I think we have some pagans living in our part of town. Several, actually – and not all in one big, leafy communal house, either. They’re sprinkled about the neighborhood like elf-dust.

Which is fine.

Pagans on the whole are a fairly interesting if occasionally goofy set of folks – whereas I’m just sour-tempered and my car is ugly and smashed into the backyard fence at a comical angle on a bed of empty beer cans. By comparison, “occasionally goofy” isn’t a bad thing at all. Most of the “goofy” part comes via the names the pagans adopt to replace their given names.

“Chuck” and “Donna” and “Todd,” for example, might well have become, in their new pagan guises, “Stormlight,” “Ravenwidow” and, well, “Todd,” who wanted to change his name to “Celtic Dragon-Lord” but his wife had just given him a box of thank-you cards embossed with “Todd” and so “Celtic Dragon Lord” will have to wait until the cards are used up.

Anyhoo, it’s true I’m interested in what will happen as Spring draws nigh. The first day of this impending season is also known to pagans as the Vernal Equinox or, even more pagan-y, Ostara – and is cause for much ritual and rejoicing.
——- Read More——- http://www.theday.com/article/20100309/ENT07/303099971

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-Bahá’u'lláh

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Let Us Rise Up and Be Thankful

Buddha

Let us rise up and be thankful,
for if we didn’t learn a lot today,
at least we learned a little,
and if we didn’t learn a little,
at least we didn’t get sick,
and if we got sick,
at least we didn’t die;
so let us all be thankful.

A Prayer to Start the Day

-Ceisiwr Serith

Mother of All, Father of All:
as I go through the day,
keep my eyes open wide.
May I not miss beauty.
May I not miss joy.
May I not miss wonder.
Keep me awake and aware of the world.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100308/world/nigeria_unrest

It’s been a long time, and I am oddly VERY nervous. I think mainly because I feel awkward about what I’m wearing. Do I wear jeans? Long paisley skirt? If I wear a skirt, do I wear stockings? Open toed shoes? Closed toed heeled? Closed toed, almost loafer like…. and then if I wear THOSE, can I WEAR a skirt?

I’m not dressing to impress anyone else. Im not thinking of what I would look best in, but more along the lines of ‘what is appropriate’. I don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

Also, I have a bad habit of over swallowing when I’m nervous. This results in a very dry throat. Then I begin to over swallow more because my throat is dry. Before I know it, I’m coughing and choking. One thing that always helps when I’m out and about is chewing gum. From what I remember, gum chewing is not acceptable in church. Perhaps I can just toss it in my mouth and NOT chew it? LOL The random scattered thoughts floating about my brain.

I hope that the Adam and Eve story doesn’t come up. That one is a hard pill for me to swallow. For the most part, anything else that I read or hear, I can just interpret it from a Gnostic angle. But when they tell the story of eating that apple… how their desire to ‘become like Gods’ being the beginning of the end for us, I want to say… Hey! It is called AWAKENING! If we slumber in paradise, then how do we ever wake up and discover our true origins?… Something along those lines.

So, I will sit, and contemplate and maybe sing. I will just try to feel the collective energy and see if it is a place that I can spend a few Sundays. I would like to get out to Victoria monthly for the AJC service at Regina Coeli. Perhaps that is something that I can put into motion in the near future. Littlest D is sleeping alot better at night most of the time, so it might be doable to hop on a Greyhound for the night and come back right after the Sunday service.

Well, now I’m off to finish getting ready… must stare at the shoes a wee bit longer and see which ones will be the lucky pair to attend church today.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Angry crowds in a seaside slum attacked a group of Voodoo practitioners Tuesday, pelting them with rocks and halting a ceremony meant to honor victims of last month’s deadly earthquake.Voodooists gathered in Cite Soleil where thousands of quake survivors live in tents and depend on food aid. Praying and singing, the group was trying to conjure spirits to guide lost souls when a crowd of Evangelicals started shouting. Some threw rocks while others urinated on Voodoo symbols. When police left, the crowd destroyed the altars and Voodoo offerings of food and rum.

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You know, it’s actions like that which reflect so badly on Christian denominations. It was stories such as that one that prompted me away from a Christian path in the first place.

I now  realize that not all Christians are like that , and that the acts of the stupid, which stand out in such ugliness are NOT a testament to the beliefs of all those who truly consider themselves a follower of the word of Christ. Unfortunately however, there is still much discrimination when it comes to alternate spiritual practices. The “My way is the ONLY way” is ridiculous.

I think quite often about the origins of the bible. What the original writings were like when they started out as the Torah, in Hebrew. Then they were re-organized and added to in order to become an Old Testament which ‘paved the way’ for the Messiah to come in to the world in the New Testament.

Why people think they should use the Word of God to discriminate, and propagate hate and fear  is beyond me. What would Jesus do?

I wanted to attend this church, but I had the need to contact the Reverend, tell him what I was about, and ask him if I could find a place there to spend some of my Sundays. After a few casual emails, I told him I am a Gnostic, I told him that it is my most sincere wish to become ordained into the Gnostic Priesthood one day. He replied very kindly, stating something along the lines that he was quite sure that with all the diversity God created with the people, that everyone was bound to have their own connection with Him. What was true for one, would not be for another , and did it really matter? Most often in life, people do not actually agree with us, and that rather than it be a problem, it should be looked at as a unique flavour that can be brought to the table. Well, I thought that was quite nice. Of course, I haven’t actually gone yet. But I will be going this Sunday.

I also have been in contact with the Reverend from our local United Church. She is very nice and accepting also. Originally, I had not even thought of going to an Anglican church, but I felt drawn to give it a try. So perhaps I will alternate weekends?

Here is a very not great pic of the prayer room we are creating in what is now a garage.

Now, if you can imagine the altar, candles lit, lights out, incense going, and light background music of either Quiet Heart/Spirit Wind, or Music for Compline, then maybe you can get a better idea of how nice this actually is for me

So many paths to the Divine.  This is the one that is beckoning me.

Unstoppable.
Because it feels like your heart is breaking.
Sure… if it was your husband, you could just wipe away the tears, pack up and move on.
But it’s your son.

It’s really strange how fluidly the mingling of  Witch into Esoteric Christian/Hermetic Gnostic  has taken place. At first I felt that combining the two wasn’t feasible. I’m so silly. (ok, wait, did I say TWO? )It was one or the other. But I realize that that is not quite true. Mainly because the Craft has always been alot about Myth, and also about a Divine Energy which pervades all. Of course, it depends on who you talk to in the Gnostic Community, or in the Magic Community, but for the most part, both perspectives can co-exist quite well. In fact, especially in the area of Hermetics,there are many connections with Gnosticism. And let’s face it, the Craft, in the form of good ol GBG is a DEFINITE version of Golden Dawn type workings. Just more earth based and slightly watered down. (a bit less work-actually, a LOT less work).
I was reading The Hymn of the Pearl last night, after my Compline. There really are alot of beautiful writings in the Gnostic Bible. I’m glad I decided to get it. It really does make for a nice read.
All for now, off to tidy up before the kids wake up from their naps!