Imagine living in a time where all things were sacred, in a place where everything you touched was part of a Goddess or God. Since all things were divine, each had a patron Deity. From doorways to ovens, from the farm, to the hunt, to the birth of anything new -- all was special and blessed. While these ideas certainly lived in ancient times, they still live with us today. The Old Ones live in new things too.
New things, born of modern technology and shaped by human hands, are as much a gift as the timeless rivers and the endless seas. We often trivialize things made by humans and see them as less beautiful than other "natural" creations. But we too are part of nature, not something separate. It is our nature to make things, the way a forest makes trees and trees make leaves. Our colorful works of art, our music, our architecture, our discoveries in electronics, medicine and even a simple home-baked apple pie are all a part of nature.
If you can see the everyday things around you as divine, you just might see some Old Friends. Can you see the Goddess of the Hunt living today within your job search, or maybe within a simple trip to buy groceries? Can you see the Ibis-headed God of Writing living within your computer, or maybe within that special letter you pen for someone dear? Do Pan's pipes sing to you just as clearly through your favorite stereo? Can Mars do battle in the Cola Wars, or any other facet of a competitive business?
Who else can you see within the modern objects around you? Who glows within the fire in your electrical devices? What messenger travels through the copper communications link of your phone line? Who ebbs and flows within the watery tides of your household plumbing? Technology has filled our surroundings with aspects of the Old Ones we may never have noticed before. Things we create come from our own unique inspiration, our own insight into that special spark within. The gifts we find without, all stem from what we find within.
Seeing the divinity in all things is not easy at a time where "building too many things" has hurt our fragile eco-system. While we may enjoy the gifts of our technology, we are also challenged to use them wisely, enjoying them in moderation. Doing so will ensure that we continue to build new doorways and ovens for a long, long time to come.
