I decided to do utiseta today, the practice of sitting out and opening yourself up. (I often mispell it as udisetta, but I am trying to catch myself.) I did appropriate offerings and protections beforehand. This time I came with questions.
The question of territory has been on my mind a lot lately. I have a history of having difficulty in putting down deep roots and feeling fully comfortable or at home, even if when I am at my own home. I have noticed this unsettled feeling growing again, and so I asked the spirits if they had any advice.
How do I determine what my territory is? How do I establish it? How do I claim it? How do I maintain it?
Sometimes I get a lot of information visually, but this was not one of those times. I did, however, get helpful information.
Note: The experiences described on my blog are my own. They are not meant to be taken as gospel by anyone else. I share them because I have benefited from hearing about experiences that others have shared.
***
The thoughts/advice I received during utiseta, paraphrased:
Territory is not really about ownership, at least not how we think about ownership in a capitalistic society. That is transitory and some what illusory. Territory is about right relationship. If you want to have territory, you must agree to take on the responsibility of caring for it, maintaining right relationship with the place, objects, spirits involved. This includes having right relationship with yourself.
An example. If the dishes are dirty, they deserve to be washed. They are serving the household and deserve to be cared for in return. They cannot clean themselves. If you are resentful about cleaning the dishes, perhaps you need to look at how you can better be in right relationship with other household members. Either way, it is not the dishes fault. It is also not your place to determine whether others are in right relationship with their spaces. You can negotiate changes to be in right relationship with each other if that is out of balance, but their relationships with the spaces, objects, and spirits are not yours to judge.
Everything is transitory to some degree, some things moreso than others. Grasper harder at things (whether beings, places, or objects) outside of yourself will not actually ground you or give you the security that you seek. If you are grasping, you need to look inward. What personal needs are you ignoring? They are likely the cause (or a big contributor) to your feelings of instability.
Your territory is wherever you establish and maintain right relationship. It requires continuous upkeep, but it also continuously gives back.
***
Thank you for reading.
Edit/addendum: I don’t know if I clarified enough. The advice not to judge others’ relationships is because we are not inside them. We don’t know the agreements or adjustments that have been made. Just like two people might have different relationships with the same friend. It’s no different with other spirits, unless you are informed by the involved parties. In extreme situations, if you feel uncomfortable with how someone interacts with their space and things, then giving yourself space away from them might be necessary.
Streaking Fate 