Monday, March 16, 2009

Personal Integrity


A very wonderful mentor of mine used to say, "Walk your talk". Now I know that this is not new groundbreaking advice, but this is something that was ingrained in me at a very early stage in life.




Ken was one of my High School teachers. I went to a continuation school called Phoenix (like the bird rising from the ashes). One of our 'core classes' was called psychology, but it was really a personal power course. The biggest theme from that class was about personal integrity.




Phoenix and Ken, really pushed the meaning of integrity to us kids. They really made us accountable for what we said. If you say you are going to do something, then you better do it! Walk your talk! That was more important to our advisors than anything else.




At the Imbolc ritual I attended this year we did a guided meditation. We walked backwards through the year to the previous Imbolc. We started with Imbolc 2009, and looked at the day before the ritual. We moved backwards to the week before the ritual. Examining where we were, what we were doing, what promises we might have made. We moved back further to Yule, and further again to Samhain. Samhain is where I got stuck.




Ken died just before Samhain. I was able to visit with him briefly on the Isle of Apples when the veil was thin. His advice to me at that time was to 'walk my talk'. As I continued walking back through the year of 2008 this replayed over and over.




When we were brought back to Imbolc 2009 we were asked to make a pledge to the Goddess Brigid for what we would do the coming year. We were asked to think of what we might pledge and hold that pledge in our hearts. I heard Ken's voice as clear as if it he was standing behind me telling me to 'walk my talk'.




When the meditation was over one of the facilitators of the ritual came forward to tell us how we would each get a chance to step into the center of the circle and make our pledge to Brigid. She said that Brigid is a Goddess that 'walks her talk'. When I heard this my heart froze in my chest! It is so rare to get immediate confirmation! Not only was my pledge confirmed, but the fact that I had been feeling as if I needed to work with Brigid and this felt confirmed as well.




I made my pledge. "Just like you Brigid. Walk my talk."




To Ken and Doug my wonderful Phoenix advisors: thanks with all my heart. To Brigid: forever in your service.

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