The religious cul-de-sac

[veggiewolf]

So, I've been slowly backing myself into a religious corner by ignoring (I know, smart me!) the hints that I need to do some specific religious work.  Over the weekend, I got "shoved" in the direction of Nut and basically told to do the work I'm meant to do with Her before I do anything else.

I'm now stuck in what I'm calling a religious cul-de-sac, knowing what I need to do, but wanting to do anything but...and I am, of course, unable to focus on anything except the Nut work.  Clearly, I'm meant to DO THIS NOW and the hell with everything else on my spiritual plate.

Is anyone else currently parked near me?  If so, how are you coping?  

For those that have successfully moved out of a cul-de-sac in the past, how did you do it?

[Sophia C]

So, I've been slowly backing myself into a religious corner by ignoring (I know, smart me!) the hints that I need to do some specific religious work.  Over the weekend, I got "shoved" in the direction of Nut and basically told to do the work I'm meant to do with Her before I do anything else.

I'm now stuck in what I'm calling a religious cul-de-sac, knowing what I need to do, but wanting to do anything but...and I am, of course, unable to focus on anything except the Nut work.  Clearly, I'm meant to DO THIS NOW and the hell with everything else on my spiritual plate.

Is anyone else currently parked near me?  If so, how are you coping?  

For those that have successfully moved out of a cul-de-sac in the past, how did you do it?

 
I'm not parked, but I may be driving round and round a car park not too far from you. A while ago, some deities told me what I needed to do, but the message was cryptic, so I've been finding it difficult to translate into action. It's not like I'm lost - I know roughly what directions I want to take. I just seem to be failing to take any roads, and I think it would help to do this random thing that I was told to do. It's just going to be tricky, when I don't know quite what it means.

I also have some psychological barriers about making commitments. There are paths and deities I want to commit to. But the last time I decided it was *finally* time to make a commitment to something, I was 30 and finally being confirmed in my (Anglican) church. I was always against making religious commitments too early, but I thought, how much longer do I have to wait? Surely at this point, I'm sure? And a year later I was looking into Paganism. Because the universe likes its sodding irony. So, yeah, nervous of making any kinds of commitments, even not-overly-specific ones. I might have to just get brave and do it, though.

I wish luck to everyone in the cul-de-sacs and car parks of spiritual life...!

[Jack]

Is anyone else currently parked near me?  If so, how are you coping?

 
I am... pretty sure I am stuck in such a cul-de-sac at the moment. I have a lot of "projects" that I'm meant to be working on, but they're really all fairly minor things that add up to bigger things that I am, quite frankly, avoiding.

Why am I avoiding? Because they're hard, mostly, and because I don't feel like I have enough time as it is, and because I have a bunch of easier things on my 'religious to-do list' that I get the illusion of productivity when I check off.

I'm not sure what to do about it. Maybe making myself admit it will help.

[Fier]

 
I am honestly not sure where I am, but I am certainly parked somewhere. My problem is I have no idea where I supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do.Actually, I'm not even sure I'm in the car anymore.

[Phouka]

So, I've been slowly backing myself into a religious corner by ignoring (I know, smart me!) the hints that I need to do some specific religious work.  Over the weekend, I got "shoved" in the direction of Nut and basically told to do the work I'm meant to do with Her before I do anything else.

I'm now stuck in what I'm calling a religious cul-de-sac, knowing what I need to do, but wanting to do anything but...and I am, of course, unable to focus on anything except the Nut work.  Clearly, I'm meant to DO THIS NOW and the hell with everything else on my spiritual plate.

Is anyone else currently parked near me?  If so, how are you coping?  

For those that have successfully moved out of a cul-de-sac in the past, how did you do it?

 
I was parked there for years. The only way I got out was by doing what was asked. Total surrender on my part to teaching, which I did not and do not like to do.

[Jenett]

Is anyone else currently parked near me?  If so, how are you coping?  

For those that have successfully moved out of a cul-de-sac in the past, how did you do it?

Not quite in a cul-de-sac, but in the "There's a bunch of NEXT STEPS to work on, and I'm not quite there yet." (to be specific, I need to clear the other project that's using up all my spare brain cells to do so.)
 
My basic process is to keep making notes of stuff, and then to work toward getting the other stuff that's eating my brain cycles dealt with so I can move forward.) We'll see how that goes. (I anticipate getting *there* sometime later this summer)

[Jack]

I was parked there for years. The only way I got out was by doing what was asked. Total surrender on my part to teaching, which I did not and do not like to do.

 
Part of my problem is that it's hard to surrender to ~*~vague idea of overwhelming project~*~ so I need to sit my ass down and figure out where I'm going if I'm going to get there.

[IceAngie]

I am... pretty sure I am stuck in such a cul-de-sac at the moment. I have a lot of "projects" that I'm meant to be working on, but they're really all fairly minor things that add up to bigger things that I am, quite frankly, avoiding.

Why am I avoiding? Because they're hard, mostly, and because I don't feel like I have enough time as it is, and because I have a bunch of easier things on my 'religious to-do list' that I get the illusion of productivity when I check off.

I'm not sure what to do about it. Maybe making myself admit it will help.

 
This sounds a lot like my situation right now. A situation that I don't see changing any time soon, if life keeps getting in the way.

[RandallS]

I'm now stuck in what I'm calling a religious cul-de-sac, knowing what I need to do, but wanting to do anything but...and I am, of course, unable to focus on anything except the Nut work.  Clearly, I'm meant to DO THIS NOW and the hell with everything else on my spiritual plate.

Sometimes, you just have to give in and do what you are being pushed to do even if it messes up your spiritual schedule. Twice in my life, I've wasted more time fighting off such urges than it would have taken to just do it.

[Finn]

I am honestly not sure where I am, but I am certainly parked somewhere. My problem is I have no idea where I supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do.Actually, I'm not even sure I'm in the car anymore.

 
Hm. This is a bit more like where I am, though I'm pretty sure that I'm parked and still in my car, looking at a map... and I have only a vague sense of where I am.

[veggiewolf]

I'm not parked, but I may be driving round and round a car park not too far from you. A while ago, some deities told me what I needed to do, but the message was cryptic, so I've been finding it difficult to translate into action. It's not like I'm lost - I know roughly what directions I want to take. I just seem to be failing to take any roads, and I think it would help to do this random thing that I was told to do. It's just going to be tricky, when I don't know quite what it means.

I also have some psychological barriers about making commitments. There are paths and deities I want to commit to. But the last time I decided it was *finally* time to make a commitment to something, I was 30 and finally being confirmed in my (Anglican) church. I was always against making religious commitments too early, but I thought, how much longer do I have to wait? Surely at this point, I'm sure? And a year later I was looking into Paganism. Because the universe likes its sodding irony. So, yeah, nervous of making any kinds of commitments, even not-overly-specific ones. I might have to just get brave and do it, though.

I wish luck to everyone in the cul-de-sacs and car parks of spiritual life...!

 
I'll wave when I see you drive by, Sophia!

[veggiewolf]

I am... pretty sure I am stuck in such a cul-de-sac at the moment. I have a lot of "projects" that I'm meant to be working on, but they're really all fairly minor things that add up to bigger things that I am, quite frankly, avoiding.

Why am I avoiding? Because they're hard, mostly, and because I don't feel like I have enough time as it is, and because I have a bunch of easier things on my 'religious to-do list' that I get the illusion of productivity when I check off.

I'm not sure what to do about it. Maybe making myself admit it will help.

 
I do the same thing - which is why I'd much rather be putting together something for Wep Ronpet, or Labor Day (which I'm trying to turn into a festival for Ma'at).  

Maybe we need a "What Are You Avoiding?" thread?

[Darkhawk]

Part of my problem is that it's hard to surrender to ~*~vague idea of overwhelming project~*~ so I need to sit my ass down and figure out where I'm going if I'm going to get there.

 
As I said in chat, this is why I went and built a map.

(For context for those who weren't in on any of these conversations: I took the notion of doing one of those pinboard things like you see in any crime show where there is a Vast Conspiracy going on, with everything written on an individual little card and connected to all the other little cards with pieces of string.  It's interesting to see how the clusters of Stuff form.)

One of the things that I found from doing the board was not only that all of my Stuff organises in a way that makes it clear to me that it's a consistent and coherent (if complicated) whole, but that it feels much more accessible and possible to address when it is mapped.  It's no longer 'this and this and this and this and THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS and oh yeah THAT TOO' but a system of stuff in which I can look at the things that relate to the running of house and property and see how they're related to that really esoteric thing in the upper left hand corner.  It feels much more okay.

[veggiewolf]

I am honestly not sure where I am, but I am certainly parked somewhere. My problem is I have no idea where I supposed to go or what I'm supposed to do.Actually, I'm not even sure I'm in the car anymore.

 
*hugs*

If you can find my car, we can hang out together.

[veggiewolf]

I was parked there for years. The only way I got out was by doing what was asked. Total surrender on my part to teaching, which I did not and do not like to do.

 
I know I need to do these things...there's just that whiny part of my brain that goes, "Nooooooo!"