This article by Dr. Stephen Cowen is profound. It talks about what he wishes every parent knew when raising a child. I think it is an article to remind yourself not only about your kids but about who you are...
Read it here...
What 11 things do you wish everyone knew?
DM
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
How Wiccans do it...
This was a nice article about what Wiccans actually do in circles... I thought it was timely considering the 10 spiritual diseases article. What do you actually believe and does your service or church provide that to you?
Read it here....by Annie Finch
DM
Read it here....by Annie Finch
DM
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
10 diseases you could spiritually catch!
Great Article on being spiritual and some misconceptions in being spiritual...By Mariana Caplan...
Tell me...are you guilty of any of these?
DM
Tell me...are you guilty of any of these?
DM
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Blessed Beltane
Beltane, for me at this time, has been difficult and filled with family obligations. My hubby and I are trying to break out of some bad habits that have hindered progress on the house and yard and we are trying to not let it drown us.
As for circles, it hasn't happened the way I wanted it to. I really wanted to go and meet some new pagans but my sisters needed time too - so I chose to see my sisters and we did an impromptu circle/sharing time on the beach...and then we went to a Japanese hibachi restaurant for dinner and that was our Beltane fire. It was a wonderful afternoon (plus SAKE!)
The next day we had the Maypole at my church but we opened it up to kids...no circle...no sacred time...and the energy of children (even tho I love it) is not the energy I wanted for the circle. The ribbons were braided and wishes were made but it wasn't the same as a full circle of sharing energy and love.
Allison Leigh Lilly wrote about Beltane and how to have it sex-free. To me this article is a reminder that it is about the moments of life and that every holiday has a deeper and different meaning. Its not always about the sex or the grand circles and bonfires...sometimes its about putting your feet in the ocean and handing a ribbon to a toddler...
Enjoy!!
Blessed Beltane and Happy Spring!
DM
As for circles, it hasn't happened the way I wanted it to. I really wanted to go and meet some new pagans but my sisters needed time too - so I chose to see my sisters and we did an impromptu circle/sharing time on the beach...and then we went to a Japanese hibachi restaurant for dinner and that was our Beltane fire. It was a wonderful afternoon (plus SAKE!)
The next day we had the Maypole at my church but we opened it up to kids...no circle...no sacred time...and the energy of children (even tho I love it) is not the energy I wanted for the circle. The ribbons were braided and wishes were made but it wasn't the same as a full circle of sharing energy and love.
Allison Leigh Lilly wrote about Beltane and how to have it sex-free. To me this article is a reminder that it is about the moments of life and that every holiday has a deeper and different meaning. Its not always about the sex or the grand circles and bonfires...sometimes its about putting your feet in the ocean and handing a ribbon to a toddler...
Enjoy!!
Blessed Beltane and Happy Spring!
DM
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
The Gods...they are a-changing...
Its funny. I have been thinking of this more and more. The Gods of old are around but they have changed from what they were in ancient times. They have come a long way to help guide us. I am not talking about Athena on a cell phone but more of interpreting all sides of the Gods for our day and age.
Let me give you an example: I have been honoring Hera, as my personal Goddess lately. She is queen of the family. We always see her in the old stories as a shrew of a wife, angry at Zeus' transgressions...but we have never really heard about how she interacts with her children (except Hephaestus and, really, every mother has been annoyed that their kids didn't turn out to be what they wanted...it doesn't mean they don't love them). We also haven't really heard about what she was like BEFORE Zeus "took" her. We only ever hear that she is mad, angry, jealous. Well, you would be pretty pissed off if anything anyone knew of you was just the story of how you got married!
I see Hera is a compassionate Goddess. She is Earth. She loves the sea and sky. She knows the darkness of death and rebirth. She is wisdom and she is a feminist. I think that this is why she is so angry. She knows that her stories were co-opted by Zeus and the men of that age. She is Athena's mother (sprung out of Zeus' head...really?) She is sister to Aphrodite (or maybe Hera is another side of the sexiness). She is Mother. She knows where things come from and she tries to be good to her children. She gets lost in her work...and she is frustrated easily. This is one Goddess who isn't afraid to show that she is pissy.
The Hera you see in Disney's Heracles isn't a bitchy woman who makes her stepson do chores to appease her. The Hera you see is a loving mother of her son (a son who was stolen from her and she is in mourning for most of the movie). At the end of the movie tells him how proud she is of what he has done (you don't hear any of the Greek stories telling you that!)
The point I am trying to make is that The Gods are not set in stone. They are guides that can be reborn to help us now. Jason Mankey writes about this and the new conclusions that he has found about Pan in Raise the Horns here.
What new interpretations of the Gods do you have?
DM
Let me give you an example: I have been honoring Hera, as my personal Goddess lately. She is queen of the family. We always see her in the old stories as a shrew of a wife, angry at Zeus' transgressions...but we have never really heard about how she interacts with her children (except Hephaestus and, really, every mother has been annoyed that their kids didn't turn out to be what they wanted...it doesn't mean they don't love them). We also haven't really heard about what she was like BEFORE Zeus "took" her. We only ever hear that she is mad, angry, jealous. Well, you would be pretty pissed off if anything anyone knew of you was just the story of how you got married!
I see Hera is a compassionate Goddess. She is Earth. She loves the sea and sky. She knows the darkness of death and rebirth. She is wisdom and she is a feminist. I think that this is why she is so angry. She knows that her stories were co-opted by Zeus and the men of that age. She is Athena's mother (sprung out of Zeus' head...really?) She is sister to Aphrodite (or maybe Hera is another side of the sexiness). She is Mother. She knows where things come from and she tries to be good to her children. She gets lost in her work...and she is frustrated easily. This is one Goddess who isn't afraid to show that she is pissy.
The Hera you see in Disney's Heracles isn't a bitchy woman who makes her stepson do chores to appease her. The Hera you see is a loving mother of her son (a son who was stolen from her and she is in mourning for most of the movie). At the end of the movie tells him how proud she is of what he has done (you don't hear any of the Greek stories telling you that!)
The point I am trying to make is that The Gods are not set in stone. They are guides that can be reborn to help us now. Jason Mankey writes about this and the new conclusions that he has found about Pan in Raise the Horns here.
What new interpretations of the Gods do you have?
DM
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Prayers
Our Mother whose body is the Earth,
Blessed are you,
And blessed are all the fruits of your womb.
You give us this day our daily bread,
And we share it with others.
Our Mother whose body is the Earth,
We love you with all our hearts,
And our neighbors as ourselves.
By Carol Christ
*************
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and
give strength to body and soul."
By John Muir
*************
I salute the moon whenever I see him, like a lover being recognized with an airy kiss. He shines down brightly, like hope from heaven.
I lie out beneath a vast blanket of stars and feel grateful to have ever been born. Being alive feels so good it hurts.
I pour libations – effervescent, sanguine, and enthusiastic. I set apart who and what I love and remember them forever.
I greet the dead throughout the day and hold close the living always. I revel in the bonds of camaraderie.
The gods and spirits watch me, some curious, others playful, all loving in their own ways. All stupefyingly beautiful.
I run and sing, laugh and dance, make music and art, and fuck like my life depends on it – it does. Love makes the heart sing.
I don’t have a church, or an dogma, or a stately forbearance or respectability. I’m just one man who loves to be alive.
I don’t want to be dead, but I wouldn’t mind it – I don’t want to live forever. I just want to live right now, for as long as that lasts.
I guess that makes me human. So if people ask what religion is he, tell them that my religion is life well lived – through love and ecstatic joy.
- David's Creed, Found on Rogue Priest
*************
Amazing Grace! How sweet the Earth
That formed a Witch like me
I once was burned, now I survive
Was hanged, but now I sing.
Twas grace that drew down the moon to me
And grace that raised the sea
The magick of the people's will
Will set our Mother free!
Amazing Grace! How sweet the Earth
That formed a Witch like me
I once was burned, but now I thrive
Was hanged but now I sing.
Amazing Grace, Rewritten By Margot Adler
*************
What are your prayers? Please share them here (and if anyone knows David, please contact me so he may receive full credit for his work)
*************
By John Muir
I salute the moon whenever I see him, like a lover being recognized with an airy kiss. He shines down brightly, like hope from heaven.
I lie out beneath a vast blanket of stars and feel grateful to have ever been born. Being alive feels so good it hurts.
I pour libations – effervescent, sanguine, and enthusiastic. I set apart who and what I love and remember them forever.
I greet the dead throughout the day and hold close the living always. I revel in the bonds of camaraderie.
The gods and spirits watch me, some curious, others playful, all loving in their own ways. All stupefyingly beautiful.
I run and sing, laugh and dance, make music and art, and fuck like my life depends on it – it does. Love makes the heart sing.
I don’t have a church, or an dogma, or a stately forbearance or respectability. I’m just one man who loves to be alive.
I don’t want to be dead, but I wouldn’t mind it – I don’t want to live forever. I just want to live right now, for as long as that lasts.
I guess that makes me human. So if people ask what religion is he, tell them that my religion is life well lived – through love and ecstatic joy.
- David's Creed, Found on Rogue Priest
*************
Amazing Grace! How sweet the Earth
That formed a Witch like me
I once was burned, now I survive
Was hanged, but now I sing.
Twas grace that drew down the moon to me
And grace that raised the sea
The magick of the people's will
Will set our Mother free!
Amazing Grace! How sweet the Earth
That formed a Witch like me
I once was burned, but now I thrive
Was hanged but now I sing.
Amazing Grace, Rewritten By Margot Adler
*************
What are your prayers? Please share them here (and if anyone knows David, please contact me so he may receive full credit for his work)
*************
Thursday, January 24, 2013
What is February 1st?
Some call it Imbolc...Some call it Candlemas...Some call it Groundhog Day...
Imbolc is a funny sort of holiday on the wheel and its getting a bit of attention on the interwebs this week. Here is a great article from Jason Mankey on what Imbolc means to him.
Religion is about choices. You can choose to have faith or not. The Gods will still be there...waiting. Which also means you can choose to have your circles your way...or not. It doesn't make you less "witchy", it actually makes circles all the more special when you get to them.
Have a wonderful Imbolc (or not!)
Peace,
DM
Imbolc is a funny sort of holiday on the wheel and its getting a bit of attention on the interwebs this week. Here is a great article from Jason Mankey on what Imbolc means to him.
*************
What I find interesting about this (and some of the other articles I have seen on Patheos) is that we are coming to the conclusion that Imbolc is a personal holiday. The sabbats all have a solid meaning but when it comes to "Spring Cleaning" isn't it really just about what YOU need? Yes, you can craft a circle on just about any subject but your coven isn't going to clean out your closet for you. Only you can see the dust-mites and skeletons in there. Brigid may not be your personal Goddess (She is the patron of Imbolc - if you follow the Celtic Calendar) but you still need to make goals for the year. February is a good time for that...to light a candle and to clean or prep. Just because you aren't melting snow and having cheese doesn't mean that you can't have an Imbolc Circle...or maybe you need a break from the circles (for me personally that is this time as well as Lammas...when I take time to reflect and see where I am going and what I hope to work on this coming year).Religion is about choices. You can choose to have faith or not. The Gods will still be there...waiting. Which also means you can choose to have your circles your way...or not. It doesn't make you less "witchy", it actually makes circles all the more special when you get to them.
Have a wonderful Imbolc (or not!)
Peace,
DM
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