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.

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.

Tirawa Atius is the great eternal God who created all things. He supplies the needs of all creatures and living things including the rock people, the four legged creatures and the creepy crawlers. He created the Path of the Departing Spirits, known to the White Man as the Milky Way. East of the Path is the Male Principle, the Morning Star. To the west is the Female Principle, the Evening Star. All that has ever happened and will ever happen has been ordained by Tirawa. The stars are his servants. From the east the Morning Star began to pursue Evening Star in order to make love to her, but she continued to elude him. She put hindrances in his path, but continued to beckon him all the while. Why? Because it was not yet time to make living things on the earth; and females always tease and flirt with males, as well as demand tests to prove men’s character.

The number ten has always had significance for human beings. This is because Evening Star placed ten obstacles in the way of her suitor. One of the hindrances was in the chaos beneath them. There was an endless sheet of water presided over by the Great Serpent. The Morning Star threw a ball of fire at the serpent, which caused the serpent to flee beneath the waves. As the fire hit the water, enough of the water dried up to reveal earth and rocks. From these materials, Morning Star threw a pebble into the sea of chaos and it became the earth.

When the earth was in its proper place, Tirawa appointed four lesser gods to administer it. They were East, West, North, and South. They joined hands at the edge of the great sea on earth and a land mass emerged.

Eventually, Morning Star caught up with Evening Star and made love with her. Soon Evening Star conceived a little daughter. When she gave birth to the little girl, she placed the child on a cloud and sent her to earth. High above the earth, Evening Star asked Morning Star to water her celestial garden. As a love gift, he made the first rain.

In the celestial gardens of Evening Star, there grew a great many plants, including Mother Maize, the greatest of food plants. Evening Star gave maize to her daughter as a gift to plant on the newly emerged earth. Soon the Sun and the Moon produced a son, who married the daughter of Evening Star and Morning Star. Daughter-of-Evening-and-Morning-Star and Son-of-Sun-and-Moon are the parents of all living human beings, as well as the first beings to cultivate maize.

Beautiful stories like these show us that we were created to enjoy a simple & wholesome life. That life is a blessing of love. All the earth’s delights are to be our wonder and joy.

Seeing the universe in a single stone or the rays of the sun in a flower’s face is the true magic. May you be one of the few blessed ones who still have the creativity and vision to evoke pleasure from the simplicity of the beauty around us.

White Buffalo Calf Woman is one of the most revered deities among the Native Americans in the United States. One of the gifts of White Buffalo Calf Woman was the suggestion that all children be taught to hold baby animals with love and caring, so that as they grow they will learn to love all the other babies of the world.

As the White Buffalo Calf Woman gave her instructions, the white buffalo calf that accompanied her rolled over four times, each time changing colors . . . once for each race, first white, then yellow, then red, the black, signifying that we are all members of the same family.
When White Buffalo Calf Woman arose she was once again the beautiful woman, cradling the sacred bundle in her arms.

Spending four days with the people, White Buffalo Calf Woman taught them sacred songs, dances, and ceremonies as well as the traditional ways.
She instructed them to be responsible caretakers of the land and to be always mindful that the children are the future of the people.

White Buffalo Calf Woman prophesied that the birth of a white buffalo calf would be a sign that it was near the time of her return. In 1994, a white buffalo calf was born on a farm in Wisconsin. . . the first white buffalo born in decades.

Some believe she was the fulfillment of the prophecy that the return of the White Buffalo Calf Woman will herald the advent of an age of peace and harmony.

Goddess Symbols of White Buffalo Calf Woman

General: White buffalo, peace-pipe, circle (hoop), and the numbers 4 and 7

Animals: Buffalo and bison, eagle, and hawk

Plants: Buttercup, pulsatilla (Pasque flower), and spruce

Perfumes/Scents: Sage, wisteria, tangerine, and rose geranium

Gems and Metals: Agate, rose quartz, gold , silver, and red clay

Colors: White, yellow, red, and black

…Our Daily Bread…

We are blessed, for we not only have bread to eat, but milk, meat,  fruit and drink. When I sit before a meal, even a simple peanut butter & jelly sandwich, I thank the wheat that waved in the wind, shining in the sun, taking up nutrients for my body to use. I thank the sugar cane and fruit of the vine for it’s flavor & sweetness. I thank the peanut, living underground, wrapped in the dust of our ancestors, growing so that my life may be sustained so I can bring truth to all. I thank the clouds that brought rain and the people who work hard to make everything come to fruition.

When we honor and acknowledge the gift, the beauty, the sacredness around us, it infuses our life with conscious gratitude that is a platform for compassion, openness and joy.  When we nourish our bodies it is important to be mindful of what crosses our lips. When we eat, it is not only for sustenance for life but for enjoyment of the gifts that this life gives us.

Be mindful tonight of the sources of your sustenance. Give thanks greatly so you can enjoy heartily that which you need so you can continue in your unique way, the gift that you have been bestowed. LIFE!

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.

The first place to start is to create a sacred space. Find a place in your yard that you can devote making a Medicine Wheel upon the ground. It can be under a tree, in a field or even among a garden or lawn. The first stones you will want to start out with are the sacred 4 directions, North, South, East & West. Using a compass find due North and work from there placing South next, then West then East. Getting to know the different elements of each direction helps give balance & focus for each season. Honoring the cycles of the earth, life and the seasons is a way for us to find continuity and touchstones of connectedness and familiarity that bring comfort and delight.

Use this space to come to to pour out your heart, ask for guidance, give thanks for your many blessings and to open, ask & listen. Making an external symbol of inner sacred workings is a powerful way to raise consciousness and connect with the earth around you.

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.

Preserving nature is an integral part of being a spiritual person. Nature has so much to share and gifts to teach us if we will only take the time to stop, look and listen (or ask the right questions!) Be it as simple as letting a daddy long legs spider live in the corner of your laundry room, to feeding and watering the birds, your service to animals will bring you joy. One year we made a Christmas tree for the birds from a tree in our landscaping. We hung pine cones smeared with peanut butter and rolled in wild bird seed. We strung popcorn, suet blocks and apple cores. It was a thrill to see the birds all come and feast in the cold of the season. We felt peace knowing that they would be sustained throughout the cold winter. Not that nature can’t provide, but if we can supplement nature then wildlife can really thrive and do well amid the stresses of modern life.

To nurture nature is sacred. To stop and reflect upon nature is truly divine.

Using your care of nature as sacred ritual is important. Caring for nature puts one in the role of responsibility, which simply means; the ability to respond. To respond to nature’s specific needs is essentially service. And to serve is to find your greatest joy. Find your joy in feeding the birds seeds & millet or nectar for the hummingbirds. You can make butterfly gardens and feeders too. I have a birdbath that at night also serves the nocturnal frogs, lizards and the occasional snake. I feed the wild birds seed and grain that I give to my chickens-cracked corn and wheat. We have a couple of doves who came the 1st year we began feeding the birds and they would always join in right next to the chickens to get their daily grains. The next year they came as a trio, bringing a new little fledgling to feast. We are blessed to live in the forest. This means also we have a forest full of animals & insects. Caring for their needs and fostering an environment for them to thrive in is a great joy and privilege. Caring for nature puts many important things into a perspective that fosters a greater awareness of the world around. There is magic in nature. From the tiny seed that grows into a towering tree to the beauty and form of a spider’s intricate web. Nature has so much to teach us, if we will only stop to notice.

So what is peace, anyways? Absence of war? Silence? Stillness? How do we find peace in a war torn world?

As Mother, war is the ultimate atrocity. It distills down the miracle of conception, creation, birth & child-rearing into a mere industry of human commodity for the consumption of corrupt peoples running powerful governments. It devalues everything we value most;  our children, the children of the world and the future. War is the ultimate disgrace and insult to life & humanity. Can the Mother find peace during war? She not only seeks peace, she seeks justice. She seeks a world where wisdom and grace supersede greed and destruction. She seeks this not for herself but for her children. She would gladly give herself in a pact to end all war forever. That is how far the Mother is willing to go. We will never find peace or balance as a whole until we honor the Mother and her creation as precious and sacred. It is only then that we will have the inner eye to our heart of hearts wide open and functioning as we were intended; intelligently, with thoughtfulness and prevailing compassion and peace. Now that’s is revolutionary!

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.  -Issac Asimov

Wage peace with your breath.

Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.

Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.

Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.

Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.

Play music, memorize the words for thank you in three languages.

Learn to knit, and make a hat.

Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief
as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.

Swim for the other side.

Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious:

Have a cup of tea and rejoice.

Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.

wage peace - judyth hill - september 12, 2001

What this poignant poem tells us is that peace begins with us. When we are steady in our lives, keeping at task. When we take time to enjoy the beauty is when we are most alive.

Breath in the peace that you can create in your life. Close the doors to the confusion, let the mind shuffle it all on it’s own to land where it may, far away from distracting you from the delights of your day. Have every step you take be a heartbeat for peace. Let every breathe you breath be the wind that brings us all closer to this vital goal.

When my son a baby, I remember being up with him nights when he wasn’t feeling well. I would rock him in the old rocker, long into the morning hours. I imagined the rocking of all the chairs the mamas were in, soothing their children, like some kind of magical weaving machine. As we all rocked, we created peace and comfort, like invisible threads knitting & weaving blankets of invisible comfort, uniting us all together, family human.

Doing mindful things like this puts us in a reflective and conscientious mode. We may be plodding along in our lives but we are leaving precious, silken threads of hope and sanctuary to gather around us.

Blessed are the rockers & peacemakers!

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.