The Secrets In Plain Sight!

We have a unique problem right now.  Until now, the big-name, high-publicity shootings could be simply identified by its location, such as the Columbine shooting, the Thurston shooting, or the Sandy Hook shooting.  Now, we have two big-name shootings, both in Orlando, Florida, and within less than three days of each other.  Singer Christina Grimmie was gunned down on June 10th, and a whole lot more people were gunned down at a nightclub known as The Pulse, an establishment well-known for catering to the LGBT community.  It was also popular with teens that couldn't go elsewhere. As of recording time, it appears that 49 people dies and another 50 were wounded in the Pulse shooting.  In both cases, the shooter died in the shooting, so there will not be anything with the finality of a trial.  Official investigations are going on, of course, but the door is wide open for speculation. And what can we do?  We can do what we've always done!  They don't sell "Witches Heal" bumper stickers for nothing, you know!  And let's see what we can bring about! Blessed Be!

My dad kept a small rubber ball on his desk, half red and half yellow, to get people to understand one of the basic facts of a dispute.  If he held up the ball and asked what color it was, his reply would not be the same as the person responded because each was looking at a different color.  That is the nature of many of the disputes we have today, and religion is one of the areas where such disputes happen. If we look beyond the proper names of deities and people, we might find that our paths have more in command than they have differences.  And if that is true, then it might follow that there might be little substantive reason for dispute.  If that is true, then we should be able to keep differences in perspective so that we can work together. And if we can work together, some great things might be waiting for us! Blessed Be!

One of the greatest spiritual experiences of my life was a gathering called Witchstock 97, put on by the Serpentstone Family.  The absolute high point of that gathering was the main ritual.  As I entered, I was smudged and I stated that I was entering in perfect love and perfect trust.  And in the years since then, I have been grasping just how much that meant. Perfect love and perfect trust are not two separate things, but two expressions of one.  After all, love cannot grow beyond a superficial level without trust.  And once that fact settles in on us, we notice that love is the natural state for all sentient beings, human or animal.   Whether we are talking about Odin hanging from the World Tree, the Shinto goddess installing her grandson Jimmu as the first emperor and custodian of Japan, or any other lore, we can see how much our deities do for all of us.  And if we can get the point in our own lives and our dealings with each other, there is no limit to what can be!   Blessed Be!

Memorial Day being May 30th this year has some significance.  Before Memorial Day became a "Monday holiday", it was regularly celebrated on May 30th.  And this gives us an opportunity to think about what Memorial Day is about.  If you are not in the United States, I imagine that you have a similar holiday and what I say here should apply. It began as "Decoration Day", when people would decorate the graves of fallen Union Soldiers from the Civil War.  As Civil War veterans began dying, a veterans' group began adding them to the honorees on Decoration Day, although the primary emphasis remains to this day on those who died fighting for our country.  And it developed into Memorial Day, a day for remembering the fallen from all wars. These were people who interrupted their lives for the sake of their country.  Whether recruited or drafted, they stepped forward.  They left behind schools, jobs, and families with the hope of returning when it was over.  And so, we honor them.  And in honoring, we can heal.     Blessed Be!

One of my favorite buttons in the late 80's and early 90's was one that said "Born Again Pagan".  Not only did it say where I was at during that point of my life, it insured that the more obnoxious of the Christian Fundamentalists would avoid me so that they didn't have to hear how I had something which they thought was their exclusive! As my path developed into what it is now, I saw how many ways there were to be born again, and how many paths shared this concept - whether or not they would admit it!  But if it doesn't happen with burning bushes are apparitions as if we were in the movies, how does it happen?  Might it be that sometimes we have to recognize what we've been given? Blessed Be!

We've heard of "red flags" before, those indicators that we need to stop and look because something is probably not right.  I've found five flags that might be found on any kind of path: spiritual, political, professional, or just about anything else.  And there are plenty to be seen every day. One thing these red flags have in common is that they distract you from your path, even though the manipulators behind them want you to think that you are on your path.  See what I mean and then see what you see! Blessed Be!

Death is inevitable; no matter how badly some wish to ignore it.  Those who don't ignore it seem forced into either speculating, or buying into someone else's speculation.  So much of the latter, unfortunately, seems to be spiritual blackmail by people who want their followers to comply.   A quick examination will reveal more paths in agreement than disagreement on the broad details.  And only one path has branches which teach an either/or between blissful reward and eternal punishment.  Then again, look at the teaching at the root, and you'll see reason to doubt the speculations of some "teachers".   And the final analysis might not be so bad. Blessed Be!

Your best helpers in your spiritual life might well be your

In the last episode, I spoke about having sacred space, now I need to talk about claiming it!  That word "claim" has a powerful significance, from a spiritual point of view.  It means that it is yours when you use it.  Even if it's a place which has to be shared with others at other times, it is yours when you use it for sacred purposes.There might be some people who might try to interfere with your use of your sacred space, but a few polite words will stop all but the most obstinate.  For those not stopped by politeness, there are some ways that don't involve retaliation which have proven effective.If you're an adult, if nobody can claim that you're trespassing, you're doing it on your own time and you're not interfering with other people's rights, you should be able to make use of that sacred space.Blessed Be!

Of all of the obstacles that you might face in growing your spirituality and making something of your spiritual life, one of the first might well be the question of a place where you can actually exercise your spirituality.  In other words, a sacred space of your own.  It might seem a simple matter, but it can become complicated as the time I had a room set aside, but it seemed as if someone was always busting in.  Or, it might seem difficult when it is not, such as a place where other people are, but they respect what you are doing.And as you advance and grow, you'll see what I mean!Blessed Be!