Three Paths Within Madrianism

 Within the Scriptures, there is repeated emphasis on the paths of Love, Light, and Life.

To Life or Wholeness belongs the love of Dea; to Light or Energy belongs the love of the true self and to Love or Harmony belongs the love of maids and of all creatures. -Teachings 5:17

 

The first is Life, or Wholeness, the light of the Absolute; the second is Light, or Energy, the light of the Mother; the third and gentlest light is Love, the light of our Saviour, the Maid. -Crystal Tablet, Verse 11

We oft see this repeated in the Scriptures and various writings of the foremothers of the faith. The Threefold Path to Spirit, to God Herself. It also describes the various elements of the self, the body, the soul, and the spirit. 

But, how would this be applicable to actually approaching Deity and spiritual fulfillment?

In no particular order, lets examine these three paths.

For the first one, Life, it can be seen as the Path of Works; physical acts, visible acts, encompass this path. This could be personal, to improve ones bodily wellbeing, to outward communal acts such as building a community garden, volunteering for a local organization, or any other work that strengthens both yourself and your community.

A second path, Love, can be more subtle acts of love that aren't necessarily visible. Tending to yours and other's health, supporting community members by providing care and friendship, any act that encourages love to thrive and grow.

The third path, Light, would be Path of Insight, of working on raising one's Intelligence/Gnosis, by means of continual learning, meditation, and introspection. If we do not work on our innermost self, we cannot progress spiritually to support the paths of Love and Life.

All three paths are intertwined and supported by one another; each has their merit, but work has to be done on all three levels to progress oneself spiritually and further walk the path up the mountain to closeness to Dea, God Herself.

To quote a Madrian writing:

The body is composed of three vehicles, each operating on one of three levels of matter which we encounter in our present state of existence; the physical body of dense matter, the mental body of thought-matter, and the astral body of emotion-matter. These three bodies are vehicles for the 'activities' of the soul: living, understanding, and loving - activities which parallel the paths of the three princesses and again mirror the great Principles of Life, Light, and Love. The activities encompass the whole of existence; to perform them perfectly, in harmony with the three Principles, is to be perfect. - from the 'The Three Princesses by Donna Chrysothemis

This isn't to say that perfection is the utmost goal; the goal is growth, and as fallible beings we will likely miss the mark on occasion. The goal is to be aware of oneself, and strive to act in accordance to higher principles in order to improve oneself and one's community. By working to improve ourselves, we ultimately make the community and the world around us better.

There is much more to be said on these three paths, but for now we will start with an introduction.

I pray you all are well, and that Dea guide you and keep you.