Now, it is my turn to tag five bloggers who make me think. I definitely could name so many more. So, here are my picks (in no particular order):
1. Bernulf Oswin from Expanding Inward
2. Colorado Celt from Tír na nOuray
3. Paul from Evoking the Goddess
4. Inanna from At The End Of Desire
5. Jeff Lilly from Druid Journal
For more information about this meme, go on over to The Thinking Blog.
Home. Home at last. It feels so good to sleep in my own bed again.
I will be posting more of my pictures and stories in a day or two.
Slade of Shift Your Spirits has tagged me for a meme regarding thinking about my relationship with money from a spiritual perspective and making it a meaningful relationship. He gives the following reasons for thinking about money as a spiritual exercise:
He goes on to ask the following question: if money was a person, then who would he be? I start off with my old relationship with money (called Old Money) and move on to what I want my relationship with money to be (called New Money).
Old Money
I had always felt that I had a good relationship with Money. I had been taught from a young age that if you took care of Money, then He would take care of you. He appeared as my friend; someone that looked out for my interests and someone that would be there for me when I needed him.
I soon learned that Money wanted me to invest more in the friendship before He would give me anything in return. And I found out the return wouldn’t be much. I quickly realized that it wasn’t a fulfilling relationship. Money was cold, distant, and calculated. No matter how careful I was around Money, He just didn’t care as long as He got what He wanted.
Though this was a cold and distance relationship, I soon found it was a deceptive one as well. Money didn’t care that I care how much I was putting away, just as long as I something away. He was creating a sense of false friendship. Money showed his deceptiveness within the conflicting advice that He was gave me. “Go ahead and by that CD. It’s used, so it only $8 bucks. You’ve already put money away this month so no worries.” What he didn’t tell me is that it would take more time to get anything in exchange for what I had already given him. I soon realized that this was not what I wanted in a friendship.
New Money
I had to let go of my friendship with Old Money. Before I could find my new friend, I had to decide what I wanted in a friend. I wanted someone that would be there to give me sound advice. I wanted someone that would ask me whether that CD I bought would really enhance my life or get in the way of what I truly wanted. I wanted someone that was looking out for my interests while I was looking out for His. Due to my experience with Old Money, I realized that the relationship had to be reciprocal.
I found just such a friend in New Money. He has made me realize that if I have goals, I need to work towards them. Want to buy a house instead of renting? Stop my consumer habits and save that $8 instead of buying that CD. It all adds up in the end. Don’t have enough room to store all the gadgets collected over the years? Get rid of the ones that I don’t need and I can get rid of the storage unit that costs a monthly fee. “A penny saved is a penny earned – work towards your goals instead of using instant satisfaction,” he tells me.
Finding the Meaningful
As life can not be separated totally from a relationship with Money, I had to find just the right relationship – one that I was comfortable with and one that I felt that I could be friends with long term. I need to know that I could take care of my friend Money, yet at the same time, Money had to be there for me, too.
Yet at the same time, I have to find a sort of freedom from my friendship with Old Money; if I let Him dictate my life, all I will be worried about is the “stuff” that surrounds me; the things that would bring clutter to my life. Instead, if I have a goal, Money tells me that I have to forgo all the little, unnecessary things (the things that aren’t the means to the end) to be able to achieve that goal. He tells me that while I don’t have to live in a world that is marked by the austere, I should choose that which helps me to live the life that I want.
What I would list as being meaningful isn’t necessarily what I have gone after in the long run. I had to learn through my relationship with New Money that to obtain my goals, I have to be willing to sacrifice the things that have not had any success in making my life meaningful.
In the end, I also had to realize that this is not something that I have to think about once and everything will be fine; just like are “real” friendship, I have to continually be aware of what is going on to make the relationship work.
Since this is a meme, I would like to tag any of you that would like to think about your relationship with money. Go on over to Shift Your Spirits to find the instructions for this meme.
Since I hiked the trail a few years ago, I have realized that I have a different appreciation for the outdoor world than most of my friends. They see activities such as hiking, kayaking, and rock climbing as "something you do" on the weekends to stave off boredom. Since my hike, I have seen it as getting back to the real world and look forward to my time spent at State Parks, on hiking trails, and on lakes. I feel at home and enjoy the time I spend outdoors and try to get out as much as my schedule allows for.
The picture above was taken at the psychological half way point of the Appalachian trail, over-looking Harper's Ferry, WV and the Potomac river; just over 1000 miles hiked. (The "official" half way point is about 100 or so miles north.) This six mile climb was hard won. A thunderstorm, the 90 degree heat and the very steep climb made it difficult. The experience I had that day with everything combined is why this picture is such a treasure to me. Three months and 1000 miles down, three months and just over 1000 miles to go.
The next 1000 miles were to be tough as boredom set in when the experience became more about hiking the miles rather than enjoying the natural setting. The goal was to hike the trail, and to do so, I had to reach Maine by the end of September or the first few days in October.
There were many times when I wanted to quit and go home. But in the end, I'm glad I didn't. It is views like the one to the right that made it worth continuing. This picture was taken after four miles of climbing in the rain and mist up Mt. Katahdin in Maine. I stopped to take a break as I reached the point that marked the last mile of the trail. I sat for a few minutes, feeling defeated due to the weather, thinking that I would not get the view from the top that I had been dreaming about since I first thought of hiking the trail back in 1995.
When I looked up, it took me a few seconds to realize what I was seeing. The mist and rain was starting to dissipate and the wind had pushed the clouds over to the east of the ridge that I had just climbed. I could see the trail and a couple of my fellow trekkers! I started crying as I realized that I would get a view from the top; as I realized that this was the end; as I realized that I would no longer be seeing the people that I had spent 6 months hiking with; as I realized that I may not have the chance again to live this close to the natural world. I feel lucky to have had this experience.
As spring nears and the snow is nearly melted, I find myself looking forward to my summer adventures outside.
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?
Did you watch TLC’s show My Unique Family's episode about Rev. Kendra Vaughan Hovey and her family last night? I was a little weary as I started to watch the episode as it is usually difficult to say how an individual, family, or group will be portrayed for this type of show. For once, I was actually quite surprised and pleased with it. The family was portrayed as being regular people who had regular concerns within their family and in daily life.
There have been a few questions of the clerical collar that Rev. Hovey wears. Within the first few minutes of the show, this question was answered when she stated that she wears the collar as a way to be recognized as clergy. Which is fine, I guess, but then there were the two towns people who automatically took that as a sign that she was making fun of Christian clergy and were rather disgusted. Wouldn't there be a better way to show that you are Pagan clergy rather than using a symbol of the Christian clergy? Any ideas out there?
Overall, I think that this was a great show. For once, a TV program showed an intelligent, articulate, and normal Wiccan family.
Naughty, naughty. You've been caught (whoever you are) copying some of my writing.
Apparently there is a program in which student papers can be uploaded and checked to see if there is any kind of plagiarism by checking the internet and comparing content. I knew that there were ways, but hadn't given much thought to how student work could be checked. I guess that this is one option for teachers.
How did I find out that someone had plagiarised my writing? I checked my referral links in my stats and saw one that I hadn't seen before. I clicked the link and it showed me the paper that had been turned in, as well as what parts of the paper were suspicious with links to my site to the pages they "may have" copied. There is no doubt that they did (at least in my opinion). While they were not exact copies of what I wrote, it was so similar that I am guessing that the person thought that changing a few words and changing the wording slightly would make it their own. NOPE! It's still my writing.
Plagiarism is not cool, people. Naughty, naughty.
I'm thinking about adding a Creative Commons license to the site.
Okay. I admit that I know barely anything about astrology besides that it exists and what to answer when someone asks "What's your sign, baby?" In the past, I have tried reading some information about the subject but soon put it aside because of how quickly I become confused. I've also realized that although I don't have much interest in the subject, I'm still curious what people mean when they talk about things like "mercury retrograde."
The last few days has seen a rise in of posts about astrology, specifically those referencing mercury in retrograde and I find myself thinking "What are they talking about?" There seems to be some differences in what it means to the individual from Angela-Eloise at Blogickal telling us to "Batten down the hatches" and Dream Angel at Blessed Be! blaming her boyfriend's current behavior on mercury retrograde. However, there are others that take a different view such as Jenavira from Essais saying that she feels full of motivation during this time.
So, people, what's up with this astrology stuff? Maybe you can help me out.
As many people like to use readers to keep track of the blogs they read, I have added a new option for subscribing to my feed through Feedburner.
Using feed readers helps when you read a large amount of blogs and other websites and keeps all your subscriptions in one spot. All you have to do is go into your reader to see which blogs/websites have new posts - you don't have to go to each site.
I invite you to subscribe to my blog. To subscribe, all you have to do is click on the button below, choose which reader you want to use, and then start reading. This subscription button can also be found at the bottom of my sidebar.
Now that I have a little more time to pursue my goal of reading books other than texts, I have been able to start a few of the books on my list. These books have influenced the posts that I will be making over the few days.
So far, I have started reading:
Pagan Theology
Toward a Psychology of Being
Ordered and waiting on my bookshelf are:
Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice
The Triumph of the Moon
And of course, being the bookworm that I am, I have added a few more psychology books to the list that I am currently reading as well. They are:
The Individual and His Religion
Religions, Values, and Peak Experiences
Come celebrate the winter season - Minnesota style. In other words, the St. Paul Winter Carnival is upon us! With the Carnival running for 10 days, Minnesotans have many opportunities to give up their need for a comfortable temperature and spend a few hours outdoors enjoying winter during one of the coldest months of the year.
What I find interesting about this local celebration of winter is it's set of myths, which were written in the 1930's. There is definitely a Pagan flavor to them. The legend behind the festivities of the St. Paul Winter Carnival starts with:A long, long time ago, Astraious, the god of Starlight, and Eos, the goddess of the Rosy Fingered Morn, were wed. The union was blessed with five sons: Boreas, Titan, Euros, Zephyrus and Notos
This next week and half (or so) includes the pageantry of the Queen of the Snows and the Princesses, as well as the singing talent of Klondike Kate among part of the festivities. Another favorite activity, which started yesterday, is the treasure hunt with it's elaborate, daily clues. However, even though I have loved this local ritual of Minnesota since I was a child, I think I still fear the Vulcans.
Helping to rebuild a part of New Orleans will be an experience I will never forget.
When we first arrived in the area of New Orleans, although one of the first things that everyone noticed was the trees, we soon saw other signs of the wide spread destruction of the area. We saw debris such as chairs, coolers and other furniture on roof tops, cars and boats in unusual places, and rows upon rows of empty, torn houses. At night, it was strange to drive through some of the neighborhoods and realize that there were only a few houses here and there that had any sort of light on.
The first day, the thing that really caught my attention was the markings on the buildings. Every single one had a marking (a huge X with information in each section of the X) denoting the date the building was checked, the national guard unit that had checked it, if there were pets that were seen in the building, and the body count. Every. Single. One. It was difficult to drive past a house that had a number other than zero in the bottom part of the X, as we soon found out that that number meant that someone one had died in that house.
On Monday, we started working on several sites, including the Musician's Village. The Musician's Village is a project that has Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford and Ellis Marsalis partnering up with Habitat for Humanity to get musicians back to New Orleans. Why is this project so important? One resident that I got to meet, Ellen Smith, said that it is difficult for musicians to come back because rent is now two to three times higher than it was before the hurricane with an one bedroom apartment now priced at $900. Smith will hopefully be able to move into her house this weekend. Here is a video of the building and dedication ceremony of the first few houses in the Musician's Village.
Throughout the week, I got to try my hand at landscaping, framing and hanging bedroom and closet doors, and putting the exterior trim around several windows on a house. While I came down to N.O. to help, I admit that I learned many skills that I will be able to use in the future when I get a house of my own. I will no longer be intimidated by doing my own home repairs.
Even with the destruction still widely visible, there were signs of hope. Even though there were not very many, every house that had a light on reminded our group that people were coming back to New Orleans; They were coming home. Signs posted at different locations helped to remind residents and visitors alike to stay positive and that the area was recovering. We could see the hope in people's faces as they would drive up to the area and stop to talk to volunteers and thank them for coming to help people that have virtually been forgotten. We told them that we would not let people forget them and that we would spread our tales any way that we could.
A sign of hope that really touched me, as strange as it may sound, was the rose bushes that I saw. How could the trees have died, yet many rose bushes throughout the area still survive? The ones that I saw were flourishing! I saw rose bushes in all areas, but the one that spoke to me was the one in the Ninth Ward. With many of the houses in this area already torn down, I was touched when I saw a fully bloomed rose bush next to a stair case leading up to where a house used to be. While this area of N.O. may never recover, that one rose bush reminded me that there is still hope.
I encourage all of you to get a group together and go down to New Orleans to help out if you can. For more information on helping check out the N.O. Habitat site.
Sites and things of interest in New Orleans:
Mardi Gras Masks
King Cake
Bourbon Street
French Quarter
Cafe du Monde
Beignets at Cafe du Monde
Palm Trees
Fima trailer villages
Fima trailers in people's front yard as they repair their homes
Fleur-de-lis symbol
St. Bernards Parish
Ninth Ward
The colorful houses of the Musician's Village
Water lines on houses
National Guard markings on the houses
Holes in roofs where people had escaped from their homes
Ann Rice's House
Real World House
Jambalaya
Gumbo
Po Boy sandwiches
Harry Connick, Jr. (Yes, I did get to meet him)
Branford and Ellis Marsalis (I met them, also)
Ellen Smith singing at Cafe Brazil
A McDonald's that looks like a church
Swamp tours
Wow. It's hard to know how to start this and what to mention first regarding the devastation of N.O. area. The devastation is still so wide spread even a year and a half later. It is amazingly, well, scary.
My area rolled into the N.O. area around 7am on Sunday morning. A hush fell over the bus as we watched the scenery roll by in the early morning light that was shining through the mist. As the sunlight poked through the clouds, the first thing that was mentioned by almost everyone was the trees - the dead ones, the wind-blown ones, the ones that were no longer there. The huge amount of dead trees rather scared a few people.
Later that day, we asked our tour guide about the trees. What happened is that in some places, the sea water wasn't pumped out for several weeks, causing the salt to get into the soil and kill the roots of most of the trees. The only trees that seem to be alive are palm trees and a few cypress trees. It was so strange to go through places like the ninth ward and see nothing but a few dead trees and then come up suddenly on a very much thriving palm tree.
Because of the lack of living trees and because the soil will no longer be able support most types of trees for many years, I was proud to be able to plant a few trees at building site that I was working at on the first day. When they said that they needed people to be landscapers for the day, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to help to replace some of the trees that had been lost. I even got to meet one of homeowners whose tree I helped to plant.
While I was proud to have planted that tree, I wish you could have seen her reaction to the news that not only would she be able to move into her house soon, but that she had a tree! Tears were rolling down her face. I started to realize that the trees here in N.O. meant as much to the residents here, as they seem to mean to the volunteers.
I will write more about my experiences and post some pictures when I get back.
I am now in my new home and working on getting settled in. Good thing I don't have to host any holiday gatherings! With boxes piled everywhere and nothing organized, I almost don't know where to start.
The Yule sunrise was a no-go. At dusk on Thursday, it starting misting. A few hours later the temperature dropped just enough for the roads to become solid sheets of ice. In a city like Duluth (think somewhat akin to San Fransisco), it is impossible to go anywhere when the roads are that icy. Going back to my apartment after a "we're graduating" celebration dinner with friends, I barely got up the smallest of hills. Then, at the top of the driveway to the parking lot of my apartment, I went around a slight curve and ended up doing a 540, stopping only because of my tires hitting the curb and ended up doing a bit of damage to my car. Damn.
I decided that I was not about to go back out on the roads unless the sunlight was able to melt the ice the next day. So I slept in and waited until I could get my vehicle checked out for the long drive to my new home.
This week has been quite the week. It starting with my computer setting on fire and having to rewrite two papers that were due (I stupidly did not back them up!). Ending with finals, graduating, spinning out and driving to my new home. What a week! It's time to relax and regroup.
One another note, Neosnoia tagged me for a meme. So here it is. If you would like to do the meme, as well, go for it. Leave a comment to let me know that you posted your answers. (Note: As I don't celebrate Christmas, I changed "Christmas" to "holidays."
1. List three things that you would like for the holidays.
2. List three things that you don't want for the holidays.
3. Finally, list the names of five fellow bloggers and inform them on their
own blogs that they have been tagged to do the same thing. They will then come
to your blog for the instructions. Then after they make their list, they have to
tag five bloggers, etc.
The three things that I want:
1. More time to read. I am ready to get back to the books that I actually
want to read and read them on the time schedule of my choice.
2. I want to find a job that involves using my degree.
3. Getting the chance to get to know some friends (new and old) on a
deeper, more authentic level.
The three things that I don't want:
1. I don't want to be woken up early by the pattering of (not-so-)little
feet. Let me sleep in, please.
2. I don't want a messy living space.
3. And I can't think of a third.
Yesterday, Angela-Eloise over at Blogickal mentioned the Winter Solstice and it reminded me that the day is coming up quickly. As I have been bogged down with end of classes, papers, and finals I never stopped to check what day Yule falls on.
I was quite pleased to find out that I would still be near Duluth, MN and would be able to celebrate the day by getting up early and greeting the sun as it rises up above Lake Superior. Have you ever seen the sun come up over Lake Superior? It's gorgeous.
So next Friday, I will be somewhere along the lake shore watching the sun come up, celebrating the day. But that's not the only meaning that day holds for me. While I will spend a few hours exploring the area that I will watch the sun come up, I will soon be driving to my new home about three and half hours away.
Ah, this is the time of year (again!) that I get really busy with finishing up loose ends with school and finals, moving to a place that seems as if it is half way across country, and the holiday rush. Oh, and getting ready for New Orleans! Forgive me if I don't update that often for the next week and a half or so.
I've been approved! What are you approved for? you may ask. Well, I just got my approval notice saying that I get to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity in the New Orleans area in January.*
I have wanted to help in some way ever since Katrina hit the gulf area, but I didn't want to just send money and pretend that I had helped. I was worried that the money would not get to the people that needed it. Besides, I wanted to get my hands dirty; I wanted to experience what it is like in person; I wanted to make sure that my efforts were actually being put to their proper use. Now that dream is finally coming true.
Since I will be graduating in December, I have a little time between school and getting that dreaded "first real job." I will soon be moving on to new responsiblities and a new stage in my life. I feel that this will be a great way to mark the rite of passage between my new responsibilities and finishing school.
* Because they get so many offers of help, you have to sign up and wait to see if your help is needed and when there is an opening. Then, Habitat matches you up with a building site that needs the help. If you want to help as well, go to "how to get involved" to get more information.
Sometimes, there are things that awake the child inside me.
When I was looking at The Wandmakers Guidebook at the bookstore a few nights ago, I giggled with delight.
Kits that are marketed toward children, such as this one, usually don't interest me. I find them to be a little on the cheesy side, and this one, truthfully, is no exception. While it is definitely geared towards kids, I found that the information presented was actually quite interesting (although not necessarily accurate) and the story that goes along with it is entertaining.
I was glad I checked this one out. I may buy this one just for fun.
No matter your political persuasion, I encourage you to get out and vote today. It is important for everybody's voice to be heard. This year, I was finally able to convince my parents and my siblings to vote for the very first time.
(MN voters - check out the Star Tribune site for a listing of candidates, other issues up for consideration and to find out where to vote.)
The Pagan blogosphere has had many new additions recently. Here are a few blogs that I have noticed:
First, L.A.PaganChick is back with her new blog Labyrinth: A Pagan Blog. From a recent entry:
Go to any bookstore...Borders, Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks...head to the New Age section and you'll come across at least 60 books that are about Wicca/Witchcraft, spells, meditation and the like...if you're lucky you'll come across maybe 5 books that slightly give reference on how to integrate your faith into your everyday life. Maybe you'll come across one book on prayers or a book that contains ways to get through the struggles in your life while leaning on your pagan faith.
