It seems that more and more folks are interested in living the good life, a life that includes healthy relationships, right livelihood and abundance. People are hearing a call to a life rooted in Mystery, pleasure and sensuality. One of the most common questions I have been asked recently is, 'How do I live a balanced spiritual life?'

From my experience, a healthy spiritual life is not based on the hidden mysteries, rare experiences of intense ecstasy nor the ability to hear the voices of the gods directly. It is not based on going to any extreme. In my experience, it is built on that Buddhist phrase, 'Chop wood, carry water.' It is built from the countless everyday actions which compose our lives. Many of us have simply chosen to recognize these acts as acts of prayer and devotion.

For me, one of the foundations of living in beauty, balance and delight is simply recognizing that it is a choice. It is a choice to live in beauty. It is a choice to live in balance. It is a choice to live in delight. It is a choice to live a joyful wonder- filled life. It was an amazing breakthrough for me, when I realized that I truly could choose how I reacted to any situation be it the death of my husband and boyfriends, the destruction of my life dreams, the burned dinner or the rising of another morning's sun. It filled me with deep joy and wonder when I realized that every conscious act done with clear intention was a sacred act. That meant for me, that every aspect of my life was a divine expression of co-creation if I only choose to experience is so. The artificial division between the sacred and the profane disappeared. The cultural division between soul, mind and body was no longer a power in my life. I consciously choose to live an integrated life. As a result, I soon began to clearly understand that 'The purpose of life is life,' and my exploration of living a life of beauty, balance and delight began in earnest.

Another core thing that I have learned about simply living well is that nothing survives that is not fed with, held with, chosen with love. As St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, no matter what spiritual gifts or skills one has, if it is done without love it is as nothing. I also learned through priestessing/tending the deaths of my beloveds, that one of things that certainly survive death is love. Only love, in my experience, is what we humans call eternal. As the 'Goddess' says, 'Love is the only law I know.' And therefore, it seems to me that whatever the life one chooses to build for oneself, it would be a good thing to infuse it with love.

So what does a loving life of beauty, balance and delight look like on a day to day basis? I will use my own life as an example. But, please do remember, this is my life based on my choices. Your life is your life, and will be built on your own choices.

My typical morning starts around 6:30. I start by simply declaring, 'I dare to dwell in beauty, balance and delight. I dare to see with clear eyes and an open heart.' I do my morning toiletries. I make my bed in honor of my dear friend, the God Ing. I greet the day and have a chat with the other Mysterious Ones and ancestors who are part of my daily life as I take my meds and vitamins and eat a delicious breakfast. I usually call my boyfriend Mark next for our morning check in. Often I then go down to either the Mississippi River or the gym to do my workout prayers. When I get home I bless my house, other folks may call this house cleaning. I eat lunch. I go on line doing my Witchy work around the world. Later I bless my gardens watering, weeding and such. I make dinner, cooking each dish with love. The house hold sits down for our evening meal thankful for the food and each other. I and Mark do the dish washing prayers together. Later, while chatting again with the Mysterious Ones, ancestors and the living, I make a bit of art, read a book, watch a movie, whatever ... and then go to bed holding deep joy and my beloveds in my heart. Some nights we simply have sex, some nights it's a conscious prayer/spell work, but in my world, sex is always a sacred act.

It's a simple life filled with the wonders of just being.

So what does this mean to any one else? What am I modeling by living what I experience as a balanced spiritual life? I hope that just by observing my life, folks can see that there is a way to live joyfully in the heart of 21 century America. I trust that folks actually notice that one does not need a lot of stuff to live a happy, satisfying, sustainable and abundance filled life. I do know that even folks who walk by my house feel that this yard and home is different. I hear comments that folks feel more at home here than at their own homes. They feel not only the love, but the possibilities of choosing new ways of being who they want to be. I think a lot of that comes from simply seeing the physical manifestation of someone who has chosen to live authentically. But basically, I choose to live like I do for myself first, my families second and my communities third. Choosing to love myself beyond all reason empowers me to love the whole of the multiverse with the same joyful intensity.

It all comes down to the fact that I am a simple queer Witch priest who chooses to openly live my authentic life, that I am fully willing to accept the consequences thereof and that I hold the multiverse with love and wonder. Ah, the richness of existence.

May we all dare to dwell in Beauty, Balance and Delight!

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