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The spectrum of spirituality here seems to be rather narrow. Prove me wrong. I’d really like to connect with others who follow the many paths to the Goddess
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I used Noxzema from the time I was old enough to wash my own face, all through school and into adulthood. Then I decided it wasn't 'sophisticated' enough and went with higher priced, higher end products. About 5 years ago, I went back to I used Noxzema from the time I was old enough to wash my own face, all through school and into adulthood. Then I decided it wasn't 'sophisticated' enough and went with higher priced, higher end products. About 5 years ago, I went back to my old faithMost of the above posts are by women, and many of you seem insecure about your sexuality at your age. Please don't be! While it's true that many of us guys prefer younger women, there are some (like me) that find women over 50 much sexier.
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Have started trying some of the uses. I tried using it a
If your going to be financially secure enough to venture out and see whats available in the B & B field...take your time and check it out. If you have to jump into a job..just to have one..you will not be happy. Hope you get the time to find wh
What does “paths to the Goddess” mean? Fill me in please. Or does the act of asking the question make me spiritually “narrow”?
Some believe in a Goddess not a God. There are many paths to enlightenment and I don’t think any one is totally wrong or right. So in answer to your question are you spiritually “narrow”, I say never. Never stop asking questions and seekin.
Wow, I’m not going to respond to this question, but make an overall comment…. It never ceases to amaze me how passionate people are about the topic of spirituality. I wish everyone would put as much effort into helping others and living their best life…. then maybe we would have a better world to live in and would stop just preaching about it!
You are so right, but it will still take generations to wean humanity away from the powers that want to control and use us. The ugly truth is that much of the control of human beings has been in the guise of religion supported by the lust for power and greed, fueled by egotism. I have even wondered if each person on earth helped another person in need, it would be a great step forward to making a better world. I gag whenever I hear people spouting memorized rhetoric from religious sources as if they cannot think for themselves or taking responsibility for their own actions.
Why is your reaction to “people spouting memorized rhetoric from religious sources” one of resentment? Help me understand the cause and affect of your behavior. I think that we all have a freedom and rights that should not infringe on others (be it spiritual, religious, or pagen.)
Sorry, can’t help you there. I follow Jesus.
No! This lifetime humanist is an atheist who likes the likes of you~ Many dare not come out and be rational and
oppose those religions run by old men in long dresses who hate women, pay no taxes and do crowd control at the behest of those who never ran with wolves and ran a business as I did. Their fear has been cultivated over time by those unlike me who discovered at age sixteen that one needed a penis to be Pope and therefore rejected that premise and left the unhealthy for women, except handmaidens of various lords, entities posing as churches…
Be a proud pagan and know you are not alone no matter how many dare not step up to salute you!
Though I am not a practicing pagan, I have followed the philosphy of the goddess in my affairs since I was 18 when I told my then narrow minded Ministers wife, I had had enough of her bigotry and condemnation! The Earth would do far better if we could get her back into the hands of those who understand what her needs are instead of the male dominated society of take, and take some more! Keep the faith dear!
Jenny, Have you read the New Testament in the Bible? Jesus celebrated women and he elevated them to a higher position than what we may see in many churches today. In the beginning God created the human race in His likeness which was male and female. Since the word used for God, in that passage, means many gods (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), there is a female trait somewhere. God is spirit and Jesus was a man, but I often wonder if the Holy Spirit is the feminine side of God. God said He was just like a mother hen spreading her wings over her chicks. In the book of Proverbs Wisdom is shown as a woman and in the New Testament, wisdom is shown as the Holy Spirit.
As far as your term “Goddess” I am not sure what that means or what you want it to mean. Who is your Goddess? If you are looking for others who follow her path, then am I to assume that you are seeking some spirituality?
I love to hear how others think; even other Christians, for some would strongly disagree with what I just wrote to you. God is so much bigger than the box we put Him in and questioning His reality is not only ok, but a very healthy exercise. May I suggest you read the book, ”The Shack.”
I hear what you say, and no I haven’t read the Bible since it was forced on me when I was at school. I eventually declined to attend RE lessons because of the teacher’s utter refusal to accept truth in any form except his own narrow view, even to the extent of excluding my Catholic schoolfriends from his lessons as well as the one Jewish boy in my year.
The ‘excluded’ and those who opted out, spent those lesson times in the library, happily getting a wider view of the world from other books including other religious and philosophical texts which we discussed openly and tolerantly.
Forgive me but I can’t see how a ‘God’ always spoken of by Christians, Jews and Muslims in exclusively male terms (you say specifically Father and His in your post) can ‘create’ a human race which is both male and female in HIS image – it is contradictory in the extreme.
I find it very hard to see any true female element at work in Christianity, and the reecent admission of women to the clergy almost seems like window dressing under pressure from a secular society where equality of the sexes is a legal requirement.
In the Greek Pantheon, the Goddess of Wisdom is Athene and in the Roman Pantheon She is Minerva – I wonder if the book of Proverbs took its inspiration from that.
To explain my spirituality, I regard the planet Earth herself as my Mother Goddess. I am not ‘SEEKING’ spirituality at all, I have found my own path and I am very happy with it, yet I am also open to learning and embracing more. I look specifically to a female deity as a reflection of myself and an ideal of my own femininity.
I think many women struggle truly to accept Christianity because they can see nothing of themselves there, just another man telling them what they should do and how they should live their lives – we have enough of that on earth!
Pagans accept the male and female in nature and the universe so we also ackowledge the Green Man, Jack o’the Green, the Horned God to give him but some of his names and that duality runs through all our ceremonies and celebrations. To put your minds at rest, the Horned God has NOTHING to do with Satan who does not feature in our beliefs in any way. His horns are a visible sign of his maleness as reflected in the many male animals who have horns.
However I am also a rational, practical and scienfifically aware person who finds the ideas of the creationist lobby ridiculous and naiive and I don’t find any conflict between evolution and my spiritual beliefs. I’m sorry if that upsets some people, but I have to be honest.
Paganism has been called the Western Tao and I also study and practise Buddhist philosophy. I was over 40 before I discovered anything about the pagan path and then it was like discovering a physical part of me I never knew existed.
Thank you to Cherllynn50 and all of you who have taken the trouble to reply.
Goddess Blessings to you all whatever you believe
Hi Jenny,
I’ve been reading over all the very thoughtful and insightful feedback. This isn’t my first response to this. I attempted to respond yesterday, and my Yahoo crashed. I work at home and had 20 systems up, and tried to get back to this. My Yahoo kept coming back, all right, but every time I clicked on THIS email, it crashed all over again. Us Christians would say this is proof that Satan does NOT want you to hear the response.
Without trying to cast aspersions on anyone’s belief system, there are certain aspects of the Catholic church that, if you study the Bible, will make you go, “Hmmm.” Not necessarily in a good way. I agree that, on the surface, Christianity is incredibly paternalistic. That was one of the issues I had with it, for a very long time.
I have now come to understand that there is NO conflict between Gal. 3:28,29 and this seeming paternalism, and this is why: Christ is the Head of His Church. The Church is His bride. So, since Christ is undeniably male, and wives are female, this is how His Church works. This is why most denominations do not actively encourage female pastors or elders. However, we are free to pursue other types of leadership positions in our Church, and those positions are still very much a ministry. (We are also free to become doctors, dentists, astronauts…)
It took me a VERY, VERY LONG TIME to come to this. I am 60, and was a contributing writer to several feminist publications, the most conservative of them being Ms. Magazine. (The rest were quite radical, actually.) My biggest battle was, I had pretty much been going my own way since I was 2, and this had served me fairly well a large amount of the time, and I certainly wasn’t going to join any group that would force me to act as if I had had a lobotomy…should I go on? Because I could go on for HOURS!
But…my LORD, Jesus Christ, had OTHER ideas for my future! Did he force me, or bash me over the head with it? No, not at all. He wooed me, very gently and very lovingly, for a very, very long time. Jesus has infinite patience, and He is a gentleman.
There is a very famous painting…maybe you’ve seen it. It shows Jesus standing in the front of a very tall building. They are equal in height. He has His hand on the door. But there is no doorknob. Why? Because the door to our hearts must be opened from within.
Blessings to all.
Well spoken.
Jenny, I find your comments very interesting. WOW! I am not boasting, but I feel somewhat blessed. I have known my GOD from the age of three; learned about and accepted Jesus during my teen and filled with the Holy Spirit in young adulthood. I consider myself to be a Christian because I attempt to follow Jesus’ teachings. I believe myself to be spiritual because of life experiences I have enjoyed with GOD, the Holy Spirit, Jesus and the unknown. A thought, “If only you will open your eyes, you would see the Hand of GOD!”
“THE SHACK” IS A GREAT BOOK!!!!! Everyone should read it. Please keep an open mind when you read it. Just the statement that God (what ever name you choose to give this energy) created us in his likeness………….Every ONE is different! Different color, different size, different language (tower of babel) What man is to say who’s god is the only god. AND there is a devil, what ever name you choose to give it. PROVE YOU WRONG…….Nah no need. I will just continue to love you for who you are and not judge you or your belief. After all I am only human. I can not possible know what is going on in your head till I have walked at least a mile in your brain. Peace – Love – Joy and Blessings I send your way. Mary
I love your comments, and agree with you wholeheartedly. To each his own, and to thine own self be true. I don’t even want to walk a mile in anyone’s brain. I have all I can do to understand my own.
I will keep the Peace – Love – Joy and Blessings going! Enjoy the beauty of life while you have it!
“Please keep an open mind when you read it.” (implying that one might not), “AND there is a devil, what ever name you choose to give it. PROVE YOU WRONG…….Nah no need. I will just continue to love you for who you are and not judge you or your belief. “
But, didn’t you just judge in these statements? Even though you say you will not?
I read The Shack and it really did enlighten me and gave me room to breathe.
Hi There! I am also a pagan! I have been studying the different spiriual paths for many years, and , just recently, I committed to incorporating it in my personal life. It is difficult to meet other like-minded souls, but they are out there! Happy to meet you! Blessed Be! Cheryl
I was raised a Catholic as a child and over my 60 years have seen so many people who go to church every Sunday and continue to be mean and hateful the rest of the week. I have not been to church in many years, and my philosophy is to just try to be a good person, be kind to others, and take care of my family the very best way I can. I am not looking for a god or goddess, or any other spiritual being or higher power. I try to have faith in others (which is often quite difficult) and live my life in an honorable way. Guess I could be considered a secular humanist.
I share your belief system, Toni!
No truer words were ever spoken! The world would be a better place to follow your example. Far too many hypocrites in the churches. One of the reasons I detest organized religion. I am very content with my own perceptions of universal spirituality, and share your outlook. Here’s to secular humanists!
No you are not the only pagan out here. But most people are afraid to admit that they do not believe in God because the people who do can be pretty hateful when you do not believe the same as they do. I do not believe in a magical god that is watching over me and my deeds. I do believe in being responsible for myself and my action. I believe in giving to others who are in need with no conditions that believe that same as I do. I respect other’s belief systems and I expect the same from them. I believe in living my life in a caring, generous, thoughtful manner and to respect my fellow human beings and the precious planet which sustains us.
thanks for your post, jenny_f.
I consider myself a pagan, but I’ve studied various religions and I’ve realized that each one has something valuable to contribute to the meaning & lessons of life. I have a much different view of God (Yahweh, if you are referring to the judeo-christian god) and Jesus than most people do. I think we think of God in much too literate terms. God is not some being sitting up in heaven on a throne, God isn’t even human-esque~ I feel that “God” or even the “Goddess” is a metaphor for something we can’t really understand or explain. It’s so beyond our everyday comprehension that we struggle to name it, put a description on it, and give it some sort of form.
Traditional Christianity humanizes God too much, and puts too much emphasis on the masculine attributes of deity. Paganism celebrates the feminine attributes of deity, and the complexity of deity. Gods & Goddesses in paganism aren’t perfect. They too have vulnerabilities and character flaws, like we all do. But they each represent certain aspects of divinity.
The nature of god (divinity, deity, cosmic force, whatever you want to call it) is like a circle “whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.”
In other words, you can NOT put any limitations on it, whatsoever. Think on that one for awhile
I follow the ways of the Goddess as well. There are so many similarities between all religions who recognize a good and loving higher power that I do not understand the need to say or profess that one is better than the other …. as far as the prophets are concerned – they all have one goal and that is to guide people to that good and loving power.
Inky
I’m a Unitarian and enjoy the presence of pagans, atheists, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and agnostics in our congregations. I don’t know enough about paganism to be a good one but enjoy it when others infuse our services with pagan thoughts and rituals. I’ve left Catholicism and Christianity in my past. My women’s spirituality circle uses a lot of goddess language and literature which feels affirming and vey healing.
You are not alone. Although I don’t call my beliefs by any moniker, Christian I am not. I do feel Goddess were supplanted by males when it was established that women were not the creators of life. Instead of celebrating the unity of man and woman, Man created many myths to guarantee his power over woman. I have no clue how the font changed. Oh well.
I very much enjoyed and felt enlightened by the comments. I read a book a couple of years age, I think it was called Peter, Paul and Mary. It was about these three Biblical people, and the missing records and writings about what really went on during Jesus’ lifetime. It particularly talked about how much about the women around Jesus were discounted. I think most of us know that when the original records, such as they were, were translated and transcribed and changed by monks who were in monasteries. They wanted to make sure that what they produced backed up their idea that men were the leaders. However, Jesus’ actions that we know about tell a different story. Just so you know, I was raised as a Methodist. We have the motto, open minds, open hearts and open doors. Which means, ideally of course, that all are welcome and all ideas are worthy of consideration and respect. We are encouraged to question and discuss…that is how one grows. There are those within our denomination that are threatened by this openess. Too bad. And, I am not of the conviction that God is a male. I always thought of God as asexual. I like the idea that the holy spirit represents the feminine side. I do believe that the orignal idea was not to exclude women, however, when men get a hold of something that seems to have strength, they are ready to twist it to their own ends. That is sad.
Lets not forget how the kings influenced what was written! (eg: The KING JAMES *VERSION* of the Bible
No, we’re not “narrow.” This is probably not the forum to get into a controversy, but…I can tell you with all truth that I am the former high priestess of an organized Wiccan coven. But the LORD had other ideas, and He pulled me from certain destruction. I pray you will have the same experience.
Although I don’t give myself a name, I share your rejection of the typical religious views of the world. Unfortunately, history is written by the winners and by most standard measures, that has been men. There have always been the small, quiet voices of women in the background, but the strident cries of the male hegemony won out. I am equally unhappy with the opposite extreme. Growing up in the midst of rampant feminism, I learned to devalue anything considered male. The irony is, that behavior is most decidedly “male.” This resulted in a serious imbalance for most of my life. I am only now beginning to recognize that no one has any answers for anyone else, we must all seek our own equilibrium. Accept from any philosophy that which works for you, reject that which is based strictly on dogma. The only issue with this is how much actual thought and personal growth it requires. If you want simple answers, this ain’t the way!
I have missed a women’s circle of food, dance, laughter, candlelight and tears. I also felt so totally denied in Christianity because I was female that I turned to Native American traditions when the kids were little. One day my teenage daughter accused me of being a ‘wannabe’ … and she was right! I looked at my northern European roots and came home to Wicca, where I’ve lived happily every since…
along with Buddhism and a heavy lightness of Taoism!
How really blessed we are to live in a time when we get to think for ourselves, choose for ourselves from all the spiritual traditions of the world. I like exploring the different ways of meditating, the mystery schools.
And, Wicca is my kitchen magic – what gets me through the day peacefully.
Thanks for the post.
Wish you were in the Cleveland, OH area . . . you could attend “The Phoenix Project” on Sunday evenings 5 pm in Lakewood . . . while a Christian community, our discussions are open, not narrowly defined. I hope that you can find yourself in such a place among people of such spiritual generosity. Not all Christians are ignorant & uneducated fanatics or only extend virtues very limited. I attended a Joyce Meyer Ministries in Cleveland once w/a horrific video condemning all kinds of people while her husband babbled revisionist history about America’s founders (ignoring the fact that Benjamin Frankline was an astrologer who postponed the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America’s birthdocument, until Jupiter was in Cancer (the Great Mother/Statue of Liberty, anyone?) in our ascendant . . . & I worked for a pew warmer who created hell on earth @ his workplace. so I’ve had my encounters. I was on eharmony.com where Christians are automatically right wing politically. Needless to say, I had no one in the world who wanted to talk w/me. I AM a practicing Christian, a loving child of a living God who created crystals & chakras, is Maker of molecules . . . & the Creator must have a female composition for women to exist at all! Ever read the short story by Jack London, The Heathen?
wow, so many different responses!!! This subject as well as politics is very powerful and passionate.
I did not know about Goddess so thank u for enlighting me. I am considered a Catholic since i believe in Saints (God’s helpers I call them). But i do not believe in the men that run the church, sorry. All the scandals have proven my point. That is why i do not go to chuch anymore. I believe in the essence of the Catholic church and realized that God did not want all these MASSIVE temples and all the money that goes along with it. This was created by men. Being a good person, giving back some of what has come your way freely, having common sense is what is all about. I always say that i have a good guardian angel since the possibility of me getting this far was almost impossible. I came here from PR when i was 14. Did not speak English and by 15 I could speak it pretty well and by you reading this message is a fact that i can write it as well. Did not have any money to go to College so i went to work in an office as a Secretary and have been promoted ever since. I work hard, but so do others around me. So i figure, somebody must be watching over me and i really appreciate it. I never met any pagan Hispanics until 12 years ago. i moved to Miami and found out that many of the new arrival Cubans are. That is because Fidel discarded all churches and faiths. This from a man that was raised VERY CATHOLIC. Go figure!
Ley, there are many Hispanic pagan paths.
Aha, I just joined and am happy to see so many comments on such a special topic. I consider myself a recovered-catholic. I follow shamanism, some wicca, and some buddhism. In other words, what works for ME! My sister is a devout catholic and my best friend is a Strega (Italian witch). My life is so much more enjoyable since I found a spiritual way that makes sense to me. I find connections to life everywhere I go, from the hawks I see on drives to the dragonfly that got stuck in the back window of my car. Messages from the divine (no matter what name you give it) are all around you. We ARE all the same, we just use different names for our processes.
Ms Jenny…. It is truly a wonderful find when you realize the seemingly small insignificant things around that give meaning to our lives! Don’t stop recognizing them and they will become more noticable every day. We are all the same! Once you open the door you will see the wonderous garden before you!
Brightess Blessings from another on the Pagan Path
Blessings jenny_f………………no you are not alone; I was born into a “Pagan” family tradition and adopted into another. I have studied many religions, tried several on for size..and then always return to my “roots”. I do not specifically venerate the Goddess above the God/Consort, preferring to work with both aspects on an equal standing and in their appropriate aspect, time and place.
May Her light shine upon you to light the path beneath your feet and guide you along the way.
I am exploring the Wiccan concepts. Do you have any resources that might give me more insights?
Yes, I am always saddened by the narrow mindedness of “christians” who are more focused on who or what they should “hate” (not unlike the historical turn offs like the Salem witchtrials or the Crusades or working @ a veterinary clinic owned/managed by a pew warmer who was absolutely evil in how he operated the place & treated his employees). Let’s remember that the various “christian” denominations that were the first settlers in America were prejudiced in favor of their own interpretations of scripture & condemned & murdered any other “christian” settlers . . . or murdered any group standing in the way of “manifest destiny,” like native Americans!