Find Religion

Thanksgiving this year is bittersweet. We had the loss of several friends this year leaving loving spouses behind to continue on. My heart goes out to these friends and comrades in life that have lost the most significant person in their worlds. I am thankful that I have not only my memory but my husband’s & children’s memories of cherished vacations & holidays. I can’t imagine the loss it must be to lose someone who is the other half of all your struggles and triumphs in life! What a bleak place to be!

This Thanksgiving I am going to hold my kids longer and tighter and gaze into my husband’s eyes deeply, and treasure the simple pleasure of our company, our traditions and our ongoing love. It is these simple things that bring me joy, gratitude and fulfillment. I wish you and yours a day full of love, tenderness, thoughfullness, gratitude and a whole cornucopia of the things that truly fill and sustain our lives.

Ask anybody what they are thankful for and in the top 3 answers you will find ‘Family’ universally is what gives our lives most meaning and fulfillment. As a wife, I am grateful to my hardworking and loving husband. As a mother, I am grateful for my healthy, happy children. These are the things that give my life meaning & joy! I was so happy to marry my husband after a passionate four year relationship. Marriage for us was the comfort & security we wanted and needed in our relationship to let our hair down a bit, so to speak and unfold together on our journey together thru life.  We as humans are social creatures. To find ultimate happiness we have to have the equation of a partner. That is just how we are built. It’s not difficult to understand. This rings true for any level headed, even minded person.

This Thanksgiving I’d like to ask you to think about the millions of people in our own nation that don’t have the equal birthright to ‘..life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…’, that the heterosexual community enjoys without a second thought. I want you to think about this, “What do we gain in denying same sex couples who just want the same comforts life affords us?” Furthermore and more importantly, “What do we gain in supporting millions of people to have a secure and fulfilling life with a partner of their choice; such as my husband and I have the luxury to decide for ourselves? We all have more in common than not, no matter our race, culture or sexual orientation. The time for same sex marriage is now. Who are we (you) to deny these people their comfort, love, family & happiness? It is just plain anti-American to block something so fundamental to our own personal satisfaction as choosing and marrying a mate. To deny another human something so intrinsic to their satisfaction with life signifies troubling stunting in the growth of a spiritual being as an individual and is anti-harmony with the way humanity was created. To afford everyone their rights in this country is going to make us stronger as a nation as gays find personal satisfaction and acceptance in the community. This builds stronger lives, families & communities. If you cannot see this reality, you have mis-interpreted what it means to be an American and need to re-examine what motivates your desire to harm many instead of letting others seek harmony.

If you’d like to support Let California Ring or read more information on this important and fundamental issue please visit  http://www.letcaliforniaring.org/

The most famous of all effigy mounds is the Great Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio. It spans 1,330 feet in length along its coils and averaging three feet in height.
Atop a plateau overlooking the Brush Creek Valley, Serpent Mound is the largest and finest serpent effigy in the United States. Nearly a quarter of a mile long, Serpent Mound apparently represents an uncoiling serpent. The construction of effigy mounds was a regional cultural phenomenon. Mounds of earth in the shapes of birds, bear, deer, bison, lynx, turtle, panther or water spirit are the most common images.
In the late nineteenth-century Harvard University archaeologist Frederic Ward Putnam excavated Serpent Mound and attributed it’s creation of the to the builders of the two nearby burial mounds, which he also excavated. We now refer to this culture as the Adena (800 BC-AD 100). A third burial mound at the park and a village site near the effigy’s tail belong to the Fort Ancient culture (AD 1000-1550).
A more recent excavation of Serpent Mound revealed wood charcoal that could be radiocarbon dated. Test results show that the charcoal dates to the Fort Ancient culture. This new evidence of the serpent’s creators links the effigy to the elliptical mound and the village rather than the conical burial mounds.
The head of the serpent is aligned to the summer solstice sunset and the coils also may point to the winter solstice sunrise and the equinox sunrise. Today, visitors may walk along a footpath surrounding the serpent and experience the mystery and power of this monumental effigy. A public park for more than a century, Serpent Mound attracts visitors from all over the world. The museum contains exhibits on the effigy mound and the geology of the surrounding area.

Visit the National Parks Service website for tourist and other information.

http://www.nps.gov/efmo/index.htm

The Effigy Mound Culture extends from Dubuque, Iowa, north into southeast Minnesota, across southern Wisconsin from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan, and along the Wisconsin-Illinois boundary. The counties of Dubuque, Clayton, and Allamakee contain almost all the effigy mounds found in Iowa

This is a description from wikipedia that I thought is an interesting read. Enjoy.

Goddess worship is a general description for the veneration of a female deity or deities. Many New Age Goddess devotees prefer the term goddess spirituality, avoiding the term “worship” for a faith that does not distance the Divine into a remote, hierarchical separation. Goddess veneration may be also used instead of “worship”, as it can imply respect and intimacy without undue deference. In such contexts, “spirituality” is often preferred to “religion” because major organised religions have not recognized the concept of a goddess, or goddesses, with the notable exception of Hinduism.

Goddess worship can be conservative, supporting male dominance, state control, and empire building; or it can be feminist, challenging those all patriarchal traditions. It can and usually does support women’s ancient, natural spiritual authority. In Western society goddess worship has developed into a distinct culture since the mid-19th century. Goddess worship is not necessarily feminist, though in Western societies the feminist version is probably the most articulate.

Modern day Goddess temples and churches in many forms are currently in operation all over the world. Some are small circles in (usually) women’s homes, and some are larger, federally registered non-profit churches that offer Sunday services like many other “traditional” churches. The first such modern church generally recognized is The Goddess Temple of Orange County, in Irvine, California. Usually, the services in such circles and churches is eclectic, and emphasizes a spirit of sharing of wisdom, rather than a leader lecturing a passive congregation.

Some goddess circles/churches/temples are “woman only” and others serve mixed groups. Women-only groups generally prefer to celebrate the Goddess in woman-only space for many reasons: 1) women hold a different frequency from men; 2) women cannot heal together from the ills of patriarchy while under the “male gaze.” 3) goddess celebration is usually and naturally woman-centered, and the “blood mysteries” of females is an essential part of this form of spirituality; men, with different bodies, cannot truly share in this form of spirituality, so dependent upon “body knowing”.

Pagan and Neopagan religions or denominations generally recognise goddess worship as one of their few areas of consensus. However, not all goddess worship is Pagan. More Christians are recognizing the Mary’s as goddesses, both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. The Jewish faith recognizes “Shekhinah.”

The female deity may be referred to in all inclusive terms, such as “The Great Goddess” or “Queen of Heaven”, or she may be referred to in more specific terms: Kali, Isis, or Kwan Yin. Frequently, because of her many names, she is known as “She of Ten Thousand Names.”

Some authors, the most notable of whom is Marija Gimbutas, believe goddess worship started in prehistoric times. They believe that artifacts from that period, such as the “Venus of Willendorf”, may be representations of power goddesses]]. However, it is difficult to prove the role of these artifacts conclusively as evidence surrounding their place in their society is scanty. Male scholars including Peter Ucko have asserted that the figurines in question were territorial markers, toys, sex aids, sex education models, and images of priestesses rather than goddesses. Those who hold, as Gimbutas did, that these ancient images are of the Female Divine believe that archaeology is a patriarchal and male-dominated field, which tends to belittle and trivialize what was an ancient, worldwide general religion honoring the Female Principle.

Those who are of Goddess Spirituality generally believe that Goddess religion is the root of all other religions, since cave paintings and etchings from the Paleolithic Era seem to support the notion that Goddess worship/veneration began at that time in human history. At 30,000 years old, these markings, such as those found at Lascaux, France, are clearly evidence of a form of female oriented worship/celebration much older than all modern day religions, and philosophies such as Buddhism, most of which are less than two to three thousand years old.

Trees are the highest form of plant life. They connect humans to the mysteries of life, divinity and transformation. Even their appearance is a lesson in rebirth, renewal and regeneration. In Northern Europe there are designated wish trees. They are successors to ancient pagan tree shrines where people once appealed to the spirit beings connected to the trees for help in solving problems. Today’s wish trees are often adorned with ribbons & offerings.
Spiritual insight can  be achieved through close contact with trees. Many inspirations are born while beneath the limbs of a tree. A consistent belief among some cultures are that a deva or tree spirit, is connected to each tree. Large or old trees are thought to be homes to wise beings. To American Indians, certain trees were allies to whom they could go for help during difficult times.

Trees try so hard to get our attention! Stretching out their limbs and dropping leaves, whistling the wind, hoping we will listen. They are shelter from the sun and from the world. They house and feed insect life, squirrels and birds. They give us the fruit and nuts that make life so wonderful & delightful  with their variety, textures and tastes.

Take time to talk to trees. They are good listeners. Be sure and listen when you ask a question. and trust what you hear.

Today was a unique day in which I attended a funeral of a friend. If being loved is a measure, then his portion is going to be very missed in this world. I learned a lot from this sunshine smile hippie God-loving devoted family man. His death came at age 58; way too soon. He was someone who truly enjoyed his life. He rode his motorcycle to work everyday. He was always happy and so friendly. When I was seriously ill this man made my day with his kindness by giving me some pictures that he had taken & printed off his computer for me. It was the little things he did that meant so much to people. I had never attended a funeral with so many people. There were over 300 people there! The lady who works the counter at the local pizza joint where he would often have lunch even showed up to his funeral! That is someone who has made an impact on even the simple person’s life. It takes someone mighty special to touch so many lives and change them forever. We miss you! Thanks for all the good times, your kindness & generosity and your easy smile! You were your own brand of sunshine!

To balance my day I found out I’m going to be a new auntie! So the cycle continues. As the old and not so old, die away, there is a promise of new, emerging life, right at the brink of it all.

It is important to know that this life is finite. That fact denotes that we are here to do something important and we can’t waste time not getting the important things done. The trick is having your priorities straight and knowing what is important in this life.

Be sure and tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Take a moment and hug your child extra lovingly and extra long! Gaze into your partners eyes and really see them. Call a friend. Find your smile and share it. We can all be heart to heart if we really wanted to be. It all starts with some love in your heart that puts a smile on your face.

One of the great ways to connect with nature is to watch & hear the wind. We live in a valley and everyday like clockwork around 3 p.m. the wind starts up. Not only can I stand outside and hear the wind coming before it gets here but sometimes the wind is so high that it’s only in the treetops and not touching the ground. I have several wind chimes hanging on the porch that signal the wind or a sudden, unexpected storm.

Spiritually or energetically, I love to send heartfelt wishes to my loved ones far away. And I love to send random love & compassion on the wind to find an aching heart of someone in need. Wishing on the wind is a lot like praying but instead of sending it up you send it forward to be caught by an open soul, like an unexpected smile, heart to heart. Try to hear if the wind has a song,  memory,  wish or dream upon it for you. Don’t feel silly doing this. If you do feel silly, so what? Do it anyways! We have more to learn from the foolish than the wise! Emotions are energy in motion and even though they are intangibles, they are very real energies. Use them kindly, use them often and use them compassionately. Like a boomerang, they will find their way back to you.

I have recently began scrap booking for my family, creating heirlooms that will live on and be passed down for generations. I do my task with great love and interruption from my 4 year old daughter. Each time she approaches me I bravely smile and put down my task to turn to her and ask her what can I do for her with a big smile on my face. She interprets my face as a reflection of her own joy, reassured, and goes off for a while to make her way thru her day. I am so glad to be her fount of smiles & encouragement. I know she will also be that for the world. It in these small tasks that we create not only peace in the world, but love, happiness and satisfaction with our lives, flawed as they may be.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field.

I’ll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language- even the phrase “each other” -do not make any sense.

This Rumi poem/prayer of truth is the way we are to approach sacred circle. Empty out so the space can be filled with Her grace. Divine femininity is characteristic by the chalice, the bowl; such as the womb. It is hidden, open & receiving of the abundance that is our birthright. She gathers her knowledge and wisdom not thru words but thru sacred imagery and symbol. This is why creativity is so essential to nurture the spirit. Our creative endeavors are Divinity Herself being made real for all to see. This is why beauty is so important not only to the senses but the sensibilities. We were created for ecstasy and pleasure. Art is the God/dess Herself manifest. I can’t imagine much more exciting than that right now. Go create! Let’s see what She wants to say thru You! This is a challenge. Read the Rumi Poem & begin. Be Inspired!

Email me pictures of your creations so I can show them in a future post. Thanks!

The whole “base” thing when it comes to relationships confuses me a bit. If first base is kissing with your mouth open, what’s holding hands or hugging? Do couples really “stop” at second base at all, or just round about it on the way to third? If you hit a “home run”, does that mean you have to wait for the whole line up to bat before you get another chance again?

So I’m rewriting the base rules. Let’s call “at bat” asking a girl or guy out. Nothing weird there. Instead of the bases representing something physical, however, let’s have them represent all the things you need for the ultimate home run–marriage (or committed partnership if you don’t believe in marriage or can’t get married for whatever reason).

I think first base would represent attraction. That doesn’t just mean physical attraction, although that is a part of it. You can be attracted to someone on many levels–maybe you admire her book smarts. Maybe you think he’s funny. Whatever the reason, without attraction, you’ll be better as just friends. The first-base attraction is the difference between a potential spouse and a best friend. It can be hard to describe, but you know it’s there. It’s a combination of having things in common, complementing one another, physically being attracted, etc. If you get butterflies when you see/talk to one another, you’ve probably got to first base.

So let’s call second base the “alignment.” In other words, your lives have to be on the same track in order for a relationship to work. No matter how much you care for someone, you can’t be together if you’re interested in a career and he’s interested in a big family, or if you live on opposite sides of the planet with no intention of moving, or if the age difference is just too great, or if…well…there are many reasons. This is the prime reason for relationships failing. Your lives have to line up with one another, either naturally or because you’re willing to compromise.

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Every day, I see more and more controversy surrounding the growing homosexual population in America. Is it “right”? Should gay couples marry? Can a Christian nation welcome gays or would that chip away at the core of what we stand for? My friend Lyndsey, at Lez Keep it Real, recently talked about the upcoming presidential elections, and I can see easily that the GLBT debate is going to be a huge player for many Americans when choosing a candidate to endorse.

So I’m tackling the subject myself. What I say here is not based on the teachings of any church. It’s based on how I morally feel, taking into account my Christian upbringing. I hope that you do two things: 1) Read to the end before leaving a comment (positive or negative) and 2)open your mind to at least the exploration of the idea that maybe God is making some people gay on purpose.

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I’m out soaking up the sun at the beach for a week, so a number of my bloggin’ friends are guest posting for me! Today’s guest poster is Jean Lockwood from Parenting and Religion. Enjoy!

My personal belief of anyone looking for religion, is that they can find what they are really looking for only through relationship with God.

Relationship is a two way street. You can’t have a relationship with someone unless they participate. I am a Christian, and believe that God participates through communicating with us in many ways-Nature, other people, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our way to God, He is the one who opens the door for us to have fellowship (communication) with the Father (God). Good relationship requires 2 who are willing to do their part. God has already done His part- sending a way to meet with Him through Jesus. We need to do our part- accepting the way He has made through Jesus, and fellowshipping with Him.

Some people think you have to use certain words or prayers to talk to God, but you don’t. You can talk to Him like you would talk to your best friend; open, honest, and from the heart. He knows everything going on inside you anyhow, so why not be honest? Relationship is about loving; offering and accepting forgiveness; giving encouragement; talking; offering and accepting forgiveness; and living in a way that honors the other.

How is your relationship/religion? I would encourage you to seek God, talk to Him, ask Him to show you how to find relationship with Him. He will you know.

religion, relationships, relationship advice, religious advice, relationship with god, god, Jesus

Inspired by my post from Monday and the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, I decided to see what else the Bible has to say about love, other than the first Corinthians passage. Here’s what I found!

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.”
Song of Solomon 1:2

“…Love comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
1 Timothy 1:5

“Above all else, guard thy heart for it is the wellspring of life.”
Proverbs 4:23

“Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.”
Philippians 1:3

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”
Song Of Solomon 8:7

“Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:18

It is my hope, dear readers, that you each have a special person in your life to love, as I do…and if not, that you spread your love throughout the world anyway, but loving friends and family members.

Valentine’s Day, holiday, Bible, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, love

I was talking to a group of women in my community and the topic was brought up about how, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” I got to thinking what on earth does that mean? I don’t believe that for one bit! It struck me as very naive` and a great way to keep yourself from active action to change or serve those in need in our community. What about the people who find themselves on the other end of a gun in their own hands-is that considered more than one can handle? What about children who are so tormented in public school that they snap and go off and shoot & kill people. Is that being given more than can be handled? What about the people who can’t fit in with the guidelines of societal standards and find themselves in jail , insane, profiting from illicit means or worse? It is this Pollyannaic thinking that ‘oh, everything happens for a reason and hopefully we learn from our mistakes’, that discounts the human frailty. What about the person who gets their life snuffed out by a reckless drunk driver? We already know that one puts life at risk when drinking & driving. Why does it take that person killing someone to make them stop doing destructive behaviors and have the reverence for life that was intended before they take an innocent life?

Life is. Life is impersonal. Life is chaos. We all know about being at the right place at the right time (or the wrong!). It is that which makes us essentially human that makes us contrive something from nothing (or everything) or make sense from the chaos. That which we would like to think is divine intervention, fate or destiny is merely a sort of crippled coping mechanism to the forces that we have no control over. Taking the responsibility for our free will also has an accountability factor that is often overlooked. If everything happens for a reason then we can quell our impulse to help hungry people in our community because well, by golly, God won’t give them anymore than they can handle, right? If everything happens for a reason we can rationalize away the needs, the cries, the sorrow and the lack all around us. I think the true context of “God never gives you more than you can handle,’ is that we are to find our niche` in society, our place to serve, in whatever way is our unique gift, and give it all we got with all the heart and love and sweat and determination you would give anything you want to thrive. I’m reminded of the woman who wanted to help the hungry children in her community. Everyday children came to her door begging for food because they were so impoverished they went hungry. She wasn’t a woman of means by any means, but she could afford a couple extra loaves bread a week and some jelly & peanut butter. She began making peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the kids. Soon the word spread that this woman was giving out PB & J sandwiches and dozens of kids were coming to her door, the numbers growing each day. She made more and more sandwiches and fed the kids that were hungry in her community. I can tell you, those kids were changed by her thoughtfulness, kindness and compassion. It’s the little things like that, that transforms neighborhoods into communities. A gift so simple, so meaningful and so basic. She is an inspiration to me.

Be inspired, take something on. Get out of your comfort zone. Help someone in need. Let your freewill be someone else’s lifeline. You never know when your unique kindness will help someone bend a little further and keep from breaking. We can do no great things. Only little things with great love.

When a man and a woman become one,
that “one” is You.
And when that one is obliterated, there You are.

Where is this “we” and this “I”?
By the side of the Beloved.
You made this “we” and this “I”
in order that you might play
this game of courtship with Yourself,
that all “you’s” and “I’s” might become one soul
and finally drown in the Beloved…

Rumi | Jalaluddin Rumi, Mathnawi

This sort of blissful oneness that Rumi writes of is reminiscent of the sacred sex we see in some religions. Japanese & East Indian cultures acknowledge sexual power as sacred. It is called Kundalini in India and is part of the life force energy that it represented as a snake that lay coiled at the base of the spine. Like a snake the sexual energy uncoils with arousal & climbs up thru all the chakras until oneness with creator & universe is attained. There is also belief that as spirit we are no longer male and female separate but that we are whole within our selves as a balance of each. Sexual bliss is one way on earth that we can achieve the feeling of not being separate from each other, not only in body but in spirit. This is why some people feel like there is a soulmate out there for them. Because they are remembering being whole in spirit and know that finding someone to love and love them back is part of a satisfying life, in fact as close to nirvana as we can get without mind altering drugs or being skilled as a yogi or monk.
As an armchair philosopher, I think it holds some truth. Look at the polarities we have on earth; we have day & night, good & bad, happy & sad, yin & yang, sweet & sour, north & south. All the balance of heaven is divided when manifest. It’s as if we are light shot thru a prism that is formed in each unique expression but all from one direct source.