Summer's End

All summer I worked. I was interning at the Department of Environmental Protection, where I was part of the "Watershed Conservation Corps", helping to study/restore the watersheds of Ulster/Greene counties. It was good work. It was hard, physically and mentally. Most days were long, and at the end of each we were sweaty, and tired. It was satisfying.

Now, I'm 2 days away from moving to the new campus, where I'll spend my winter indoors and out, studying forestry. It's going to be very hard, physically and mentally. I look forward to it.

I've always heard that, to most Pagans, the summer signifies hard work, while the winter always generally meant introversion and quiet. It's always been the opposite for me. I always relaxed during the summer, and worked during the winter. This is due in part to the fact that most schools don't run the majority of their academic programs during the summer. Mostly, though, it's due to the fact that I love winter. It is my favorite season, and I am most comfortable in the cold, the dark, and the snow and ice.

But, this summer has taught me a lot about hard work, and the true value of it. I'm not talking about "work", where you go to some place, toil for hours with some menial tasks that you aren't entirely interested in, just to get some money that, ultimately, means nothing to you but what you can get with it. I'm talking about work, where you go out and put your physical, emotional and mental strength and energy toward a goal that means something to you. Where you, for a moment in time, represent what you're working for. You become the very thing you are doing, a physical manifestation of the goal you're working for. True work builds your strength, spirit and character on all levels, whilst serving the highest good of all involved.

I'll be getting the chance to continue working... but it will be at a different venue, for a different purpose, with different people. Most of it will be academic in nature. I'll be majoring in Forest Technology, building my skills in working with forests and their ecosystems. I'll learn about the forests in my region on a scientific level. I'll then look at what I've learned from a spiritual perspective, and integrate the Mysteries on my personal time. While I'm not studying, I'll have a job on campus. It may be related to my studies, or it may not be (I don't know quite yet, and I probably won't until well after I'm on campus). Either way, it'll keep me busy, and my earnings will go toward my education.

At the moment, I can feel my summer reaching it's climax. Things are getting busier and more intense, if not on a physical level, then on an energetic level. I'm sorting through my thoughts, while trying to get the last look at this town before I move away from it forever. I still have to pack and visit the doctor's office, and then I'll probably have to meet with my old supervisor to get a time sheet signed. I've still got a lot to do here, and 2 days to do it in.

Then, finally, there's the trip. A four-and-a-half hour drive to campus. It'll be an interesting journey, and one taken with some people that I have mixed feelings about. These people are my blood relatives. It's interesting... I asked Goddess to help me find a way to campus when things were a little more 'up in the air', and as it turns out, I'll be riding with my mother, stepfather, and brother (all of whom I have uneasy relations with). I doubt this is a coincidence.

The Gods are constantly challenging me to prove myself. They're constantly testing my mettle, and these challenges come in all forms. I don't consider myself to be a warrior of any kind, but perhaps that's why I'm always 'in the forge', so to speak. I guess They want me to be tough, and sharp, if I'm going to continue to call myself a Witch and a shaman. This is the path I've chosen.

...and this summer's just a small part of it.