The Seventh Incarnation of the Mother

There is currently a series on the Science Channel that is exploring the birth, life, death and rebirth of our planet, as well as the emergence of life during these times. According what scientists have been able to determine, the cycle goes like this:

Earth is hit by an asteroid that creates a catastrophic chain reaction. First, everything is super-heated and essentially sterilized by fire. Then, a cooling begins, creating what becomes a giant snowball in space. Eventually the ice begins to melt and forms of life begin to appear. Plants grow, animals evolve and all is happy for a few million years. Until Earth is hit again.

This has happened six times.

According to what the scientists can figure out, each time the Earth dies and is reborn, life returns as well. That would mean the Earth manages to keep the keys to creating life deep within Herself, even though the surface has been cleansed by fire and ice.

The Earth truly is our Mother.

And now we have scientific proof!

On another subject, I would like for everyone out there to think about this for a minute - why are you a Pagan? Why do you stand beneath the moon and call to the God and Goddess? What is it about this spirituality that "does it" for you?

I have recently been on a very intimate quest to understand - for myself - the reasons for being Pagan. I know that I chose this path when I was younger because I felt this was the best way to honor the Mother and the Father and to celebrate my own life as a child of the Gods. But recently, it seems I've forgotten that. I started worrying about what other people might think if I actually enjoyed myself in public and had a good time wherever I was. I got so wrapped up in the "what will they think" mentality that I forgot to be myself and became very depressed.

Then one day, my friend Nova pointed me to this strange person who was also incredibly wrapped up in the "what will they think" mentality. I spent countless hours looking over this person's blogs and writings, and determined this person was some sort of fundamentalist nutcase, too busy casting stones at others to pay much attention to his own household. Yeah, you know, . . .

Anyway, I realized I was in danger of becoming just like that. No fun in that! So for the past few months I've been doing a lot of introspection and self-examination. I feel like I owe all of my friends and family a huge apology for becoming a lame-ass drag.

And with that, I would just like to say that changes can be expected! Beltane is coming up very quickly, and I'm glad to say that this year's celebration will indeed be a celebration!

I am a Child of Gods, divine and divinely inspired.

The Purpose of Religion

I have recently found myself wondering why religion is so important to people. If you follow a Christian ideology, then there are the threats of damnation and the promise of an everlasting life filled with bliss and happiness. I believe all the book religions make a promise of eternal life and joy. I've seen many indigenous religions that feel the need to appease the Gods so there is less pain and strife, but is there a reward for them at the end of their lives? Generally, there is reincarnation into a life that is easier as reward for those that have lived a good life, and something harsher for those that did not.

But what of the Pagan? We believe in Gods and Goddesses and we believe in reincarnation. Is there a reward for us at the end of our lives? If we live a good life, if we are kind to others and do what we can to help our fellow human, what happens when we die?

I was taught early on that as we reincarnate through all our lives, we accumulate knowledge which is then taken back to the source that is God. As I've gotten older, I've run into a problem with that - why would God need that knowledge if God created all that we are? So that belief changed into this: we need the experiences so WE can grow and become more compassionate, which in turn is supposed to bring us closer to understanding what it means to be as God/dess. But then I started seeing all these natural disasters and wars, and it seemed as if God/dess had lost all sense of compassion. And I lost all faith.

I believe there is God/dess. I don't believe any of us really know what God/dess is, but I do believe in the existence of Deity. I don't know if all of our bowing and scraping is really necessary to them. It is necessary for us, because we need to know we can connect to Deity in some way, and we need to know they hear us. But do the Gods need us? Do the Gods need our worship and prayer?

"You have no need of prayer, yet we offer these, our prayers.
You have no need for worship, yet we worship you here.
You have no need for sacrifice, yet we offer you sacrifice."

So what's the point?

Some religions would have us believe our immorality is what's creating all these natural disasters and wars. I believe it's man's inhumanity to man - "my dick's bigger than your dick" syndrome. Rather than reaching out to our brothers and sisters and trying to make this a place where we can live in peace, we are creating our own hell on Earth by poisoning the waters and the atmosphere and trying to kill each other. Sadly, much of it has been (and is still being) done in the name of religion. One group of people does not worship like another group of people, so the first group is blasphemous and must be punished. There are so many different kinds of people on this planet, yet we cannot celebrate our differences - we must pound the shit out of anybody that's even slightly different.

Maybe the point of being a Pagan is to learn tolerance and compassion. Historically speaking, the Gods and Goddesses of my ancestors weren't exactly kind individuals - they were warriors and kings and queens, but I believe even Gods and Goddesses learn over time. They may not walk the Earth with us in physical form, but they are here, and - I believe - they do hear us. It's not just elementals or Earth energy or beings from different planes of existence. They are Gods and Goddesses and they are a part of who and what we are. We should honor them and respect them, not because we have to or because we're afraid of them, but simply because they are. Just as we are one with the Earth, we are one with the Gods.

Sometimes I forget.