Do you often wish to see magical beings? Well they’re everywhere. They’re called “Human Beings.”

- Me

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

- Me

The case against metaphysical exploration

Just about every day, I stop in my local Goodwill book shop. If I’m lucky, I can usually find 5-10 books related to some spiritual subject. And of course I come across a ton of New Age books. Especially those dealing with some form of connecting to some higher vibration or intelligence. Now, I’ve dabbled in a few of these kind of books. And I’ve found most of them valuable. However, I attribute that to being pretty discriminating in what I read. For example, a few months ago, I read the reincarnation classic “Journey of Souls.” And in it I found an explanation of life, the universe and everything, that that has made the most sense to me. In it, multiple people went through past life regressions under hypnosis, and all painted a picture of the reality between lives. And one thing they say is that we go through multiple lives on this planet…and others…in order to learn lessons, overcome challenges, and progress spiritually. And often we take on one challenge or lesson at a time. And we choose earthly-life circumstances (with our spiritual guide’s help) that will help us best take on that challenge or lesson. So for example, during a break between lives, in order to learn patience and forbearance, we may choose to be born in a particularly challenging life of some sort. Now I’m not saying I belive this 100%. But I am more comfortable with the thought that my life is challenging because I chose a challenging life, rather than my life being challenging because some supreme being deemed it so. Or because this world is a “fallen” world. Also, I grew up Christian, and for most of my life assumed I was going to heaven and would see the loved ones that passed before me. But as I grew older, I believed less and less in the afterlife. Well, even though I do fear that my consciousness will cease at death, I still hope that this is not the case. And when I hear sensible…and compassionate explanations of the afterlife, I have more hope. Of course such explanations are not empirically provable. But I’ve recently been trying to give the universe the benefit of the doubt. And I’m consciously…and humbly… accepting that there may be things going on that are beyond our senses and understanding. In other words, I still want to believe in magic. And though my atheist friends would disagree, I find life in this world more fulfilling that way. This “learn a lesson” outlook has had another effect. It makes me wonder what my lesson…or lessons might be. For example, in this stage in my life I believe I need to learn to be more patient with my wife…and my coworkers. AND I believe this patience must largely be learned by every day, down to earth means. That means willpower. That means perseverance. That means soul searching. Or counting to ten. Or talking a peaceful walk on the beach. Now those in other religions might turn to means outside this mundane reality to learn patience. Christians might pray to God and ask him to grant them patience. Pagans might do some kind of patience spell or meditation. And New Agers might hold some kind of crystal. And I don’t fault any of that. But lately, I myself have been thinking in this fashion. IF we chose to incarnate specifically on this earth to learn a batch of lessons, then we must have done so because there are things on this earth that we cannot experience beyond this earth or between lives. And my theory I that those things are both the beauty…and challenges…of a limited, physical reality. Thus, since we chose a physical world as a classroom, our best option to learning our lessons is through physical means. Now this doesn’t mean I’m against prayer, meditation, magic or the like. But I wonder if we depend touch on any of these means, we’re missing the whole point of incarnating into a physical world. Back to the New Age books. Yes, I’ve read a few. And most of them have helped me. But since many of them theorize…or may even get right…the metaphysical makeup of the reality behind our reality, to me, delving into these theories too much is kinda akin to “cheating.” I’m not the first to think this way, but I sometimes think of life as a game. A particularly challenging game. And often, when we come up against hardship, we want some help. If we’re playing a video game, we might look up hints in a strategy guide. But, if we don’t get too many hints, it might not ruin the overall experience of the game. But, some of us find and enter a cheat code that might make our game character invincible. Well, what’s the point of that? Same with life. If somehow, we really did clue into such magical powers as flight, telekinesis, clairvoyance or alchemy, we could probably live an easier life. But what if we purposely chose a challenging life..and also purposely forgot that we did so in order to keep it challenging? Yes, many people turn to these kind of books… be they religious, spiritual, Pagan or New Age books…because they are sad, anxious, or just lost. And I don’t fault them. This life can be tough, and as long as it harms none, I believe people can turn to whatever helps. But for those who feel that they have it pretty good…what about facing life on life’s terms. Not explore the underpinnings. When you’re decided to play a particular game, it only makes sense to play by that game’s rules. And knowing who created the game, or the reason behind the game, isn’t really going to help you win the game. I know this is all a little New-Agey itself. And like I said before, this is just a metaphysical model that I am currently comfortable with. But I wonder if anybody else gets this, whether you belive in multiple lives or not.

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

This earth which is spread out like a map around me is but the lining of my inmost soul exposed.

- Henry David Thoreau

What if our patron deity is really our spirit guide through and between multiple lives?

Yes, this is a bit “New Agey,” and may turn off some pagans (and non pagans as well). Also I’m not 100% convinced of reincarnation (or anything spiritual for that matter), but for now I’m going with it.
I’ve been a devotee of Brighid on and off. But if Brighid is just the form that my guide has taken (and taken other forms in the past, like Mary, Kali, Saraswati, etc.) I’ve always been a devotee.

I’ve been in an “on” phase with Brighid these past few months. But then I started reading Dr. Michael Newton’s book “Journey of Souls” which talks about how we all have a “Guide” that accompanies us throughout our lives, and between them. And I thought, what if Brighid is my Guide, or my Guide is Brighid, or is sometimes in the form of Brighid?

And yes, this naturally creates a non-worshipy relationship. More like a best friend, or a big sister or aunt, or college advisor.

I was thinking about this last night during this meditation. Have I known Brighid through many lifetimes? Have we shared wonderful moments between lives? When I head off to a new incarnation, is there a sad farewell? And a joyful reunion when I return? Is she overjoyed when I occasionally pierce through the veil of this illusionary world and “talk” to her? And is she a bit sad when I forget her weeks, months, or years on end? Does she wince when I go through necessary trials in this life that are teaching me the lessons that she and I set up before this incarnation?

All just thoughts. And pleasant ones at that.

Alright pagan alchemists. Here’s a challenge for you. How can we infuse value into those who feel valueless?

- Me

If I had to narrow my Pagan spirituality down to one word, it would probably be "beauty"

I have explored and participated in many paths. And the one thing I appreciate about Paganism is that it takes the world as it is. And to me, the world is largely “beautiful.”

Yes, nature is a big part of Paganism, and my own personal paganism. But what do I get out of nature? Yes, there is wisdom and balance. But there is chiefly beauty. I also get the sense that Paganism is a very sensual religion. There is much to please the eyes, be it candles, color, magical tools, statues or drinking in a sunset. And music, poetry and the sounds of nature for the ears. And so on with touch, taste, and smell…swimming in the ocean, incense, good food and drink, dirt under our feet, wind in our hair, sun on our skin.

And there is beauty in each other. All of us, deep down, are beautiful in our own way. Even if it’s buried under a thick layer of fear and hate. We find beauty in talking and listening and dancing together.

I guess I’m saying that I feel that Pagans enjoy this world. Not think that it is evil, broken, or flawed. We’re not (necessarily) trying to figure everything out. Or make some strict divine being happy. Or convince others of our views.

We're just trying enjoy life as much as we can.

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.

Idea for a Pagan holiday slogan

You know the Christmas slogan "Jesus is the reason for the season?" Well, what would be a good slogan for Pagans to use during Yule? Or any of the holidays or seasons? Because we are so tied to the four seasons, and celebrate all of them, how about these slogans? The season is the reason for the season Or The season is reason enough Think I’m going to mock up designs and put them on T-shirts in time for Yule. Or even in time for Samhain. Maybe make one for each season, and use colors and plants related to that season.

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

Plaque at an arboretum with Darwin’s idea of the “Tree of Life”

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1xhCGAQ