Thursday, February 28, 2013

Prayer in School


There is this misguided belief that prayer has been banned from schools. This is further from the truth. Any child may pray anyway they wish. No one is allowed to dictate how or who that pray is for. Buddhist may pray to Buddha. Hindus may pray to any of their gods. Pagans may pray to any of their gods. Muslims may pray to Ala. Christians may pray to their god.

But the institution is not allowed to lead or set prayers. That is forced indoctrination.

Prayer can be very beautiful. However it is not beautiful when forced to pray or forced into a specific religious prayer. Imagine the out cry if a Christian child was forced to perform a Hindu prayer.

One's personal god or gods should always be with you... if they aren't or can't... guess what they pretty much means they aren't a god.

So why don't you ignorant morons learn the difference between prayer in school and forced indoctrination of one specific religious path? Is your real issue that Christian prayer are not being enforced? I am very sure THAT is your goal. If it is then you are right.. there is a ban on THAT is school as it should be.

This is similar to the argument that Creationism should be taught in schools. Creationism is NOT a science. It is a religious belief, nothing more. And honestly a rather LIMITED religious belief as they only want the Christian point of view taught. Now if you want to introduce a World Religions course as a Humanities class... that would be amazing, but WAIT that might make the children of our country rethink the beliefs they are force feed by their parents!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Earth homes...


It amazes me that in the world we live in that more people don’t seek to build through abundant local resources that could dramatically change the future of those living within them and the environment around them.

Building superadobe and mud homes is considered private to most of us. But they are the most resistance, durable, and low cost building materials in the world. They provide protect from the temperatures changes and weather. As for heating and cooling, that is done over all passively through the very structure itself. They can be designed to work in extremely wet and cold climates just as effectively as in hot dry climates.

Here is a small example of one nation which still uses ancient techniques to build their earth homes.

Gurunsi Earth Houses of Burkina Faso

Gurunsi Earth Houses of Burkina Faso


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hellenic Spring Equinox Ritual

The following was a Spring Equinox ritual that I wrote for my old Grove. I thought I would share this to give you an idea of just one way to celebrate the Equinox from a Hellenic point of view. The very last song is an Irish blessing but my old Grove loved it so much we included it in every ritual.


Spring Equinox 2010 Hellenic Ritual 


Offering to the Outsiders: You who are not a part of our right, though your way are mighty they are not our ways, we give you this offering and ask that you leave us in peace, Outdwellers, turn from our grove!

Precession Song: (Bardic) We approach the Sacred Grove with hearts and minds, flesh and bones, Join us now in ways of old, we have come home. We have come home.

Purification of the people
Two Powers Meditation



Consecration of Place and Time

Offering to Hestia: Bright shining fire of hearth, warmth of home and soul, source of human survival, We call to you Great eldest and youngest Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, Mighty Hestia, be in our grove!

Offering to Zeus: Loving King of all the worlds, Father of the gods, hurler of the great lightning bolts, bringer of life sustaining rain, Mighty Zeus, be in our grove!

Offering to the Earth Mother: Great Mother, you who gives live to all to all things that dwell upon your land, sea, and sky, you who bears the green of the land and the fruit of the sea, Blessed Ge, be in our grove!
Offering to Poetic Inspiration: Spirit of Inspiration, be in our grove!


Recreation of the Cosmos and Establishing Scared Center 

Invocation of Gatekeeper: Swift footed messenger of the Gods, traveler between the worlds, mighty god of magic, Hermes Chthonos, come to our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of the Well: Spirit of the Well, who’s form is every changing; flow about, beneath, and through us, Let this well be no more a simple well but all wells and all waters of the seas, and the foundation of all the worlds! Spirit of the Well, be in our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of the Tree: Spirit of the Tree, who’s body give us the air we breathe;, grow beneath, above, and within us, let this tree be no more a simple tree but all trees of all the lands and the axis of all the worlds! Spirit of the Tree, be in our grove!

Invocation of Spirit of Fire: Spirit of Fire, who’s essence sustains the souls of all; shine above, about, and within us, let the fire be no more a simple fire but all the fires of all the heavens and the crown of all the worlds! Spirit of the Fire, be in our grove! 

Opening of the Gate: Well, Tree, Fire

CHORUS 
By Fire and by Water, between the Earth and Sky
We stand like the World-Tree rooted deep, crowned high. (repeat once)


(makes offering of silver to well-opens the gate)
Come we now to the Well, the eye and the mouth of Earth,
Come we now to the Well, and silver we bring,
Come we now to the Well, the waters of rebirth,
Come we now to the Well, together we sing:

CHORUS

( makes offering to the tree-opens the gate)
Gather we at the Tree, the root & the crown of all,
Gather we at the Tree, Below & above,
Gather we at the Tree, Together we make our call,
Gather we at the Tree, In wisdom & love.

CHORUS

(makes offering to the fire-opens the gate)
We will kindle a Fire, Bless all, and with harm to none,
We will kindle a Fire, and offering pour,
We will kindle a Fire, A light 'neath the Moon & Sun,
We will kindle a fire, our spirits will soar.

CHORUS (with gusto)


All: Let the gates be OPEN!

Let the gates be OPEN!

Let the gates be OPEN!


CHORUS

: The gates are OPEN!


Kindred Invocations

Offering to Ancestors: Might Dead ancestors to us, those that have come before so that the way was cleared, we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Beloved Ancestors, accept our offering!

Offering to Nature Spirits: Creatures of fur, feather, flesh and scale, cousins to us all mortal and spirit alike, you who give so much so that we may live, we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Spirits of Nature, accept our offering!

Offering to the Gods: Great Shining Ones, gods and goddess of all times, you who bring order to the cycles of the cosmos we come to honor you this day, come forth to our fire we pray! Mighty gods, accept our offering! 

Song: (Bardic) Gods & Dead & Mighty Sidhe, Powers of earth & sky and sea. By fire & well, by sacred tree, Offerings we make to ye!


Main Rite 

Kindred of the Occasion Invocation:

Kore:

Daughter of the All Father Zeus and Demeter, Earth goddess of growing things,
Hear our call, we pray!

Queen of Spring, flowering goddess of new life, Kore,
Hear our call, we pray!

With the return from your throne in the Underworld, the home of your beloved husband, Hades brother of Zeus, You bring life back into the world that has been cold and barren from the sorrow of your loss.

With the return to your scared gardens, Kore,
You bring to mankind the promise of life beyond death, the promise that death is not the end for our immortal souls.

You who are the Queen of the Dead,
You how were given power of eternal life,
Hear our call, we pray!

Great Queen who touches all in life and in death,
Hear our call, we pray!

Glorious youthful goddess Kore,
We call to You and ask that you please hear our call,
We invite to our ritual in honor of you,
We invite you to our ritual to welcome the enlightenment you bring!

Blessed Kore be in our grove!



Demeter:

Daughter to the Great Titans Kronos and Rhea,
Earth Goddess par excellence,
She who brings forth the fruits of the earth
And the life sustaining grains of the land,
We Pray!

Goddess who forsake the throne and riches offered to Her by Her might brother Zeus,
Father of all the Gods, So that She could live among men upon the earth,
We Pray!

She who taught man the arts of seed and plow
To end the nomadic lives they lead,
Who became the Goddess of planned society.
We Pray!

Great Beloved Goddess Demeter, Mother of Persephone,
We come to honor and praise you!

In Your sadness from the lose of you daughter,
The world suffered bitter winter and death, finding no relief or joy,
Teaching men that all things end.

With the return of Your Daughter, Persephone,
You allowed life to return to the land sending away the cold winter of death.
With this You taught man that life once gone returns anew to the world,
That the eternal soul of all things flows with the cycle of the land.

Demeter, Goddess of the Eleusinian Mysteries,
We come before You in honor of all Your teachings to man,
We come before You to ask that You burn away our impurities
As You once sought to do with Demophon.

Blessed Mysteries of life, death, and life again are yours,
Great Beloved Demeter. 



Praise Offerings (a round for each Kindred Invoked, then open to all):


Main Offering :

Darkness has claimed the world, Sorrow follows the footsteps of the old mother, Deo.
The land covers in despair as her blessed daughter Kore is nowhere to be found.

(ring bell three times)

Queen of the Underworld, goddess of the dead, your time of rebirth is at hand!
Great Persephone we call to you! Lay down your crown, drink from the Lethe,
Forget that which you are, forget that which you shall ever be!

(ring bell three times)

The sun returns to the world, life cries out for the loving touch of the Great Mother and her Glorious Daughter.

In honor of those who bring the life to the land we make this offering, we plant these seeds.
Mother Demeter, Daughter Kore, we of the Ozark Mountain Grove creates for you this garden.

(ring bell three times)

Let the seeds that fall from our hands be the return of Kore to the land. (spread out seeds)
Let the shroud lift from the face of Deo, revealing the glory of Demeter. (remove the shroud from Demeter statue)
Let this garden be our shrine to the power of life, death, and life again. (encircle the garden)

δέχεται τις προσφορές μας! [de-ket-igh tis pros-fores mahs!]
δέχεται τις προσφορές μας! [de-ket-igh tis pros-fores mahs!]
δέχεται τις προσφορές μας! [de-ket-igh tis pros-fores mahs!]


(ring bell three times)

Prayer of Sacrifice-Communion: (Hold Plate of meat, fat and bones towards the fire)

(Place Fat and Bones into the Fire- Then circle through those attending so they make take their portion of the Sacred Meal)


Prayer of Sacrifice Libation Hymn: (Pour each out as it is said)

Shining Gods and Goddesses, We come to you as in times of old, bringing libations, gifts to honour and soothe: 
To you all that have come, to all that heard our call we give you these gifts; 


White milk, sweet to drink from the animal sacred Hermes, the cow;
(Pour Milk)

Golden honey, the distillation of the bees that work on sweet Persephone’s blossoms; 
(Pour Honey)

Holy water brought from the source a pure spring domain of the Nymphs; 
(Pour Water)

This refreshing, unmixed drink from the ancient vine, its mother Demeter the Goddess of all growing things, the gift to human kind from Beloved Dionysus; 
(Pour Wine)

And the fragrant fruit of the pale green olive that lives its abundant life among the leaves and light of Helios, the gift of Athena to her people; 
(Pour Olive Oil)

These gifts we give to you in love and in respect, in friendship and kinship.

Might Ones accept our offerings!



Taking of the Omen:

Cup Litany:

You among the Mighty Dead, ancestors to us all,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the wisdom of
Your great Knowledge! 


(All) The gifts of the Ancestors for the people of the Ancestors!


You of land, sea, and sky; both mortal and spirit alike,
You who are the Nature Spirits,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the warmth of your Great Kinship! 


(All) The gifts of the Nature Spirits for the kin of the Nature Spirits!


You among the divine and gods and goddesses of all time,
Offerings we have made, offerings you have received.
We ask that you bless these Waters so we may share in the great Light of
Your Truth! 


(All) The gifts of the Gods for the children of the Gods!


In the name of Memory, the preserving shrine.(Well)

In the name of Earth, our common mother.(Tree)

In the name of Truth, the light which has no beginning and no end.(Fire)

May we never know thirst or need while in your service. Awen! (Make sign of ADF sigil over the Waters of Life)


Return the Waters of the Earth: We return the Water of Life so that the land will be better for us having been here. Hail great giving Earth! Keep safe always the sacrifice, keep it ever holy!


End of Rite

Thank deity of occasion:
Thank the Gods: Might Gods and Goddesses, we thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!
Thank the Nature Spirits: Blessed Nature Spirits, cousins to us all, mortal and spirit alike, we o thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts! 

Thank the Ancestors: Glorious Ancestors, kin to us all, we thank you for being with. Be with us always in our hearts!

Thank the Spirits of Inspiration: ( )

Thank the Earth Mother: Blessed Ge, mother to us all, we thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!


Thank Zeus: Mighty Zeus, King of all the gods, we thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts!

Thank Hestia: Bright Virgin Hestia, tender of the sacred flames, we thank you for being with us. Be with us always in our hearts.

Close the Gate: By the powers of the Kindred, by the powers of three realms, and by the power of Well, Tree and Fire; 

(All) Let the gates be closed!

(All) Let the gates be closed!

(All) LET THE GATES BE CLOSED!

The Gates are closed 
Thank Hermes Chthonos: Might Hermes Chthonos, we thank you for being here at our rite, we ask
now that you spend upon your way carrying our prayers and offerings to the Other Worlds and be with us when next we call!


De-Hallowing
Fire: Let this Fire be no more the Crown of all the worlds but simply a fire! Spirit of the Fire we thank thee!
Tree: Let this Tree be no more the Axis of all the worlds but simply a tree! Spirit of the Tree we thank thee!
Well: Let this Well be no more the foundation of all the worlds but simply a well! Spirit of the Well we thank thee!

Closing Two Powers Meditation

End of ritual 

Song: (Bardic) Walk with wisdom from this hallowed place. Walk not in sorrow, our roots shall ere embrace. May strength be your brother, and honour be your friend, And luck be your lover until we meet again. 

Origins of Valentine's Day


          In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13–15, was an archaic rite connected to fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno", was celebrated on February 13–14. Pope Gelasius I (492–496) abolished Lupercalia. Then the day was renamed after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.

          What is most interesting is that during Lupercalia youths would run down long stretches being 'beaten' with strips of flesh from young sheep/goats bellies which would leave them covered in blood. This was to help with the fertility in them. I have a great book called the Cults of Ancient Rome that has a lot about this and many other interesting facts about their rituals

          Catholics steal again ancient Pagan day and change it to fit their own purpose. And the world is fooled as usual.



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Selecting what to grow...

          The first thing I am going to do is decide what foods and herbs I want and CAN grow in pots on my patio and sidewalk area. This is important because  most apartments will allow for potted plants but not an actual garden. I have been doing herbs for several years now so I will be adding a few more selections this year.

          The following is the list of both vegetables and herbs I want to grow this year, all of which WILL grow in pots. Given enough sun, water and nutrients most plants will grow just fine.

Vegetables:

  • Asparagus (even using the 2 year old root systems I found will not be ready until next year)
  • Broccoli
  • Brusselsprouts
  • Cabbages
  • Cucumbers
  • Leeks
  • Lettuces (various kinds)
  • Spinach
  • Squashes (bunching versions)
  • Tomatoes (various kinds)
Herbs:

  • Basil (various kinds)
  • Dill
  • Garlic (various kinds)
  • Mint (various kinds - already have 3 kinds. Mints are perennial.)
  • Oregano (various kinds)
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Sage (various kinds)
  • Thyme (various kinds)

Nope... not a theocracy!

          I have seen a few posts the past few days that really make me chuckle. I find it interesting that for some reason some Christians, and I say some because I know not all feel this way, believe that they are being attacked because they are Christians. This seems to steam from the believe because the rest of us are sick to death of them trying to force their believes on us through their desire to make America a theocracy, we are some how attacking their believes.

          This is a delusion. I am happy for you that you have your spiritual beliefs. I am happy that they work for your... but we are not a theocracy or a 'Christian Nation.' To believe we are is another delusion. And if we were... it would be a BAD thing. Take a look at a few nations that ARE theocracies... Iran, Iraq, (most Islamic nations). Vatican City, Central Tibetan Administration, just to name a few. Look what happens to their people. Look at how we as Americans view most of these examples. And even if we were to become a Christian theocracy... what denomination would rule? Because it can be seen everyday in the news, online, and so many other places; the war that goes on even between your own denominations. Would we be a Catholic theocracy? A Baptist theocracy? A Mormon theocracy? And what laws from those religions are you going to enforce? Stoning? Burning at the stack? And for what reasons? Being Gay? Adultery? Eating shell fish? Wearing blended fabrics? Make no mistake... unless your specific Church is the ruling religion... you are FUCKED! 

          This was the very thing that drove most European Immigrants to the 'new country'. They wanted freedom to believe they way they wanted without a single denomination from coming to power and FORCING them to believe they way the government saw fit.

          But what is a theocracy you ask? Great question... let us take a look and see what a theocracy is. According to Dictionary.com (and Random House Dictionary as their source) a theocracy is 'a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler,a deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.' So in essence the scripture of said religion governs the laws of the governing body. This is usually done through the priest of said religion. Great. That clears things up!

          So sure! Be a proud American, be a proud Christian, or Muslim, or Hindi, or Pagan, or Druid, or etc... and be a proud American (insert religion) because that is what we can do in America... but know this: We are NOT a theocracy. If someone tries to make it one? FIGHT THEN TOOTH AND NAIL! Because it will be the end of freedom.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Spring Equinox



          Spring Equinox is the second time of the year when day and night are of equal length. It is also one of the four Solar High Days. It ushers in the first day of spring. The Equinox occurs between March 20th to the 21st each year. As with Autumn Equinox, there is an astrological component as well as a religious. As with most of the ancient pagan High Days, Spring Equinox was practiced by most of the Indo-European cultures,
albeit by different names.

          The astrological component is related to the rotational position of the Earth’s axis. During the Spring Equinox the axis begins to move so that the Northern Hemisphere is titled towards the sun. This causes the effect of day and night being of equal length. With the change in the axis the weather begins to warm again, triggering life’s growing cycle.

          There are several religious myths that are associated with the Spring Equinox. The first being that this time of year is when the Great Mother goddess gives over control of the year to the Great Father god. It is also the time when they become lovers conceiving the child that is to become the Great Father at Yule. These are widely popular beliefs among Wiccans.

          In Greek culture this is the time of year when Persephone returns from her throne in the Under World, that she shares with her husband Hades. With Persephone’s return to the world her mother Demeter allows growth to enter the world once again. Demeter brings on winter so that the world will feel her loss when Persephone must return to the Under World for a third of the year. With her return, Persephone brings the promise of life after death, that life is eternal, that life continues. This is also the beginning of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Spring Equinox is the start of the Lesser Mysteries. This was traditionally the time when anyone seeking initiation into the Eleusinian would start their journey leading them to the Greater Eleusinian Mysteries.

          Spring is a time of renewed life and new beginnings. With the return of Spring comes the promised of rebirth, the immortal soul. It’s a theme that runs throughout many cultures, past and present, giving a sense of hope to the people of the world.