Roundabout answer for furryjackel

[baronessekat]

Yesterday I posted one of my multitude of “The Grass Child” posts. Most have been stories for my weekly challenge, but yesterday I happened to make one stand alone post.

I was then asked a very reasonable question by furryjackel “What is the Grass Child?” And I had to stop and think about how to answer it. I even asked dicea for advise on how to explain The Grass Child. She told me to look up the following word:

Sufi

member of a Muslim mystical order, 1653 (earlier Sufian, 1585), from Arabic sufi, lit. "man of wool" (i.e., "man wearing woolen garments"), from suf "wool." So-called from the habit of "putting on the holy garment" (labs-as-suf) to devote oneself to mysticism.

(taken from http://dictionary.reference.com/help/etymon.html )
And while The Grass Child is not Muslim, I can see why the second part of the definition work for her.

I suppose it’s best to start with my background.

I grew up in a nominally Christian household. My father claimed to be Catholic. I say claimed because for my entire memory I never saw or heard of him going to church in any way shape or form. My mother was raise Presbyterian. I and my sister were christened Episcopalian. The only time I went to a church service growing up was for a family function such as a wedding, baptism/christening, funeral or during the summer for Vacation Bible school (which was at a Lutheran Church). I remember only going to church for church once when I was small (long before my sister was born) and that was for Easter one year when we went with my mother’s parents.

We celebrated the Christian holidays of Easter and Christmas, though it was a while before I understood the significance of the holidays beyond an excuse to get stuff. We said grace before every meal. When I was small I remember saying the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer.

As a tweenage child I began to explore other belief systems, though only marginally. I went to Temple services with a Jewish friend a couple times and remember a friend of mine’s mother telling me about what it meant to be Buddist (she was Korean).

I remember reading parts of the Old and New Testaments in VBS and thinking that there was something right, but not quite right there. I wasn’t able to put my finger on what it was that didn’t totally feel right for me.

I understood, and to some extent envied, the passion that certain people felt for the faith but did not feel it myself. It was more of a feeling for a well-liked neighbor rather than a feeling of home. It was someplace safe to seek refuge at but it would never be “right”.

When I was around 16 I found my home. I was introduced to the belief systems of the Lakota Souix. It was there that I learned that things that I had experienced in my youth were not imaginings or hallucinations. That things I had done out of instinct were actual practices for a ideology that I had not yet be exposed to.

I studied the ways of the Spirit Realm. I learned of the balance between flesh and spirit. I learned of the harmonization needed between human, animal and plant. I learned that all that you need in life you can learn from nature. That everything, human, animal, plant, rock, water and air has a spiritual form. I learned how to contact and interact with the Totems.

Through my study I became a Medicine Woman. Another concept for this is that I am a Shaman.

I met a man around this time named David Walkingcrow who gave me a name. While I cannot pronounce it, let alone spell it, I took that name as one of my own. The translation…

The Grass Child.

At that time I had hair the color of summer grass before a rain and eyes the color of summer grass after the rain.

The Grass Child is me, but she does not encompass all of me. She is my practical, patient spiritual side. dicea has said that I “wear” her. I put on the face of The Grass Child to devote myself to mystism so to speak.

Though The Grass Child I find myself able to answer questions better when it comes to faith, religion, belief and spirituality. I find the words needed to convey an idea or concept. I look to my studies and training to better understand a person and their actions.

So while The Grass Child is the central figure of parables and lesson stories that I write, she is also me and who I am.

My faith and belief system is different from others. I accept that. I do not apologize for the fact that what works for me is different from the “norm”. I do not feel ashamed that I am not part of the majority.

Spirituality, religion, faith and belief cannot be dictated. It must be experienced and felt to be successful, nurturing and productive.

There is no right or wrong when it comes to how you feel, how you believe, or how you interact with the Divine.

To quote Nike: Just do it.