This week, someone posted on one of my videos about making devotions to Deities: “My problem is feeling like I don’t do enough.”
That feeling is devastatingly common.
But it’s not true.
If this comes up for you, begin by asking yourself where you first heard that. A religious figure? A teacher? A parent? It may have come from more than one source. It may not be obvious right away. It might take many times asking yourself “Where did I first hear this?
Keep asking.
Sometimes, just by identifying where you first heard the thing helps us see its weakness.
What IS true:
The idea of “not giving enough” is steeped in toxic Christian hegemony.
Even if you did not grow up in the Church, or were lucky enough to grow up in a supportive, affirming Christian household, the idea of extorting oneself to exhaustion and still trying to give more is deeply embedded in many of the cultures we now live in.
A Goddess Path does not need martyrdom. It never has.
Historically speaking, we do not know how the Iron Age Irish worshipped The Morrigan and Brigid. No temples or texts exist to give us clues. We can see through modern and historically recorded folk practices that honoring St. Brigid is a very simple process, usually involving lighting a candle or saying a prayer.
With Hekate, we know there were temples dedicated to her, and those temples were run by full-time clergy (of all genders, btw.). Rich people could pay these temple keepers to make devotions to Hekate on their behalf, perhaps recognizing that big displays of devotion were more than they could reasonably do. Common folk made offerings at crossroads and cemeteries, using what they had, when they could (common people were no less busy than we are, today!).
Next Question: What Does “enough” Look Like?
When we ask ourselves this question, we may find that the idea of “enough” comes from earlier programing that perhaps we don’t agree with anymore.
On the Goddess Path, consistency does more than intensity.
Saying a daily prayer to your Goddess, even if it’s only, “Hello and thank you” will do more for your relationship with your Deity than the grandest, most intricate ritual.
Every day is a different chance to get deeper with our Goddess.
I’ve been fortunate that in the past couple of weeks, my schedule has given me time to do some lovely work in honor of my goddesses—through walks, meditation, offerings, etc. But then, my daughter got sick! So while tending to her, if I had capacity at all, it was only to stop at my altar and say “Hello!” before crashing into bed.
Meet them where you are on any given day.
YOU, alone, are more than enough.
