I agree with much of what Sadee Whip wrote below. She’s not boasting here how holy she is, she’s explaining her spiritual journey. In my 40’s I was called into daily hours of contemplation, study and practice, so much so I left my 22 year career as a criminal defense paralegal. By my 50’s it was the new lifestyle. I’ve written about my journey in my blog. Believe her when she writes what you can expect as you morph into this new, internal way of being. And altho I’ve absolutely known those who’ve learned to be a spiritual resource for a community while holding down non-related jobs and not have a ton of alone time, it’s rare. Knowing what someone else’s experience has been can greatly enhance your own. 

Sadee Whip writes, “A glimpse into sacred calling – when you have been called, some version of this is what you can expect:  I spend an average of 5 hours a day in contemplation, study, and prayer. Some days I devote the entire day to these things.  The path I walk requires this. And this isn’t counting the near nightly “downloads” and sacred conversations that happen when I sleep. 

I also eat in a manner that supports my being centered and healthy. I don’t participate in many of the media options available, preferring the occasional movie to anything else, because I find the effect these things have on me to be not conducive to my path plus I have a ton of other stuff I need to do, including sitting in the hammock swing and listening to the birds.

I am utterly devoted to my spiritual practice because, without it, I cannot do what I do or even be who I really am.

I think many people are under the impression that you can be a spiritual resource for a community while holding down non-related jobs and not have a ton of alone time.  There is a point for anyone who walks a similar path where the requirement for silence and stillness and listening becomes unavoidable.  I don’t think people realize how utterly encompassing it is to be in holy service or to have a soul calling. What I do and who I am are not separate. And who I am must constantly change and rise to do what I do. I never get to just “arrive” someplace and chill. As soon as I’ve reached a summit or come to the conclusion of some lesson, the gods say “good, now that was the prep needed to actually do this other thing that is more the thing you need to do” or “great, now this is needed over here”.

It never ends. No matter my health or finances or intimate relationships or anything else in life that happens, I am always required to show up for this work. (I have finally worked this path to learn how to take sacred rest, even from the gods.) Getting to the point where my life is arranged so that my work is at the center and utterly integrated into everything else I do has taken a considerable amount of time and effort. It has required more internal alignment and synthesis and purging than I can put to words.

I have had to address fear, darkness, terror, trauma, anxiety, depression, illness, boundaries, you name it, nothing goes unseen or unaddressed – you get raw and real. On this path you will face social rejection, social projection, isolation, belonging like you never imagined, insanity, wholeness, synthesis, joy, and oh so much more. I have been required to cultivate capacity I did not know was possible wisdom I did not know I could touch, compassion that has taken me beyond the known limits of my own heart, and living with a constantly breaking and ecstatic heart. I wouldn’t wish this path on anyone but, to those already on it, I can think of nothing more fulfilling, beautiful, and worthwhile.

Final note: Respect your spiritual ones, your healers, your wise folk, your Hags. We are the ones braving the wilds, doing this daring and difficult work all for the purpose of helping you live differently and better.