Marriage and Church and State

The problem I have with 'marriage' is that it should never have been included in the domain of Church /Religion and State/Government. I have always felt that marriage was and is a private matter between 2 people for what ever their reasons were to unite in a common cause called 'relationship'. For what ever reasons you have in being in relationship with someone else is a personal matter be it for the purpose of raising a family or companionship or what ever reason it be, it is personal and private and Religion and Government should keep their greedy hands off of it. Marriage is between 2 people what ever the gender, and no one, Church, religion or state have any right to interfere in one's private life period.Here is an interesting 'long' article on this topic.

Summer blessings
Jim Peron writes....The idea that marriage is either a Christian, or God-ordained institution is, to use a term made famous by Jeremy Bentham, not just nonsense, but nonsense on stilts. Marriage predates the Christian church. The recognition of committed relationships has existed in all cultures, for most of human history.Long before anyone claimed that Jesus had a church he attended a marriage supper—note he did not attend a ceremony. Marriage was common is Roman and Greek cultures though neither had anything to do with so-called Judeo-Christian values or beliefs. In both these cultures marriage was a relationship that was outside the purview of the state and outside all religious institutions. Couples were married by declaring themselves married. Similarly divorce was equally as unencumbered by the state. This is not to say there were no social customs involved, merely that neither church nor state were involved.[ Read the rest ... ]

MILITARY FLYOVER AND THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT

I had gotten this information first from Patti on her blog 'About.com/Paganism and so I went to the sight myself to get more info on this. I say it is about time the pentagon start following their own guidelines when it comes to merging Religion with the Government and it's military. I read the comments that came after this piece to see 'their' response to this Outlandish thing that was done to them, and I use to be amazed at the Christian responses like these, but I have find that they really are common place. They want to impeach Pres. Obama now for this, funny huh? One response says "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams --October 11, 1798
7 posted on Friday, July 03, 2009 9:56:52 PM by tflabo
Wow imagine my surprise to finally find this out,are these people brain dead or what? what would they say if muslim and Wiccan and Pagan folk asked for a fly over and had gotten it over the last few years, I can hear them now,'Our Government is endorsing religion, someone has got to get them to stop", yeap , I can hear them now. Anyhoo, for your enjoyment here is the article.
summer blessings, and oh yeah LET FREEDOM RING!


Pentagon Denies Flyover of Patriotic 'God and Country Rally' in Nampa IdahoChristian Newswire ^ July 3, 2009
Posted on Friday, July 03, 2009 9:45:45 PM by Man50D
Contact: Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741, 202-547-1735; Brandi Swindell, Director, Generation Life, 208-867-1307; Patti Syme, Director, The God and Country Rally, 208-573-9300
NAMPA, Idaho, July 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- This marks the first time in the 42 year history of the event that a flyover request was denied by the Pentagon.
The event is held ever year to honor the spiritual foundations of our country with a special emphasis on the men and women who serve in the armed forces.
In past years, the "God and Country Rally" has focused on honoring and paying tribute to those veterans who have served our nation in the past and those who are currently on active duty.
At the rally this year, all five branches of the armed services were featured with over 60 new recruits sworn into the military at the event.
After a phone conversation and an e-mail response from the Pentagon, Rally Director Patti Syme says they were denied the request for a flyover this year because of the "Christian" nature of the event.
The e-mail from the Pentagon can be seen here.
The Christian Defense Coalition says this is a "slap in the face" to all those who have proudly served or are currently on active duty in the armed services.
The group is concerned that this new policy may indicate an open hostility toward public expressions of faith by the Obama Administration.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states,
"For years, flyovers have been allowed by the Pentagon at the 'God and Country Rally' in Nampa Idaho. These flyovers were not to endorse or promote any one religious faith tradition. Rather, they were held to honor and pay tribute to our heroic men and women who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces.
"For the Obama Administration to deny a flyover for the first time, is a slap in the face to all those who proudly serve our country especially when we are at war. These flyovers have been a special part of the 'God and Country Rally' for many years.
"Will the new policy of President Obama be that a person has to surrender their faith tradition to honor and pay tribute to our courageous men and women who serve in the military?
"With respect to the economic concerns that the Pentagon mentioned, I would answer this way. If we can pay hundreds thousands of dollars for President Obama to go on a date with his wife to see a Broadway show and have an expensive dinner in New York City, we can certainly find a way to honor our brave men and women who serve in the armed services with a simple flyover.
"The Christian Defense Coalition will diligently work to reverse this unjust policy and determine why this flyover was denied in the first place."
Brandi Swindell, national Christian activist and Director of Generation Life, based in Idaho, adds,
"For the Pentagon to deny this flyover for the first time in the history of our state is deeply troubling and disturbing.
"During a time of war and especially around the 4th of July we should be doing all within our power as a nation to honor and respect our military.
"It must be stressed that the flyover was not to honor Christianity but to honor our fallen heroes who have proudly given their lives to protect our country and advance the cause of liberty around the world.
"Does this mean in the future that all public rallies must be stripped of any expressions of faith to respect our military? This Administration should be protecting religious expression in the public square not crushing it.
"I hope that President Obama will reverse this unjust policy and next year we will be allowed to give the military the honor they deserve."

NOW HERE IS THE RESPONSE EMAIL FROM THE PENTAGON AS FOR THE REASON REQUEST OF FLY OVER BE DENIED.
The e-mail from the Pentagon:
Thank you for your request for Air Force aviation support during God and Country Festival on 01 Jul2009 in Nampa , ID.We have carefully reviewed this particular event. As you may recall from the request form’sinstructions, the Department of Defense (DoD) authorizes the Air Force to participate in flyovers forthose recognition events held in direct support of the five patriotic holidays (Armed Forces Day,Memorial Day, Independence Day, POW-MIA Day and Veterans Day) and for aviation-related events,such as airshows and airport dedications. Sporting events that fall on one of the five patriotic holidaysmentioned above are not considered to be events held in direct support of a holiday commemorationand will require a waiver.Your Air Force aviation support request doesn’t fall into either approved category, as such, we areunable to approve it. Air Force and DoD policy prohibit support for events which appear to endorse,selectively benefit, or favor any special interest group, religious or ideological movement.With an increasingly high operations tempo and limited resources to meet our training and operationalcommitments, we are required to take a hard look at all of our requests and carefully follow ourpolicies and guidelines. In denying your request, we are not questioning the worthiness of the event,but rather enforcing DoD and Air Force policy to preserve the operational and training requirements ofour aviation units and to practice the prudent stewardship of taxpayer-financed resources.We hope that you can appreciate and understand our position. We believe that your event will,nevertheless, be a success. Any further questions can be referred to me at 703-695-9664.Tech. Sgt. Roy UtleyAviation Support703-695-9664 Phone703-693-9601 Fax

Musing about our Humanity

It would seem to me that the object of many religions is:
To worship Deity
To live in a way that one's Deity would have them live,
Their Deity tells them how one relates to others, how one worships, what is permissible to eat,drink, wear, and think.
To live their life for the purpose of pleasing one's Deity.
To live their life for the purpose of good placement in the next life.
For the sole purpose of honoring and giving glory to one's Deity for all that you do, get or have.
Letting their Deity take all the credit for what good you do, and you take the credit for the bad that you do.

There are many things that bothered me about this mindset toward Deity. One was taught that Deity was above jealousy, above egotism,above narcissism,above vengeance. But the Deity can do these things or be these things but the Deity's subjects would be judged severely, and threatened with not being able to go to their Heavenly abode, but live eternity in torment , if they did these things or had these traits. It is like what some parents tell their children, 'you must do as we say and not as we do' , kind of mindset.
Many religions tend to degrade the physical realm and life and opt for the Spirit realm. Many teach that we are to some how transcend our bodies with all of it's lusts and desires and aim towards the notion of spiritual purity.Many religions teach that our bodies are bad and evil and unworthy of their Deity.Many teach that having a penis qualifies you to be the boss, the priest, the ruler.In fact Deity has a penis and everyone who has one is on the A list because those with a penis was created and look just like their Deity.Those without a penis are to serve the penis and become servants and baby makers so that more penises can 'rise' to power.

As a Pagan, this mindset just does not make sense to me, it is demeaning to all and especially to women.
I believe that what we the human race is all about is learning and evolving into being very HUMAN. I believe we have lived many lives on this planet learning and evolving , learning to control our passions, learning when to unleash our passions, learning how to enjoy each other, love each other, enjoying pleasure and learning that sex is a good thing, and is needed more for pleasure and loving than for procreation.That being HUMAN is a Sacred thing! We are evolving from our lower baser instincts, to loving, rational, thinking, humans while we explore the worlds around us. We are spirit beings learning how to be in a world of senses, of limitations, of challenges, learning how to be human and enjoying the experience that a body gives all the while learning to get along with others, without destroying the world around us, learning to love and respect others , learning to live and let live with out harming others in this process. No we are not human, physical beings trying to become spiritual people , but we are Spirit beings of light learning to be really HUMAN.From this Pagan Perspective I see this clearly in looking out over all the planet with all it's diversity ,and from hystory , I can see the evolution of Human kind throughout the ages, what we have come to learn of our past I can see that each generation learns or refuses to learn from the last generations, each building upon the other. Those that refuse to evolve seem to be, from my perspective, people who follow their holy books, or have clung tightly to their religious archaic beliefs. What I see is that as Humans we vaguely remember our life as Spirit beings, somehow we know we should be able to fly, to travel great distances, we vaguely remember that we should be able to communicate over great distances, we vaguely remember that we should have all knowledge available at our beckon call, so what do we do but invent these things so that we can at least do it to some extent here as physical beings, so we have rockets, jets, planes, trains, cars, cell phones, Internet. We know we can do these things or that we have done these things and so we do. We also have learned that living comfortably is not sinful, that there is nothing sacred in being poor, hungry and without shelter, that all of our inventions have been to better the living conditions of all of us, if only the stubborn and less evolving humans would let go of their greed and help all of us live comfortably, the world and our lives would be the better for it.
I believe that as we continue to learn, and evolve that when we reach our heights , as we reach our full potential , then we will be complete Spirit/ Human beings able to do all we did as Spirits but enjoy doing them as physical beings.
As Pagans we know intuitively that this physical realm and our physical bodies are the vehicles that we as spirit beings have chosen to be, and so we do our damndest to honor that choice by living this life fully, enjoying the pleasures of our flesh, enjoying all that Nature is and do so without harming others to the best of our abilities. As Pagans we know we are Spirit beings having a very Human experience, and we try to enjoy the process as we evolve into completed human beings.
As for Deity in all this, I know what I don't like. What I see in other religions ,really in many ways disturbs me, and if there is a Deity ,it is not like these religions teach Her/Him to be. I kind of take the stance that Deity is All of us together, or maybe S/He has created all of us and are more Parental in relationship with us and has set all the natural laws in place at the beginning of the journey, and have allowed us to evolve and learn as we go , providing all we need in the process. Mother Earth has everything here we need ,as we have needed it and has at every level of our growth process.Maybe our Deity/Parents have provided, helpers, and guides, and teachers in and from both realms, to assist us in the process of learning to be fully HUMAN. At least this makes more sense to me than what those other religions have spoon fed to us.
For what it is worth
Summer blessings

How did it begin? Taps at Military funerals

We have all heard of the Military Funeral Taps song? Here is how it became a part of the Military's way of honoring their dead at funerals.
Reportedly, it all began in 1862 during the Civil War, when Union Army Captain Robert Ellicombe was with his men near Harrison's Landing in Virginia . The Confederate Army was on the other side of the narrow strip of land..
During the night, Captain Ellicombe heard the moans of a soldier who lay severely wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a Union or Confederate soldier, the Captain decided to risk his life and bring the stricken man back for medical attention. Crawling on his stomach through the gunfire, the Captain reached the stricken soldier and began pulling him toward his encampment.
When the Captain finally reached his own lines, he discovered it was actually a Confederate soldier, but the soldier was dead.
The Captain lit a lantern and suddenly caught his breath and went numb with shock. In the dim light, he saw the face of the soldier It was his own son. The boy had been studying music in the South when the war broke out. Without telling his father, the boy enlisted in the Confederate Army.
The following morning, heartbroken, the father asked permission of his superiors to give his son a full military burial, despite his enemy status. His request was only partially granted.
The Captain had asked if he could have a group of Army band members play a funeral dirge for his son at the funeral.
The request was turned down since the soldier was a Confederate.
But, out of respect for the father, they did say they could give him only one musician.
The Captain chose a bugler. He asked the bugler to play a series of musical notes
he had found on a piece of paper in the pocket of the dead youth's uniform.
This wish was granted.
The haunting melody, we now know as 'Taps' used at military funerals was born.

The words are:

Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills.
From the sky.
All is well.
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light.
Dims the sight.
And a star.
Gems the sky.
Gleaming bright.
From afar.
Drawing nigh.
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise.
For our days.
Neath the sun
Neath the stars.
Neath the sky
As we go.
This we know.
God is nigh

CREATING AN ALTAR

Introduction
I believe that to have and maintain health in all aspects of our being we need to integrate various practices that connect our Spirit, Mind and Body together . We need to incorporate every aspect of our being in our day to day lives because if we do not nourished our sacred 'trinity' of Spirit Mind and Body on a regular basis then disease or illnesses can and will occur. In our Western culture we tend to separate the various aspects of our lives and by doing so we fail to see that our sacred 'Trinity' is involved in all aspects of our lives, our jobs, our relationships, our worship.
Some believe that Religion and Spirituality is the same thing, but they are not. Religion is a group mind, with similar dogmas, rituals and traditions.Spirituality is our personal connection with our Creative Source.
I will leave one's 'Religious' pursuits for others to haggle about, in this essay I will discuss spirituality , our direct and personal relationship or connection between ourselves and that Power which is our Creator and source and reason that our Universe exist and how it evolves. I am discussing the means by which we can connect with this Creative Source on a daily or regular basis by creating a personal altar and the magick or intention we work on at this altar which is a simple act that we can perform on a regular basis, to fit in with any schedule, and by which can form a major foundation for our spiritual health.

THE ALTAR
An altar is a sacred space where we go to connect with the Divine Spirit that is within us and in and outside of the Universe. The altar is special place that help us withdraw from the our every day life ,for connection, rejuvenation and energy to tend to our Spiritual health. It can be a small space, it can be an entire room or it can be outdoors in nature which adds a greater dimension to our worship or honoring of our connection to the ALL. An altar is that place to which we can concentrate our energies towards our intentions and our purposes that we have chosen to focus on. An altar should change with the seasons if we want to connect with the energies that are available to us at different High times within the Turning of the Wheel, or it can change to reflect the changes in us as we experience times of personal growth, the use of an Altar can help in this process of transformation.
OUR NEED FOR AN ALTAR
We all have a need to connect with life and with our SOURCE. Worshipping or honoring (a term I like better) is an essential need in every person's spiritual journey . Altars help to remind us that we are not alone , that we can have assistance and guidance from Spirit when we tune into and focus on our Source and provide that vital connection .The altar will help us in that endeavor. It provides us with a focus to think, pray, meditate and listen. It helps us connect with the divine within us and with the same DIVINE that is the Creator of the Universe.

Worshipping/ Honoring our Source, is vital for us because it renews our own spirit. Worshipping/honoring feeds our spirits in the similar manner as when we nourish our bodies with food and water and our emotional selves with love and caring. An altar helps us to distance ourselves from our hectic and busy lives.The altar allows us to take the time to be, to listen, and to talk with our Source. It helps us to step away from the mundane of our daily lives so that we can also tend to the nourishment of our Spirits as well. It can be an oasis within the chaos that may surround us, a place of solitude and peace, a place of spiritual comfort and inspiration, our own Spiritual and Sacred Retreat.
Many people find that they need to go to a temple or church on a regular basis to worship, but daily honoring of the Sacred can be done in the privacy of your own living space at your own personal sacred space ,the altar. Your own home ,personal and sacred altar is a space that can incorporate all the elements that represent the Sacred which is personal to each of us. It provides a place for a deeper connection which is possible ,when we are able to attend to the Sacred and attend to our spirits and this is done in the privacy and in the sanctuary of our altar . It reinforces , nurtures and incorporates our spirituality into our everyday lives. It is a place where we are able to do alot of various things to tend to our spiritual needs which can include praying for yourself or others, a place for attending to your hopes, dreams, fears or anxieties. It is a place that can be used as a time to listen as we meditate, a place to give thanks, to praise,to express gratitude , to recite affirmations, or scripture promises,or to do magickal spell workings for a variety of reasons. It can be used as a means of bringing about our transformations at all levels of our being .

ALTAR PLACEMENT

An altar can be placed anywhere that you want , as long as you can have some privacy while you are attending to your spirit, and or with your Sacred Deity or Source. I have seen the neatest altars that were set up in a small corner of a room, I have seen many place their altars on just one small shelf or they can take up a whole bookcase, a certain portion of a desk or inside of a drawer, or cabinet, it can take up the whole room, or a small corner in your garden, or any appropriate place outdoors where you can know you are in private. It is important that your sacred space be private for those times of that we enter the in between world of time and no time, space and infinity, a place you can withdraw to, from the hectic moments of life, to quiet the mind and to spend time in prayer or meditation, or to be quiet just to hear oneself think or contemplate one's naval if that is the need. A lot of us Magickal thinkers will use a specific compass direction to utilize the specific energies into our altars for specific purposes that are aligned with those directions.

What goes on Your Altar?
Anything that represents the sacred to you is what should be placed on your altar. The following are some ideas to help stimulate your imagination. Remember though that these things that are placed on your altar should represent you, your life,your hopes, dreams , intentions, your beliefs and your family.Objects that have clear meaning to you, objects that represents our aspirations and goals and life purpose.

Intention and purposes
The intention and the purpose of what you place on your altar is very important for the over all use of your altar. Intention can be put into any object and therefore it is really important to concentrate your aim or purpose of placing a particular item on your altar. Think into these objects your intention for what they represent. We have enormous power in our thoughts and intention. Magick is more about intention and energy than anything else. By focusing one's intention such as health, wealth, or love into a specific item that represent that for which you desire, will assist you in focusing your mind and thoughts into bringing your desires out of the realm of thought and spirit and manifesting them into one's life.

Sacred Representations from Different Religions
Gods and Goddesses of what ever religions you align with can be represented on your altar, for when you need to strengthen your times of meditation , prayer and possible devotions to them.
There are so many other icons, figurines and carvings that could be included. The Black Madonnas, Ganesh the Hindu god, Kwan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Compassion, St. Francis of Assisi or many other Catholic saints, Krishna, another Hindu god, are just a few more examples of sacred deities. I personally tend to shy away from human or animal forms for the Divine I feel that it limits their abilities in my mind and places them into a box, I usually use candles that represent their Divine light and energies instead, sometimes I use 2 white candles sometimes one is black and one is white, or I go with the particular season colors like red and green or silver and gold for Yule.Black and orange for Samhain, Pastel colors of blue greens and yellows for Spring.

The Ancestors
To honor the passing of a loved one, or to honor all the dead or your ancestors especially during the Wheel of the Year as it turns toward Samhain or when their anniversary of their death or birth or a special event comes around each year that was shared by you and the dead loved one. I find that honoring my loved ones at a specific altar I have set up and remains out all year long is better than going to the cemetery, at least for me it is, I just spruce it up more around their birthday and Samhain.
By placing photographs or images or items that they cherished when they were alive in this physical realm, these images can help us to reconnect to them, because they are still part of our lives, even though in a different realm.

Plants, Flowers, Trees
Nature is a powerful force for healing and life and should be represented on our altars as well. Plants, flowers, herbs and trees are great healers in nature and can represent different qualities that can support your personal development. Each plant,herb,tree, and flower have specific energies that can be utilized on your altar and aid you in manifesting your intentions , desires and prayers. You can use fresh or dried flowers, a branch of a tree, which is always best ,but if you can't get your hands on what you need you can always place a picture of the plant, flower or tree that means so much to you. To decorate your altar with specific flowers will add beauty and vibrant energies to your altar and life.

Crystals and Gems
I can attest to the healing powers of gems and crystals , they are powerful and as a result they need to be treated with care. There are some crystals and gems that should not be kept in the same room in which you sleep , their energy is too active and may cause you problems with sleeping but then there are many that can aid you with sleep and dream work, so you many have to experiment to find those that will work well for your personal needs. I love stones and have them all over my home, as a double Taurus it would be strange for me not to be surrounded by stones, or plants for that matter.
Animals
In many indigenous cultures all over the world, animals are representative of guides, teachers, counselors and protectors. Any carving or statue or picture or natural object from that animal could represent your protector ,Guide, Teacher, Totem helpers,who goes everywhere with you to protect you and give you that overall sense of safety that you may be needing. I have many turtle shells, feathers,skins and bones for that purpose.I have many mammal figurines to represent the specific totem energies that they have given to me.
Birds
I have special relationship with birds , Owl my lunar totem and Eagle my solar totem have been helping me for quite a while, Heron ,red tail hawks, hummers,ravens, they have all been a part in my life and growth throughout my journey, without their help I would be terribly lonely and empty. Birds are often viewed as spiritual messengers from the Divine, at least they are for me, they always have some message I need to hear and many times I know their messages came just in time and were a real God/dess send. They have been absolutely vital in my spiritual life and growth and their presence is always welcomed and there will always be something from them or represents them on my many altars. I personally do not choose a particular bird or critter, it chooses me, I find that it means more to me this way than to arbitrary pick one I happen to like or need.If you are attentive and in need of a message of healing or guidance, keep your eyes pealed for the best spirit messengers, birds. When you ask for a message one will come, a particular bird will do something out of character to get your attention, or there will be many of them or something they do will be out of the ordinary than the normal every day sightings that always occur. An example, I see herons flying high in the sky many times throughout the day, being on the road all the time, I see them in rivers and lakes, and ponds, but when then fly so low that we think we will hit them or they will fly low across the road and then turn and do it again going the opposite way and do something out of the ordinary for them,a couple times in a day, then that's my sign, and their message will always be exactly what I need to hear or know ,always. This works for any totem energy be they animal,bird or reptile, plant or stone. You can either believe that God/dess wants to communicate with you or not, you can dismiss these signs as nothing and miss out on a lot, or you can embrace these as spirit communication and feel like you are really connected, the choice is always yours.

These are just a few examples. The possibilities are endless. I have many many owls, eagles, heron statues and pictures of ravens and hawks , and feathers galore, the more the merrier. It is strange I have no god images but birds and critters I have many of them.

Incense
Customs in many ancient traditions throughout the world have used incense as an integral element of worshipping. Incense is made by compacting a number of herbs and spices. The energies and smell that are released by fire, is a wonderful and vibrant energy and important part and aspect of your altar. Some can't stand the heavy sent, if so, use candles with the essence that you need, same thing, just not as strong of smell. .

The smell that is generated from burning essence helps to still your active mind as you are preparing to worship or do ritual or spell work and to slowly bring all your senses to focus on why you are here at that moment. You can use various scents , Incense lends to us their unique energies and increases the vibrational intensity of your thoughts and purpose for worship, devotions, or magick,and healing. Incense and smells of herbs sends a stronger message out into the realm of spirit , they aid us in the manifestation of our request .
White Sage
White sage is used to smudge and cleanse your sacred space , it is used by many cultures, most especially Native Americans and the ancient Celts. White sage has special and powerful properties for drawing wisdom as well as those of purification. Like incense, white sage will help you concentrate your energies as well as concentrate the energies that are being sent , during your devotional or magickal ceremony.

Candles
Candles are another spiritual tool to help you focus and strengthen your energies of prayer,devotion,and magikal workings . Lighting a candle is an announcement to the realm of Spirit and Deity ,of your intention at that time. The flame of the candle can send a spiritual message that you are honoring the Creator and presenting to the God/dess your intention , purpose , and the reason for your ritual or meditation or working.
Colors
The colors of the candles you use can be representative of the changes or purposes of your intentions . White can represent purity or spiritual intent; black can signify the release of the negative in your life; yellow can represent the sun, joy, or it can represent the mental aspects of your worship; orange can represent the release of resentment or it can represent the request for increased creativity; green can represent issues of the heart or it can represent healing; blue can represent increasing your ability to speak your truth. The intent around the choice of color is important for the manifestation of your purpose on your altar.
Color, scent, energies, objects, icons, statues, are not what brings our desires to us, they are only tools to aid us in keeping our focus on target. It is our minds, our thoughts and intention that bring out of the realm of thoughts and dreams in Spirit, and manifest them into the physical realm.

What Represents You
Place on your altar the photographs or images that represent those for whom you pray and have special intentions. Place your own photograph on your altar. An altar should be a very personal place representing you, your family and various aspects of your life. Make your altar as personal as you can for you and those who give honor to their Source,or what ever the ritual purpose is, there with you.
Symbols of your belief
Pentacles, swords, athames, drums, cauldrons, crosses, ankhs, wands, stones, chalices , bells, rattles, etc. The symbols that have the most relevance to you are what you place on your altar. These symbols can be charged with your focus and intentions to be protective talisman or amulets ,especially if they are jewelry which then can be worn while you are away from your altar.
There are many reasons for altars, and you can have many in your home. I have an altar over my stove in the Kitchen for blessings and thanksgiving, one in my living room on the mantle of my fireplace for peace and guardianship, 4 in my office , for healing, direction, honoring Deity and the dead/ancestors.In bedroom for relationship and romance. There are many reasons and purposes for altars, may you find one for your self.
How to Use Your Altar
In Preparation for Your Ceremony
Outside of the Pagan and New Age Community the use of a private home altar is not something we are taught everyday let alone what to do with one , once we set our altars up.
The first step in the use of one's altar is to decide what it's purpose is, worship, ritual, healing, relationship,career.etc.. It might be to simply quiet the mind and to become more calm and peaceful for that day or night. Worshipping can be used to seek help in developing new qualities. The opportunities and purposes of an altar are varied.

It helps to have a specific time of the day to conduct your devotional ,meditations,rituals, and ceremonies. This helps us to put a structure around our worship and to develop the habit of tending the altar. Some prefer to begin their day with a ceremony while others prefer to worship in the evening. You may need to experiment before you find your best time. It's best to choose that time of day where you can find some private time of about a half hour period.

Make certain you will not be disturbed. Sit or stand in a way that you are relaxed and comfortable. If possible, do some deep breathing or other relaxing exercises to help you prepare for your worship.

Opening Your Worship
It's important to have a formal beginning for each ceremony.Some create a circle and call in the 4 directions, I use my bell , I hit my bell 3 times to begin, to alert Spirit that I am there and I ring it 3 times to alert Spirit that it is over. Some begin theirs by the burning of incense or white sage to formally open ritual. Some light the Altar candle.There are many elaborate and many simple ways to do this, the choice is yours.By having an beginning ritual, this helps to still our minds and to focus all energies on the purpose at hand. Burning incense or white sage will also dissolve any negative energies in the area where you are worshipping, clearing the space for positive energies. I either use incense and spread the smoke with a vulture feather, or I use my altar Besom and sweep away any unwanted energies in my altar space.

Giving Thanks for Your Blessings
It's important to honor the God/dess or the powers that be and to give thanks for the blessings one is receiving that day. Saying thank-you for the blessings you have puts you into a proper frame of mind for whatever is your purpose for your altar. There are always blessings regardless of the difficulties being experienced. There are always blessings in our life if we will only look for them.

The Heart and Soul of the Ceremony
Then proceed to ask, discuss, or present the intention of your purpose. This is the most personal part of any ceremony. The power of prayer is immense and you can realize many blessings simply by asking for yourself or others. The asking needs to be done in humility and love for self and others.
Another important element of is to listen. If you have sufficient time, meditate, quiet your mind so you can be more open to the messages you might recieve. This gives Spirit the opportunity to send us messages. But we need to be sufficiently quiet to hear these messages.

If one has a favorite prayer, it is helpful to recite this prayer with perhaps a special intention as part of your ceremony. For those who read the bible, scriptures, the Torah or other sacred literature, reading from these writings can be an important element of your ceremony.This would be a good time to read Tarot or Runes or I Ching.

You will find that the content of your altar time changes as you grow and change. The beauty of an altar and worship at home is that you can change it to accommodate whatever needs you have at any point and time in your life.

Music
Music is an effective way to open or close an altar ceremony and to help calm the mind and emotions. It puts one in the right frame of mind . I personally prefer silence with no distractions , just in case I may hear something,one never knows..

If you decide to use music choose that which you associate with sacred music. This could include bells, chimes, singing bowls, flute music, the horn of Tibet, chanting, Gregorian music, or Cappella. Many types of music can be powerful ingredients of worshipping which help you express your emotions and needs.

Closing Your Worship
The closing should leave you with the feeling that you have reinforced the God/dess within you, expanding your ability to love and care for yourself and others, and other God/dess-like qualities .
Is It Prayer or Meditation
Prayer is defined as a solemn request or thanksgiving to God or an object of worship. A religious service consists mostly of prayer. Meditation is defined as an exercise of the mind in contemplation, concentrating on a particular object or sound, so that your mind can become quiet and empty of chatter and noise. Meditation consists of emptying the mind so that subconscious and superconscious messages can come to the surface. Prayer involves speaking, discussing, and is an active exercise. Meditation involves relaxing, and quieting the mind and is a passive exercise.

Both prayer and meditation are important elements of this altar time. They can be done individually or in a group. They can be done in a short or long period of time. There are many different forms of prayer and meditation and both should eventually be integrated into daily ritual.
Closing my ritual time is done the same way I open it whether it be the ringing of a bell, or if I lit a candle to then snuff it out.
for what it is worth
blessed be

Tree Spirit and my kindred spirit friend

I first moved into my new 'to me' home in 1993 this is what this Oak tree looked like, then a year or two later when I became 'pagan', the Oak tree woke up and the picture below it , is what it looked like for about 5 years, then it went back to sleep and now looks like the above picture. On the above picture look almost half way down and on the right you will vaguely see where the face should be.These pictures are at different angles, the above pic, taken from my back step and the below is taken from front of the house. This tree and it's smiley face , faces my kitchen, and if it was smiling those first few years living here I never noticed, you would think I would have, then one day there it was this perfect smiling face, I did not touch this picture up , this is honestly what it looked like.The tree Spirit felt a common spirit with me as a pagan, but when I got lost on the path it disappeared, strange , you think? well I have asked the spirit to awaken again because I miss it's smiling face and felt like truly the spirit world and the pagan spirit was really real . So we shall see if it will re awaken as I find my way again as a Pagan........I sure hope so, I will keep you updated on whether or not we are again kindred spirits.
blessed be

It's hard to remain positive when physically I seem to be going down hill. Walking, is such a chore anymore, I graduated to a walker this past week , I hate it I feel like the granny I am. I still use my cane while on the road with trucker hubby, but at home I putt putt in my walker , it is so much easier to get around , but this morning NOT!. It seems when the weather turns rainy or chance of rain all my bones ache and seem to do so more and more.It is so hard to keep hope alive. My problem is my poor arthritic left hip, and sciatica on the same side ,I have arthritis in my right knee as well and it is sore and swollen , as well as all over pain, if I could lose the fricking weight I would be a bit better, but I wonder if it would help the sciatica, I had lost 92 lbs a few years back and gained almost half back! And I did feel better but it took 2 years of strictly eating 20 carbs a day and that was the only way I could loose, but it is so hard to do that again, that was so extreme and I just don't have it in me to do that again, but I know I need to.
My hip problem started at age five with a disease called Legg PerthesLegg–Calvé syndrome is a degenerative disease of the hip joint, where an add/loss of bone mass leads to some degree of collapse of the hip joint, that is, to deformity of the ball of the femur and the surface of the hip socket. The disease is typically found in young children , and it can lead to osteoarthritis in adults. The effects of Perthes can also sometimes continue into adulthood.
It is the idiopathic avascular osteonecrosis of the capital femoral epiphysis of the femoral head. It is caused by an interruption to the blood supply of the head of the femur close to the hip joint.
It is also known as Perthes disease,[1] ischemic necrosis of the hip, coxa plana, osteochondritis and avascular necrosis of the femoral head, or Legg–Perthes Disease or Legg–Calve-Perthes Disease (LCPD).

I wore a brace for 3 years and it did heal back up, but had problems during this time , I couldn't do sports or walk to much without pain , but on the whole I lived pretty average until about 8 years ago when it started to get worse as well as all the other pain I have now.
So no my obesity did not cause the problem, but it sure as hel has aggravated the problem.
So we are home today but walking is extremely painful for me today, I had wanted to go to Walmart with hubby to shop but bearing weight today is not a happy thing to do right now. So I am stuck at home , can't even house clean, and I know that cleaning is not something people like to do, but when you are unable to, then that is what you want to do.
I don't want to come off as a whine baby, but sometimes I need to vent.
The physical problems are not my only whine baby today, spiritually I am ship wrecked, I don't know where I stand here, get the pun......I can't stand anywhere so why not spiritually as well, maybe they are one and the same thing. They both started at about the same time when I lost confidence in my 'label'. Now I don't really know what I believe or if I believe anything. I rather believe in the realm of spirit than not, but right now it seems everyone has left the room and I am here alone. Yep , it's all under one umbrella, my physical problems and my spirituality are one and once I fix the spirit my body will follow along...........but that is the problem. I don't fit in any belief system , really, I love paganism, but the 'gods' just are not there for me, I thought I liked Christianity, but man I hate the idea that God pretty much thinks we are as worthless as tits on a boar hog. I don't care for that aspect of the religion among many others I can go on and on about, you are worthless , nothing you do is good enough so god comes down and does it for himself, and any growth you might have is because god is doing it through you and you all you need to do is die to self, all the time...............that just does not set well with me. What in the world are we here for but to grow by our own work, but to stand by and let god do it because I am not good enough, why in the hel are we here then? It just does not hold water for me.
So who am I but a cripple? in spirit and in this life..........yes I get the metaphor, now with my self esteem crumbled to nothing from Christianity's brainwashing over the years, I don't trust anything I come up with, even when spirit give signs, and only on the Pagan path have I ever had signs, and plenty of them at that, I still don't accept them because I feel that I am wrong all the time...................how in the hel do I get out of this trap I have set for myself?....................Sorry for the bummer today..........I really rather be uplifting and positive, but this is how I feel now and so I am trying to be honest, not someone who would seem to have a dream life , like so many try to pawn on the rest of us.
I have work to do , lots of it in order to be healthy spirit and body, so if any of you have any suggestions on how to overcome many years of brain washing it would be appreciated
summer blessings to ya all

JUST WHO DO YOU THINK ARE IN PRISON?

I was reading an Atheist's blog http://atheistcamel.blogspot.com/
and many of his/or her post got me to thinking, yeah a big dirty word, about just how many atheist and or pagans are in prison and here is what I found out:
I could not find a more recent statistics about What were the Religious affiliations within the USA prisons. But here is a 1997 one. I have to admit that I was shocked at what I saw, you would think from the rhetoric of the Christian Right that our prisons were full of Pagans and Atheist, but not according to the statistics below.
Out of a Total In Prisons 96968 only 74,731 identified their beliefs so we have only 156 were Atheist that is 0.209%
but here's the shocker, or is it? You have the Catholics at 29267 or 39.164% and Christians /Protestant 26162 35.008% ,Church of Christ 1303 1.744%
Pentecostal 1093 1.463% Jehovah Witness 665 0.890%
Adventist 621 0.831%
Orthodox 375 0.502%
Mormon 298 0.399% so adding all these 'Christian 'sects together you have:30,517 + the Catholics 29267 =59784 out of 74,731 which leaves 14,947 for all other religions and no religions left over.
People that is a hugh number of so called religious people who claim they have the one true religion and they are in prison.

So what can we deduct from this information? That Pagan and Atheiest and Agnostic are more ethical? or that they are just smarter and do not get caught? Or that the cops are out to get the Christians ? Another tidbit of information here is that out of 22,000 only 4 had a college education, so can we agree with Dr. Christian as he states below?
"Dr. Christian, Superintendant of the NY State Reformatories, checked 22,000 prison inmates and found only 4 college graduates In "Who's Who" 91% were college graduates, and he commented that "intelligence and knowledge produce right living" and that "crime is the offspring of superstition and ignorance."
But when you really think about it, it only goes to show that being Christian does not make you a more law abiding citizen, and what I have learned through the years is that I rather do business with a non Christian than a Christian because if you think because someone is Christian they will be honest with you and you let your guard down thinking they wont skrew you , then you best think again.
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The results of the Christians vs atheists
in prison investigation.

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By Rod Swift
I have expanded the figures to provide a % of the total respondents, and I have ranked them (they were presented to me alphabetically). These stats were obtained from their computer on 5 March 1997.


Dear Mr. Swift:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons does have statistics on religious
affiliations of inmates. The following are total number of
inmates per religion category:

Response Number %
---------------------------- --------
Catholic 29267 39.164%
Protestant 26162 35.008%
Muslim 5435 7.273%
American Indian 2408 3.222%
Nation 1734 2.320%
Rasta 1485 1.987%
Jewish 1325 1.773%
Church of Christ 1303 1.744%
Pentecostal 1093 1.463%
Moorish 1066 1.426%
Buddhist 882 1.180%
Jehovah Witness 665 0.890%
Adventist 621 0.831%
Orthodox 375 0.502%
Mormon 298 0.399%
Scientology 190 0.254%
Atheist 156 0.209%
Hindu 119 0.159%
Santeria 117 0.157%
Sikh 14 0.019%
Bahai 9 0.012%
Krishna 7 0.009%


---------------------------- --------
Total Known Responses 74731 100.001% (rounding to 3 digits does this)

Unknown/No Answer 18381
----------------------------
Total Convicted 93112 80.259% (74731) prisoners' religion is known.

Held in Custody 3856 (not surveyed due to temporary custody)
----------------------------
Total In Prisons 96968



Miscellaneous penal religion statistics
In "The New Criminology", Max D. Schlapp and Edward E. Smith say that two generations of statisticians found that the ratio of convicts without religious training is about 1/10 of 1%. W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so.[9]
The following information has been circulating on the Internet but no additional references have been found - if you can back up this information, please update this page:

During 10 years in Sing-Sing, those executed for murder were 65% Catholics, 26% Protestants, 6% Hebrew, 2% Pagan, and less than 1/3 of 1% non-religious.
Steiner and Swancara surveyed Canadian prisons and found 1,294 Catholics, 435 Anglicans, 241 Methodists, 135 Baptists, and 1 Unitarian.
Dr. Christian, Superintendant of the NY State Reformatories, checked 22,000 prison inmates and found only 4 college graduates. In "Who's Who" 91% were college graduates, and he commented that "intelligence and knowledge produce right living" and that "crime is the offspring of superstition and ignorance."
Surveyed Massachusetts reformatories found every inmate religious, carefully herded by chaplins.
In Joliet, there were 2,888 Catholics, 1,020 Baptists, 617 Methodists and 0 non-religious.
Michigan had 82,000 Baptists and 83,000 Jews in their state population. But in the prisons, there were 22 times as many Baptists as Jews, and 18 times as many Methodists as Jews. In Sing-Sing, there were 1,553 total inmates with
855 of them Catholics (over half), 518 Protestants, 177 Jews and 8 non-religious.

Steiner first surveyed 27 states, and found 19,400 Christians, 5,000 with no preference, and only 3 Agnostics (one each in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Illinois). A later, more complete survey found 60,605 Christians, 5,000 Jews, 131 Pagans, 4,000 no preference, and only 3 Agnostics.
In one 29-state survey, Steiner found 15 unbelievers, Spirtualists, Theosophists, Deists, Pantheists and 1 Agnostic among nearly 83,000 inmates. Calling all 15 "anti-christians" made it one half person to each state. Elmira reformatory overshadowed all, with nearly 31,000 inmates, including 15,694 Catholics (half), and 10,968 Protestants, 4,000 Jews, 325 refusing to answer, and 0 unbelievers.
In the East, over 64% of inmates are Catholics. In the national prison population they average 50%. A national census found Catholics 15%. They count from the diaper up. Hardly 12% are old enough to commit a crime. Half of these are women. That leaves an adult Catholic population of 6% supplying 50% of the prison population. .
Liverpool, England produces three percent as many young criminals as Birmingham, a larger city, 28% coming from Catholic schools.

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