A Night Of Remembrance

Since starting this blog, the night of October 31st has become much more meaningful to me than it had been before. Sure, I knew about the secular meaning (from being an avid trick-or-treater back in the day) and some of the religious connotations (from my interest in various religions), and I have also learned a lot from what other Pagan bloggers have had to say regarding what the day means to them in both a personal and religious sense.

But even though I understood what had been written about and discussed, I now realize that I didn't have a full grasp on the feeling behind the day.

This year is different.

I will now know have an understanding of Samhain as a night of remembrance. There are three people that have been heavy on my mind this year. Within two weeks of returning from England and Germany, three people within my circles of family and friends passed away.

• One, a friend's child, a long awaited pregnancy. While we had not met the child yet to come, we felt the loss within my circle of friends. We all grieved with the parents and tried to support them in their time of need.

• Another, a second friend's child, who had been struggling with health issues since birth. It was both a day of sadness and of relief (as we kept in mind that the child would no longer be suffering).

• The last, a close relative, who had lived a long life and was the only one left of her generation within our family. Her smiling face and sassy quips will be missed as the holiday season comes closer.
  

These are the three people that I will keep in mind this coming Samhain night. These are the three people to whom candles will be lit in remembrance. These are three people who will serve as reminders of what is important to me.

Stonehenge: A Monument To What?

"Stonehenge is a monument to the failure of religion. Whatever or whoever was worshiped here for two thousand years failed."

and

"Faith is only as strong as its believers."

and

"Where do you find yourself in the midst of such dramatic times?"

These quotes/questions come from a book, The Spiritual Traveler, that I am reading while getting ready for my trip to Europe. These quotes jumped out at me as I have not thought of Stonehenge to be a "monument to failure." How can something like Stonehenge be considered a failure? Just the size of the stones alone are a testament to the resolve that these people had. It took them years to plan it, bring the stones from the distance they came from, and to erect the stones in a way that they were aligned with the sun (or moon) on a certain day at a particular time. To me, all of this taken together makes it seem as if it is a testament to their success.

But that is not what the authors are talking about. They are saying because this particular group seemingly abandoned their space of worship, they failed. More to the point, their god(s) failed. I find it interesting that the authors posed their statements in this way.

While I was reading this particular section regarding Stonehenge, I was reminded of the book Catspaw, by Joan D. Vinge. In this book, there is a scene where a group of University students go to a planet that has been abandoned to study various artifacts that have been left behind. The main character, Cat, comes to the conclusion that the main artifact (The Monument) is actually a monument to death. Using this idea as a comparison, the authors of the guidebook are seemingly saying it was the death of a religion that surrounded Stonehenge. The difference between the book Catspaw and the guidebook is that with Catspaw, you get the impression that even though the original inhabitants are gone, the monument is a testament to their success of getting their message across (even though they are no longer around).

I think we need to look at it in way that helps us to realize that things do change. It could be that the people came to a different understanding and no longer needed to use Stonehenge as a religious monument (if that is what it was). But do we really know what happened? No. We can only make assumptions based on what we do know.

This will be something that I will be keeping in mind as I visit Stonehenge (and Avebury) myself.

Walking The Labyrinth

I have been fascinated with labyrinths for a while: the different types, their uses, their construction. I have often found myself scribbling on a piece of paper while on the phone or watching a movie, only to later become aware of the fact that I drew a labyrinth and had been tracing it over and over.

I have often daydreamed about setting one up outdoors when I get some land of my own. (I think it would be great to be able to light it with candles similar to this). As it is hard to set up a labyrinth to walk when I do not have a place to do so, I tend to focus on small ones that I can hold and trace either with a finger or a tool. I tend to use my finger more often then the tool as I find it easier to connect and find that using a tool removes me from the act and it becomes impersonal.

While I tend to use labyrinths for a calming purpose, they can also be used as a focus for spiritual practice. It has been said that labyrinths can be used to symbolize the idea that we are on the right path. You can use it to work out questions or for problem solving. We can also use labyrinths to connecting to the deepest part of ourselves (as symbolized by the walk to the center). With this in mind, I have been thinking of starting to incorporate the use of labyrinths into a spiritual practice.

For more information and links about labyrinths, check out the links that I have posted at Pagan Links.

Spiritual Time Out

I'm realizing that I have not taken care of my spiritual needs as of late. I find myself making excuses: I am leaving for Europe soon and need to get everything together; I am busy with the final revision and proofing my research for publication (needs to be finished tomorrow); my karate class; putting in extra hours at work; Easter; and more. I am starting to feel run down.

Last night, I was finally able to sit quietly and read for about an hour. I got a chance to continue reading the Poetic Edda to get a better idea of Heathen lore and enjoyed every minute. I realized that when I finished, I felt calm. I also felt like I was able to connect to my spiritual side by reflecting on what I was reading.

As many Pagans don't have a church or "official" place of worship to go to every week, sometimes it is difficult to remember to take time out from the chaos of daily life to spend time thinking about religious and spiritual needs. While I do have a church community that I attend within the Unitarian Universalist tradition, I don't have any reminders to take time to study or reflect on my personal beliefs.

I find that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with my own studies. I've got to figure out how to incorporate this into my life in way that I have a regular time to dedicate to my study. I find myself curious as to what those of you reading do to keep up with your studies and how you are able to incorporate your sense of spirituality into your daily life.

The Theatrics Of Religion

On a forum I am on, someone brought up the subject of Paganism and its theatrics and how she has not been able to achieve the deep practice she wants because of being embarrassed. MaddLlama said*:

"I felt like it was too theatrical, like I was just some person in weird clothing with weird objects who likes fantasy books, movies and RPGs just a little too much. It always just felt fake and I didn't know how to move past that and just get over it."

This made me think about my own experiences and I realized that I had felt about it in a similar way when I was younger. I felt self-conscious and silly performing the rituals that I had found in books and that feeling of self-consciousness was renewed again when I started working with a group in my late teens/early twenties. But I remember that the feeling wasn't as bad within a group.

As I sat and thought about how I would answer the above statement, I realized that there are "theatrics" in all religions. Each religion has their trappings: their clothing, their tools, and their ways of ritual and ceremony. I think that a lot of Paganism seems like it is over theatrical because the ritual is in the company of either just yourself (if you are solitary) or in the company of a fairly small group of people. We are so used to thinking of a ceremony being for a large group rather than in terms of being for the self.

With larger groups, there almost needs to be more ceremony or structure if you will. There needs to be clues so that people are on the same page and know what is going on. Otherwise, certain aspects of the symbolism is lost. For example, in the beginning of the service, there is always something that clues people into the fact that that the service is starting. It helps people to get into the mindset of worship. (Not that smaller groups or solitary work doesn't need this structure, it maybe just needs a different structure.)

One example of this needed structure is that in many churches, candles are lit at the front of the room. Back in the early '80's, I was an acolyte for the church I went to at the time. I was part of the ceremony (the theatrics, if you will) that signified the beginning of the service. In the UU church that I currently go to, lighting the chalice helps to signify the beginning of the service. When I have a private ceremony to connect to the gods, I often light candles as well. It is something that helps to set the mood and get me thinking about things of a spiritual nature. Of course, there is also more symbolism that goes along with it as well.

I personally have trouble with the idea that I "need" to have all those tools that the so-called beginner books list to be able to connect with the gods. It took me a while to realize that it is not true that I need them. I do know people who do use them as a part of their symbolism and that is fine, too. I see the things that we use as tools that help us to symbolize the ideas that we are representing when we worship. What works for me, doesn't necessarily work for others as we each have different views of the overlying (and underlying ) symbolisms. My ideas of how I should worship come from how I view my connection to the gods. My "trappings" tend to be few as I see them as more of a hindrance. (The more "tools" I use, the more I am concerned if I'm doing things "right.")

About as theatrical as I get is lighting a few candles and maybe sing a song (to the horror of those passing by). Other than that, most of the time, I am silently sitting at an overlook about Lake Superior thinking about my relationship and connection to the divine, my friends and family, and myself.

I wonder if this is something that many people think about as they are first learning about Paganism and as they first start to practice their beliefs. I wonder if this is something that holds many people back from considering themselves Pagan. And I wonder how people work through these feelings to get to that sense of deep practice.


*Quoting MaddLlama with permission.

Book of Shadows

In a forum that I frequent (even if I don't post often), a thread came up asking people about their Book of Shadows. As I love hearing about what everybody has in their BOS, I though it would interesting to go through mine again, to remember what information I have collected over the years and how I have organized that information.

While I don't call my collection a "BOS", I do have a three ring notebook that I keep (or several, really). One part has articles, new articles, information from websites and blogs that have been printed out (I go through a lot of ink and paper!). Another part is a notebook in which I write down my thoughts about anything that pop up at anytime during the day (It used to be a regular old notebook, but recently I have switched to Moleskine journals). A third part of the three ring binder includes papers and articles that I have written myself regarding what what works for me, my beliefs, ethics, etc.

This is a system that I started when I was about 15, so as I said above, I have several of these three ring binders. I have one from early on that has many things printed out from The Riders of the Crystal Wind BOS, which is a collection of articles written by people who frequented the old BBS systems back in the day. I have a couple more that include other things that were printed out on the web from when I was younger.

I have one that includes information about gods; "dictionaries," pages of myths, list of various pantheons, list of what gods are connected to (such as these gods are the gods of war; these are the gods of charity; etc.)

I have another one that includes only information regarding Heathenry (or Asatru) as that is what I have been interested in recently.

Most people see a BOS as a place to store their collection of spells, poetry, and stories, amongst other information. As I'm not into spell work and I admittedly dislike poetry (I do try to like it, I just can't seem to get past it), my collection contained in my books includes articles written on concepts, ideas, ethics, history and much more.

Someday, I may organize it into something that is more cohesive and "permanent" but for now, this system works for me.

So, I ask you, what is your Book of Shadows like? What information do you have in it? How do you organize it?

Thoughts On Pantheism

For a long time, I have more or less thought of myself as a pantheist - that is, one who views everything as "God" with the idea that everything is part of one, big whole. I was quite taken with the idea and the concept of connection as a way to explain my pantheist views.

me --> nature --> God

I like the idea of an interrelated web where I was only one part of the greater world; a connection through being a part of the whole, which is usually labeled as "God."

Along with this idea that everything is a part of the whole, I began to think of the different gods as individual representations of parts of this whole. Gods and goddesses are usually said to be "the god of ...." or "the goddess of ......" with only a few of their interests or "domains" being mentioned. But I am starting to realize that to acknowledge only a part of them (what we think of as their correspondents, domains, etc) is to deny the rest of their own individual wholeness. Each god is a being in his or her own right, not just a part of another being.

I thought that to say they each had their own distinct personalities was to deny their connection to the greater whole. I am starting to realize that to say that the gods are individuals on their own doesn't deny them that important connection to the rest of the world, just like I wouldn't be denying my connection to my friends and family to say that I am my own individual.

I've got some more to think about....

What's In A Name?

How can words convey so much meaning and yet that meaning be slightly different for each person because of the connotation? How can names do the same thing for different people? Do people think about their words within their own connotations verses someone else's? How about names?

I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of names and how they say a lot about a person. This can be any type of name - your "real name," a nickname, a spiritual name, and even a name you are called during the heat of an argument. All these names say something about you - who you are, who other people think you are, if they like you, and if they don't.

I've been thinking about this subject of names in regards to two things: my own name and how I use it as well as the use of spiritual names. With my own name, I tend to prefer my middle name. When my first name is used, it is by family and long time friends who have trouble thinking about me in a way that allows them to call me by my middle name. As one of my friends said (after repeatedly asking him to use my middle name), "I just can't think of you as Nichole. Sorry." Other people had no problem with the change and told me, "It fits you better than your first name." While I have not taken the time to contemplate the differences in treatment when one name is used verses the other, I know there are differences. And it could be one reason why family and some friends still refuse to call me by the name I prefer.

But there is another realm of names that I have been thinking about as well - spiritual names or as Pagans like to call them "Craft names." Up until recently, I have seen no need for them. I thought them to be something of a pretense, a show, one more thing that screamed "I'm different! Look at me!" But there is more to it than just being different, I am starting to realize.

There are many religious groups and cultures that have used special or secret names as a way to express aspects of their spirituality. For example, a friend of mine who is Catholic chose a spiritual name at the time of her confirmation. The one she chose fit her perfectly because it was an aspect of her personality she wanted to express.

Another example of how names are used in different ways, and I've seen it in both in real life and in literature, is the "real name" verses "daily use name." In the Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula Le Guin, the characters and called by one name from birth until they hit their naming day. On their naming day, they are given their "true name," one that gives other people power over them if someone knows what it is. They are not to give this name to people. I thought that this was a unique concept and was surprised to find that there are cultures that hold this very belief today.

After having a conversation about this subject with a friend of mine, and thinking about some of the above, I now realize that a spiritual name name is a way to show connection of who you are to your religious and spiritual side/life; a way for you to connect to your beliefs. It can be used not only to identify you within your community (if it is a public name) or a way for you to connect to the divine (if it is a private name or even a public name).

Names are so much more than just something that is used as a label. They are a tool for you and others to connect; to connect to each other, to the divine, to your culture, to your religion and to your spirit. Although I won't be choosing a spiritual name just yet, I now have a lot more respect for them than I used to have.

Life And Experience

Another birthday and come and past, and I realize that I am losing a piece of myself for every year that I age. It's not that I am losing a sense of who I am. On the contrary as I know myself better and have more confidence than ever before. It's more a feeling of losing that sense of mystery that comes with experiencing something for the first time. It's the lack of surprise, shock, or state of disbelief that comes with being unprepared for a new experience.

The more new things that are experienced mean that I have more life experience in general. The more life experience I have, the more I am able to anticipate what may happen depending on the decisions that are made. While there are still opportunities for surprises, I am realizing that I that there seems to be less and less of them.

I am beginning to cherish every experience that brings me out of my comfort zone and helps me to realize that there is more to life than just the everyday. On the Appalachian Trail, I frequently had the sense that I was in the moment and had a sense of wonderment regarding the world that surrounded me. I also felt like it was the best time of my life. Abraham Maslow described this as a peak experience.

In the preface of Abraham Maslow's Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences, he briefly mentions this phenomenon of losing one's sense of wonderment as people become older. He also mentions something about peak experiences that I had not considered before. As we all know, mental health has been known to be a significant contribution to our overall health. Maslow said that there is a definite cognitive element about peak experiences (even though they can also be purely emotional).

This made me wonder if peak experiences are almost necessary for positive mental health. If you lose your sense of wonderment, how does that effect your outlook on life? I am guessing that it has a huge effect on one's life.

How do you keep that sense of mystery in life that may help to keep a positive outlook? While part of this may be to get out and experience new and different things, I wonder if making a conscious decision on how to live life would effect not only the type of experiences I have, but how I define those experiences (as far as being "new" or not). There is also a question of how the element of youth and inexperience comes into the mix. Looking back, much of the wonderment of a new experience was because of being unprepared and frankly, I don't want to go back to that time of being unprepared as it can also create a sense of confusion in life.

Maybe I have to learn to redefine the meaning behind my experiences. I am in a time of life where although I am not considered "old," I am no longer considered "young" either. Instead, I feel as if I am in a position to define my life as old or young simply by my approach to life.

I feel that I am at a crossroads and this is the time to choose what my future is going to be like. Ten years down the road, will others consider me old beyond my years or will I be able to surprise everyone when my age is revealed? Instead of wondering, I need to decide what direction my life will go in instead of just going with the flow. So I decide that I will go forth and live with a youthful vibe while approaching things with maturity. After watching Oprah yesterday (a rare occurrence, that), I know who I have to look to for inspiration.

Witches Weekly

While I've known about Witches Weekly for a while, none of the questions were ever something that I felt a need to answer. One of the questions from back in September, however, caught my eye and I would like to answer it:

What is one thing relating to your spiritual path that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t due to lack of money, time, etc. (Examples could be….creating your own altar room, going to visit a historical monument related to your spirituality, etc).

While there is not a monument that I feel relates to my spirituality and I have no need for a separate room for an altar (I think that altars need to be incorporated into your everyday life, not set aside), there is something that I have wanted to do relating to my spiritual path. I would love to take a year or two to just study religion and not do anything else - not work, not school - just time to take my study seriously.

I feel that I don't have the time to look into the complexities of religion. What most of us "see" of religion is surface aspects - the ritual, the words, the movements. While they are definitely elements that catch our attention and we tend to focus on them, there is also another aspect of religion that people don't seem to mention as often - the underlying symbolism that accompanies religion but doesn't get talked about that often. It is difficult to get to an understanding at a deeper level, which is what I feel I lack at the moment.

A part of this, of course, would be the reading aspect. You can not study religion without reading a lot. I love to read, but here is the problem that I am running into: I do not have enough time or money to support my reading habit. While yes, there are libraries that I could check out books from, most libraries do not have a wide selection when it comes to the genre of books that I would like to read. Plus, I like to be able to quickly reference the books that I have read when I need to and that means that they should be on my shelves.

I believe that one of the reasons why I have remained a seeker is due to this lack of time to truly study the subject matter in depth. I believe that before I commit myself to any particular religion, I have to make an effort to know as much as I can about it.

Interfaith Blog Event #3 - Connections

Here is the next installment of the monthly interfaith event! Jon, from Jesusfollowers Journal, will be writing from a Protestant Christian perspective, and Mike from Unknowing Mind, will be writing from a Mahayana Buddhist perspective. This month, I got the opportunity to present the question for the event and here it is:

Within your religious traditions, what rituals and/or traditions give you a
sense of connection to your fellow congregants, beliefs, and communities?
What actions do you take to ensure the stability of those connections? Do
you feel that the connections that have been made are sufficient for your
spiritual and/or religious needs?

Here are the links to the other perspectives:
[Jon's Essay] [Mike's Essay]Direct links will be provided when available
Even though I am not officially affiliated with any particular religion, I have been attending an Unitarian Universalist church off and on for the past few years, but never really got involved with the activities of the church. Recently, I started to attend on a more regular basis and also started getting involved .

I am in the beginning stages of making those connections that help to build a sense of community within a religious tradition. As I start to make connections with the people of the church, I am finding that there is a new set of rituals and traditions that are beginning to support feelings of connection. Some of them are:

• I love the lighting of the chalice at the beginning of the service. People have a chance to share their personal stories, their favorite quotes and songs, or dedicate the lighting to someone.
• Reciting the opening words and the closing words in unison with the members.*
• The first service in September, where everyone is coming back from their summer vacations. Every year, a different element is highlighted (this year - water) and people bring something back from their travels to symbolize coming back together as a congregation.
  
• I volunteered to help out in the kitchen. While talking to a member of the church, I found out that the gentleman that was in charge of the coffee, tea and snacks between the services was overwhelmed and needed help. I thought that this would be a great way to meet and connect with people.
• I will be signing up for the adult education classes in the church regarding various topics.
  
• Lunch after service. This happens about once a month. This is a great time to sit and socialize and get to know the people of the church. I will soon be helping out with the preparation of the food for lunch.
  

While I haven't explored this option yet, this particular church happens to be involved with a lot of social action and is very proud of its activities. Many of the members are involved with other groups in the community that promote religious tolerance, GLBT rights, and other social action. As my time frees up (when I am finished with my schooling in December), I will be looking to get more involved with this aspect of the church. I feel that this will help to deepen my connection with the church and it's members.

One of the reasons why I started seeking a congregation to join is that I didn't feel satisfied with what I was currently doing, which to be honest, was hardly anything at all. As I have stated before, I didn't grow up with any particular religious background and because of that, I feel that opened up the possibilities in finding a system of beliefs that is truly for me. Even though I was not brought up with a religious tradition, I have felt the need as of late to reach out for this type of connection.

I think that all human strive for a sense of connectedness whether they find that connection through family, friendships, and/or a church membership. I am starting to feel a sense that my needs are being met. I am starting to feel that I am connected to something that is larger than myself.



*opening words are "Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another."

Closing words are "May peace dwell within our hearts and understanding in our minds. May courage steel our will and love of truth forever guide us."

Indescribable Moments

I'm sitting on top of Dragon's Tooth in Virginia, with a complete 360 degree view. The valleys and the mountain sides are covered with every imaginable shade of green, the sun is beating down, the sky is bright blue with some huge, fluffy clouds. Laying back, I rest my head in a depression in the rocks, spread my arms out to the side and just feel. I am in the moment. I feel connected to everything and have never felt so connected in my life. I don't remember ever feeling this good. This moment in time will be remembered as a favorite.

Today in one of my classes, we talked about indescribable moments. An indescribable moment is an experience in your life that has moved you in some way, yet, you struggle with the words to describe the meaning behind the moment. It is a type of experience that everyone has had at one point or another.

These types of moments or memories can have the sense of being spiritual experiences. They allow you to look deeper within yourself and see yourself from a different perspective. These moments are also a way to get to know other people at a deeper level, especially when you feel the pull of their story as they are telling it. (Have you ever been pulled into a story so much so that when the story ended, you looked up and it took a few seconds to 'get back to reality?')

Much of Paganism tends to be about taking in the feeling of the moment and letting yourself realize your surroundings. It relies a lot on intuition and feeling, but at the same time, sensory experiences. Looking back at my recent exercises with the elements, I noticed that many of the items on my lists for Air, Fire , Water, and Earth had to do with sensory input. However, most of the items are on my lists because of the feeling behind the memories.

I think that these types of experiences are important in one's life because they demonstrate the type of person that you are, they influence your reactions to different situations, and show the connections that you have within your life.

Religious Connection

I have been thinking a lot lately about what religion means to me. I didn’t grow up in a particularly religious family (immediate or extended), so I didn’t have the aspect of family tradition to fall back on when it came to the subject. So when I recently read the line “Transpersonal Psychology concerns the study of those states and processes in which people experience a deeper sense of who they are, or a greater sense of connectedness with other, with nature, or the spiritual dimension” on the back of a text book*, I stated to realize why the subject of religion interests me.

A Deeper Sense of Who I Am

Religion forces one to realize that there is more to one’s self than the persona that is presented. I realize that there is a deeper side of me than people can ever see. I like the idea that there is someone else (read: deity) that may be able to see all of what is going on inside my head and understand why things are the way they are. This thought is comforting to me.

The thought that someone is watching also makes me realize that there is more to being a “good” person than just good deeds and good thoughts – intentions matter. No one can see or truly know my intentions beyond what I indicate or tell them.

A Greater Sense of Connectedness with Others

When I think of religion, I think of religious community. Religion helps us to think about the things we all have in common and gives us a way to relate to one another in a meaningful way. When we have a community to worship and practice our religion with, we feel connected to each other.

It’s also more than that. When we have community, we know that there are others that have beliefs that are similar to our own and that is a comforting thought as well. Our community can support us; sometimes just by our knowing they’re there because of our connection with them.

A Greater Sense of Connectedness with Nature

Paganism has a special emphasis on how we are connected to nature. We are a part of the world’s life cycles; we are a part of everything around us. This connection is shown through explicit (Pagan holidays) and implicit (Pagan teachings and values) ways. Many Pagans also have a connection with nature through use of the moon, stars, etc as symbols.

I realize that religion now interests me because I am looking for a connection that I didn’t believe existed. I now understand that it exists, but it still hasn’t quite “clicked” with me yet. I think it is because I’m looking for a direction that doesn’t exists – something that is everywhere and nowhere all at once. Something that is difficult to understand.

Maybe that is why religious tradition is so important to people. We are trying to make sense of a world we don’t quite understand. While science can explain certain aspects of our world, there are many other things that just cannot be explained. Religion gives us a way to make those connections is a way that means something to everyone involved.

* Daniels, M. (2005). Shadow, self, spirit: essays in transpersonal psychology. Imprint-Academic: UK.

Sacred Spaces

While my vacation was mostly for "business" (grad school visits and interviews), I did find few hours here and there to do some hiking. The two areas that I hiked were Vedauwoo (pronounced Vee-da-voo) and Devils Tower, both of which are in Wyoming.

Vedauwoo caught my eye from the highway. It was even more interesting sitting in the middle of the formation. The picture I took is from about 3/4 the way up on one side looking toward the western "peak." Vedauwoo's name comes from an Indian word meaning "earth-born spirit". I loved the feeling that I got from this place and I look forward to visiting the area again. Here is some more information on Vedauwoo if you are interested.



I had always wanted to go to Devils Tower. I decided that since I was "near-by," I would take a side trip while enroute to another destination. When I arrived, I realized that I knew less about the area than I had thought. I knew that it was a sacred place of the Plains Tribes, but I was surprised to see prayer flags tied to many trees all around the base of the Tower near the hiking path. There was a sign near the beginning asking people not to disturb the flags and bundles. (The cloths and bundles are left as prayer offerings.) The picture below is of a tree near the beginning of the trail with many-colored prayer flags.

For more information on the cultures and traditions surrounding The Devil's Tower, check out the National Parks page.

Anger and Compassion

While on vacation this past week, I was able to catch up on some reading of MY choice (vs. my professor's choice). One book that I chose to read was Anger by Thich Nhat Hanh. I had heard about Thich Nhat Hanh during my transpersonal psychology course this past spring and was interested in learning more about him through his writing. While reading this book, I ended up learning much about myself as well.

Here are some of the things that I learned by reading this book:

• We need to show our love by expressing anger in a constructive way. Anger is natural but we need to learn to water the seeds of compassion verses the seeds of anger, even though both seeds are present within us. When we are able to be compassionate, and love ourselves, we are able to love others.
• We need to practice being compassionate for it to become second nature. We need to know the signs of our anger seeds being watered so that we realize what is going on.
• Being able to tell a loved one that we are angry shows that we can trust them. However, we need to be able to express that anger in a way that will not cause more suffering to the other person.
• We are a part of our parents as we are born of them. When we are angry, they are angry. We need to be compassionate to them and they will be compassionate back.
• To get you feeling out in the open when you are having trouble, write a letter. Write it with compassion and a calm voice. Make sure to acknowledge that you may have misconceptions and that you would like to work them out with the other person.

I liked this book. It made me think about how to deal with my anger and to be able to acknowledge it without feeding it more. I would highly recommending it as a must read.