Ad Astra Grove ADF
  • By-Laws
  • Druid on the Prairie

Playtime

1/2/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
The one virtue that I would love to see ADF add to the list is play. Play turns even the hardest task into something that can be both enjoyable as well as feed the soul.  Almost every type of animal plays.  They use play as a way to learn skills that will serve them as adults.  Play can influence how we see our world in profound ways. I am reminded of the story of Tom Sawyer, who for punishment, was set the task of painting a fence.  Tom sees a friend walking toward him and decides how best to handle the ribbing he expects this friend to give. Tom decides to play a part.  He plays the whole activity up so as to make the fence painting look like the most important and fun task in the world. The friend from whom Tom expected a good tease then pays Tom to take over the task.  By the end of the day Tom almost bankrupts all the neighborhood boys and the fence gets painted several times over. At first glance Tom is taking advantage of his friends, but in reality the boys in question would most likely have admitted that the day was well spent because the task was both satisfying and fun for them.  The way they viewed the task at hand changed it from work to fun.  Play changes our perception of the world. When we play with our ritual, and spiritual practice, we can use its framework to change ourselves in much deeper ways.  Perseverance, moderation take on a new meaning when see them as acts of playfulness; they become less daunting if nothing else.  Play could be seen as a subset of wisdom, but I feel it belongs beside it, for play can influence and help in the gathering of wisdom. The more fun we make a task, the more we want to do it, and that is definitely a path to a virtuous life.


0 Comments

    Author

    Amanda Thomas is the Grove Organizer for the Ad Astra Grove.  She also serves on the Topeka Interfaith Council.

    Hera Lakeshore is a practicing druid and contributor to the Ad Astra Grove blog.

    Follow this blog
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

    Categories

    All
    Afterlife
    Alpha
    Alphabet
    Ancestors
    Ancient Greek
    Aphrodite
    Asphodel
    Athena
    Axis Mundi
    Bear
    Beauty
    Bee
    Beltane
    Book Porn
    Changes
    Chartered
    Clover
    Consciousness
    Cow
    Death
    Dionysus
    Divination
    Dp
    Eta
    Evil
    Experience
    Fire
    Gaia
    Gods
    Grove
    Growth
    Hades
    Hearth Culture
    Hera
    Holidays
    Imbolc
    Initiates Path
    Interfaith
    Leadership
    Liturgy
    Meditation
    Nature Awareness
    Nature Spirits
    Nine Virtues
    Oath
    Omens
    Oracle
    Ostara
    Pagan Blog Project
    Pagan Fire Seminar
    Pi
    Play
    Rite
    Ritual
    Ritual Roles
    Sacred Space
    Sacred Story
    Samhain
    Sigma
    Spirituality
    Strengths
    Tau
    Thana Doula
    The Dark
    The Light
    Three Kindreds
    Topeka Interfaith
    Trance
    Two Powers
    World Tree
    Yule

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.