feel a couple sizes larger. Take those themes, take those lessons, and go make them a reality in the world.
Maybe it was service to community that stood out to you?
Go be of service. There a thousands of ways this can take shape in your life specifically. Volunteer opportunities. Helping to put on events. Just being that steady person that comes to events and welcomes folks. Sending emails. Typing up notes. Putting together a book group. Online participation in groups and discussions. Being a moderator in an online group. It doesn’t have to be a physical bodily action, because hey not everyone can do that, but there is work to be done on a huge spectrum that can fit into your life. The key is to see how you can help. Not just benefiting from the community you are in, but also giving back in some way.
I think that community is a major theme that I have seen come up for those who are in devotion to the Dagda over and over again. It was one of the first real missives that I felt from Herself and the Good God. “Go find your people. Be a contributing part of community.”
Makes sense. He is a Chieftain. Hard to be a Chieftain without people to care for. Finding community is rough. Not going to lie. On the one hand it is easier with the internet, on the other hand making connections with people is scary and has a whole slew of other problems and risks with it.
I think one obstacle in finding community, especially spiritual community, is thinking you have to find people that practice and believe exactly as you do. Honestly, I just don’t know that it’s possible, and can lend itself to situations where group dynamics and relationships aren’t healthy. You don’t need uniformity to have commonality. Healthy relationships are more important than worshiping the same Gods. Something to be aware of and think about before joining a new spiritual group or community.
If there just isn’t a community around you, online or in person, well…that is likely it’s own missive. I’m not going to tell you anything in absolute terms here, because this is just my weird limited experience that hopefully you get something out of, but if you consider the Dagda is a builder, then you may be called to build. As a follower of his it was a big and on going lesson, that if you want a thing, you might have to build it your own damn self. I’m not saying it isn’t possible to be a devotee of his and do more solitary non-responsibility non-leadership heavy things, because what the hell do I know (it might be totally possible!) but for me, in my observations, these things go hand in hand.
(Little tidbit from behind the scenes: The Cauldron of the Celts started out as the Cauldron of the Dagda, true story.)
I’ll talk more about putting on public event type things in later parts of this series, and if you want to start building a local community platform but have no clue where to start, I’m happy to talk and give you what advice I have to give. It is an undertaking.
All that being said, you don’t HAVE to take on creating a community platform or public anything for the work to bring you closer to the Dagda. Not at all. There is after all so much work to do!
Here is one way to think about it: The Learning stage is like first being introduced to each other. So that you would recognize one another in a social situation. Then how do you become better friends? You do things together! That’s it. Your actions are the follow through and the energy that it takes you to show who you are as much as it is getting to know him better.
So what do you want to do? Want to learn Irish? Do it! Want to write poetry? Go for it! He loves poetry. Write a blog. Bake bread. Volunteer. Set a goal. Start meditating. Take a class. Sing. Read stories to children. Journal everyday. Choose a thing to do for/to/with the Dagda and do it.
It is really that simple.
Look. My way is not flashy. Not really. I mean, I enjoy my comforts and luxuries (I will be bringing sheepskins and eating off golden platters whenever possible, trust me), but the core of it all, my actual beliefs and practice and relationships with my Gods is simple. I honor them. I learn. I try to learn how to respect their culture, their lore, and wisdom. I undergo deeds and tasks in their name because I believe it will please them and because I feel it will make me into a better version of myself according to what I have learned. Ultimately that is so I am a better me for my household, community and the world.
So again it comes back to what “connection” means to you. For me, in this series and the context of this stage of doing, connecting to the Dagda means feeling like I am doing his name honor. I’m doing something he will be pleased with. Just the same as you might do something for a loved one or family member. There are lots of things that I do that I know one of my parents would smile and be happy to know I was doing. I watched a favorite movie of my fathers, and it reminded me of him. So I text him and let him know.
Doing things spiritually is much the same for me. I did something that I think would make the Dagda smile, so I let him know. I say a little prayer. In my head. Out loud. It just depends. It can be long. It can be short. It can be as simple as “Praise the Dagda!”, because the important part is the action that is spirit filled. Through that action I feel closer to my Gods, and sometimes those actions lead to greater understanding of their lore or their missives in my life.
My spirituality is founded on the idea that it is what you DO, that is important. Philosophy and theory are all things that have merit but in the end people know where they stand with you by what you do. So it stands to reason that the Worlds, the Gods, the Spirits, know you by what you do in the same way. That’s why this portion is so important to me.
So what are you doing? 😉
To be fair, I’ll share first. I’m writing this series. So far I think it will be a 4 part series, but it was certainly something of a missive to do in his name. I am also running the Cauldron of the Celts with Victoria, our community space to worship, honor and rejoice in the Gods names. Part of that is for him, part of that is for others, and he helps guide me through the process, but the sense of community there and the presence I try to bring is very much in his honor. I keep my home a place of sanctuary, an on going process. Those are the major “doings” with other projects and devotions that bubble up and happen over time.
Devotional Practice to the Dagda: The Call
Learning: Devotional Practice to the Dagda
The Shiny Part: Devotional Practice to the Dagda