In Service

Blessings, Courageous Ones!

We are safely home from the Goddess Festival and I find my mind returning to the concept of Service.  What is Service?  What does graceful Service look like?  How can I be gracefully in Service while still meeting my own needs?

When I arrived at Festival on Friday morning—9 a.m.!—with my Sister-Queen Lady Carolina, we were ready to work.  We had only three hours before the Festival attendees would begin to arrive, so we immediately started unpacking the car:  altar cloths, table cloths, statuary, Goddess art, stones, crystals, candles, cauldrons, greenery, bouquets of flowers, and even holiday lights!  It was our one of our work team’s tasks to set up the dining hall for vendors, to create the main indoor altar, and to make the space look and feel inviting and beautiful. 

We were setting up the tables as our other work team Sisters arrived—20 very heavy tables that needed to be unfolded and arranged appropriately throughout the area.  After the tables were organized, it was time to wrap the vases, arrange the flowers, adorn the room, and display all of the vending items.  Seven of us were buzzing around like intoxicated bees—decorating the room, hanging banners, and creating the altar which was the centerpiece of the room.  We stopped only to greet each of the Elders and Sisters who came in to see how things were progressing.  The first time I had opportunity to sit down was at 1:30 p.m.!

Since I had intentionally prepared myself and our team prior to gathering—including a meeting several weeks before, where I shared with all work team Sisters the expectations for our weekend and answered their questions—we were able to complete this work in high spirits and with great energy.  All of these women arrived with the expectation that they would be working, and working hard, for these initial hours.  All of these women properly prepared themselves for what they knew needed to be done, and all of these women knew what their tasks would be in advance for this first morning.

Many times when we are in Service, however, we do not know what tasks will come our way!  By knowing that we will be in Service, preparing ourselves, and embracing all that it entails, we can gracefully flow with whatever comes up in the moment.  As the Leader of this work team, the dining hall became my Realm—that which I was 100% responsible for.  If women did not show up, or did not bring what they had committed to bringing, it would have been my sole responsibility to figure out how to make our vision work.  Because I took the time to lay out my expectations in advance, answer questions, and to co-create with my Sisters, our work together in the moment flowed smoothly and with a minimum amount of effort. “Many hands make light work!” We worked hard and, after that, played just as hard, basking in our sacred time together Between the Worlds.

My Sisters and I had anticipated more help throughout the weekend that we did not receive.  Some women who had committed to helping did not show up.  Some women were “too tired” or “too grouchy” to keep their commitment.  When we choose to be in Service, there is no place for this behavior; in my Realm this is completely unacceptable.  A Witch’s word is sacred.  A Witch knows how to put aside her tiredness or bad mood in order to do what must be done.  Sisters, if you find yourself in a “bad space,” please take time to release those negative feelings, and to embrace and call in those emotions that will assist you throughout the time that you have committed to serving others, before lending a hand!

I have met many women who confuse Service with over-giving or martyr-mentality.  Being in Service is not about, “Hey!  Look at me!  Look at all I do for you!  I am so overwhelmed and I have taken on so very much!”  Being in Service is not about what you might “get in return.” When I am in Service, I know that my work should be completed so humbly, so unobtrusively, so professionally, so seamlessly that it does not even draw attention.  Being in Service encompasses being so grounded in one’s own Self that one can see and do what is best for the group as a whole in any given moment.  Since we are all One, this meets my own needs as well.  Service is a choice, and when I intentionally choose to Serve I do so joyfully and energetically, giving to my fullest capacity.

I find it important to note that being in Service does not mean giving so much that we burn out!  Burning out is a symptom of what Ava Park calls the “Over-Giving Mother.” When we embody the Giving Mother, she must then be balanced by our Empowered Queen—she who holds the vision for her Realm, maintains healthy boundaries, and knows how to receive willingly.  When other Sisters arrived at Festival and asked if they could help, I was able to clearly delegate tasks, freeing space within myself to keep my Sight on the big picture while completing all of those tiny tasks that allowed our vision to manifest correctly.

I sense that I will be exploring this topic more, in all of its manifestations, as time goes on.  This is big on my mind right now!  I invite you on this journey with me.  What does being in Service feel like to you?

Blessed be,

Lady Jesamyn Angelica