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A Blessing from Land, Sky and Sea

A Blessing from Land, Sky and Sea

Last updated on: October 15, 2017 at 2:12 pm by Coby Michael Ward

A Blessing from Land, Sky and Sea 2017-10-15T14:12:11-04:00 Coby Michael Ward

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A Mother’s Blessing

Coby Michael Ward and his mother. Photo courtesy of author.

I have been living in St. Petersburg, Florida for two weeks now. These past couple of weeks have shown me how much your environment can really influence you especially when you are sensitive to it. The positive changes I have seen already have improved my quality of life ten fold. The timing for this move was perfect because my mother usually comes to town this time of year for her birthday. My mother-in-law also made it down, riding with my husband and the fur babies. It was so nice having both of our mothers here to enjoy this first week together. Now it is Sunday, and both of our mothers have since left. There were teary eyed goodbyes as always, but a sense of excitement for the future.

Over the years I have come to realize how important it is to recognize certain things; to tell the people around you that you love and appreciate them. There are certain things that should be said and things that could be done, and we often take those moments for granted; overlooking them for the next one on the horizon. Having my mother here with me was very special. We have always had a very close relationship, of course with its ups and downs, we have really gotten to know one another as human beings, and grow together on this journey. As her first born child, I was her first shot a parenting; so a few mistakes are to be expected.

Sunset at The Getaway, St. Petersburg, FL. Photo courtesy of the author.

At the end of the day….

When the trappings of the ego are worn away by life’s experiences we become more fully realized, and this is a continuous journey. There will always be more lessons to learn on the way, but at the end of the day there is only love and compassion. Even in anger, when feelings are hurt, when it comes to this mother and son relationship there is only love. Much like the perfect love and trust emulated in our sacred spaces and with our relationship to the Great Mother of us all.

I wanted to do something special for my mother before she left. Something simple and symbolic that we could both share together. On the last day before they left I walked the beach with my parents and my husband, my mother and I went off on our own to walk the pier. I had a surprise for her, wanting to show her a simple blessing ritual; I thought would be a great way to send her off and also to introduce her to my practice. I have always tried to be very open with my mother, but I have often skirted the topic of my spirituality. There is an unsaid understanding that we have different religious views, my mother a Christian; however, spiritually we have very similar practices. My mother loves to be in nature, she really connects with the land and its creatures and I feel that she can recognize the Divine in Nature. We also share a beautiful connection with the changing cycles of the moon, acting as our beacon sending smiles to one another across the night sky.

She and I, walking on the sandy beach came to a rocky pier, where land-sea-and sky met. I explained to her the liminal nature of such a crossroads. We used sage to smudge ourselves asking for blessings; since sage has become so familiar and mainstream non-pagan people tend to be more comfortable with it than something more “witchy.” Unsure of the nature of the ritual at first, my mother played along happily, however realizing the importance of such significance was not lost on her. We burned incense to offer to the local spirits at John’s Pass near Treasure Island, where it all started many years ago. The two of us took flowers we had collected and threw them to the wind and sea. This was a very simple devotional ritual for general blessings and purification, it also served as my introduction the beings that reside here. Afterwards, we hugged and had our moment. I collected some sand and shells from the ritual area to bottle and send with her. I explained how this would allow her to connect with this special place we now share.

This was a very special moment for my mother and I, and I am so happy to have had the chance to share that with her. I am much more open than I used to be about my spiritual practices. In the past 5-8 years I have tried to keep a professional distance from my spiritual beliefs when it comes to my public relations. After deciding that this is my passion, both public and private; I have started presenting myself as the complete package without compartmentalization.

The bottom line is that, at the end of the day, we are all children of the Great Mother; and the relationships that we cultivate with our own maternal figures is just as sacred as our bond with the Mother of All.

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Exploring a New Pagan Community-St. Petersburg Florida

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