Creation's Paths

In this episode of Creation's Paths, host Charlie, a non-binary Christopagan Druid, and their husband Brian discuss the profound spiritual gift of prophecy and its significance in today's world. They explore the concept of prophecy not as foreseeing the future but as a tool for naming and fighting for it by speaking truth to power. The discussion touches upon historical examples, including the beheading of John the Baptist and the perseverance of prophets like Samuel and Elijah. They also delve into modern activism's challenges and strategies for effective advocacy, stressing the importance of nuanced engagement, personal conversations, and the necessity of rest and recuperation. Additionally, they introduce their new podcast, 'The Church of the Oak,' which promises to bring fiery sermons and deeper insights into these critical issues. Join them for an enlightening conversation on how to wield the gift of prophecy in the pursuit of justice and truth.

Thank you for Liking and Subscribing to this podcast

Thank you for sharing this episode with your loved ones, friends and community

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patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 The Gift of Prophecy: An Introduction

00:43 Meet Your Hosts: Charlie and Brian

01:04 The Story of John the Baptist

01:59 The Role of Prophets in History

04:15 Activism and Speaking Truth to Power

06:47 Challenges in Modern Activism

11:36 The Importance of Personal Conversations

15:05 Balancing Activism and Self-Care

15:35 The Challenge of Speaking Truth to Power

16:33 The Importance of Rest and Recuperation

17:50 Lessons from Occupy Wall Street

19:00 The Power of Hard Conversations

20:10 Building Sustainable Movements

21:31 A Two-Point Plan for Activism

21:50 Tools for Effective Activism

22:35 The Never-Ending Battle for Justice

25:41 Upcoming Projects and Announcements

28:34 Supporting Our Mission

29:44 Final Blessing and Farewell

Join Charlie, a Christopagan Druid, and his husband, Brian, in this episode of Creations Paths as they dive into the impact of St. Augustine and his doctrine of original sin. They discuss Augustine's transformation of Christianity from a pacifist movement to one that justified violence, his teachings on original sin, and the misogynistic roots of blaming women for humanity's flaws. The episode questions the psychological harm these doctrines have caused.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: Once upon a time, there was a man who could not control himself. He had all kinds of lustful thoughts, dirty thoughts. He liked to lie and cheat and steel and instead of looking inside and trying to figure out ways to make it better, he decided to blame everyone other than himself and said that it's a divine curse put on all mankind and it's not really his fault. And then convinced a large chunk of the world to agree with him.

Let's talk about Augustine. And the curse of original sin. On today's Creations Paths.

Intro.

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie and I am a Christopagen Druid who practices creations, virtuality, and. I'm joined as always by my wonderful husband, Brian.

[00:00:55] Brian - New: Hello.

[00:00:56] Charlie- New: I'm going to try to not go off on a rant. During this episode, though, I make new promises. Ahead of time, because today we're talking about Augustine and original sin because it is. Memorial day of St. Augustine when this episode is coming out I don't think anybody has done more harm. To either the Christian faith. Or the world. Then. St. Augustine. Who I do not think should be a Saint or a doctor of the church and should be a constant. Curse in our mouth. When we speak of him.

[00:01:30] Brian - New: Yeah, a very good reminder of things not to do. We could start with the parable. Jesus said about getting the mote out of your own eyes before helping your brother with theirs mote being it's a giant beam. It's that whole thing, I understand the urge to want to help a fellow human being. But sometimes you got to take care of your own stuff before you can do any good for anyone else.

[00:01:54] Charlie- New: You don't want to poke your brother's eye out.

[00:01:55] Brian - New: I like to picture that image, imagine a giant, six foot beam sticking out of your eye. And your fellow friend got an eyelash and they're trying to get out. Now imagine trying to help them get the eyelash out of their eye while you're swinging around this six foot. log sticking out of your face. That's Augustine. That's Augustine in a nutshell. Oh,

[00:02:14] Charlie- New: I don't want you to think that I'm overstating my case. When I say that he is one of the most harmful toxic people in history. Prior to Augustine Christianity was a pacifist movement. It rallied against the gladiatorial arenas. It are you against service in the legions?

It was in the vast majority of its instances. A pacifistic organization. Augustine. Created the doctrine of just war. Too. Give permission to the emperor. To do violence. He. Gave permission to the state. To punish and do horrible violence to its citizens. In the name of justice and truth. He is really the origin point. Have a lot of the. Worst. Tendencies of Western civilization that have trickled down to us today.

want to focus mainly on original sin today. Because, oh, it is a bag of awful. Tied up on top of itself.

For starters, it's important for anybody who is raised in Catholicism or in any of the descendant Protestant. Christianity's. To note. No one else in the world believes in original sin. The Orthodox do not hold to a doctrine of original sin. The Jews from which we descend, who wrote the story. That the idea is supposedly based on do not believe in original sin. This is an idea that was unique to Augustine.

[00:03:48] Brian - New: In addition to that. Jesus is very teachings. One of the parables. Jesus talks about. If your daddy just sour, grape. It doesn't sour your own mouth. Yeah. Instead of your teeth, it doesn't set your teeth at edge. In other words, this whole idea of this generational. Like the sin that's passed down from one to the other, the other, even Jesus refuted that concept.

[00:04:09] Charlie- New: The scriptures do this constantly where children are not responsible for the sins of their parents. Except for in the book of Joshua, which is a whole other bag of awful that we really should talk about reopening the Canon at some point. And maybe kick that genocidal piece of crap out of the book,

It is a constant refrain. That children are not responsible for the sins of their parents. So for Augustine to make this one exception. This is one exception. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Because he will say that that's true. But there's one mistake was so big. It shattered the cosmos. And it took the wisdom of August. And to see that. No one before him. Centuries of commentary. By the time he was writing, I believe we had the Babylonian Talmud had been written in the Jerusalem. Talmud was in process of being written. The Mishnah had been written, I believe by this point.

[00:05:03] Brian - New: The concept of age of accountability was already kind of there that whole philosophy, that whole like children. Our children until a certain point. Then they become aware, they become accountable for their actions. Their sins become accountable. And it always bothered me because logically, if you inherited a Senate birth by the very nature of existence, you have gained the sin. How can you not be accountable for sin and then suddenly magically it's there. It's either there, or it's not, you exist already. You either have it or you don't. So if it was originally there, then the age of accountability is not accurate.

[00:05:40] Charlie- New: For anybody who isn't aware of what original sin actually means. Let's do this in brief. Once upon a time, God made a garden. God put the world's most picky man into this garden. And said, you know, it's not good that you're alone. And paraded every living thing in the world, in front of this person.

Now it's important to note. Humankind already came into existence. So it's not like God's sitting back going. I don't know, goats, sheep. Horses. W w what do you want to marry? Like humans are being paraded in front of this man. And none of them are good enough for him. No one is good enough for this man. And so God. Knocks them out, puts them asleep, puls one of his ribs out in mix a woman. And Adams. In his narcissism. Looks at this woman, it says bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh. Instantly falls in love. Which is not, a good thing. Textbook narcissism. Textbook. Not just narcissism, but projection, like this is infatuation that will end. And so there they are living in their little garden, and God put in two trees. One of good and evil and the other. The tree of life. And he says, don't eat from the knowledge of the fruit of the tree of evil. Don't eat. It just don't eat it. And, uh, one day he was walking through the garden. And a snake who has legs. Says, Hey. Eat the apple. And she's like, oh, that sounds yummy. And she eats the apple. And then she's like, oh, this is yummy. And she takes it to her husband and she's like, Hey, eat the apple. And he's like, eat the apple. And they ate an apple and the rest of the universe has suffered ever since.

Yeah, I know I'm being a bit glib. But it is such a ridiculous idea that this one action. Cursed all humankind. Now it is a common mythic trope. This is Pandora's box, the one thing that cast people out of …

Join Charlie, a Christopagan Druid, and his husband, Brian, in this episode of Creations Paths as they dive into the impact of St. Augustine and his doctrine of original sin. They discuss Augustine's transformation of Christianity from a pacifist movement to one that justified violence, his teachings on original sin, and the misogynistic roots of blaming women for humanity's flaws. The episode questions the psychological harm these doctrines have caused.

Thank you for Liking and Subscribing to this podcast

Thank you for sharing this episode with your loved ones, friends and community

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 The Man Who Blamed the World

00:25 Introduction to Augustine and Original Sin

01:03 Augustine's Impact on Christianity

01:34 The Parable of the Beam and Augustine's Hypocrisy

02:20 Augustine's Doctrine of Just War

03:07 The Concept of Original Sin

05:46 The Story of Adam and Eve

07:46 Augustine's Confessions and Narcissism

11:12 Augustine vs. Pelagius: The Great Debate

14:24 Blaming Women for Sin

15:03 Misogyny in Religious Doctrine

15:51 The Immaculate Conception and Original Sin

16:19 Redefining Original Sin

16:41 Alternative Interpretations of the Garden of Eden

19:21 The Psychological Impact of Original Sin

23:14 Challenging the Prosperity Gospel

25:20 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

In this episode of 'Creation's Path,' Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi/fantasy writer and practicing Druid, along with their husband Brian, delve into the topic of offerings. They explore what offerings are, their significance, and how to properly make them. Drawing from both Pagan and Christian traditions, they highlight the importance of freely given offerings as acts of gratitude and devotion, rather than transactional exchanges. Practical examples and personal anecdotes illustrate the profound impact of sincere offerings in fostering spiritual relationships.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: One of the most common questions I've gotten since I started posting stuff here is about offerings. What are they? Should we be doing them? How do we do them? If we should be doing them? Why? It's a much more complex answer that I want to get. Let's talk about it today. On Creation's Path

Intro

hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer. And I'm also a practicing Druid and I'm joined today by my husband, Brian.

[00:00:44] Brian - New: Hello.

[00:00:45] Charlie- New: Today we're going to talk about. Offerings as living. Temples. I want to start there because. It's important for me to. Ground everything. In this understanding that I'm approaching this from a crystal pagan point of view. And within Christianity, one of the things that we are. Supposed to remember. Is that we are living temples. Our body is living temple. Our heart is the altar of that temple. Our lives are living in sacrifice to God.

In fact. Prayer. Is everything that you do. All of our actions, all of our deeds, our prayer, and in some respects are. Offerings. But I feel like if we're going to understand what an offering is. We have to start with. That it is something freely given.

Anything that's demanded of you. Is not an offer.

In fact in the Proverbs. We're reminded that. Giving to others. Has. A strong relationship for receiving. From others. But when somebody asks us to give and we do. We have our reward already. It is an exchange. It is an exchange.

And I think a lot of people, especially in the prosperity gospel really need to reread the Proverbs because. Saying, give to me and you will get blessings. Well, if you say, give to me and they give to you. The scripture. Says that they have already received their reward and. Having done what you asked. So. Yeah, that may be not how that works.

An offering is something that we do. To establish relationship.

This could be as simple as offering a prayer. Offering praise. Writing a poem and reciting it. Offerings can be any number of things.

The most important thing is that they are freely given. There's a difference between an offering and a sacrifice sacrifices. We're on the old schedule of on this day, we bring this to the temple and it is offered. To the gods or to the, to God or to whatever. That is a sacrifice. It is demanded of you. And something you have to do.

Offerings come from the heart.

[00:02:59] Brian - New: It's an act of gratitude. It was one of the things that helped me to understand offerings on a deeper level, especially. With so many of us operate in this exchange mindset. I do this. I get that. I give this, I get that. I write my list for the Santa's. I get these gifts and exchange. Not an offering. As an act of gratitude. That changed that whole understanding for me.

[00:03:26] Charlie- New: Offerings are kind of the other side of grace.

[00:03:28] Brian - New: Yes. Grace has given it's a gift that's given to another.

[00:03:33] Charlie- New: We receive grace from the spirits and we give offerings. To them. It's a reciprocal relationship to show that we have. Love devotion that we are. Part of this community that we are part of this relationship. And that this relationship is reciprocal. That we are not just here to take, take, take, take, take. I think this is one of the greatest misunderstandings about prayer. Is I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. And I got nothing.

I don't want to be that person. That's like, well, what did you offer? Because it's not a transactional relationship. that's very important to understand here. We're not saying. Give. Gifts to. God or the gods or to a spirit and you will receive. Back. That's not. How that works. We're not paying for services. That's not how this works.

When you were constantly demanding of the universe, well, the ground dries up. You can't plant the same crop every year in the same place. And not fertilize the land. Or rotate the crops around. You have to give back to the land or. Well, I hate it's going to stop growing the crops.

[00:04:39] Brian - New: Going back to the episode of the law of returning tides. There has to be. That activity. Those actions have the causal chain has to be stimulated.

[00:04:49] Charlie- New: And so sometimes we receive and then we begin to give, and sometimes we give. In hopes of attracting attention. To show our devotion. Maybe you were interested in Bridget. And so you start lighting a candle and start flame tending or any of those. Practices. In hopes of attracting her attention or to let her know. Of your devotion, maybe you begin saying a rosary. To the blessed mother. Which is also an offering.

Sometimes we were doing this to just acknowledge. We are here for you. Hopefully you will be there for us.

It is. About establishing a relationship.

I know I'm harping on this a bit, but we have such a transactional understanding of the universe. That discussing. Offerings. Becomes tricky. So many people. Tend to either teach the idea of an offering. Or practice their offerings. With this mindset of, I give this gift in order to receive.

That's not how the universe works. It's not an offering. It's a payment. It's a payment. It's a bride. Yeah. And you can't bribe the gods. You can't bribe the spirits. You can't bribe. Life. That's not how any of this works.

[00:06:01] Charlie- New: Putting fertilizer in the ground is not bribing the soil to give you a crop. It's nourishing the soil. It's feeding the soil. It's.

Granting it. It's participating in. A reciprocated relationship with the soil that I planted this crop. That pulled these nutrients out of you. So I am going to offer these nutrients back.

Like with everything we've been talking about this month, it is relation.

[00:06:25] Brian - New: To be Buddhist for a minute. When you're looking at the causal chain. Of all of it. So many. Start in the middle link. They start with either where they're presently at or after. They forget to look at the links before the causes before, for instance, with the planting of the crop, fertilizer the ground. Odds are something was already grown there. Something was already taken out.

You've already received. The grace. So then you're giving an offering in gratitude for that grace. And many of us, myself included for the longest time. I struggled with this topic. And Strode with gratitude. And truly understanding what it is.

[00:07:07] Brian - New: Recognizing that causal chain goes. Way before. Way before. And it probably involves many, many, many more people before me. Helped me to understand that better.

[00:07:19] Charlie- New: Part of my devotions to Bridgette for example, is to offer. A professional light.

Because of where I live in. The fact that I have a lot of animals in my house. I don't actually light a flaming candle. Because what if a cat were there at the table or try to jump up there and knock it off. What if we had a storm. Many reasons I. Do not feel comf…

In this episode of 'Creation's Path,' Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi/fantasy writer and practicing Druid, along with their husband Brian, delve into the topic of offerings. They explore what offerings are, their significance, and how to properly make them. Drawing from both Pagan and Christian traditions, they highlight the importance of freely given offerings as acts of gratitude and devotion, rather than transactional exchanges. Practical examples and personal anecdotes illustrate the profound impact of sincere offerings in fostering spiritual relationships.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Offerings

00:47 Understanding Living Temples

01:27 The Nature of Offerings

02:39 Offerings vs. Sacrifices

03:38 The Reciprocal Relationship

04:58 Personal Practices and Examples

10:45 Daily Offerings and Their Impact

11:31 Insect Invasion and Unseen Help

11:49 The Power of Offerings

12:41 Daily Rituals and Gratitude

13:38 Sharing Beverages with Spirits

15:25 Building Relationships with Spirits

19:03 Misconceptions About Offerings

19:15 The True Meaning of Tithes

20:09 Offerings as Acts of Gratitude

22:19 Final Thoughts and Community Engagement

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing druid, along with their husband Brian, as they celebrate the third quarter moon and discuss the importance of savoring life's first fruits in this season of Lúnasa. Explore themes of hospitality, humility, and connectedness through meditative exercises and personal anecdotes. Learn how savoring can foster deep, meaningful relationships and bring more joy and mindfulness into your daily life. Don't miss the tips on savoring rituals that can transform your interactions with food, nature, and loved ones.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: Today as we celebrate the third quarter moon and remember the via positiva in this season of Lúnasa. Let us take a look at. Savoring the first fruits of life.

On today's. Creations Paths.

Intro.

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I am a non-binary scifi fantasy writer also a practicing druid. I'm joined by my wonderful husband.

[00:00:35] Brian - New: Hello. Savoring. Ah,

[00:00:39] Charlie- New: his name is Brian and he didn't say it. I thought he might actually say it, but he didn't.

[00:00:44] Brian - New: This one has no name .

[00:00:45] Charlie- New: So today as we are celebrating the third quarter moon. Which we like to associate each of the quarters of the moon with one of the paths of creation spirituality and the third quarter movie. Is. The via positive, the first path.

when I was looking at the themes and everything associated with the four pass. The first path is the season of harvest. You're gathering. sharing. Learning hospitality and. Humility and earthiness and all of those things that to me are more associated with fall. And with the third. Quarter.

We've talked a lot about bringing in the first fruits. We've talked about where to find the first fruits. How to go about actually bringing them in.

I love that we get to end our lunar cycle on this. Of the series of meditations on savoring, because one of the great themes. Of the via positive it is. Recovering the lost art of saver. To learn to actually just truly savor what we have in front of us, not just eating because we're eating, not just drinking so that we can drink getting past this? Utilitarianism that has infected the world with the advent of capitalism. And industrialism.

Learning once again to just have those moments of pure saver.

Just to take it in to experience it. I almost feel like people don't understand what it means to savor anymore.

[00:02:16] Brian - New: When we first got together. I disturbed you greatly because I didn't exactly know how to savor. I knew how to celebrate in and how to. Recognize the enjoy things. But savoring.

No. I grew up in a somewhat military household. At least in the sense that when it came to eating.. you. Put the food in your mouth, you chew it later. That's the old army joke. Chew your food later when you're marching it was very much part of the culture of the household.

So when we sat down and ate. We shoveled all the food in our mouth. We chewed as we were leaving the room. There was no savoring. And I remember. That you to help you teach me this. You had me sit down and have me get a pomegranate. And sit down and eat this pomegranate and I remembered it. At first being really, really frustrated because I spent like two hours eating one stupid pomegranate. But the lesson I learned of how to saver. Not only recognize the good qualities in the pomegranate. It was juicy. It was flavorful. I could understand all that, but to actually sit there. In the moment mindfully. Just. Appreciating the awe and wonder. Of this fruit .

And it was very profound. It helped me to gain that appreciation. Being in moments of joy, being, celebrating moments, that kind of stuff. It's not quite the same because savoring is. Actually allowing yourself to just exist in that moment of.

[00:03:50] Charlie- New: Savoring is relational. See joy is something that you can just find in something. Like I can have joy in a sunset. And the sun doesn't need to know. The sun's only tangentially a part of it naturally. If we want to be technical. The sun's already gone away. It took the light of the sun eight minutes to reach me. So where am I where I'm seeing it? It's actually not where the sun is.

The sun's already gone. I'm still having this moment here and I can have that joy and I can, you can save her the sunset.

But you have to actually be in relationship . Part of savoring is that understanding of once it's gone, it's gone. It's seeing that via negativa moment. That's coming. Eventually you're going to have to swallow. And the flavor is going to wash away. Eventually the sun's going to go down. And that beautifully painted sky and horizon. It's going to fade to there's this delicate understanding. That this moment is special.

For that moment to truly be special, you have to walk. Into relationship with it. And that's something you can't do just by going. Hmm. Tastes good.

[00:04:57] Brian - New: Yeah, you have to be present. You can't be thinking about. Laundry and tissues and kids and work and everything else in that same moment, because then you're not there.

Your, with the dishes you're with. the , kids, you're not in that moment. Savoring, whatever it is in the moment you're savoring.

[00:05:16] Charlie- New: You can appreciate the center. And appreciate the look of the rose. To save for the rose is to sit. With the rose. And you really have to sit with it. For a moment. You can stand too, but you have to be with it.

Look at the delicacy of each peddle.

The scent, the aroma. The appearance. How it's moving in the breeze. If you're outside. It's taking into effect. All of the little bits and pieces. Take that hon. Has a ritual that he asks people to do. Related to this, that. Either involves a tea ceremony. Or the eating of an orange.

It takes you half an hour to an hour to eat an orange. Because you were sitting there mindfully. With each moment. With the smell. Just the sense, the beauty. Of the orange itself. And then as it's breaking open and those oils are being released. And that scent is coming out. And then slowly. Peeling it apart and take separating the segments. One from another. And then one by one slowly, putting them into your mouth and. Squeezing the juice. Into your mouth and just letting it sit there and just experiencing that juiciness.

And all of the flavor. And a Roma. And texture. And feel that. Just being there with the full experience of it. And if you've never actually done a ritual like that, I highly highly recommend it. And if oranges, aren't your favorite thing? Pick your favorite fruit. I think you can do this also with candy. But yeah, I think that whatever you pick needs to be a full experience, so it should have a scent. A texture and a flavor.

[00:07:04] Brian - New: It helps especially to pick something that. is personal to you. Because then you already have. The start of that relationship. Or if you're extra, extra stubborn, like me a pomegranate and have it be guided. And have somebody sit over there. Early with a stick. I'm just kidding. There was no stick involved. I I, I was extra. Yeah, I needed that level. Um, Yeah.

[00:07:26] Charlie- New: I originally learned this with a, with the pomegranate. The teacher who is teaching me. I was only allowed to eat one of those jewels at a time.

We are taught to have this utilitarian relationship. With everything, including pleasure, including joy, including happiness, including the relationships that we have in our life. And to sit back and like w…

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing druid, along with their husband Brian, as they celebrate the third quarter moon and discuss the importance of savoring life's first fruits in this season of Lúnasa. Explore themes of hospitality, humility, and connectedness through meditative exercises and personal anecdotes. Learn how savoring can foster deep, meaningful relationships and bring more joy and mindfulness into your daily life. Don't miss the tips on savoring rituals that can transform your interactions with food, nature, and loved ones.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Lúnasa and the Third Quarter Moon

00:26 Meet Charlie and Brian

00:46 The Art of Savoring

02:11 Personal Journey of Learning to Savor

05:47 Mindful Eating Rituals

08:34 Savoring Relationships

12:54 Star Trek Friendships and Shared Passions

14:40 Community Celebrations and Unity

17:11 The Joy of Savoring Moments

19:37 Harvest Memories and Family Traditions

22:23 Encouragement to Savor Life

23:00 Closing Thoughts and Announcements

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing Druid, alongside their husband Brian, as they explore the concept of the Wind Horse from Shambala teachings. Delving into mindfulness, basic goodness, and the transformative power of the five poisons into the five powers, they draw parallels with Druidic practices and other spiritual traditions. This episode encourages a thought experiment on riding the Wind Horse, aiming to harness the intrinsic energy of the universe for personal and spiritual growth. Practical mindfulness exercises and an in-depth discussion on faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom are included.

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For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

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Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: When we were talking about what we wanted to do in this season of Lúnasa, We got to talking about the races. That used to happen. The chariot races, the horse races, the foot races. Brian asks, is there anyway, we can incorporate that into what we're talking about. My mind immediately went to an idea. From the Shambala teachings. The idea of the wind horse. Let's talk about that a little bit today. On Creation's Paths.

Intro

hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I'm a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer. I'm also a practicing. Druid and priest a Bridget. I am joined today by my very silly husband, Brian.

[00:00:51] Brian - New: Hello.

[00:00:52] Charlie- New: Today we're going to be talking about the Lungta or the wind horse. I've really been trying to see if I could find a Celtic equivalent. Of this or something from the Irish or Welsh. Scottish. Myths that would. Fit, this kind of story. I'm struggling for that. So if you know of anything, do let me know.

My experience with this idea comes from. Chögyam trungpa Rinpoche's Shambala. Of the ideas that are presented in that book. And so I don't have the strong cultural connection to it. That others would with this appearing on various net national flags. And whatnot. So I want to kind of say state this up front that from my practice of Shambala. That's where this is coming from. I mean, nothing but respect. To all of the communities that have a much deeper. Tied to this imagery. Then perhaps I do.

In shambala. The Lungta or wind horse. Is defined as an expression of the basic goodness of the universe, the basic energy of the universe. In druidry it straddles the line between what we would call Arwin and Nwyfre. Between that creative breath. That is blowing through the world. And that energy that we can tap into. It might be right to say that the wind horse in the Shambala teachings is an expression of Nwyfre. It is an expression of how you connect to that basic goodness. And learn to ride it. And learn to harness it and. Bring that energy into your life. To help it to flow through all things and through practice. The wonderful magic that is discussed in the Shambala. System.

We were told that. The element of wind. Reminds us of just how strong. And exuberant. This basic goodness of the world is. If you've not encountered this idea before you. It's also present in Buddhism.

Stop for a minute. Unless you're driving. If you're driving, pull over to the side of the road or do this part of the exercise when you get home. Or to, to a parking lot somewhere , don't do this while driving.

I want you to close your eyes for a minute. And just slowly. Breathe in.

And breathe out.

Breathe in. And breathe out. And just focus on your breathing anytime, a thought or feeling. Tries to distract you from. Your breath. Just. Go back to the breath. No struggle. No fight. Just go back to your breath. And then there was something happening inside of you. Yeah, this is the beginning of a mindfulness meditation. This is how we start learning mindfulness.

But do you notice something else? There's an ease. There's a. Sensation that a lot of people feel. When they enter this mindful state. It might take you a bit to. Dig down into it. You might not be instant. Let's just breathe in. And breathe.

Slowly at first until you. Been able to. Gather that focus on your breathing. Then let your breathing. Become more natural. Let it flow in and out. And you'll feel something.

There are a lot of words for this. Basic joy. Basic calm basic goodness. All manner of words for you. Feeling. It's very. Present.

That's the heart and the root of mindfulness. That's basic. Goodness.

Now I, from a druidic perspective. Would tell you. That you were touching the very edges of. Oh,

This is like when you're a kid in the car and you stick your fingers out. Not the full window, like the whole window hasn't opened the windows kind of cracked. You kind of stick your fingers out and feel the wind. Brushing against the tips of your fingers. Where you're standing by the edge of a stream and you just gonna dip your fingers in and you feel the water. Flowing by.

That's what you're feeling. In this moment. That basic goodness. That gentle flow. Of the Awen.

This isn't like when the wind hits us and we're raptured away into this creative. Fury.

The other one isn't there just then. It's always there.

Everyone has a different name for it. Everyone has a different way of talking about it. And here in the Buddhist and. Shambala tradition. It's basic goodness.

Because everything's okay. That moment in meditation that you get to where you just feel everything's all right.

Now. Imagine being able to. Ride that feeling.

That's the image in Shambala. That's the image of the wind horse. It's been able to get into that. Place of basic goodness. And ride that current. To ride it forward. And to stay on it and to harness that. Intrinsic power of the universe. That basic goodness. For better.

Is that a powerful image? Is that an image that moves you? It moves me.

That's how. We can start getting into the Awen.

That's how we can start getting into basic goodness. And that's. And what we mean when we say riding the wind horse in the title. Yeah. It comes from this basic image.

What. Would it mean if we could actually do that?

Let's just think about this for a minute. Let's have a thought experiment.

The whole idea of the Shambala practices. We're trying to bring that realm of all the enlightened beings to Shambala here. To earth.

The idea in Christianity is we're trying to bring the kingdom of God here. May your will be done on heaven. And on earth as it is in heaven.

In. Kabbalah, You are. Restoring the world. So that it will be made perfect in the world to come. A lot of us have this. Idea. We're trying to perfect them.

a, Bodhisattva takes the vow so that they will not enter their final Nirvana. They're very Nirvana. Until all beings are enlightenment. You're here for the long haul. They're going to be here until the end until this golden age.

In the Shambala teachings. We're told that. Learning. This practice. I'll be able to ride that basic goodness. That's how we get there.

Now in Druidry, we don't have that. Per se. We can talk about. tir na nog getting. The land of youth, the land of the living.

That other world. It really is. Um, other world we're not trying to bring tir na nog here. I think you can experience. Glimpses. Of the other world here.

We're not actually going to enter the other world until we enter the other world.

We are trying to bring that inspiration. That Awen. Into the world. We're trying to find. The Mabin. The child of light. That's been stolen from the divine mother. So that. Life can be restored to the land.

Then so doing the story. We travel around to the four oldest creatures trying to find. Where the Mabin has been hidden. Whereas the…

Join Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing Druid, alongside their husband Brian, as they explore the concept of the Wind Horse from Shambala teachings. Delving into mindfulness, basic goodness, and the transformative power of the five poisons into the five powers, they draw parallels with Druidic practices and other spiritual traditions. This episode encourages a thought experiment on riding the Wind Horse, aiming to harness the intrinsic energy of the universe for personal and spiritual growth. Practical mindfulness exercises and an in-depth discussion on faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom are included.

Thank you for Tips or Donations:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Lúnasa and the Concept of Wind Horse

00:40 Meet the Hosts: Charlie and Brian

00:52 Exploring the Wind Horse in Shambala and Druidry

02:53 Mindfulness Meditation Exercise

04:28 Connecting to Basic Goodness

06:16 Riding the Wind Horse: A Thought Experiment

07:14 Cultural and Mythological Parallels

08:56 The Balance Between Worlds

10:05 Understanding the Five Poisons

10:52 Faith: The Antidote to Doubt

11:54 Effort: Overcoming Laziness

13:09 Mindfulness: Countering Heedlessness

13:55 Concentration: Battling Distraction

14:32 Wisdom: Conquering Ignorance

16:27 The Cycle of the Five Powers

In this episode of Creations Paths, host Charlie, a non-binary sci-fi fantasy writer and practicing Druid, delves into the concepts of the queenship and motherhood of Mary. Charlie explores the significance of Mary in Christian tradition, explaining how she serves as a substitute and stand-in for humanity, emphasizing her role in salvation history and her embodiment of divine feminine power. From Mary's Fiat to her presence as the Queen of Heaven, this video examines her profound impact and importance. Charlie discusses the paradigm shifts in modern, post-modern, and metamodern perspectives on faith and how Mary's queenship counters patriarchal instincts. The episode also touches upon the personal devotional impacts of Mary and how she serves as a source of healing and balance in faith practice.

Tips or Donations here:

https://ko-fi.com/cedorsett

patreon.com/cedorsett

Substack: https://www.creationspaths.com/

For Educational Resource: https://wisdomscry.com

For all of the things we are doing at The Seraphic Grove go to Creation's Paths https://www.creationspaths.com/

Social Connections:

BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/creationspaths.com

Threads https://www.threads.net/@creationspaths

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/creationspaths/

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Charlie- New: Salve Regina. Hail holy queen mother and queen blessed Mary mother of God, mother of the church, mother of us all, queen of our hearts. Yes today, we're going to be talking about the queenship of Mary and the motherhood of Mary. Why would a metamodern anarchist like me be all down for calling anybody a queen. Let's talk about that. On today's Creations Paths.

Intro.

[00:00:27] Charlie- New: Hello everyone. My name is Charlie. I'm a non-binary scifi fantasy writer. I'm also a practicing Druid as is my husband, Brian. Today we're going to be talking about the motherhood, the queenship of Mary. This is I think a hard one for modern folk. Harder for post-modern folk and. I think dirt simple for Metta modern folk.

[00:01:01] Brian - New: Ah, the progressions.

[00:01:02] Charlie- New: The progression, how the paradigms do shift. So might be confused by those three labels and don't worry. it's fine. a Modernist is somebody who believes in grand unifying ideas. A post-modern is all about deconstruction and tearing those ideas back into there little bitty pieces in a Metamodernism, just kind of dances. Through it all.

[00:01:24] Brian - New: about the journey or the dance.

[00:01:26] Charlie- New: Its about the journey. It just oscillate back and forth between the grand idea and the deconstruction of it.

Here I am sitting here. I pray the Salve Regina, I often. will call out to the queen of heaven, to the queen of our hearts, to the queen of mercy. There's so many wonderful titles that Mary, has. Yet, if you were to tell me that I had to bow to an actual earthly queen, I would laugh at you unless I was at some kind of a ball or something.

[00:01:54] Brian - New: Then she going to have to prove herself.

[00:01:56] Charlie- New: she going to have to make it work.

Why does it matter to us? in this. Day and age to talk about the queenship of Mary. Well, one. As we've talked before and we'll probably always be talking about. When it comes to Mary, Mary is the substitute, the stand in for us in these stories. She is the first who gave that beautiful Fiat. When she said, yes. So that the son of God could be born into the world.

She is the one who proclaimed the gospel that the high will be thrown down and their Thrones will be scattered and that the lowly will be brought up. She is the one who was there through all of the. Mysteries of Christ's life. She is the one who was taken into heaven. She is the one who became one. With the father, as Christ is with the father. And is the matrix from whom we are all formed.

Mary is so central. To the heart of the faith. If you came from a Protestant upbringing, This may seem. Foreign to you. I know it was when Brian and I first got together because. I have been a Marianist since I was about 16.

[00:03:07] Brian - New: When first exposed to these concepts, I was like, what's the point? Like. If you got God, you got Jesus. Aren't you good. Isn't it all? I think. you did two things. One. When you pointed out, that could be good and for some of them that is all they need. That is great and wonderful. But for others, they might not feel. Worthy or they might not feel deserving. Of grace. Of being in the presence of God. Sometimes it's easier to go to the mother. And to be cradled and held by the mother. mothers tend to be non-judging and accepting. And then you handed me saint Louis de Montfort's book and said, read this. Sent me on my way. Which was very fascinating. Read. Pretty fascinating time, but. Not for this episode.

[00:03:54] Charlie- New: Well, and he called it right. He did call her a secret of Mary. Is the secret of Marry. Come to your faith. Faithful one. Let me tell you the secret of Mary. As hard as the secret known to, but a few right. Mary is so core to all of this because she is the one who formed Christ. She formed. Jesus.

She is the mother. Of Christ. And as such, if we are the body of Christ, she is our mother. But also as the mother of Christ, she is the one who forms us. She is the one that makes us. Who and what we are is Paul. Says she's the heavenly Jerusalem.

When thinking about her and her place in the economy of salvation, she is. The pinpoint she's the startup. Yeah. She brought. The holy one, she brought Christ into the world.

With her queenship. why should that matter?

[00:04:46] Charlie- New: Well, one. I think it's very important to highlight the queenship of Mary. Because it fights against the. Patriarchal instincts of the Imperial church. That even when they want to call her a queen. We'll try to sideline her in many, many ways. And that she. And we, they tried to take her family away. They tried to do all kinds of things. To try to keep her from living in the fullness. That she does.

Mary's queenship. Reminds us. Of the power of the feminine. The absolute power, that is there. We often talk about the kingdom of God. I know that there've been people who have tried to move away from that term. Matthew Fox has tried to move away from the term, a lot of, uh, Christian leaders of. Tried realm or. Matthew Fox likes to say queendom. Of God, which. It's just a word that. I don't know. Jingles in my brain in a strange way.

If we were to look at the way that these words have been traditionally used. Cause. I think it is important to have a sense of continuity. She is the queen of the kingdom. She stands there.

To me. Mary is the answer to the question that the sons of Zebedee ask Jesus, who will sit at your right hand. Oh, Mary. And to me, Jesus answers this question, the first shall be last. And the last shall be first. The one who shall be first will be the servant of all. Mary does not have a prominent role throughout the gospels. And is. Absent. To the point where a lot of people forget that she was there. And you have to point out. No, she's right there. She's right there. Through the entire story, but in her humility, she is. Doing her job, everything. My son tells you do it. She's always pointing. To the Christ. It's only afterwards. Where she is able to take her real true and proper place. Where we see. The role that she plays.

I'm not saying that all of us need to just fade into the background. Though, if you're going to be like, Uh, shadow broker. Who's bringing good about into the world. Fade into the background. Make the good things happen.

But the story, at least at that time was not about her. Now it is. Like I said that. The story is about Mary start very, very early on. From the Purdue week, Ben gallium. Telium of James. That spends a lot of time on her childhood and her parents. Anne and Joachim. Through to the door mission of Mary that tells us about her assumption into heaven for the first time. Mary becomes the cen…