In the premodern world, ritual was not the product of religious ideas; on the contrary, these ideas were the product of ritual.

- Me

Mother Earth, Beloved Garden

I attended my local UU church’s outdoor service/picnic today, held in a pavilion next to the beach. And as I had been doing the past few weeks, I asked around to see if there might be any parishioners interested in opening a CUUPs (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) chapter at the church. And before the service begun, I briefly glanced at the song printouts and noticed one song was distinctly Pagan, due to addressing the 5 elements of earth, air, fire, water and spirit. (The lyrics are below.) But when we sang it, I noticed that the song wasn’t just Pagan. But distinctly Wiccan. I think this church is going to be a good fit. Mother Earth, Beloved Garden Mother Earth, beloved garden Living treasure under foot, All our days you ground our being: Sage and thistle, grass and root. Herbs to heal us, plants to feed us, Land to till and tend and plow. With the pendant, deep as midnight, North we ask you: be here now. Father Air, your inspiration Holds together all that lives As we breathe, our minds see clearly, Leading us to love and give. Raging whirlwind, whispered breezes, Violent gale and gentle cloud. With the blade as sharp as morning, East we ask you: be here now. Brother Fire, great transformer, Share the passion of the sun. In our hearths, your warmth revives us, Cooks our food and heats our homes. Flaming candle, blood within us, Blazing desert, will to grow. With the wand, directing power, South we ask you: be here now. Sister Water, ever flowing Ocean, river, pond and rain. Drink we now and quench our thirsting; Cleanse us, we begin again. Mist and ice, a host of changes: All that courage will allow With the cup, the holy chalice, West we ask you: be here now. Lover Spirit, intuition In the centre of our souls In your love we find relation. All connected, we are whole. Timeless mystery, quiet conscience, Deepest values, voice inside. With the drum and with the cauldron, This we ask you: be here now

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning.

- Me

I think in most cases…or even all…love should trump logic.

- Me

The DYI nature of Pagan spirituality

Since much of Paganism is largely unstructured, compared to the larger religions, each individual Pagan is more responsible for their spirituality. This is both a boon and a bane. But mostly a boon. Larger religions serve their adherents a ready-made meal. But Pagans must shop or grow their ingredients, search for or come up with the own recipes, and cook their meal theirselves. The Pagan’s resulting “meal” ends up being more personal, and in theory, more fulfilling. And Pagan organizations do best when they act as a communal “kitchen,” providing recipe ideas and ingredients. Or like a ceramics studio, providing the tools, clay, kiln and paint, but leaving each individual Pagan responsible for the final product.

My view of religions and spiritualities: There are many ships doing their best to appreciate, explore and survive the Ocean of Mystery on which they float.

- Me

Am I a humanist that loves religions? Or a religionist that loves humanity?

- Me

The world is my holy book. And every person, animal, plant and rock is a verse.

- Me

A wonderful video of a fellow Pagan's spiritual journey

What a wonderful story and video. As I've found with many Pagans, he and I have similar paths. And I like the idea of writing a spiritual biography and videotaping it to share with the world. Think I might do it myself!

The task of religion is to help us live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there are no easy explanations.

This is a quote by the spiritual author Karen Armstrong. And though she was talking about religion in general, I have always felt that it ESPECIALLY applies to Paganism.

Some describe Paganism as a nature-loving spirituality. My Paganism is a universe-loving spirituality.

- Me