Connection. Mystery. Joy

Recently, I read an essay titled Identity, A Rant by Yezida at Peacock Dreams. You might know her better as author T. Thorn Coyle (1) . I loved this piece. It speaks to much of what I have been feeling these last ten years or so about my practice and my place in the earthwise community.

Where she might say "religion" I would say "spirituality", where she speaks of worship, I choose to celebrate but these are trifling differences compared to the hard won wisdom contained within this essay. I will quote some of her words here but please read the whole thing. You'll be glad you did.

...When asked what her beliefs were, (Cora Anderson) said, "We believe in the grass and the trees and in being sensible." That's pretty good. My religion is my practice....it also includes everything else that has formed me. My practice is deep, and daily, and ecstatic, and filled with thought and silence and activity and stillness and sex and communion and time alone. My religion, like any religion, is how I connect. And my primary connection is to God Herself and the reflection of that in everything else. The names don't matter so much in general, though in specific, of course they do. Just as I know the names of my friends, so too, do I know the names of my Gods. But I also recognize that God Herself is known by many names...

I have altars to Ganesh and Freyr and Freyja. I have altars to Brigid and Quan Yin and the Peacock Angel. I have altars to the ancestors and the Shining Ones. What does this make me? Engaged. Active. Present. Alive. I practice at home, and on airplanes and my bicycle and in the gym, and on the dance floor and in meetings and classes and the grocery store. Everywhere and everyplace there is an opportunity to connect. That is my religion. Connection. Mystery. Joy.

...I do not care what you call yourself or by which label you identify. What I care about are these: Do you love? Do you practice? Do you spread joy and seek out Mastery? Are you attempting to know yourself? Are you strong? Are you kind? How do you deepen? What is your commitment?

As for the rest, I barely care anymore. I feel grateful for my training. I feel grateful for the beauty that traditions give rise to, just as I feel grateful for any great art or science. But I also feel grateful for poppies and lavender, and laughter, and well made hummus with raw vegetables, and chocolate pot du creme. I feel grateful for deep thinkers, and bright lovers, for stone circles on hilltops and drinking tea in bed during a rainstorm.

My religion is connection. What is yours? How do you identify?

For years now, I've had a particular quote written on a Post It Note on my computer so that I see it every day:

It is not about command and control.
It is about connection and communion.

Whatever your tradition, faith or practice, may it be so for you.

Peace, wonder and joy to you and yours in this season of life and renewal.

Sia

Endnotes:

(1) T. Thorn Coyle's book is titled Kissing the Limitless.

Art: Forest Bunny & Cougar Portrait by Marion Rose. You can see and buy her work here.

Related Articles:

Little Messages Everywhere

The Spirituality of THIS World

Training As A Green Witch

Wolf Wisdom for President Obama

What you are entering now, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President, will tend to draw you away from your ethical center. But we, the nation that you serve, need you to hold the ground of your deepest values, of our deepest values.

Beyond this moment of high hopes, we need you to stay focused on our shared hopes, so that we can continue to hope, too.

We will follow your lead.

There is a story attributed to Cherokee wisdom:

One evening a grandfather was teaching his young grandson about the internal battle that each person faces.

"There are two wolves struggling inside each of us," the old man said.

"One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self-pity, fear...

"The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love..."

The grandson sat, thinking, then asked: "Which wolf wins, Grandfather?"

His grandfather replied, "The one you feed."

Thank you, Dr. Watkins. that is a lovely story and one I will keep close to my heart. As a feminist, I can celebrate that fact that the Rev. Sharon Watkins is the first woman to lead the National Prayer Service. Speaking spiritually, she had, as t'were, the last word in this inauguration and it is therefore fitting that she should quote the first people.

I hope that President Obama is blessed with an appreciation for all wild creatures, including wolves. I notice that he already has what many call wolf wisdom.

Wolf is the pathfinder, the forerunner of new ideas who returns to the clan to teach and share medicine. Wolf takes one mate for life and is loyal like Dog. If you were to keep company with Wolves, you would find an enormous sense of family within the pack, as well as a strong individualistic urge. These qualites make Wolf very much like the human race. As humans, we also have an ability to be a part of society and yet still embody our individual dreams and ideas.

In the Great Star Nation, Wolf is represented by the Dog Star, Sirius... thought to be the home of the gods by ancient Egyptians...still considered so by the Dogan tribe in Africa. It stands to reason that Native American peoples would formulate this same connection and adopt Wolf people as the clan of teachers.

- from Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams

May he been blessed with such wisdom in the days to come. He's going to need it.

Sia

Recommended Reading:

Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin

A Much Needed Antidote To the News of the World

With Samhain coming, Anne Hill writes about the things of the spirit:

...at a time when all the news is lit with neon, it is easy to get lost in the bright lights. Particularly if it is our retirement that has vanished, or our job that is on the line, and when the future of so many countries hangs in precarious balance, we are gripped by urgency and cannot easily break away. The dominant narrative is powerful and pervasive, riveting, life-changing. Yet the subtle flows of power and feeling are still at work too,....

I found her post to be a much needed antidote to the news of the world.

Thank you, Anne

Sia

A New Understanding of Orisas

Today I would like to share a post about the Orisas by the collective blog Ile Emi Ifa

I found this note refreshing:

...reverence isn’t measured by how many times a devotee falls to their knees, recite rote prayers, sing a little ditty of praise, dance a little step or two, or anything else so basic and rather juvenile. Orisas should find such displays appalling. In the new philosophy of Ifa a devotee’s true reverence is measured by the depth of their integrity, the strength of their trust, the accuracy of their understanding, and the intensity of their drive to truly learn as much as possible and apply those lessons learned to our lives.

As always, take what you need and leave the rest.

I am sometimes asked if I really worship a Goddess or set of Goddesses. The short answer is this: I do not worship anything. I choose celebrate and cherish Her gifts as I understand them. As far as I'm concerned, all the rest is argument. (1)

Sia

(1) This quote sums up how I feel about religious worship as opposed to spiritual practice: "Man no sooner learned to stand then he got down on his knees." I prefer to stand upright.

Art: Three Yoruban Women by Consuelo Gamboa. You can buy the print at All Posters.com

Ecotheraphy: Healing the Human/Nature Relationship

Today, I would like to share this video about ecotherapy and permaculture, along with some links that relate to it.

Mind you, I don't think that simply going outside holds all the answers to our modern problems. That said, it does help to restore balance, and her ideas about cherishing our time and really thinking about how we live our days are, I think, useful. Pagans and indigenous peoples have taught this form of balance for centuries and now the culture is beginning to see that we're on to something.

Personally, I think it's nice to see the the folks who support ecotheraphy and the folks who support permaculture talking and working together. I got a kick out of the fact that one of them is male and the other one is female, but then I tend to think archetypically.....

All good things,

Sia

Links:

HopeDance magazine

The End of Surburbia

Ecotheraphy

A little history of Ecotheraphy

Ecopsychology

A video tour of White Sage Gardens, an experiment of permaculture
What does it look like to live in holy balance with the planet?

Backyard Permaculture - a video showcases another Can Do Gardener

Peak Moment Television

Knowing and Believing

Today I would like to share an article titled On Skepticism, Religion and Metaphysics by mystery novelist Barbara Klaser. The section on dreams is worth your time, and she has lots of lovely links at her blog, Spirit Blooms.

I liked this comment:

I’m happy to have no religion, and no particular label for my spirituality. I’ve been happy with that for many years. I’m a seeker, but I’m not looking for a religion. I choose to seek everywhere, not just in one grouping of writings or beliefs. And while I am seeking, I’m also always finding, so I don’t feel lost at all.

Indeed. For me, whenever I find spiritual truth that speaks to me, it's like coming home.

I also enjoyed another article by hers titled Specialist or Generalist

Sia

Finding Spiritual Teachers

Inanna has written a great post at her blog on Spiritual Teachers. It starts out like this:

I consider myself lucky to have had many spiritual teachers in my life so far. I joke that if it weren't for the Jews and the lesbians, I'd be nowhere, spiritually speaking.

It just gets more interesting from there. Go read it.

Among other things she asked us to say who we admired from our own faith. (1)

Good question.

I wrote about choosing spiritual teachers some years ago. Here is an excerpt from that article:

What To Look For (And Avoid) In Groups and Teachers:

I am often asked to give advice about choosing a teacher or joining a circle. I'm a very practical Pagan so I tell newcomers that any Priest/ess worth the name will have their life more or less in balance.

As Pagans we understand "cause and effect" and we know that these laws operate on a holistic level. We pay attention to our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health because we know that imbalance in one area affects the entire system. As we are, so is our practice. Or as the TechnoWitches say: 'Garbage in, garbage out".

If you are looking for a teacher, you'll want to find someone who enjoys balance, and has the kind of life you someday wish to have. Look at their entire life, not just the bit you see presented at the full moon. If you are looking for a circle, you'll want to consider what sort of energy they project and attract. Ask yourself if you really wish to mix with that energy.

Here are some other things to consider when choosing a group or a teacher:

• Is their life harmonious or do they live from crisis to crisis? If their life is in constant chaos, just how good do you think their magick is?
  
  
• Can they sustain healthy relationships? If their emotional life is burdened by resentments, betrayal, abuse, anger or codependency, then what will their relations with others in the group (or their chosen deities) be like?
  
  
• Can they handle money responsibly? If not, what can they teach you about abundance and prosperity? If the group works out of a perpetual "sense of lack" or if they fear the responsibility that abundance brings, what sort of energy will they attract? The issue here is not how much money a person makes, but how well they manage their resources.
  
  
• Are they secure in themselves or insecure? Can they share power appropriately or do they have too many control issues? Or, are they the helpless type? If so, they'll want someone to come to their rescue. If they refuse to address the issue of power honestly, the circle will remain unbalanced and out of tune.
  
  
• Are they responsible? Are they someone you can count on? If not, they could let everyone down at the worst possible moment. If they are the classic "flaky Pagan" they will be good at avoiding responsibility or they will get others to do the work for them. If you play this game, you are limiting their growth, and hurting yourself.
  
  
• Do they know how to nurture themselves? If not, they will eventually burn out from the Three Pagan Demons: Stress, Mess, and Excess. Since misery loves company, they might resent (or even sabotage) any attempts you make to become happier, healthier, and more balanced.
  
  
• Are they a source of negative or positive energy? If they whine, rage, play the victim/martyr, spread gossip, or complain all the time, you have your answer.
  
  
• Can they communicate well with others? Can they resolve conflicts with fairness and civility? If not, the circle could be rife with unspoken resentments, passive aggressive behavior, and negative energy.
  
  
• Do they have healthy personal boundaries and respect the boundaries of others? If not, the circle is at risk for sexual abuse, codependent enmeshment, and a host of other problems.
  
  
• Do they influence others for better or for worse? Look at their former students and circle members to see if they are actually better for knowing them. Have these people been challenged to change and grow? Are they more insightful, empowered, and happier as a result of their work together or are they stuck in place? Has their spiritual practice deepened and matured over time? If not, why not?
  
  
• Do they treat their practice with the respect it deserves? Check to see if their rituals are chronically late or ill prepared. If so, it is a sign of disrespect towards the circle members and the deities they serve. If your group puts up with this, they might need to do a little less magick, and lot more work on their self-esteem.
  
  
• Are they trustworthy? Don't rely solely on their claims; ask around. Pay less attention to what these people say and a lot more to what they actually do. Remember that trust is not given blindly. Trust must be earned.
  
  
• Are they conscious of their own emotional issues, and working to become healthier, overall? The truth is that we all have emotional burdens to bear. All we can ask of other human beings is that they become aware of their issues and do the necessary work to heal. However, it is not acceptable for circle mates or teachers to inflict their problems on other people. Offering mutual support to each other is a good thing. Asking you to carry their burdens for them is quite another. If they try to engage you in their drama and trauma, walk away.
  
  
• Are they Learners or Posers? Healthy Pagans are willing to learn from others and from their own mistakes. They know the crucial difference between making a mistake and being a mistake. They don't let their ego get in the way of learning. If they "miss the mark", they make amends, and move forward bearing new wisdom. Posers only care about looking good, and they love to blame others for their problems. Which sort of person will your God/ess respect?
  
  
• Are they creative? Can they help you to be more creative, as well? Or do they confuse being an artist with being immature? If so, they'll want to be the Artiste with "the vision" and have someone else do all the work.
  
  
• Do they know the difference between "deep play" and acting out? If not, your rituals will be a lot less about personal expression and divine inspiration, and a lot more like bad theatre.
  
  
• Are they compassionate and kind? If a Priest or Priestess isn't good to their kids or if they neglect any animals in their care, leave that circle immediately. (If you witness actual abuse contact the authorities on your way out the door. Ethically speaking, you may not leave another being in harm's way without trying to do something about it. Take spiritual and legal counsel, if necessary, and proceed with caution, but do the right thing. Who knows? You may have been sent there for just that reason.)
  
  
• Do they honor their word, their partner(s), and their friends? If not, they are asking for a karmic kick in the butt. Get out before that happens.

Trust your gut, and don't do things you aren't comfortable doing. Above all, use good judgment when you seek to learn.

It's important to remember that some people come to Paganism wanting power; power they aren't ready to use, either fairly or well. If they achieve authority among us without having the wisdom to temper their use of power they will then go on to abuse others. If we allow this, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Wishing you strength, love and laughter,

Sia

Endnotes:

(1) This was my answer:

Who do I admire from my own Pagan practice? Very few, I'm afraid. So many of us are Lost Children. Modern Paganism is, in many ways, still very much a teenager emotionally: Good hearted, rebellious, angry, impulsive, creative, energetic and prone to making poor decisions, trusting the wrong people and often getting hurt. But that's changing, I think, and it's for the better, too.

I admire Anne Hill tremendously. I've known her for over a decade now, and I've never known her to do a mean or petty thing. She is wise, patient, kind and open to learning every day. She is also a great mom and a good friend. And, she is a grown-up, which is to say that she handles her life in a competent manner, and still finds time to play, sing, dance and walk her dog.

I also admire my friend and colleague, Snakemoon, and for the very same reasons.

Both women are great writers and both are great readers, too, and this gives them a wider range of experience then the Pagans who simply read in a narrow and specialized realm of thought.

I also admire two Pagans you'll never hear about. Both are Green Witches and great Moms, and they quietly do good work in their home towns.

Like you, I come from a very eclectic background. There is wisdom in every corner of the world and I don't want to miss any of it because of labels. I've trained in a number of different traditions in order to get the skills and insights you can only get from a certain sort of dedication given over time, but I remain open to the wisdom I find everywhere, including the wisdom I find among my progressive Christan friends.

Art: The Mirror.

I choose this image to make a point. Sometimes we have to be our own best teacher, advocate and support. Spiritual people learn from our mistakes. We trust ourselves. We are willing to look honestly in the mirror to see what we love about ourselves, and what we can improve upon. We also trust the connection we have with the sacred (however we define that) and take time to nurture and cherish our spiritual life. Also, we have fun.

Sia

Is Environmentalism Our New Religion?: Our environmental harvest and how it effects ethics, ecology and climate change

Violence is almost always a function of diminished imagination. With our respect for the earth and our tradition of universal sympathy, (we) might well model a new way of being in the world. An organic faith that brings together the simple truths of the oldest religions with the complex realities of the brave new world - this is really what contemporary earth-centered faith is about.
- from Sermons by the Rev. Roberta Finkelstein

Is Environmentalism the New Religion?

Joseph Bream at The National Post (Canada) writes:

Forty years ago, shortly after Rachel Carson launched modern environmentalism by publishing Silent Spring, leading to the first Earth Day in 1970, a Princeton history professor named Lynn White wrote a seminal essay called "The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis."

"By destroying pagan animism [the belief that natural objects have souls], Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects," he wrote in a 1967 issue of . "Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not." It was a prescient claim. In a 2003 speech in San Francisco, best-selling author Michael Crichton was among the first to explicitly close the circle, calling modern environmentalism "the religion of choice for urban atheists ... a perfect 21st century re-mapping of traditional JudeoChristian beliefs and myths."

Today, the popularity of British author James Lovelock's Gaia Hypothesis - that the Earth itself functions as a living organism - confirms the return of a sort of idolatrous animism, a religion of nature. The recent IPCC report, and a week's worth of turgid headlines, did not create this faith, but certainly made it more evident.

Everything Old is New Again: Any Pagan can tell you that linking nature, spirituality and our own well being within one world view is not exactly new. Demeter is one ancient aspect of our link to and reliance on the earth. So is Ceres. As Hecate notes:

Lammastide seems a good time to remember this agricultural Goddess who, although a benefactor of humankind, was willing to revoke her benificence when her daughter was mistreated.

Yea, verily.

Demeter was sometimes venerated as a mare. My Celtic ancestors would have known Her as Epona.

But let us not idealize our Pagan ancestors too much. They may have worshiped nature, but that does not mean that they lived in complete harmony with their environment. For more on this subject read: Pan's Travail: Environmental Problems of the Ancient Greeks and Romans (Ancient Society and History). In this book author J. Donald Hughes examines the environmental history of the classical period and argues that the decline of ancient civilizations resulted in part from exploitation of the natural world.

Sound familiar?

What's Next? The Shape of the Next Religion:

Are we changing spiritually ? And if so, what's next and what does that mean for the planet? For more on this subject read The Shape of the Next Religion by Douglas Mudar.

Art & Spirit

As they so often do, artists lead the way when a culture is changing. They know it before we do. I recommend this book to those who are interested in the links between artistic expression and concern for the earth:

Shards & Circles: Artistic Adventures in Spirit and Ecology

The artist/author is Daniel Dancer. As his website states:

Dancer is the founder and director of the ZeroCircles: an ongoing national environmental art project designed to help end commercial extraction on public lands. "From the megalithic stone rings of Britain to the medicine wheels of Native America, humans have built circles to celebrate their connection to Earth. Circles are zeroes as well, and today it is the zero we must employ to help protect the ecosystems which sustain us: zero pollution, zero waste, zero population growth.."

Environmental Art:

Check out the wonderful Green Museum for more images of environmental art.

This online museum emerged from the artist's experiences making such art and it is designed as a a giant collaborative art making tool. It's an inspiring place to visit.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Can we do it? Can we stop this insane cultural march over the cliff? Or is our species, like the Congo's Gorillas, far more threatened by habitat destruction, greed, and violence then we ever realized? The news paints a bleak picture, but I was heartened to read a recent interview by Fareed Zakaria with Amory Lovins on energy's (and our) future. I will leave you with their thoughts on A Cure for Oil Addicts and suggest you also check out this page on the brave men and women who risk their lives protecting wildlife in Africa. I would also direct you a website about a very powerful, very modern Demeter, a woman who's life was a force for good: Rachael Carson.

Don't despair. Earth Based Spirituality is growing in power and influence as is a global awareness that we need to change our way of living and wasting if we want to survive. In fact, these two things are closely allied. There is much we can do, but time is running out. Get involved.

Blessings to you and yours at the harvest,

Sia

Related Links:

Persephone & Demeter by the brilliant (and greatly missed) Susan Seddon Boulet

A modern vision of Demeter by Abdul Mati Klarwein

Related Posts:

Gaia's Guardians

Off the Shelf:

Pagan Visions For A Sustainable Future by Ly de Angeles, Emma Restall Or, and Thom van Dooran

Faith in Nature: Environmentalism As Religious Quest (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books) by Thomas R. Dunlap

Nature Religion in America: From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age (Chicago History of American Religion) by Catherine L. Albanese

Ecoshamanism: Sacred Practices of Unity, Power and Earth Healing by James Endredy

As always, links, books, opinions and articles at this blog are offered as food for thought. Take what you need, and leave the rest. SV.

Art: Demeter Relief: Copy of the one in the Versailles Municipal Library, France. 18th century. It is available at Rainbowcrystal.com

Spirit Bird

This little being is a Refous Hummingbird.

I see one through my kitchen window most mornings. They love the brightly colorful fuchsias in the hanging pots out on our deck. When I walk outside I find them dancing through the hummingbird plants in our garden and they like to dart, shimmering and thrumming, through the mist of my garden hose when I water my plants.

Hummingbird World notes that the hummingbird is a common totem animal and points out that the bird has a powerful religious and spiritual significance in many cultures.

A website called Art from Tribe contains some stunning images of animals and birds created by modern artists. These images are made in the style of the Northwest tribes, also known as Haida art. Here the hummingbird symbolizes love, beauty, and friendship. It is also believed to be a spirit messenger. (1)

The site also says that the hummingbird is:

...a literal messenger of joy, this beautiful tiny bird...represents friendship, playfulness, and is a symbol of good luck in Northwest Coastal Native art. It is a positive sign to see Sah Sen (hummingbird) prior to a major event such a hunting or traveling to another village. Hummingbird's ability to hover back and fourth at great speeds is believed to be a skill for guiding the people; if they fall behind Hummingbird can easily back up to keep pace.

Ted Andrews, author of Animal Speak, writes that

Hummingbirds inspire us to protect the environment and to preserve old traditions that are in danger of being lost.

Operation Rubythroat uses the power of kids, science and hummingbirds to spread a message of cooperation and understanding between cultures. Nice.

The Spanish saw them for the first time when they landed in North America. They called them Joyas voladoras or flying jewels. Jamie Sams writes that

...the hummingbird teaches us to laugh and enjoy the creation, to appreciate the magic of being alive, and the truth of beauty.

A Mayan legend says that the Hummingbird is the sun in disguise. Who am I to argue?

The sunlight speaks. And it's voice is a bird:

It glitters half-guessed half seen half-heard

Above the flower bed. Over the lawn ...

A flashing dip and it is gone.

And all it lends to the eye is this --

A sunbeam giving the air a kiss.

Blessed Solstice to you and yours,

Sia

Poem: The Hummingbird by Harry Kemp

Off the Shelf:

Children

The Hummingbirds' Gift by Stefan Czernecki and Timothy Rhodes

Illustrated by Stefan Czernecki, with straw weavings by Juliana Reyes de Silva and Juan Hilario Silva. Endpapers feature flat straw weavings of animals, mermaids, and dancing human skeletons hand-woven by Mexicans of Tarascan Indian descent. The story, which tells of the origin of these traditional weavings, is set in a Mexican village and illustrated both with bright paintings and with the woven figures. The story begins during a severe drought in the village of Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascan Indian word that means "the place of the hummingbirds." A farmer and his wife watch their crops dry up and fear for the lives of the beautiful hummingbirds who frequent their garden.

Adults

Animal Speak by Ted Andrews

Other Council Fires Were Here Before Ours by Jamie Sams

Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams

End Notes:

1. They certainly love to fly around me when I meditate. I try to listen to hummingbird, especially when She appears to me at odd times or places.

There are a number of sites on the web that talk about hummingbird's message and medicine. My advice is to take these not as dogma, but as a guide. After all, it's your messenger, and your message - it's up to you to figure it out.

Every culture that has hummingbirds also has wonderful stories and myths about them. I also suggest that you read the myths from many cultures but if you are looking for messages or personal wisdom, I recommend that you pay particular attention to the bird myths from your own heritage and from the area where you currently live.

Hummingbird Lesson Plans:

Hummingbird Science Lesson Plan for Teachers - Grades 3 - 6

Hummingbird Facts & Notes About Their Important Place In Our Ecosystem:

Hummingbird Facts

More Hummingbird Facts