A story from the Visioning Ritual at Twilight Covening 2024

Once, in the world between, there came a time of great trouble — so great that it felt to the people like their world was disappearing. They tried to listen and talk with one another, but somehow the languages they spoke were no longer understood by their neighbors. They tried to find peaceful solutions to conflict, but the violence around them expanded. They tried to find ways to care for their world, but it continued to become more barren. They felt powerless and angry, lost and afraid. 

Over generations, during times of struggle the people had always relied on a well of sacred water which held power. But they had drawn power from their sacred well so often in recent times, that even it was beginning to dry up. 

Faced with an ever depleting source of power, the people held a council to find a way forward. They considered rationing what water was left, they considered giving power only to the leaders to use as they thought best, they considered using only the power needed to survive, and turning away from the struggling world. They could not agree on what was most important. Finally, the oldest person in the village spoke and reminded the people that in earlier times of struggle their ancestors had journeyed to find new sources of power when their well was so depleted. The people agreed that the one thing left for them to do was to learn from those ancestors and embark on a similar journey themselves. 

No one had taken that journey in generations. They knew that it would be long and might be dangerous. They didn’t know the way. They knew from legend that they must begin by honoring their ancestors and then find their way to the Witch’s hut in the forest, but they didn’t know who else they might meet along the path. As afraid as they were about this journey, they were more afraid for the state of their world. And so, driven by their own desire to protect the things most precious to them, they set forth, each carrying a vessel of power drawn from the dwindling sacred well, to use as they needed it. A long journey began.

First they traveled to honor their ancestors. They stopped at the shrine to listen to whispers on the wind, telling where those gone before them had found sources of power and the uses they had put it to.  Then, inspired to continue, the travelers  moved further into the woods where they soon came to the Witch’s hut, as they expected. There they encountered the old Witch, who bade them consider the source of their personal power and stirred their words into her cauldron.  As they went on, they met other beings who taught them vital lessons about finding and using power. They experienced the wonder of the world and used some of their power to add beauty to it. They learned the importance of using power in service of others — or receiving from others when they needed it. Then they met a challenge that required all that they had. For some, it was more than they were prepared to give, but despite that, they continued forward — walking with emptiness for a long time. 

At last they were welcomed into a place of connection, with nature and with community, where they were renewed enough that they could imagine once again having the ability to give or receive. 

When they had reached that point of openness, they discovered that they could reshape themselves and create a completely new vessel for holding power. And then they learned how to find the power that could fill that new vessel — both from within, and from connection with infinite mystery — and that they could decide when and how to use that newly found power.

When the people returned to the village they saw that with the power that each of them now carried they could refill their collective well and get ready to face the problems around them.  And they now also knew that as long as they kept finding ways to replenish their own power, they would have enough to sustain themselves, to support each other, and to make changes to improve their world.

Story by Deirdre Pulgram-Arthen and Lyra Hilliard