On Being Wretched

Don't miss Mark Morford.

You can cling to musty dogma, to strict, outdated codes of conduct and belief, all dictated by very scared, very dead old men who lived many hundreds of years ago and in such a state of abject misunderstanding of the world, and God, and sex, and women, and love, and spirit, and life itself, they might as well have written a big, terrible book about it.

Oh wait, they did. Here is the Bible, a numbingly tedious tome written (and re-re-rewritten) by multiple paranoid power-mongers obsessed with genealogy, real estate, women, weird curses, genitalia, shellfish, the blood of sacrificial animals and how to appease a schizophrenic deity who loves you like sunshine one day and covers your body in painful, oozing boils the next.

Orthodox Easter

I apologize. I didn't remember until just now that it is Orthodox Easter today. For all my Greek and other Orthodox friends...

Christos Anesti! "Χριστός ἀνέστη!"

Needed Converstaion

Thanks to a heads up from Hecate I didn't miss this article from Yes. It's a worthwhile read and deserves wider distribution.

Here is a snippet:

The turning we humans must navigate to a viable future depends on a profound awakening to our nature as spiritual beings and our responsibility as participants in creation’s epic journey of self-discovery. This awakening will be partly experiential—a joyful reunion with our true nature. It will be partly intellectual—a larger and more nuanced understanding of the nature and purpose of creation and our human role in its continued unfolding.
To accelerate this awakening and actualize its possibilities we need an open and self-critical public conversation about the foundational stories by which we understand our human nature and purpose. That conversation must go far beyond an unproductive debate between doctrinaire Distant Patriarch creationists and doctrinaire Grand Machine social Darwinist evolutionists.

No Religion

There is a new report out that indicates that for the first time Protestants aren't the majority of Americans. The report from Pew shows that 1 in 5 Americans say they  have "no religion".

From what I've read in the AJC and on Huffingtion Post the coverage seems to indicate that atheism and agnosticism are ascendant but I think what this really means is that fewer people, especially the younger population, see the need for formal religion as a crutch when it comes to their self identity.
People, and again the younger folks, are being exposed to different ideas about what it means to be human and what our place is in the great scheme of things. They are beginning to see that spirituality, to use a word, engenders more than what traditional, formal religions offer. Rigid rules and structure are at odds with what many are experiencing in their actual lives. The increased exposure of Eastern thought/philosophy, mysticism, and paganism have given people greater resources when it comes to shaping their beliefs.

Myriad aspects of modern life can no longer be strictly dealt with by whacking them with the Bible. The reality of today doesn't fit comfortably in the rigid rules demanded by Christian traditional religion. More and more people are seeing the value of a philosophy or self awareness built around the peaceful traditions of Buddhism, Shamanism and Paganism. These philosophies are rooted in the natural flow of life and dance to the rhythms of nature, human love and interaction instead of denying the reality of the world. The end result being that they blend or harmonize far better with the way the world really works.

People aren't losing their "religion" so much as they are growing out of it.

There Be Dragons Here

I shamelessly appropriated this from the Facebook page Fundies Say the Darnedest Things because it made me laugh.
 Update: I can't seem to make it so when you click on it it gets full page. I'll try and fix it but no promises. It may be because I got it from Facebook.  Update 2: Fixed I think.

Spinning Up The Wacko's

I must say I am impressed by President Obama's comments on the Manhattan mosque. This is mighty strong language and I am sure we'll hear a lot about this from the crazy people. Here are the the President's remarks at the White House Iftar dinner:

Now, that's not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -– particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. (Applause.) And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.

It's good to see him come down on one of the fundamentals of our society so forcefully.

Bad Person

I guess I am a bad person. I couldn't help a little smile when I read that the 'Touchdown Jesus' monstrosity in Ohio was hit by lightning and burned quite rapidly to the ground. The church vows to rebuild but I might advise them to take the hint. That 'in your face' religiosity just irks me.

Social Justice

I was challenged by a commenter last week when I posted the thing about Glenn Beck and his charge to listeners to abandon their church if it mentions "social justice". Terrance Heath at A World of Progress does a pretty good job of addressing the issue. The commenter opined that Beck was correct and that there was no such thing as 'social justice' and never has been nor never will be. Whatever!

How Long Will It Take?

President Obama's speech in Cairo is getting rave reviews both from the Muslim world and from sane people in the West. From MJ Rosenburg at TPM we have a summary of the eight major themes of the speech. I am just wondering how long it is going to take before the leaders of the wingbut brigade take exception to all or part of the message because in the speech Obama makes a direct hit on some of the unhinged right's most beloved untruths especially with respect to the place Islam has in our country. The president made a special point of equating the fundamental truths of the Bible, Talmud and Koran which is sure to horrify the nutso crowd of "christians" who think they are the only true religion and that everyone else is going to fry in hell. It will be interesting to see what really flames the whackos off the most and who their annointed spokesperson or persons will be. I'm sure we'll here a "rebuttal" today sometime.

The President conveyed eight distinct messages.

1) It's a new day. Not only is Barack Obama not Bush, he isn't any of the other 43 Presidents either. And he explained exactly how different he is. America is a great country, not least because it elected a half-Muslim, half-African. We are not who you may think we are. We are still America.

2)Islam is part of the American fabric and always has been.He knows Islam and honors it, like the other great faiths -- but with his special connection. We oppose the violent extremism of a segment of Islam but understand that the vast majority of Muslims reject that path.

3)9/11 was a crime against America and humanity. We are at war with its perpetrators -- Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Iraq was a "war of choice" and we are getting out as soon as we can.

4)We oppose violent extremism by anyone.

5)We are committed to Israel and to Palestine. Both peoples have a right to a safe secure state. Palestinian terror must stop. So must settlements. He will work to end this conflict. The language here was utterly evenhanded and emotional. He cares deeply about this issue. And, although he intends to push Israel hard on settlements, etc, he understands and shares the feeling Jews have about the country created in response to the slaughter of six million Jews. He will not do anything that endangers Israel's real security but, at the same time, "America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own."

6)We will keep talking to Iran about a resolution of the nuclear issue. It is entitled to have peaceful nuclear power. His goal is to prevent a nuclear arms race in the region.

7)Freedom of expression, democracy, and full rights for women are essential in the Muslim and Arab world just as in the west.

8)We intend to work with Muslims to remake the world. They are not our enemies.

Conclusion:

"It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples - a belief that isn't new; that isn't black or white or brown; that isn't Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It's a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It's a faith in other people, and it's what brought me here today.

We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.

The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."

The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."

The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you.

More on Jesus and Torture

From the Salt Lake Tribune:

Although the decisions which put us in the grim business of torture, body-snatching, extraordinary renditions, making people disappear, indefinite confinement without charges and warrantless wiretapping were made by the president and vice president, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints served as helpful enablers. Not only did they provide the legal architecture, they provided the "scientific" patina for the plunge into the barbaric business of torture.

Take Latter-day Saint Timothy E. Flanigan, deputy White House counsel, who, along with David Addington, John Yoo, Alberto Gonzales, and Jim Haynes comprised the secretive "War Council" of lawyers -- a self-appointed group Mayer describes as having virtually no experience in law enforcement, military service, counterterrorism or the Muslim world....

BYU law school graduate Jay S. Bybee was the assistant attorney general directing the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. At the instigation of Addington and Yoo, Bybee issued official legal opinions that redefined the crime of torture to make it all but impossible to commit. Barbarity was not torture unless it created pain equal to death or organ failure. A newly-declassified Bybee memorandum lists 10 previously top-secret interrogation techniques approved for use by the CIA, including waterboarding.

Incredibly, Bybee seems to have been unaware that the United States had prosecuted waterboarding as a war crime after World War II. In 2003, before his role in authorizing U.S. torture was known, Bybee was given a lifetime judicial appointment on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Had his role in torture been known, it is unlikely he would have been confirmed.

Two devout Mormons also engineered the more grisly wet work. Because the CIA lacked personnel in 2001 with interrogation expertise, the agency turned to two psychologists, James E. Mitchell and John B. Jessen, who had worked with the Air Force's Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape programs. Neither had an intelligence or interrogation background or had experience with Muslim terrorists, but, according to the FBI, they had experience in designing, testing, implementing and monitoring torture techniques that were illegal in the United States and elsewhere in the civilized world...

Mitchell advised that suspects must be treated like dogs in a cage. "It's like an experiment, when you apply electric shocks to a caged dog, after a while, he's so diminished, he can't resist."

h/t Americablog

Waterboarding for Jesus

Who would Jesus torture? Why don't you look up your local Bible thumper and find out.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new analysis.

More than half of people who attend services at least once a week — 54 percent — said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. Only 42 percent of people who “seldom or never” go to services agreed, according the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Evangelicals Not Keen on Green Bible

Important Update below:

As you may of heard a Green Bible has been published.

U.S. evangelicals say they are divided over a new "Green Bible" which embraces environmentalism and a need to protect the earth.

The Green Bible, which has been endorsed by secular groups such as the Humane Society and the Sierra Club, shows people that "God is calling us to care for the world around us," said Rusty Pritchard, editor of Creation Care Magazine, a publication for evangelicals.

Other evangelicals are concerned the Green Bible will mislead Christians because it does not interpret Scripture literally, said James Taylor, a founding elder at Living Water Christian Fellowship in Palmetto, Fla.

"These groups don't have a religious focus; they have a desire to spread their environmental message," Taylor said of the essayists who contributed to the Green Bible, which contains a foreword from Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

I just love it when I hear evangelicals use phrases like "interpret Scripture literally". They obviously have no clue where "the Scripture" came from. I think most of them believe that "the Scripture" was brought from heaven by an angel in A.D. 1611 when it was first published. Most of them refuse to recognize that it is an elegant but often inaccurate translation of a hodge-podge of Hebrew and Greek documents that were written by any number of people between 900 B.C. and A.D. 120. The Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures first appeared around 900 B.C. but wasn't formally declared holy until a group of rabbis got together in Jamnia in 100 A.D. and decided it was the "good book". Likewise, the Christian Bible or the New Testament wasn't cobbled together until the fourth century when a bunch of Catholic priests got together in Carthage and decided what to keep and what to throw out of "the Scripture". It should be noted that some really great, but not PC, stuff was left out such as the Shepherd of Hermas and the Gospel of Saint Thomas. The bottom line is that "the Scripture" the fundamentalists are all worried about being interpreted literally is something that gets its authority from the Jews who rejected Jesus and the Catholic Church whom they abominate as the Scarlet Woman of Revelation.

If you ever want to have an interesting discussion with a fundamentalist over the history around the King James Bible you might ask them how the feel about the accuracy of the translation from the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament) or how they feel about the exclusion from the New Testament of the Acts of John, the Didache, the Apostolic Constitutions
or the various epistles of Clement, Ignatius and Polycarp.

Update: Mike (webpage) a obviously knowledgeable guy on such things, very properly took me to task on my simplistic comments on the history of the King James Bible. I should have put a disclaimer in that I am not nor will I ever be a biblical scholar and that I was trying to remember something from the early seventies and quite poorly to boot. I apologize to Mike and anyone else who takes exception to my errors. If you want the straight scoop on all this please read Mike's comments. It was very generous of him to take the time to share with us and set me straight.

Thanks Mike and come back sometime when I am not ignorantly treading in your space. I share recipes every once in a while and most of those are pretty accurate and tasty.

Yom Kippur

Today is the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. It is the most important day of the Jewish calendar. Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement in English. It is a time to amend behavior and seek forgiveness. This is the last of the high holy days of the Jewish calender.

Even if you are not Jewish sometimes it is a good idea to sit back and do a little reflection on who you are and what you are doing. Sometimes it is a good idea to ask yourself some tough questions about the way you are living your life. Are you happy? Why not? What would make you happier? Are you a positive influence in the world and in the lives of others, especially those closest to you?

Even if you are not a 'green', are you doing what you can to minimize your impact on our planet? If not, then why not? Are you making conscious decisions everyday to align your life more sympathetically with the Earth and your environment?

Are you at peace with yourself? Do you like yourself? Could you do better? Are you living from the heart or from the head? There are hundreds of questions and none of us that answer them truthfully won't see room for improvement.

Take some time today to reflect on your life and the world around you. Take some time today to reflect on your place in the world and remember to keep in mind the Eightfold Path -- Correct View, Intention, Speech, Action, Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration.

Namaste

Obama Brings Out the Best of the Christian Right

Here is what Obama said in a June 2006 speech to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.

Obama suggested that it would be impractical to govern based solely on the word of the Bible, noting that some passages suggest slavery is permissible and eating shellfish is disgraceful.

"Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy?" Obama asked in the speech. "Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount?

While I am no longer a Christian, I am a somewhat familiar with the Bible and understand that it has to be read and interpreted with serious look at the times and circumstances in which it was written. I am also well aware that what stands today as the Christian Bible is the result of some serious editing by the Catholic church around 300 A.D. Understandably, they took a lot of controversial and really good stuff out as they felt the masses they were trying to swindle and control would get some wrong ideas about the whole Catholic church and Pope being a direct conduit to God and infallible thing. That said, what Obama says is completely rational, completely honest and something someone who has come to terms with the warts on his chosen faith would say. I agree with it 100%.

Here is what the Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has to say in response:

"I think he's deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view, his own confused theology," Dobson said, adding that Obama is "dragging biblical understanding through the gutter."

He also goes on to say that Obama should not be referencing antiquated dietary codes and passages from the Old Testament that are no longer relevant to the teachings of the New Testament.

In response to Obama's suggestion that;

"Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal rather than religion-specific values," Obama said. "It requires their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason."

Dobson says that the suggestion is an attempt to lead by the "lowest common denominator of morality."

So what's the deal? Dobson has already ready made it clear that he won't support McSame but here he is trashing Obama and thereby helping McBush. Here is my call. Dobson has apparently realized that Obama is a real threat, not just to McCain, but to his own distorted view of Christianity and ability to influence the Christian right. Obama talks about his faith and talks about Christianity in real terms and it resonates not just with the "casual" Christians but with a growing number of evangelicals, if you believe the polls. Dobson is now coming to terms with the fact that his hold on the evangelical right is being threatened by someone of real faith that makes sense and expresses that faith and understanding in ways that reach people across a broad spectrum of the population. He knows that fewer and fewer people actually care what he and the rest of his ilk have to say anymore. This is especially true in politics, and that's really Dobson's home turf. He may have loads of red-state followers who will unthinkingly swallow the pap he peddles, but his influence in in Washington is rapidly dimming and when Obama is in the White House he will be persona non grata - big time. He knows his time in the limelight is over and is fighting back in the only way he knows which is lying and distorting Christian belief to his own ends just like all the other snake oil hucksters that feed off the Christian right.

BTW, I always thought James Dobson was a minister or Doctor of Divinity or some other holy roller muckity-muck. It turns out he has no credentials in religion at all. In an email issued by Dobson in which he takes offense and being compared to Al Sharpton in the same June 2006 Obama speech he writes:

"I don’t want to be defensive here," Dr. Dobson says on the broadcast. "Obviously, that is offensive to me.

"He equates me with Al Sharpton, who is a reverend. I am not a reverend. I’m not a minister. I’m not a theologian. I’m not an evangelist. I’m a psychologist. I have a Ph.D. in Child Development from the University of Southern California. And there is no equivalence to us. I don’t want to overreact to it, but this comment was made two years ago, and it’s taken me two years to find out about it."

So the guy isn't a preacher or some big wig comparative religion scholar but a child psychologist for Goddess's sake. Where does he get off lecturing people about religion and the Bible? There is, however, one thing this bit of information brings forth and that is... are you glad your kid didn't spend any time in session with this fruitcake or what?

crossposted at SteveAudio

A Flicker of Light

While I will never be a fan of Bob Barr's after his disgusting performance during the Clinton administration, I have to give his campaign some credit for their response to an endorsement from Stormfront:

The Barr campaign is not going to be a vehicle for every fringe and hate group to promote itself. We do not want and will not accept the support of haters. Anyone with love in their heart for our country and for every resident of our country regardless of race, religion, nationality or sexual orientation is welcome with open arms.

Tell the haters I said don’t let the door hit you on the backside on your way out!

This is a good thing.

Go Forth and Sin No More!

OK...it looks like Al Gore has gotten to the Goddess. All you Catholics have "New" sins to worry about.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing environmental blight.

That second one is going to be tough when it comes to "drawing the line". Is it going to be a sin if you have a plastic bottle that's a "5" and the recycling center only takes "1's" and "2's" so you have to trash it? Is it a sin not to drive a Prius? What is the other worldly punishment going to be for driving a Hummer going to be? Is there any dispensation for buying organic or for being a vegetarian? We are walking a tough line here. Then again, we Buddhists could have told you a long time ago that both of them were not worthy and not cool.

Since the Protestants use the Catholic approved Bible do these "new sins" automatically cross over?

You notice I carefully avoided discussing the "genetic manipulation" sin. Just imagine walking/drifting up to St. Peter only to be informed that you should have married the ugly girl knowing she had better genes than the attractive one you wound up with?

Jailhouse Rock

NEW YORK (AP) -- For the first time in history, more than one in every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, according to a new report.

The report, released Thursday by the Pew Center on the States, said the 50 states spent more than $49 billion on corrections last year, up from less than $11 billion 20 years earlier. The rate of increase for prison costs was six times greater than for higher education spending, the report said.

Using updated state-by-state data, the report said 2,319,258 adults were held in U.S. prisons or jails at the start of 2008 -- one out of every 99.1 adults, and more than any other country in the world.

You have to ask yourself why we have a greater percentage of our population in the hoosegow than any other country in the world. Are we imprisoning people that shouldn't be in jail? How many of these folks are in jail for "drugs" like marijuana? Don't you think this might be a symptom of something fundamentally wrong with our society? We are supposed, if you listen to the wingnuts, to be a "Christian" nation so WTF is going on?

When you drill into the numbers a little it becomes even more insane...

"For some groups, the incarceration numbers are especially startling," the report said. "While one in 30 men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars, for black males in that age group the figure is one in nine."

Read the above paragraph and ponder what it is saying for a minute. If you are a black man between the ages of 20 and 34 there is a 10% chance your ass is going to be in jail. That, my friends, is insanity defined.

I'm all for being tough on crime and all that but don't you think the rationale for locking someone away should be to protect the rest of society from them? If you are guilty of a victimless crime and aren't a danger to society then I seriously doubt the value of locking you up just as "punishment". I think with a little creative thought we could figure out how to get you properly readjusted. Maybe we could make sure you had a good paying job, healthcare and some of that kind of stuff? There are mountains of work to be done in this country and surely some kind of community service would be better than sitting behind bars.

He Really Was a Hack

I've commented here before on the pseudo religion known as Scientology. I wondered where the old sci-fi hack L.Ron Hubbard got the ideas and now it is apparent that he just plagiarized it from a book published in Germany in 1934. It never ceases to amaze me how many people take this crap seriously but apparently it has something that attracts them like mainstream religions attract people in hordes. I seriously doubt if this latest revelation will impinge upon the cult but I thought it interesting.

Nirvana Day

I shouldn't let this day pass without also noting that in the tradition of many Mahayana Buddhists it is the observance of Nirvana Day. This is an observation of the Parinirvana -- death and entry into Nirvana -- of the historical Buddha. While the entire concept of Nirvana and the Buddha is not amenable to words there is a poem that strikes me as something close.

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

This was written by John Gillespie Magee, Jr.,an Anglo-American aviator and poet who died as a result of a mid-air collision over Lincolnshire during World War II.

I Am a Pagan

Since the Christmas holiday was originally a pagan holiday and the Christians adopted it in an attempt to suppress the ancient religions I thought it might be appropriate to post Selena Fox's poem "I Am a Pagan". This should get you into the true spirit of the holidays! Note also that Saturday the 21 st and 22nd marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere(depending on where you are) which is a high pagan holiday. Finally, this (Dec 20) is the anniversary of Carl Sagan's passing in 1996 and I consider him a high priest of paganism and I don't think he would disagree. It is also very Zen.

I am a Pagan.
I am a part of the whole of Nature.
The rocks, the animals, the plants, the elements are my relatives.
Other humans are my sisters and brothers, whatever their races, colors, ages, nationalities, creeds, or sexual preferences.
The earth is my Mother and the sky is my Father.
The sun and moon are my Grandparents, and the stars my ancestors.
I am part of this large family of Nature, not the master of it.
I have my own special part to play and I seek to play that part to the best of my ability.
I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of Nature, treating others with respect, not abuse...

I am a Pagan.
I pay attention to the seasons within myself - of beginnings, growth, fruition, harvest, endings, rest, and beginnings again.
Life is a Circle with many cycles...

I am a Pagan.
I acknowledge that the Divine is everywhere in the energy of life.
I am Animistic. I sense the life force in the oak tree on the hill, in the herbs in the garden, in the birds singing at my window, in the boulders on the hill, in myself, and yes, even in "things"such as my car and computer.
I understand that everything has its physical and non-physical aspects. The physical and spiritual are deeply intertwined, not separate, and one is not better than the other.

I am a Pagan.
My worship is one of communion, not groveling.
I share my views with others when I sense it is right, but I do not proselytize - there are many ways, not one way, of spiritual growth.
My holy places are under the open sky ... in the Stone Circle in the oak grove on the top of the mound ... on the Vision Rock on the high cliff ... in the Garden in the fields ... in the Sweat lodge by the stream ... by the clear pool of the Sacred Spring ... in the Rainbow Cave in the valley.
Yet my worship can be anywhere ... my magick circle is portable.
I can call to the four quarters, to the earth and sky, and to the central spirit point wherever I may be.

I am a Pagan.
I journey to the Otherworld in my dreams, my meditations... I fly with my consciousness through time and space.
I return with insights.
I go between the worlds for healing, growth, and transformation.
Psychic perception is a natural, not supernatural, part of my daily life.

I am a Pagan.
I attune myself to the four elements of Nature - Earth, Air, Fire, Water - and to the fifth element, Spirit, which is the force that connects all.
I see these elements as parts of my self - my physical body is my earth, my intellect my air, my will my fire, my emotions my water, and my inner self is my spirit.
I endeavor to keep myself healthy and in balance in all these parts of Self.

I am a Pagan.
I hear the cries of Mother Earth.
I see the pollution of the air, the soil, and the waters.
I see the games being played by nations with the fire of nuclear weapons.
I see spiritual pollution, too - selfishness, hatred, greed for money and power, despair.
I sense these things, but I sense, too, a cleansing, healing energy manifesting on the planet at this time.
I know that I can help bring the planet into greater balance by seeking balance in my own life.
I know that my attitudes and my way of living can make a difference.
I endeavor to be a channel for healing and balance.


I am a Pagan.