People should choose their participation in sport in the same way they choose their spiritual path? Neither is right or wrong? Yes. The reason perhaps for the spectacular falls and failings of our modern hero Gods is their lack of spiritual grounding.
Sport is left brain? Spirit path right? Sport is the unification of mind and body. Faith in practice. An effort undertaken not because you are assured of success but because the undertaking itself is sacred. Otherwise, it ceases to be sport and instead becomes craft like professional sports are today. More a matter of craftsmanship than spirit. Though even a craft can be undertaken with strength of spirit as well. Craft is more in the neighbourhood of art and science than sport.
Wicca… Witchcraft. Yes, but even ancient pagans included sport in their craft. The warriors would often have running matches along the villages patrol path.
There is a lot of science in our sport today. We worship the mind in this day and age so adding science to sport makes it more sacred to some people. But even in this situation, there is room for spiritual inspiration. In fact, the Greek muses, and other inspirational divinities as well, were considered to favour games and sports. Hermes himself was considered to give some people insight when they undertook the challenge of sporting events. It is the origin of the Nike swoosh, even though Nike was a different Goddess all together.
Swimming must have the perfect bathing suit. We should go back to naked Olympics. Perhaps we should. Plenty of pagans prefer to work ritual skyclad as they call it.
Athletes of the ages of ago would practice in the freestyle of nothing on, and some clans would fight that way also feeling that anything on would restrict their movements and goals. A valuable and valid point. To ancient thinking all struggle is ultimately on the same level as giving birth or experiencing death, and that excessive trappings is a denial of that. A form of self delusion. Thus the fancy uniforms would be seen as arrogance, narcissism. Vanity is perhaps the appropriate term.
Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.
Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~