A series on life

Life’s Questions

I follow a Blog Keresberos, and came across a blog on self-evaluation. The questions she brought up were of a complexity that each one is worth a blog. There for I am going to do a series on Life’s questions. Each blog in this series will address each question one by one. Here are the questions for you to ponder over and so you have an idea of what I am talking about in each one.

1. World Philosophy: How do you view the world and/or life? (good, bad, learning experience, etc.) What do you consider the major problems of the world/community around you are? What solutions do you have that you feel would improve your world-view? How does governance, on both personal and societal levels, fit in with this view? What do you feel your role is or that of humanity in the world?


2. Deity: What is your view on deity/divinity? Does it exist? Is it singular or divided? What is its role in the world? for you personally?


3. Gods/Goddesses: What is your relationship to the gods? How do they fit in your daily life? Which gods/goddesses do you feel closest to? furthest from? What are your thoughts on mixing pantheons? cultural/historical accuracy?



4. Your Path: How would you describe your current path? What are its goals/aims? Does your path have any inherent benefits or flaws you feel should be noted? How do these gains/losses affect you? How does its current direction compare with where you've been? What labels do you self-identify with and why? Do you have a particular self/magical name? What does it mean? Is it public or private?



5. Ethics: How do you determine "rightness" and "wrongness" in any given situation? Do you have a personal code of conduct/ethics you live by? What repercussions exist for perceived misconduct? What actions/behaviors are desirable for self-improvement? which are self-defeating? Any hard and fast “rules” you feel should never be broken? How did you determine these? Are they rigid or flexible? Under what circumstances? In what ways are you limited by this code? In what ways does it allow for freedom of expression? How do the moral/ethical codes of others affect you?



6. Other Personal Beliefs: Do you have any personal beliefs concerning life beyond this one? the nature of the spirit/soul? What is your basic view on the nature of humanity? (flawed, evolving, it's fine, etc.)



7. Traditions/Practices: What traditions do you hold? What purpose do they have for you? Do you have some traditions/practices that are no longer useful for you? What traditions/practices do you have that are new or you’d like to see continue? What are some issues you’ve had with past traditions? How did/can you deal with them?



8. Interactions: How do you deal with people who disagree with you? inaccuracies/misinformation? conflict/hostility? How do different groups of people respond to you? What are some situations that can be identified as emotional triggers? How do the behaviors/habits of other people affect you? Do you consider yourself liberal, moderate or conservative when assessing or accepting new ideas?



9. General Personality Questions: Do you feel insignificant or limited by your life situation in any way? How do your fears or those of others affect you? What would make you most happy right now? What are your views on responsibility and discipline and how do you relate them to your life? How does the past, and past hurts, figure into the present? Are you happiest when you are solitary, in a limited group, or surrounded by people and why? What is your place within the social order and how do you think you got there? How highly do you value the opinions of others?


If you feel inspired you may wish to answer them for yourself, and if you feel like sharing do so in the comment box or please leave a comment with a link to where you post it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanks Giving All!

This is a time of being Thankful a holiday that everyone can celebrate together no matter religion or path we all have things we are thankful for and with an open mind and a little toleration we can all be thankful together. Respect that which each of us has faith in and enjoy the food.

Have a Happy and peaceful Thanksgiving!

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Chaos

Chaos


Chaos is a lack of order. When you open your eyes to it as an entity, you can see the truth of the nature of chaos. As an entity chaos can be a comfort, an inspiration, and a force worth following through life. As a source to draw from it removes pain, and the veil that society tries to pull over our heads. From the side of chaos The world can be seen in a perspective that sets the spirit free.

Chaos has very few rules to it and the closer to the rules you can live, the freer one can be. The rules of following Chaos;

 Follow your own heart

 Respect others

 The only rules that are binding are those that one imposes on them.

 Choose your path and be self governed

That is it; chaos is not about ordering one’s life, but more about living it. Within the folds of chaos is great power for everything else has come from chaos. Chaos is about the self and self-gratification, with awareness of those around you and their right to the same.

For those who seek power they will fail in seeking it from chaos. The power in chaos is one that grows within oneself by following chaos, as the creation of life and all other things that chaos is in there is nothing ordered about its actions. In Chaos, the power is strong but its power cannot be gained through instruction, it is individual and can depend on the purpose as to how to use the power.

Most assume that the power comes from outside of order, oddly enough, the power of chaos is within order, the amount of power, or energy a follower can get within the ordered chaos depends upon their individual self. Although all who follow chaos seek their own personal chaos but the ultimate, form of chaos is anarchy, which is chaos within order. Anarchy is a great energy that can inspire and propel those who embrace it to a level of power that few feel in their lifetime. This effect is proportional to the strength of the anarchy.

Within the personal symbols to one that follows Chaos is the one for chaos and the anarchy symbol.







The symbol for chaos is;

Anarchy symbol is;

The anarchy symbol in the middle is one of my favorites, but there are many different versions of these symbols but one of each generally falls within the symbolism used by a follower of chaos. Several followers of chaos also favor the Egyptian Ankh. The reason for this is generally the ankh holding an acceptable connection to order for the individual.

Magic

Magic is a part of paganism that several sects actually aproach magic in several ways. However I have not seen anyone attempt to approach it in a manner that is not a literal interpretation.

If magic is performed and looked at as a perspective. If taken literally magic would be the fantasy and fairy tale versio of wizards and witches that can instantly transform things from one thing to another. It doesn't take long to realize that it is not in this reality to expect that magic would work that way. That is not to say that magic doesn't exist as that would be turning our back on the truth.

The reality of magic is to use energies to influence ones life and things within it and connecting with it. Magic can change things affect them and even alter the true nature of things. Through spells, rituals rites and ceromonies energies can be used to change alter or otherwise change the nature of things. It is not an imediate change nor is it totally unexplainable.

Alot of what is explained vaguely if at all by science is generally an act of magic in a way. There are many things that have happened in the world that is unexplainable with logic however it makes more sense as an act of magic more so than adevine intervention, miricle or any other name that it is called by.

The first Werewolf

The Greek Myth of Lycaon: The Original Werewolf


November 30, 2007 by

Charlotte Kuchinsky

Read it here


Few people are aware that even the legend of the werewolf can be tracked back to ancient Greek mythology. Werewolves are also often referred to as lycanthropes. Perhaps because the very first werewolf was a human by the name of Lycaon.

As the story goes, many humans believed that they owed their lives to Prometheus rather than to the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. For that reason, many refused to worship them according to Zeus's rules.



A few chose to do more than refuse to worship the gods, however. They went so far as to challenge them out right. The worst of the bunch was a man named Lycaon. He constantly spoke out against the Olympians, cursing their names and uttering blasphemies.



Zeus grew tired of Lycaon's attitude and decided to teach him a lesson. He took mortal form and went into Lycaon's village, sharing his identity with many of the humans that he met along the way. Most humans, once they knew who he really was, began to worship the king of the gods according to his will.



Of course Lycaon was not about to do that. Still, he gave the appearance that he was going to listen to what Zeus had to say. He invited him to dinner to discuss what he needed to do in order to gain favor with the gods.



However, Lycaon never intended to keep his end of the bargain. Quite the opposite, in fact, he intended to commit the most grievous act of desecration of which he could conceive.



In his dungeon, Lycaon had many prisoners because he was a wealthy man who could get away with almost any act imaginable. His prisoners were all people that he had decided had dishonored him in some way or who had dared to try to take a morsel of bread from his table.



He took one of his prisoners and slit his throat. He then dismembered the poor soul, to use his body as meat for the stew that he planned to serve for dinner.



Once the meal was prepared and set on the table, Lycaon invited Zeus and his entourage into the dining area. But Zeus immediately smelled the meat and knew what Lycaon had done. Using his thunderbolts, he struck the table, sending the food flying and finally capturing the attention of his so-called host.

Suddenly Lycaon realized he had made a grave error and he began running for his life, with Zeus in hot pursuit. But as he ran, he realized that something was happening to him. His cries became snarls and growls. His body dropped to all fours and began to alter painfully. His nose became a snout and his ears became pointed. Hair sprung up all over his body and his teetch became sharp and pointed.

Zeus laughed, thinking that he had taught the human a valuable lesson; but the joke was on him. Lycaon discovered that he liked his new condition because it allowed him to continue his bloodthirsty ways. He

killed sheep, goats, and humans with reckless abandon until the villagers grew tired of his reign of terror and dispatched him to Tatarus.



Over the years, the concept behind the lycanthrope changed to that of someone who was human during the day and a wolf only at night, when the moon was full. How and why that change came about remains a mystery, although there are a number of theories espoused.



The first lycanthrope, it would seem, may have come to be because of his disrespect of the Greek gods. He wasn't the first to dishonor them and would not be the last. He may, however, have the been the one to pay the heaviest price of all.

Halloween

To some it is a day of fum costumes and party fun

To others it is a day of scarey creatures and things that go bump in the night,

yet others it is a day of fearing the spirits return to the world,

even other fear those who would haunt them on this night

and I reveal in celebration of those who have past, those who speak with me

and those who try to scare me

Halloween is many thing

and what ever it is to you

I'll take this time to wish you

Happy Halloween or Happy All Hallows Eve!

Global Warming

Global Warming
http://www.blogactionday.org/




Global warming is a worldwide problem and I believe it is definitely a problem that everyone should get involved in solving, However human are not completely responsible for it, although we have definitely helped it along. I believe the world goes through cycles of weather changes that go from Ice age to total global melt down. Over the course of millions of years, the world goes through its cycles.


These cycles are nature’s ways of healing and refreshing life. The world has already passed through at least two cycles of this before humans came along and the world will continue to after we are gone. This being said, I am not denying the human factor in the global warming. Humans have probably sped up nature’s cycle with their misuse of resources and their refusal to move beyond out dated fossil fuel machines. The technology put into the gas driven engine is out dated and has been since the 50’s in comparison with the rest of mans technological world.


Now the time has come for man to stand up and face the consequences for what he has done and do his best to help fix the damage caused by our over indulgence of the fascination with technology. There are many ways to do this and the slogan go green comes to mind. Be mindful every minute of every day and think in the interest of the earth and nature before we act. Turn off unused items, don’t print up e-mails if they are not needed, walk when possible, not only will it help the planet it will also benefit you.


Most important things begin with individuals and together we can slow global warming so that nature will get back on scheduale.

The Choice of Ones Path

Image by orvaratli via Flickr

The choice of paths a person chooses does determine their life’s course and they should choose it wisely and be aware of the consequences the path may bring. The choice of a path that is separate from mainstream religions as well as most formalized religions generally means that it will be a solo journey. This journey can be fraught with little to no understanding by others. It can be a lonely journey with a few people who are willing to listen, understand your path even be able to follow a path that parallels you own journey, yet not be able to share in your journey like one who is on the same path.


This does not have to isolate you if you don’t allow it to. In some respects stepping off the beaten path can leave you lonely and desiring a spirit to be able to share it with. However there are those who are willing to listen, understand and indulge in your path even while walking another. I guess the saying “Take it where you can get it “comes to mind.


Companions and significant people in our lives don’t necessarily need to walk the same path with us just be willing to share with us. After all it can test our beliefs and our choices when they are sharing across from a different path. These kinds of relationships also show an open acceptance that can be more valuable than being accepted merely because you walk the same path. Many paths are ones of solitude and being alone and the friends and acquaintances that can be built that bridge paths can be stronger than any built on the commonality of walking the same path. Christianity is one that teaches this lesson well. In church an d places of activities associated with the church people tend to act if as they are another’s best friend even to those they would not give the time of day to outside of the church function.


The desire to have someone to share your views and you path is only to be human but to be able to do so beyond your own path will strengthen your faith and spirit and provide for a more spiritual enriching relationship.


My thoughts and opinion think of them as you will, hopefully you think about them before rejecting or accepting them.


Rogue

Pagan

Image by nico t via Flickr

Pagan

In the pagan community everyone uses their own definition of the word ‘pagan’ which in most cases is fine, the disturbing part of this is along with the definition most people bring along their own mold. A lot of people have told me and others on pagan communities that we were not pagan because we didn’t fit into their mold of what makes a pagan ‘pagan.’



This attitude is one of the attitudes that many pagans tend to proclaim to dislike in Christianity. The idea that if you don’t fit in the definition of a Christian you aren’t a good person. Christians have persecuted millions under this belief, yet many carry it over into a pagan religion and expect everyone to conform. The idea can be amusing at times, especially when you realize that pagan is a word that has no definite meaning. Unlike Christianity, Muslim, or even Judaism there is no concise requirements to be pagan other than being a follower of a non-mainstream religion.

The disturbing part of the fact is that in general most pagans profess to have an open mind. Then to turn around and display such a closed minded attitude when what they should be able to do is understand another’s definition and accept it, acceptance is not a concession that you believe it just the willingness to live with the fact that someone else’s definition is different.

While I am on the subject of things that are disturbing about pagans, the other sore point to me is that they hang on to Christian morals and ideals. As life is complicated there is more than one way to coexist with your fellow man, so why is it that the pagan community seems to hang onto Christian values if the follow another path?

Just a few thoughts to consider.

Rogue