How Much Is Enough?

Last updated on: September 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm by John Beckett

How Much Is Enough? 2011-09-18T21:30:00-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My biggest criticism of the “spiritual but not religious” crowd is that too many of them use the label as an excuse for avoiding the hard work of spiritual practice and the accountability of religious community. But that criticism raises the question “how much is enough?” How much spiritual practice is enough? How much study is enough? How much social action is enough? How much witness is enough? How much worship is enough?

In the small Baptist church where I grew up, one of the preacher’s favorite expressions was “get on fire for God.” His meaning was clear – he wanted everyone to be fully engaged in every activity of the church, and he wanted everyone reading the Bible and praying every day.

That infuriated me. I remember screaming (inside my head, anyway) “not everyone is called to be a preacher!” I had no desire to be “on fire” for God or for anything else.

When I found the path to which I was truly called, things changed. All of a sudden I was engaging in spiritual and religious practice because I wanted to, not because I thought I was supposed to. After 18 years of Pagan practice (the last 10 of them seriously) I haven’t lost interest – which borders on the miraculous for someone with such a short attention span and wide variety of interests. Clearly, this is my calling.

But at times I wonder: is it enough? And then I wonder if that question is the remnants of that Baptist preacher, or if it’s my own perfectionism… or if it’s a certain god telling me I need to do and be more than I’m doing and being.

I came across some blog posts last week that bordered on scary. First was this one from Rev. Victoria Weinstein, aka “PeaceBang.” In the discussion about the Spiritual But Not Religious, someone asked if all religions didn’t start out as something somebody just made up. Here’s PeaceBang’s response in total:

No. They started as a shocking, disturbing and demanding theophany to a usually unwilling prophet who was then called to sacrifice everything he previously understood or intuited as good — not as a comfortable feeling in some privileged person’s tummy that kept them comfy.

The big hammer came from Juniper of Walking the Hedge. Juniper is a Hedgewitch – a contemporary shaman, more or less – and also a contributor to To Fly By Night, an excellent book on Hedgewitchery. Juniper’s post is titled “It’s All Rather a lot of Bother.” Juniper lists in detail some of her spiritual obligations – things she must do to maintain relationships with the spirits who work with her. It’s quite informative and I encourage you to go read the whole thing. But here’s the part that grabbed me.

There is no such thing as “good enough” in a spiritual practice, especially when that “good enough” means you did next to nothing at all. A spiritual Path is not supposed to be easy and the gods don’t like lazy people.

The gods, spirits and ancestors do not reward people who do not do the work to earn their respect. If you want to develop a relationship with the Otherworld and the Spirits of the Land you have to earn it. You cannot simply show up with your hand out expecting a prize, for no work, like a spoiled child.

For someone who is still too literal-minded for his own good, hearing “there is no such thing as good enough” is a bit disturbing. But when a Hedgewitch and a UU minister are singing the same song, I have sense enough to pay attention.

I spent this weekend in the woods – both physically and spiritually (I had intended to get this post up before I left, but between crises at my paying job and getting ready for the trip, I didn’t). The Denton CUUPS group had a combination camping trip and Mabon ritual… which had nothing to do with Mabon and everything to do with communing with our deities.

What I experienced was too intense to share in a public forum. It was both challenging and comforting. It was comforting in that I am now certain there really is such a thing as “good enough” and I am also certain that I am not called to the strict obligations both Juniper and PeaceBang described. But it was challenging in that I am now equally certain the work I have been called to do has its own obligations and while I take them seriously I have not given them the priority they require.

Not every distraction comes via the TV or the internet.

How much is enough? All that you are called to do. No more, and no less.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

September 13, 2011

Evolution - The Great Story

Next Post

September 19, 2011 Temples

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

A woman who had suffered bleeding for twelve years was healed by touching Jesus' what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

His hand The hairs of his head His cloak His feet