The motel we’re in is very cheap, with parking stalls that would have trouble fitting a motorcycle, never mind a minivan. Within five minutes of entering the room, Sirius raised his leg and peed on the bedskirt of one of the beds, after sniffing the entire place and concluding that many other dogs had done so over the years. He then proceeded to barf up his dinner — twice.
This is probably not what people imagine when they think of initiation nights, but that is what tonight is for me.
A truck is backing up outside our room, beeping incessantly. It is cold, and rainy, and very windy. The dog will not stop barking at every little noise, and now is resting his head on my leg, plaintively saying “Mom, can we go to bed?”
My mood is terrible. The emotions of the past 30 hours are too much for me to handle, and I do not have adequate space to process or decompress.
Tomorrow — another ferry ride, then home, and then to bed because I start my last 4 days of work on Friday morning.
Maybe in another time, another place, initiations were different — more set aside. Made sacred. Less dog barking (or barfing).
We’re in modern times, and modern initiations are what we have.
Tonight, Manannan imparts upon me His wisdom — at least, some of it. He makes me His priestess.
This is not a one and done deal. I am not suddenly a fully-fledged priestess to the Lord of Storms, God of the Isle Everlasting, Father Who Greets Us in the After.
This is step one on my priestess path with Him.
And it promises to be a long, gruelling journey.
I hope I’m ready for it.