The Secrets In Plain Sight!

For most of us, "Freedom of Religion" is a topic that was mentioned in school as one of the freedoms we have, and that was about it.  Unless, of course, you were a member of a faith that was not in local fashion.  But lately, some folks have been trying to claim another "Freedom of Religion", only this time it's their "freedom" to impose their religion upon others.We have a case of a county clerk whose job includes issuing marriage licenses to all qualified applicants.  But, because of the version of Christianity which she follows, she refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.  We have another case in which a young woman who works as a flight attendant on airliners discovered that her new religious faith prohibits her from serving alcohol.  We've also heard cases of Somali refugees working as grocery clerks refusing to deal with pork.    We need to respect each other's faith and all it entails, but how do we accommodate, get the job done, and maintain fairness?Blessed Be!

The revelations from the Ashley Madison scandal remind me of a line from the movie "Braveheart" in which Patrick McGoohan as King Edward I advised his son: "You'll be a king one day, at least try to act like one!"  People who are in positions of trust, visibility, leadership and accountability might do well to remember that!Given the nature of the "Ashley Madison" web site, it can be assumed that anyone who paid for membership had one thing in mind, and not in a wholesome way.  Those who were caught who were in positions where they were supposed to set an example in such areas as "family values" are going to be in trouble for a very long time.  This not only tells us what we need to do, it shows us what we can do to meet the challenges of those who would criticize us.Blessed Be!

Three young American men became heroes when they stopped an alleged terrorist attack.  They were three young men vacationing together on a train from Amsterdam to Paris.  They were ordinary people who became heroes by doing extraordinary things.There are all kinds of heroes, living and otherwise.  There are astronauts, aviators, war heroes, inventors, people who demonstrated what an invention could do, and people who stepped up to other challenges, including Rosa Parks who sat in the front of a bus and refused to give up her seat.  Charles Lindbergh and Rosa Parks each saw a challenge and faced the challenge.  Flying across an ocean and sitting where you choose on a bus are things which happen daily now, but only because they faced the challenge and succeeded.We need to know who our heroes are.  Each of us needs to define who our heroes are, and look for heroes.  Life can be dull and directionless without heroes we can emulate.  Blessed Be!

The other day in the supermarket I noticed a sign asking people to not use their cell phones at the deli counter.  The problem wasn't unfortunate husbands needing more specifics on which kind of salami to buy, but people talking to who-knows-who about who-knows-what.  In days before cell phones, any such "side conversation" would have been with a person standing nearby, and that conversation would have been put "on hold" when business was being transacted.  By the age of three, my mommy had already impressed this on me when we went to the store.  It was a part of being polite and having good manners.It occurred to me the old rules need to apply to technology, and for those of us who are Wiccan, Pagan, or of other spiritual paths can put this concept to good use.  While some covens remain hidden and oathbound, the days when such isolation was either necessary or assumed are gone.  Especially because of the internet, there is more interaction, learning and availability than our spiritual ancestors would have imagined.  And, there are many more of us than we knew about.  But, the same rules of good manners and courtesy apply in the newer media as they did in face-to-face meetings.   Blessed Be!

Ghosts are an interesting subject, and one that nobody is neutral about.  What is especially funny is when a non-believer struggles to justify their non-belief when an encounter with a ghost is their first personal encounter with the spiritual!Defining what a ghost is not only clarifies what we are talking about; it also shows the pure logic in the fact of their existence.  Learning how to deal with them is an essential part of spiritual growth.This is a subject in which many people have devoted years of research, experience and debate.  And we'll dust off some of the surface here. Blessed Be!

The mere mention of spiritual awareness can cause controversy. Yes, some people are comfortable with the subject and others can in fact be too comfortable with it. Some are so over-comfortable that they have discussions with deities while I'm trying to hear a still, small voice. Some others don't want to think it exists. Others know that there is something there and want to experience more.

Meditation, like prayer, has problems in that people can be given some really rote beginnings but need to know how to transition to something beyond the rote. This is a problem in any spiritual path.

And with this, we can make use of everything else of the spiritual that we learn!

Blessed Be!

For me, it's harder when an animal passes away than when most humans pass away. A dog or cat doesn't worry about someone's income, attractiveness or social status. They love unconditionally. That means that they already know something which most of the rest of us struggle our entire lives to learn!

And when they pass, do they leave us? No! The existence of their souls is obvious to those willing to look, and those who deny it might be following the same path as those who once claimed that women did not have souls!

With that knowledge, we know what to look for daily!

Blessed Be!

If you've read any of the news lately, especially about government and business, you know how much effort some people put into doing the right thing, or at least appearing to do so. But when a person or organization makes an effort that appears to be an attempt to do the right thing, are they really doing the right thing?

Most of us know of efforts which were thought to do the right thing which actually were not. A school which admits a new student who has little chance of graduating, a graduate with a diploma but no real preparation for applying it, or people unprepared for their new jobs are only a few examples. And, of course, there is the other problem of over-scrutinizing the credentials of someone who "doesn't look like the rest of us".

The question is simple: how can we do the right thing and be sure of being right in how we do it?

Blessed Be!

Those who understand spiritual imagery understand what icons are for, and most of us use icons in our daily lives, whether we want to admit to it or not. When a person, place or event comes to stand for something higher or greater than itself, it's referred to as iconic because we've made it into an icon. The problem with humans who become icons is that they come from the same human race as the rest of us!

An icon often gives us a goal to emulate. A child who sees a football player's picture on a box of cereal and might become inspired to follow in that player's footsteps is a perfect example. So, what do we do when the icon is tarnished, or even crumbles?

Each of us needs to examine this situation.

Blessed Be!

I find spiritual blackmail to be repulsive. I can think of some things that are more offensive to me, but most of them are crimes. Spiritual blackmail happens every day, with impunity. It has its roots in concepts that claim that rewards in the next life.

What's worse, the one path which is most infamous for that approach also claims that their god loves us! That a loving god would cast most of us into eternal punishment is beyond being illogical. In fact, if that god were human, such threats would be the basis of a restraining order!

Let's look at what we do know and find an answer that contains some truth!

Blessed Be!