Happy Winter Solstice

In all the different traditions and different faith celebrations of the winter season, I find that one thing connects them all.

Family.

It doesn't matter what religious group you belong to, everyone wants to get home for the holidays. I truly believe that family and friends are the most important part of the holidays.

No matter what your personal tradition is, I hope that you have a wonderful time celebrating. I hope you get to enjoy spending time with family and friends. Have a blessed winter solstice.

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays, 

‘Cause no matter how far away you roam

If you want to be happy in a million ways

For the holidays, you can’t beat home, sweet home.

- Vince Gill "Home For The Holidays"

Exciting Group-Solitary Druid Fellowship

One of my favorite blogs is Teo Bishop's "Bishop In the Grove." He is a wonderful writer and his posts always leave me thinking. For the past few months, Teo has been writing about creating a fellowship for solitary pagans.

So today I was really pleased to get an e-mail announcing the launch of the Solitary Druid Fellowship website. According to the site

The Solitary Druid Fellowship (SDF) is an extension of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), an independent tradition of Neo-Pagan Druidism. It is organized to provide solitary Druids, as well as any solitary Pagan in the general public, with an opportunity to engage more deeply with their ritual practice, while at the same time forging spiritual bonds with other solitaries through the adoption of a shared liturgical form.(1)

I have spent some time looking around the site. Though there isn't a whole lot there right now, the articles that are up are very interesting. The site is well organized, clean, and easy to navigate. I think that it is an interesting idea that this site will be for information, not a replacement for groves or communities.

I love the idea of being able to share a common ritual with others, but still being able to worship on my own. I believe that this site is going to be a wonderful tool for many Pagans. I am looking forward to reading the Yule ritual and using it my practice.

Notes:
(1) Taken from the "What we are" page- http://www.solitarydruid.org/what-we-are/

I'm a bit of a Grinch

As we head into the holiday season, I need to get something out in the open...

I'm a bit of a Grinch.

There are really about three things about the holiday season.
1) I enjoy getting presents. (Really, who doesn't?)
2) I like the once a year treats and foods.
3) I love spending time with family I don't get to see very often. 

But here's the thing...

I don't watch holiday specials. I don't enjoy listening Christmas music. I don't like the commercials that play over and over and sometimes don't change for years. I'm not a big fan of Christmas decorations. The Elf on the Shelf freaks me out.


And I get frustrated when people don't understand that I don't enjoy these things. It started long before I discovered I walk a pagan path.

I really wish people would let it be.

This time of the year should be more about spending time with family and friends then what present you are going to get them. We should be concerned about helping people all year round, not just in November and December. I believe children should behave because they are taught to do the right thing, not because Santa is watching. 

So I'm a bit of a Grinch. I'm not out to ruin your holiday, I may just have a different opinion than you. In any case, I hope everyone enjoy's their holiday season. I will just do it in my way.

"The threat of Christmas hung in the air, visible already in the fretful look of passersby as they readied themselves for the meaningless but necessary rites of false jovialities and ill-considered gifts." 

-Peter Dickinson

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday. In the midst of all the turkey and football, make sure you take time to reflect on all the wonderful blessings in you life. Take time to think about all the people that give your life meaning. Thank your deities for their influence in your life. Remember those who might not be as fortunate than yourself. Really take time to be thankful for all the things you have.

Anyway, I am off to have dinner with the family. Have a great Thanksgiving!

______
Image source: http://www.artuji.com/funny-thanksgiving-jokes/2834

Why I Became Pagan

The time has come for the almost required "Why I Became Pagan" post. Though it is something it seems almost all pagan bloggers do, it really is an important thing to write about. Many times when I read a story like this, most people describe a difficult time with the religion or church they were raised in.

My story is a little different. During my childhood, there was not an emphasis on religion that I can remember. My immediate family does not attend church. As a child, the only time I was in church was for weddings and baptisms of extended family members. My parents raised us to be good people. To respect others and think about our actions. And really, isn't that the most important thing?

When I became a pre-teen, I had a friend that started inviting me to events at her church. I went because she was my friend. But I didn't feel anything special. As my teen years went by I did try to be "Christian." I tried to read to the Bible to find some meaning. I tried to pray to a deity that I didn't feel anything for. It was because it was "normal." I live in the South and that is what's expected.

But it didn't work. It didn't feel right.

The theology didn't work. And it still doesn't. I can't wrap my mind around one God. And he is male. Why isn't there a female deity? It doesn't make sense that there is one Son who came down to save mankind from what to me seems like human nature. There is a lot more, but for the sake of the story I will leave it for another day.

It wasn't until the end of high school that answers started appearing. A different friend started talking about Paganism... Wicca to be more specific. She even let me borrow a book on the subject. And it made sense. There was another way of thinking and it made sense to me.

Over the next several years, to about my senior year of college, I did more research on and off about Paganism. Some things worked and made sense and some didn't. But most of the ideas fit me and how I view the world and spiritual life. During college I met people that had different ways of thinking. The important thing I learned was it was okay to think differently and it is all right for me to be different. It sounds silly. But it's true.

Paganism felt right.

In the fall of my senior year, I made a commitment to myself, and to the Lords and Ladies, that paganism was the path for me. I remember sitting on the floor of my room and I asking, "How do I do this?" And something inside me said, "Just try."

And, few years later, here I am. Doing my best to, "Just try." I am still learning and trying to find my way. But I do know that this is the right choice for me.

Post-Election Thoughts

I am so glad that this election is finally over!  It felt like it would never end. But where does this election leave us?

Unfortunately, at this point, it seems as a country we are more divided than ever. Everybody seems to have their own opinion, but nobody wants to work together to solve the nation's problems. Instead of compromise, we tear apart other's ideas. Instead of finding the middle ground that benefits the most people, we are stuck in a cycle of endless arguments. The parties stick to ideals that are no longer relevant and are not willing to listen when people want change. 

Instead of presenting both sides off the issue fairly, which is what I want when I turn on the news, most mainstream media outlets pick a side and won't let the other speak. It seems that often media present analysis and news without any research or facts to back it up.

Instead of campaigns that present us with viable plans for the future, the voter gets months of vague promises with no details on how they will be accomplished. The goal of campaigning seems to be "how can I make to other person look bad" instead of "how can I accurately promote my plans and credentials." Parties spend so much time trying to get their candidate elected that we end up with a two or more year election cycle. By the time election day rolls around, the population is overwhelmed and ready for the whole thing to be over.

We are left with a divided population. A government that is so caught up in party divisions that nothing gets done. Big media outlets you can't rely on.

My hope is that as a nation we can come together and mend the deep divisions that lies between us. That our leaders can put aside their differences and come up with some viable, fact based legislation that will benefit the most Americans, not just those that give them the most campaign dollars. 

I guess we will just have to wait and see...

What Should this Blog Be?

I have started doing some thinking about what I want this space to be. It has been sitting here, untouched for awhile (sorry, been a little unmotivated lately). 

I would like to start using this space to start exploring my personal faith a little more. It is still a work in progress, and there are still more questions than answers. I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I say. In fact, as I explore and do more reflecting, I imagine my views will change. 

I would like to do reviews. On books and movies and stuff like that. I would like them to be helpful. And I plan to be honest about what I think.

I would like to put my two-cents about what I see going on in the pagan community.

I would like to post a couple times a week.

Let me also get this out of the way, so everyone (especially me) knows where I stand in my journey on a "pagan path". Even though in my head I have thought of myself as pagan for many years, I am still in the very beginnings of this journey. I feel that I have a lot basic knowledge, I just need to put it into practice. I don't personally know any other pagans. Hopefully that will change.

I would love some input from those who stumble on this blog. However, if you do have something to say, please make it constructive. Correct me if you think I'm wrong, but don't be mean about it. This is a learning experience and I don't know everything. Be nice to the newbie.

So, with that being said, let's get started...

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...

 not going all the way, and not starting."

-Buddha 

Happy Samhain!

I hope that everybody had a safe and fun Halloween/Samhain. Not to many trick-or- treaters this year. But it is really a pretty evening.

This is important day to think about the people who have passed on. I believe that it is important to remember them everyday, but today make a special effort to spend time thinking about why they are important to you.

It is also a good time to take into account the changing seasons. Here is Georgia, it just really started feeling like fall over the weekend. I really love the fall. Not so much the cold weather, but the other things that come with the season. Pretty colors on the trees, hot drinks, and fall decorations. Those kind of things.

Have a wonderful "new year!"

Been awhile...

Hello all!

So it has been awhile since I last posted. Honestly, I did not feel much like writing anything. For the past few weeks I have just been feeling blah and uninspired. Things have not been going quite like I planned, though it has kinda been that way for the past two years. Guess that's life for you.

But yesterday I started feeling myself for the first time in awhile. I felt lighter, both physically and spiritually. Like it was finally time to move on and try again. I have lots of ideas running around in my head. Not sure what to do about them all yet, but at least it is a start. Hopefully things will start going my way soon.

Un-funny Jokes

I was watching the end of "The Burn" on Comedy Central, waiting for "The Daily Show" to come on. At the end of the show, the host started joking about the death of "Top Gun" director Tony Scott. I am not familiar with actually what happened with Tony Scott's suicide.  I am sad for his family and wish them the best.

However, that is not the point of this post. The point of the post is "The Burn." The point is the "jokes" the host was making about Tony Scott. He was making fun of his death. I was horrified by the things he was saying. When did joking about death like that become funny? Especially just a week or so after the event.

I know that we make fun of a lot of things in American society. And I feel that I have a pretty good sense of humor. But I do think there is a point when you go to far. Joking about a tragic event or somebody's death crosses that line. Why do people go for the shock value? What is wrong with coming up with a clever original joke? Or is that too hard?

Just thought I would put my two cents in.  Thoughts?

Q is for Quiet Moments

Quiet is wonderful. I like when it is quiet because I find it easier to think. I think that sometimes we get to caught up in the day to day. We don't always find a time (or a place) where we can go just to be quiet and think. I find the quiet, calm moment to be important.

In that moment we have time to reflected on the things that are going on in our lives. We have time to deal with problems without the interference of others. We can listen to our own thoughts without them being drown out.  We can decide if we are happy with the way things are going. During the quiet moment, we get to find ourselves again.

I think that everyone, everyday should take some time out and have a quiet moment. Maybe people would be less stressed. Maybe people will take time to think.

Spoken Prayers

I have pretty good at performing a morning and nightly prayer everyday for a bit more than a month now. It has become part of my everyday. And it is great. I had been saying them in my head. For some reason I felt shy about saying the aloud. Just this past week I gathered up my courage and started saying them out loud.

I found something that I had not expected.

I got butterflies in my stomach. I felt more of a connection. It felt more real. It is scary and wonderful all at the same time.

I wonder if that is something that others experience. Do other feel a difference speaking to the Divine out loud?

----
On a side note, I have made it to twenty posts. I wasn't sure I was going to make it this far. But having this blog has helped me figure somethings out. Here is to twenty more.(Hopefully a bit longer than this.)

P is for Paths

I think that one of the wonderful things about paganism is how everyone comes to it in a different way. Some come from a difficult situation in another religion. Some come out of a search for a world view that fits with their own. Some now are being born and raised in a pagan household.

All of our experiences are a little bit different. We all believe slightly different things. We are all in different places in our practices. It is wonderful that paganism allows us to walk these different "paths".

But now the question becomes, "Where are these paths leading us."

I am not referring to what happens when we die. That is part of the believing different things.

I wonder if we can ever pull our paths together to create a community. That appears to be a hot button issue right now across the pagan blogs and websites. And it is something that I think about. I have to admit I don't have a lot of real world experience in this area. Right now I am looking at the pagan community through the computer screen. And some of what I read about makes me nervous. I know with all groups there will be bickering. I know that not everyone will agree with everything. And I know that what I see through the internet is just a small part of what is going on.

What I hope is that people are going to be willing to work together.
I hope that we are going to be working toward a future where people are not afraid to "come out of the broom closet".
I hope we are headed toward a place where bickering is put aside to work toward a common goal.
I hope we have a group or groups of people that are willing to stand up and take charge when needed.
I hope we don't only focus on the spiritual side of things. We should do things here in the physical world. Build things (centers, business, etc.) and show positive character to world around us.

It is going to take time. It is going to take commitment. It is going to take money. It is going to take some people learning a new set of skills. It is going to take people (including myself) coming out from behind computer screens and their own personal bubbles. It is going to take those people saying "I am pagan (or what ever your 'path' is). I am here. I am ready to put the little things that separate us aside. I am ready to create a community and a future for us."

I hope our paths eventually converge. And when the do, I hope they have lead us to a place where we are all still individual, but united toward creating a wonderful future.

P is for Polytheism

When I first started exploring paganism, I started of with a picture in my head of a male god and a female goddess. That's what I had been reading about and thought that was it.

But that just didn't fit. I just could fit my mind around the all gods are the Lord and all goddess are the Lady.

I truly believe that all gods and goddess exist. They are each individual. They have their own personalities and stories and domains. You have to work on forming relationships with them. Those relationships are special and should not be taken lightly. I believe that they can be offended and get angry. But I also believe that if you show them respect and love, they can guide and help you.

I am still working on forming these relationships. It is going to time. But I look forward to getting to know the gods and goddess better.

http://paganblogproject.com/

A Religious Game Show?

My family and I were watching Family Feud on GSN last night. During the show, Jeff Foxworthy appeared on a commercial to advertise a new game show that starts at the end of August. The name of the show... The American Bible Challenge. The first thought that ran through my mind after the commercial ended was "Really?" And the expressions on my family's faces said they were thinking the same thing. I even said, "I expect this on the Bible channel or the Gospel channel. But not on the Game Show Network."

This is the description of the show from gsntv.com,

"The American Bible Challenge is a spirited game show that will celebrate the Bible and its place in American culture. Bible enthusiasts from all across the country will compete in a variety of challenges that put their knowledge of the Good Book to the test."

I have a few issues with "The American Bible Challenge."

The first, does this show belongs on GSN? I think that as it gets closer to the air date this might be a question on a few people's minds. In my opinion, I don't think it does belong on GSN. My personal opinion. If it was on a religious channel, I would understand. Before anyone gets on my case, I do understand that nobody is forcing my to watch this show. If I don't want to see it, I can change the channel.

The second, should we turn religion into a game show? Honestly, this is the thing that bothers me the most. I don't mind questions about religion on Jeopardy. But when you make an entire show on the subject, in my mind, that is when you start crossing a line. Are the producers of the show out to create a entertaining program? To promote Christian religions? Just to make money?

The one thing that I am okay with is that, according to the promotional video on the website, the contestants are donating the winnings to charity. At least people are not going on to make money. However, in an article written by the Washington Post,

"...teams of contestants will represent 'worthy faith-based organizations,' said GSN, without elaborating as to how it planned to weed out the unworthy ones."

I guess we will have to wait an see what is "worthy."

Let me make something perfectly clear. The idea of making religion into a game show bothers me no matter what religion you are talking about. I guess for me I think that religion should be treated with more care.

The whole thing just rubs me the wrong way. Thoughts?


Websites:
http://gsntv.com/shows/the-american-bible-challenge/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jeff-foxworthy-to-host-the-american-bible-challenge/2012/03/21/gIQAtYcYSS_story.html

Weighing in on Health

In the last post I discussed my weight and health. In this post I would like to discuss something I would like to see both inside and outside the pagan community.

Over the past several months I have been reading books and watching documentaries about food and the food system in America. Honestly, I have been disgusted by the things that I have found.

-The way animals are treated before the are killed.
-The amount of food that comes from corn and soybeans and the amounts of these plants that are genetically modified.
-The chemicals that are put into processed food.
-The amount of people, especially in inner city areas that do not have access to fresh food.

Overall the message that comes from these sources is that our food system does not work and that what we are eating is making us sick.

So instead of worrying about how to deal with obesity in the pagan community (your body, you decide how to live), we should instead be thinking more about what we are eating. We should be encouraging people to make healthy choices about how they treat their body.

I don't care it you are heavy or thin, young or old, tall or short. What I care about is that you are healthy.

I would like to read posts that encourage people to live healthy.
I would like to see discussion on how we can help people who don't have access to fresh food.
I would like to hear people's opinions and ideas and feelings on healthy living.

I want to know if people even care.

I am not perfect. I am working on leading a healthier life because it is important to me. I want my body to be healthy in the same way I want my spirit to be healthy. I think that living a healthy lifestyle should be part of pagan life.

Weighing in on Weight

One of the hot topics of the past couple of weeks has been obesity in the pagan community. I knew that I wanted to write something on the topic the last week, but I thought it better to wait and think of something constructive to say. I have decided to break it up in two separate posts because this is a topic that I feel very strongly about, and I've got a lot to say.

Body image and obesity is something that hits very close to home. I don't think that I have ever been "thin" before. Through middle school and up through college I just let myself get bigger and bigger. I did not feel good about myself or my body but didn't really do anything about it. There was one summer my between my junior and senior year of high school that I went on Weight Watchers and lost some weight. A soon as I left, I gained it all back and then some.

It wasn't until the summer before my senior that I realized that I couldn't take it anymore. I was is a dressing room a found that the size 14 shorts that I was trying on were too small. I remember standing there thinking, "I can't let this get anymore out of hand." I went up to my mom after I left the dressing room and told her, "I need to join Weight Watchers." Same day I bought a scale and when I return to my apartment joined the program. I choose Weight Watchers because they talked about changing your lifestyle and that is what I needed. Over my senior year of college I lost about 25 pounds, which is a lot considering that I am only 5"2'.

It is now about three years later and I have gained a little bit of the weight back. I am not obese, maybe about 7-10 pounds outside my medical "ideal" body weight. And as all these pieces about obesity have come up I have done a lot of thinking. While I do think that obesity is a problem for America, not just the pagan community, I am not here to condemn anyone for what they weigh. It is your body and your choice about your health.

However, at this point I am not okay with the way that I look and feel. I would like to lose some weight for me and my health, not because society or my community wants me to. And it is not just about losing weight, it is about take better care of my overall health. I have started exercising regularly and have been thinking more about what I eat.

Some things I have seen written seem to give the impression that wanting to change your body is not an okay feeling to have. Lots of people seem to think that you should be happy with how you are now regardless of how you look or how you feel. I don't necessarily think that is the right attitude to have. If you are unhappy with your health and lifestyle, change it. I know that once my body feels better, than my spirit will feel better too. I believe that part of my spiritual path involves eating healthy foods in the right amounts and exercising regularly.

Anyway, to get the the point of this post.

As much as we should support people who are happy with their body's as they are now, I believe that is important to support the people who are making positive changes for their health.  We shouldn't assume that people are doing it because of the pressures of society. We should use language that is positive and encouraging. We should create a positive atmosphere to have these types of discussions in. And we shouldn't be afraid to have these discussions.

Pagan Festivals

I have never been to a Pagan Festival before.

That seems like a bit of an odd statement on a post about festivals, but it is true. Right now, I am a solitary "cyber-pagan." Any contact I have had with other like-minded individuals has been over the internet.

The reason I am talking about festivals at all is because over the past week it has been a hot topic on many blogs. When I am talking about festivals I am a talking about large gatherings of people for an event not related to a holiday.
Some people believe that big festivals are going to be a part of the community for a long time. Other say that they are on the way out and that local events will take over. Some discuss the reason for low attendance. Is it the economy? Lack of interest? Concern that long distance travel negatively effects the environment?

I think there are two problems with pagan festivals.
1) Lack of advertising
2) Lack of accessible festivals 

Lets start with lack of advertising. If nobody knows that the festival exists, nobody will attend. Sure you can go to an internet search engine an search for "Pagan Festivals." Then you are trapped in a world of outdated or broken links, outdated pages, and outdated information (that seems to be a pretty common theme on a pagan website).

Then comes the lack of accessible festivals. I live in Georgia. At the moment I do not have the money for an airplane ticket nor is it feasible to drive hundreds of miles to attend a festival. That is probably true of most people. So that leaves local festivals. Sadly (unless the have fallen victim to lack of advertising), there seems to be a lack of them. For example, according to Witchvox, there are only seven dated events for Georgia with a little bit less than half the year left to go. I don't think there is a lack of interest. I believe if they were available people would want to attend.

These are just the problems that I see from the point of view of a pretty brand new pagan. I understand that planning big events like the ones I am talking about is a huge undertaking. I also believe that I takes a special group of people to organize, plan, and staff such events. Do I have an real solutions to the problems I am talking about? Not really. The only thing that I would say is to get the word out when there are events going on.

So the questions remains... what is the future of pagan festivals?

N is for Losing Negativity

Unfortunately for me, as much as I would like to look on the bright side of everything, I am truly a pessimist. When ever a situation arises my mind tends to go to the worse possible outcome. I have even caught myself imagining situations and found myself worrying about the worse thing that could happen, no matter how unlikely it may be.

And that's a problem.

If you think negative thoughts that is what is going to come to you. And I would really like some positive things to happen in my life.

So I think that in the morning, I will think about all the good things that could happen to me that day. And at night, instead of focusing on what didn't happen or what went wrong, I will think about the positive things that happened.

That will probably take some getting use to. But I hope that over time, the good will outweigh the bad. Maybe I will become an optimist.

"What we focus on, we empower and enlarge. Good multiplies when focused upon. Negativity multiplies when focused upon. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of?"
-Julia Cameron

A Little Vacation Victory

So I skipped this weeks Pagan Blog Project post since I was on vacation. I will have to come up with something really good for this coming week.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes going on vacation makes you more tired than you were before  you left? And here I though vacations were meant to be restful.

Anyway, the point of this post is to talk about something that I would like to consider a little victory for my pagan path. First though, a little background.

I spend a lot of time reading different people's blogs. There are some that I try to read everyday. One of them is Pantheon written by Star Foster over on Patheos.com. (By the way, the have a great group of bloggers over there. Check them out if you get a chance.) A few weeks ago, she had a posting called "Slacker Paganism". In the post, she talks about picking out five things you can do everyday in your practice. She talks about trying to do each one everyday, even if it is on the fly. Since I am really just starting to incorporate Paganism into my everyday life, I thought this would be a good way to get started. Instead of picking five things, I decided to start with three and build up. My three things were a morning prayer, meditation, and an evening prayer. Surprisingly, up until I left for vacation, I did all three everyday.

My little victory comes though on my vacation. While I didn't mediate (way too many people around to find a quiet spot), I was able to do a little prayer both in the morning and at night everyday. It takes me a long time to build up a routine, so the fact that I kept that part of my practice up is a little win for me. And it really makes me feel better and more connected to my path.

Thank goodness for little victories.


Websites:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/pantheon/2012/06/slacker-paganism/ - Star Foster "Slacker Paganism"
http://www.patheos.com/Pagan.html -Patheos Pagan Channel

M is for Meaning

M is for mother nature: plants, animals, and earth.


M is for when you found your self- worth.


M is for meeting new friends and holding onto the old.


M is for the times you didn't do as you were told.


M is for the memories you and your family share.


M is for the moment you discovered life isn't fair.


M is for finding it is alright to cry.

M is for realizing you are mortal and time is passing you by.



M is for all the things that give life meaning....


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I wrote the poem above... my first attempt at poetry since I was forced to write it in school. Sorry if it isn't that great... it was one of those things that just came to me as I was thinking about what to write this week.

It seems that too often we are bogged down by everyday things. Get up, go to work, come home, and go to sleep. Repeat for days on end. But honestly, is that what makes life worth living? I don't think that is what you are going to remember years from now.

You are going to remember the time you spent with your family, good or bad. The time you met your best friend. Times when you tested you boundaries and how far you could push yourself.

Maybe the meaning of life is to find meaning in life.

Just a thought.

What gives you life meaning? Think about it...

M is for Meditation

Meditation is something I have been interested in long time, even before I even knew anything about paganism or spirituality. I remember I checked out a book out from the library about meditation when I was in 8th grade. I have read numerous articles online on the subject. I understand that there are many health benefits that come with adding meditation to a daily routine. I feel meditation or some sort of mental discipline is something important to have in my spiritual path.

The only problem is that meditation is something that I have a really hard time with.

I start trying to get into a routine. I have no problem sitting still. The problem comes with getting my mind to quiet down. It is always thinking, wondering if I am doing this right. I guess like many people I am looking for instant results. And up until this point, every time I have given up when I have gotten too discouraged. And then eventually I will try again. 

But this time I would really like to stick with it and have it become a permanent part of my life. I guess that is part of have mental discipline. Not giving up when things don't go they way I think they should. And I shouldn't expect it to be easy or prefect the first time or even the twentieth time. The most important thing is to keep trying.

Do you practice a form of meditation? Have any tips for somebody who is struggling?

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Happy Midsummer!

It is shocking that it is already the Summer Solstice. Time has been flying by.

I feel that it being the middle of the year, this is a good time for reflection. I think so far this year I have learned a lot about people and life as an "adult." I have found that things are not always what they seem and it is important to stand up for what you think is right. Even if others are willing to settle for mediocrity doesn't mean that I have to.

This is also a good time to think about what I wish to accomplish in the next few months. I would really like to find a good job that I am happy with. I would like to work on mediation and have that become part of my daily routine.  I would like to continue working on this blog.

Anyway, I hope that you have a wonderful day and maybe spend a little time reflecting on your own life and goals. Get out and enjoy the sun... it will be winter before you know it!

"Them vs. Us"

I spent a lot of yesterday sitting on the couch watching a marathon of TLC's "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding." As I was watching, a lot of what the people on the show were talking about seemed to have a "them vs. us" feeling to it. They spent a lot of time complaining about how they are treated differently by the non- gypsies in their community. I can see where they were coming from, you could tell that there was animosity between the two groups. But at the same time, the gypsies sat there making stereotypical remarks about the non-gypsies.

And that got me thinking...

I feel like that a lot of groups have a "them vs. us" mentality. Seems like most religious groups (including Christians and Pagans), ethnic groups (black, white, Hispanic, etc.), and economic groups (rich, middle class, poor) act this way. They sit around and complain about how they are treated by others, but in the same breath insult or make stereotypical remarks about those they are complaining about. In the end, those remarks makes whatever point they are trying to make less credible.

I am not saying that I have never done this before. And now that I am reflecting on it, it is something I hope to change.

 But I think that as a society we need to change the way we talk and think about people that are different from us.

We need to realize that those we are talking about are human. Make logical, accurate remarks in a discussion about other groups. Make sure your behavior reflects well on yourself before you talk rudely about someone else. Explore other people's cultures and values before you act "high and mighty" about your's. You could be wrong. And that's okay.

I think that maybe if people were to act kinder and think before they speak, the world could be a nicer place to be.

L is for Lessons

One of the most important thing that I have tried to do in my path is to see events in life as a series of lessons. As I said in a previous post about Karma, I do believe that if you do something bad or good, something bad or good will happen to you.

But I also believe that things happen in life that are unrelated to Karma. My view is that we are put in this life to learn lessons.  When we pass on, we go to a place where the soul/spirit can reflect on those lessons. Eventually we return to learn more. We keep going through different lives until we learn all the lessons we need.

The lessons we learn are not always easy. Sometimes it involves losing something or someone important to you. Sometimes it is hard to see what we are suppose to be learning.

But there are also happy lessons to be learned. Lessons that show us how great we can be. Lessons that teach how great other people can be.

If you look hard, life's lessons are everywhere. If you reflect on those lessons your life will be richer and you will be a little bit wiser.

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Coincidence?

Let me say up front that up till now I have not been a huge believer in people being able to predict the future. I have used Tarot cards in the past. When I use Tarot cards, I am not trying to predict the future. I use them to reflect on things that are going on in my life.

But at this past Ren. Fest. I bought a set of Ogham runes. I thought the were cool and another way to reflect. I took them home, looked them over, and read the little book that came with them. But I did not draw an individual one that day.

So about 2 weeks ago I finally decided to do some reflection with the tiles. I sat down, tried to do a little mediation (still working on that), and then drew a tile. I only drew one, and it was the "Straif"/"draigen"/  blackthorn rune. This rune is often associated with death and in the book I had it mentioned about preparing and planning for death. At the time I thought that it was kinda weird that would be the first one I picked and decided to leave it at that.



Sadly, about a week later, my grandfather passed unexpectedly. He was a victim of a car accident. None of the family was prepared for this. Did the runes predict this? 

Part of me is thinking that this whole event was a coincidence. Another part is thinking it is too weird to be a coincidence. All I know is that I am going to be paying a lot more attention when I do a drawing.

K is for Karma

So, even though it is a little (alright, a lot) late, I thought that I would join in the Pagan Blog Project (http://paganblogproject.com/). Different people are reflecting on a different letter every two weeks about their spiritual and magical paths. This week is the letter K. And since I am still new to all this pagan stuff, I picked a familiar idea ...Karma.

I think that Karma is an idea that most people have heard of before. It is the idea that everything has a cause and effect. It originates from Eastern religions.  There is much more to it then what I am going to talk about, but I am going to stick to what I believe.

Do I believe in Karma? Defiantly. But probably not in the traditional way that those of the eastern religions might view it. To me it boils down to every action has a reaction. I think that if you do something bad or with ill intentions it is going to come back around. Really, I don't understand how a person can think they can do something bad and there is not going to be a consequence. I also think that if you do something very bad, what is going to come back to you will be just as bad as the original deed. Is it going to happen right away? Maybe not. But eventually whatever you have done is going to come back to bite you.

But on the opposite end, if you do something good then something good will happen to you. I don't think that you have to do something huge to get some good karma. Just helping somebody or saying something nice to a person that is having a hard day is enough. Should you do good things just to have something good will happen? No, you should do good things because that is what you truly believe is right. I just wish that everyone would.

I don't think that Karma builds up. I think one action gets one reaction. It might seem like it builds up, especially if you do a lot of good or bad deeds at one time.

Now, with all that being said, here comes the big question... is everything that happens to you a result of Karma? I have thought of it quite a bit recently. I do believe that everything that you do is going to have a reaction. But I don't think that everything that happens to you is because of something you do. In life stuff happens. I think life is all about learning lessons and the things that happen in your life are meant to teach.

Here is an example...

Today I left for work at the same time I always do. However, I ended up arriving 15 minutes late. There was an accident blocking my normal route and so I had to find another way to get there. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how to do that and I realized I didn't have the right number to call to tell them I was going to be late. In the end I made and didn't get in trouble because they knew what was going on.

Did I do anything to cause this to happen to me? No. Did I learn a lesson? Yes. I learned that I need to have all the right phone numbers with me and to know an alternate route to get where I am going. Essentially to be better prepared.

So the whole point of this...
1) Karma does exist.
2) Every action has a reaction.
3) Not everything happens because of Karma, often it happens in order for you to learn a lesson.

http://paganblogproject.com

Ren. Fest. 2012

This weekend I went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival with one of my friends. I have to say, I am not sure how those people can stand to be in all those heavy clothes when it is so hot out. Very impressive.

I really love going to Renaissance Festival. It is a lot of fun going around a looking at all the booths and seeing all the different things people have made. You can tell the people that are really passionate about what they are doing. I love when the vendors will stop and talk to you about their items without actually trying to sell you something.

There are a few places that I am going to have to look into more, because the vendors were very friendly. Raven's Nest Herbals is one. One of the vendors spent at least 15 minutes talking with me about different oils and oil blends, while giving me different ones to smell until she came up with a scent she thought that I would like. Another lady spent sometime talking about different herbs.

I really liked the one lady that was working at the weaving demonstration. She was another one that stood there and talked to us while we tried to do some weaving. She was very patience with me when I kept messing up mine. When I figure out the name of the group I will have to post it.

Being at Ren. Fest. really made me want to do some art. Maybe I need to break out some clay and make something. I think that would be an interesting way to make a living, to travel around to different festivals. It would probably be a bit risking, not knowing if you art is going to sell.

The Weekend and a Pendent

Went and saw "The Avengers" over the weekend. I thought that it was a good movie. The fight scenes were pretty impressive. Lots of smashed cars and buildings. I wonder how hard it is to digitally destroy a building? I imagine that it would take a long time. Not sure if I would have the patience to do that. I would defiantly go see a sequel.

Had some family come down to visit for a few days. It was a nice surprise since it was a last minute visit. Though I have realized that unless you are going to go out drinking, there is really not a lot to do after nine at night. Guess that is why I spend a lot of time at home.

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I guess something less interesting to the world and more interesting to me was that I wore my triskele out in public for the first time. For those that don't know what that is, here is a drawing of one (thanks Wikipedia).

triskele

It is a familiar symbol that occurs in several early cultures and often appears in Celtic art. I bought it about a year ago from the Renaissance Festival. Mine is silver pendent.

For me, the triskele is a reminder of the sets of threes that occur in life: child, adult, elder... past, present, future. There is also spiritual sets of threes that it can represent as well: mind, body, spirit... fire, well, tree... sky, earth, underworld.... gods, nature spirits, ancestors. 

I had been keeping in my pocket since it turned up a couple of months ago (I put it in a drawer and then forgot where I put it). So what is the big deal about finally putting it on a chain and wearing it? Well, you've got to start somewhere. I have had pagan leanings since I was a senior in high school. 

Does the whole world know? Not until this post they do. 

I am I going to come out and tell everybody? Not right now (we can get to why another time). But by wearing this symbol it is a little baby step closer. 

Will I wear it everyday? Probably not. Mostly because it is a little bigger than I like for necklaces. It feels a little chunky to wear all the time. Maybe I can find one that is smaller. 

I have a Celtic knot pendent that I have been wearing for years. I really love it and I don't think that  it is going to be replaced any time soon. But it might be nice to have something to rotate it with.

Are the necklaces or the symbols really all that important?  Not really. It is the feelings and ideas that the mean to the person wearing them. But it is nice sometimes to have a physical reminder.

And the question on the minds of everybody reading this: why did you bother to do a big long post on the subject of one pendent? It is nice to get it out in the open and out of my mind. This is a "Looking Glass" after all. 

Fighting Birds

So, I saw something really cool yesterday. I was sitting outside and heard some really loud squawking. I happened to look up at just the right moment. To my surprise, I saw a hawk being chased off a branch by two little birds. The two little birds flew after the hawk and chased it over the top of the house. I find it amazing that two little birds would take on a hawk that is twice their size. I am quite sure that if one of those birds were on its own, that hawk would have to trouble taking it down. I wonder if they were protecting chicks or something.

I suppose that for a moment we can get philosophical. This could be an illustration of being able to take on something bigger than yourself with the help of friends. Friends often seem to make us braver than we are alone. We are more willing to take on our troubles if there is someone by our side. Even if that person is only there to offer a shoulder to lean on or to give advice. Or is willing to fight off something that can rip you apart.

Anyway, I thought that I would share. Isn't nature awesome?

First Post

Hello world!

I thought that I might create a little corner of the Internet just for me. I suppose the first post of a blog should tell a bit about the author.

Lets see... I'm a 20 something teacher currently looking for work...sigh... hopefully something will come up soon. Anyway, I enjoy reading. I read a lot... manga, sci-fi/fantasy, I have even been branching out into romance and some non-fiction stuff. I cross-stitch and would like to start doing more craft stuff.  What else... right now not a whole lot. Up to this point I have been spending a lot of time working. I guess if people would like more information they can ask.

Why the name Looking Glass? Actually, I have a horrible time naming things. The name actually came to me in a flash, which really sounds silly. But it sounds nice and hopefully will give me some inspiration.

What will I be posting? At the moment, it will be a mixture of whatever strikes my fancy. It might be weird, but I decided to this with no clear topic in mind. Have to see what comes up.

Not sure if anybody will read this, but at least I have started. Keeping my fingers crossed that I will remember to post!