The Vices of Malkuth - Inertia and Greed

Blessings Darlings! 


Since I am dreading and thus putting off blogging about the Wiccan Rede ... this seems like a great time to talk about the Vice of Malkuth "Inertia", since I'm experiencing it.  But as long as I'm here, I'll look at the other vice of Malkuth as well.

You might not know what Malkuth is, if you're new around these parts.  It's the last Sphere of the Kabala, the beginning of the trip up the Heavenly Tree towards ... let's say enlightenment, given Ayn Sof.  At any rate, it's the start of any path - it's Earth and the mundane.  And you have to be functional in this Sphere before you can really get to the other spheres.  Taking the first NEW step can be hard to take. 

Malkuth is sphere most bound by Newtonian physics, and one of the laws of Newtonian physics is that a 'body at rest stays at rest/a body in motion stays in motion' unless some other force acts on it.  In magical terms, your Will is not a part of your body, so it can get your Malkuth-bound ass in motion. 

The problem is often that at that point ... the other vice of Malkuth takes over.  Greed.  And since we're talking Malkuth - materialism.  Folks tend to get this idea that you need All The Things to be able to move on the Path before you.  Pentacles! Books! Athame! Wand! Offering plate! Pentacles! Cauldron! Chalice! Pentacles!  Robes! Incense! Oils! Herbs!  Books! More Pentacles! More everything!  

People mistake "buying things" for 'doing the spiritual work'.   And often they don't know if what they are buying is actually useful or not.  Because without having done any of the work, they haven't developed the VIRTUE of Malkuth - Discrimination. 

So folks who are still at this point of barely tapping their big toe on Path start 'advising' others that 'buy all the books!  Every book has at least something useful in it" as if folks have unlimited money to Buy All The Things and unlimited time to Read All The Things - and they COMPLETELY ignore Working Any Of The Things.  Because all the tools and shit that you can buy is USELESS if you don't do the work.  If you fill your time with Buying All The Things and Reading All the Things (even if they are virtually worthless) you are NOT NOT NOT going to have time to do ANY of the things.

Do . The . Things. 

Yes, I'll write that blog today.  It won't be going up until June 14, the way I've got the 'oft quoted phrases' posts scheduled.  While it's on today's 'TO DO' list ... that doesn't mean it has to be the first thing done.  Using my Discrimination - doing THIS topic was inspired 'do this thing' to add to the list, not to crowd anything out.

So there.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Frondly, Fern

Working Thru' Pain

Blessings, Darlings!

There are a LOT of obstacles to self-improvement.  It doesn't matter what type of self-improvement it is: educational, emotional, physical, business, spiritual, whatever. 

They all take work.  They all require overcoming inertia.  They all require that you do that incredibly scary thing - change. 

There is pain associated with work and growth and change.  On the whole, we humans don't like pain.  Thus, we tend to get into patterns that limit the amount of change we have to do.  Which means we don't grow, we don't improve.

But facing the pain, working thru' pain, overcoming inertia, is the only way to improve your life.  The only way to grow and become more of your ideal self.

Mundane example: I've written about my knee before, arthritis and now torn meniscus that I can't afford surgery on (and, yes, we're working on the finances, painful as THAT is, and things are somewhat better thank you for asking).  If I don't do my exercises (physical therapy PLUS biking and walking) not only will it not improve, but it gets worse.  Walking and taking stairs HURTS if I blow off exercising (which I admit I hate doing) for as little as 3 days in a row.  And if I give in to the pain that starts when I don't exercise, then the knee continues to get worse - I could end up just sitting on a couch, my leg extended, having trouble even getting up to hit the bathroom.

That's not the life I want.  So I exercise.  And if I do hit times when I miss too much exercise (because I have screwed up my schedule!), then the BEST thing I can do for the pain is work thru' it.  Do the physical therapy routine. Walk a mile and a half, tho' it hurts.  Get 20 minutes in on the exercise bike, even if I have to do it in 5 minute segments.  Because if I don't avoid the pain, if I work thru' it, then quickly I'll see improvement. 

If I complain that my knee hurts, my husband will ask what he can do to help.  The WORST thing I could ask for is for him to take over things so I can stay on that couch.  Instead, if he handles answering the business phones while I exercise, THAT is the help I need to improve myself.   Patting me on the head, saying "oh, you poor dear, stay right where you are" would SOUND supportive but would in FACT be undermining my health.

It's no different for others types of healing or growth.  You don't need codependents working to keep you where you are.  You need to work thru' the pain.  You need to celebrate the challenges - roar at them take them on with vigor.  Make challenges your bitch.

Am I able to do this 24/7 right now?  Nope.  Is it what I am working for?  Damn skippy I am!

Join me.  Rawr!

Frondly, Fern