Last week, I was tagged for a meme by Ali. The gist of this meme is that I tell folks what my major, ultimate, lifetime, shoot-for-the-moon, spiritual goals are.

Ali writes about her spiritual goals. As I consider this a “spiritual” site, it makes sense for me to do the same. But, I am reminded of Zen’s “goal of goallessness,” so part of me thinks that all goals are fundamentally un-spiritual. Being goal-oriented is counter to being spiritual, to some brands of spirituality. Putting that aside, since Zen really isn’t my model of spirituality anymore anyway, a spiritual goal would have to be something related in some way to my “spirituality” or “path” or “religion,” I suppose, but where does one draw the line? Especially when considering that I don’t, or try not to, make distinctions between the spiritual and the everyday, “spiritual goal” might be a bit redundant.

To the ancient Celts, there was no separate word for “religion,” as we understand it. It was just part of life, interwoven into everything. My spirituality informs how I see the world and shapes my desires and actions in pretty much every aspect. So, I intend to discuss all of my lifetime-dream goals, however spiritual or “un-spiritual” they may seem, but they are, in fact, very spiritual to me. They come right out of my Celtic-based philosophy of life.

1) Financial Security

It seems to be a popular goal. I don’t care much about being rich, but I do want financial security. That is living with no, or very manageable, debt; having sufficient assets to absorb major upsets in our lives and give some degree of flexibility; and having a dependable and steady source of income. Right now, I have a long, long way to go.

The first part, getting out of debt, is pretty self-explanatory. Debt is a chain around your neck — it’s a slavery. The second part, assets, would be to have enough liquidity to live for about three months with no income. The last part, I have fairly well covered by developing multiple useful skillsets. I am an attorney and training to be a firefighter and EMT. Attorneys may be able to make money, but nobody has every heard of a shortage of attorneys or a demand for them. Medical and emergency trained personnel are always in high demand, and would be even moreso in bad times. I’d also like to develop other useful “production” skills. I want to know how to make things. I don’t know exactly what, yet.. just.. you know… “things.”

2) Prepared for Emergencies

I want to be adequately prepared for a major catastrophe. I am talking about the “End of the World as We Know It” kind of emergency preparation. I want to have a year of food and supplies stored, and the ability to defend it. I want to be “off the grid,” having our own electricity and water generation. I want to be an expert at wilderness survival, primitive technology, agriculture, “1890’s” technology, and any other skill I can think of that would help wean us from over-dependence on technological and governmental infrastructures. I don’t have any illusions about being “totally independent,” though. I would want to develop interdependent relationships with a close-knit local community. That’s what kept people alive for thousands of years.

3) Skilled Warrior

I want to be an expert with every weapon I own, and own quite a collection: rifles, shotguns, pistols, crossbows, knives, spears, swords, and anything else that may be useful for defense of my family and is legal to own. I also want to be well proficient in unarmed combat. I have some Kung-Fu training, but I am thinking more along the lines of pragmatic combatives-style training. I don’t care about certifications there, just want to know I can kick ass if I needed to.

4) Ordained “Druid”

I want to be a Druid Priest. Basically, I want some kind of external, objective validification. I think by any functional criteria, I am a “Druid,” but, yes, I want some kind of certificate that says so, too. Call it ego. It is. But I think the drive for community recognition, “glory,” “honor,” is an important drive. It helps us reach for betterment as a people and is an adaptive trait for our survival. When I was a Buddhist, I tried to fight that drive. Now I embrace it. That is probably one of the major differences between my spiritual outlook as a Buddhist and now as a Druid. Now, what kind of certification do I want? Of course, $15 and a stamp will get me an ordination with some “churches.” But, I am thinking ADF. They have a rigor to their standards that would make such a certification mean something to me.

5) Physical Fitness

I want to be physically fit. Right now, my method, and measure, of physical fitness is found in the sport of parkour. I want to be able to walk on my hands 10′, run 2 miles in 17 minutes, scale a 10′ wall in 3 seconds, and jump from a one-story roof onto concrete without injury. As incredible as those may sound, I see them as quite do-able. I have already developed a level of skill and fitness I didn’t think possible for me a year ago. I do want to get my bodyweight down to about 210 lbs or less (about 25 lbs to go), but mainly because the other things really aren’t possible with the weight I have now.

6) A Prepared Son

I want my son to be well rounded in his education and highly capable and responsible when it is time for him to make his own way in the world. I want him to have the same outdoor skills I am working on. I want him to be as skilled as an Eagle Scout and knowledgeable as a Rhodes Scholar. He is only four right now, but he is well on his way. I think he is showing more aptitude with numbers and language than I had at his age, and a strong and noble heart.

7) Published Author

I want to write a book. More to the point, I want to have a book I write actually published, and not by some vanity press, either. I am thinking it would be some philosophical work. Maybe it would be styled as a “self-help” book, I don’t know. It seems that’s what it takes to get published: write a self-help book or romance novel, and I don’t see myself doing the latter. Who reads philosophy anymore? But self-help, especially when it has a good dose of pop-philosophy in it, seems to sell. I intend to write for my own benefit, to help me organize my thoughts and ideas. But publishing is about prestige, really, and ego-trippyness.

So, that’s the future idealized me: Fiacharrey, the (in)famous pagan writer, philosopher, outdoorsman, warrior priest. The future, beware!

Oh, right, gotta tag some folks, don’t I? Meh. I don’t feel like it right now. I might tag a few folks and edit this later.