Wow. After five months of studying and lectures I finally took my A+ cert test...and PASSED. I could feel myself getting nervous during the test at about question 60 (100 questions) but tried hard not to let that over come me. But man when I got to question 95 my stomach was in knots. I knew I was about to finish and wasn't sure what to expect. When I pressed that "end" button and saw PASSED 810/900 I almost cried.
Now I don't plan to continue in the IT field once I get out of JC but knowing that I put work into something and finally saw the results of said work, I thank Lord and Lady for being with me in that testing room. Sophia, mother of wisdom, thank you for helping me to choose correctly. There were answers I wasn't exactly sure about but by your guided hand made right. Jesus, all knowing father, thank you for comforting me and keeping me calm without which I'm sure I would not have been able to allow your Goddess to guide me.
My heart is so happy right now. I'm one step closer to something better in my life. I feel that and know it. Thank you.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Been a while but
I felt the need to find a safe place to express my thoughts. I've been on Yahoo! Answers for the past week answering questions about Paganism and Wicca. The process is infuriating. Dealing with everything from fundamentalist Christians that answer Pagan questions with "repent or go to hell" or "turn your life over to Jesus", to very un-Wiccan-like Witches that feel because they know more than someone that makes them better.
I e-mailed some lady that was giving very rude and condescending answers to people that have genuine questions about our faith. This woman had the nerve to tell me I was threatened by her and I was wrong to call her out. People like her piss me off.
Man I got so upset from seeing so much bs on this site and nothing being done about it I put up my own question "Why do you feel the need to continually shove YOUR God down OUR throats"? Don't you know one of those pigheaded, fanatical Christians had the nerve to report my question as ranting and got my shit deleted! That really pissed me off. The only reason they did that was because I put up legitimate frustrations that apparently didn't sit well with him because he was Christian and I am Pagan.
Anyway some lady posted up a question about how to accept her daughter being Pagan when she raised her to be Christian. There were some ignorant answers (from Pagans and Christians alike) but one really stuck out there for me even though he didn't really answer the question lol. He posted something from another web site that I in turn put up below along with the link to the site.
I'm only going to post up the first five but the link is above in case anyone wants to read the rest of it. This guy makes some compelling arguments. Things I never even thought about. To be honest I wish I could have the patients to sit down and read the Bible to find all this stuff out for myself but as it is, I can't get past the mob mentality thinking when I try to read it.
In my heart I honestly wish it were easier for people to stop criticizing and tearing down others because we are different. Differences are good. If everybody was the same this world would be a very boring and dreadful place. Maybe I should make a movie about that.
Thirteen Reasons Why Jesus, If He Were Here Today, Would Be A Witch
No single one of these reasons prove the Witchiness of Jesus, but taken as a whole, they make for a compelling case!
1. Jesus criticized the hypocrisy and legalism of the religious status quo, and chose to embrace an alternative spiritual path. (Matthew 23:1-36)
In Jesus' day, the religious establishment included the Pharisees and Sadducees, dominant factions in first century Judaism. Jesus' alternative path followed the radical teachings of his mentor, John The Baptist. Nowadays, in Europe and the Americas, the status quo is mainly Christianity; the path of the Goddess - Wicca - is one of the most compelling of available spiritual alternatives. Many people who embrace Wicca have the exact same criticisms of Christianity that Jesus is said to have had about the religious establishment in his day. Hypocrisy, legalism, blind obedience of the rules to the point of ignoring spiritual values like love, trust, and freedom. These are the problems Jesus attacked in the official religion in his day, and that many Wiccans today see in the religious status quo of our time. Perhaps Jesus, were he here today, would join Wiccans in criticizing mainstream religion and trying to find an alternative way.
2. Jesus was a psychic healer. (Luke 6:19; John 0:1-12)
Luke comments that "all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them." And John recounts how Jesus made a magic healing paste by mixing his saliva with soil from our Mother, the Earth. For Jesus, healing was a central part of his spiritual identity. Witches, likewise, rely on herbal wisdom, natural foods, and psychic practices like Reiki to bring healing and comfort to themselves and their loved ones. Sadly, the Christian religion rarely encourages its followers to take responsibility for their own healing, but rather colludes with a medical establishment that keeps people passive in regard to their own wellness. Jesus the healer has much more in common with Wiccan healers than with church-going "patients."
3. Jesus acknowledged the divinity within each person. (John 10:34-36)
All he was doing was quoting the Psalms, but Jesus emphasized it: "You are gods." Throughout the Bible, Jesus uses mystical language to illustrate the essential unity between humanity and divinity. How sad that the church founded in his name lost that sense of human divinity, and has instead stressed the "fallenness" and "separation" that keeps humanity alienated from the divine. Incidentally, this is an indirect affirmation of Goddess spirituality, as well - for if we are gods, as Jesus quoting the scriptures insists, then both men and women partake of the godly nature. Implying therefore that God emcompasses both the masculine and feminine dimension of life. So the "God" whom Jesus worships incorporates both the God and the Goddess as revered by Wiccans.
4. Jesus lived close to nature. (Matthew 8:20; Mark 1:12-13, 3:13; Luke 4:42; John 18:1)
Jesus took a vision quest in the wilderness; he loved to pray in the mountains, slept in gardens, and made a point of telling his followers that he had no house to live in. Frankly, it's hard to imagine him driving an SUV or worshiping in an air conditioned church. If Jesus were here today, I suspect he would live in an ecologically sustainable intentional community, and he would advocate a sacred duty to the Earth with the same zeal with which he advocated care for the poor and the downtrodden.
5. Jesus believed in magic. (Matthew 7;7-11)
Only he called it prayer. "How many of you, if your child asks for a fish, will give them a stone?" "If you ask for it in my name, it will be done." Church-goers often see magick as a different from prayer, because prayer is timid and uncertain: "Not my will, but thine." By contrast, magick assumes that the Divine Spirit loves us and wants to bless us in accordance with our highest desires. When Jesus prayed, he prayed with confidence, not timidity. And he taught his followers to do the same. Nowadays, magick may have fancy window dressings (light this candle, recite this incantation, etc.) but it still comes down to the same thing: making a request for spiritual blessings. Jesus' vision of prayer is like Wicca's vision of magick: it is based on trust and love, unlike the prayer of church religion, which is based on fear, self-criticism and self-doubt.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Women and Religion
Good morning all. It's a gloriously gloomy Monday and I'm in class reading about Women and religion. It's a subject that's rather touchy to me because much of what I've been brought up to believe as a child is that women are suppose to be subservient to men. This form of thinking has always disturbed me. Not just for myself but for the daughters I will have in the future. The more I began to think about it the more I was convinced I would never teach my girls that they were less important, less intelligent, less than in any way to men.
This warped way of thinking is sadly one of the main reasons I believe our world is so off balance. People believe that because men are physically stronger than women they are superior. What they forget is that there are pains we as women endure that would break a man to his knees (our monthly menstrual cycle and childbirth for example).
Now this is NOT a male bashing post lol. I simply mean to point out that physical mass is not the only form of strength. There lies a certain courageousness in being able to love over and over again even though you've had your heart broken so many times. It is not easy juggling your day job, the kids, the hubby, and still trying to find time for yourself. And please let's not forget the doing all this in a pair of gorgeous 3" heels that cramp our feet but look so good. lol It's not easy.
On a serious note though, I wish this world would wake up and acknowledge the strength of our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and all the women without whom this world would cease to exist. Quit telling our daughters that they are less important than our sons. Yes our sons will carry on the family name, but the daughters carry on the family blood.
This warped way of thinking is sadly one of the main reasons I believe our world is so off balance. People believe that because men are physically stronger than women they are superior. What they forget is that there are pains we as women endure that would break a man to his knees (our monthly menstrual cycle and childbirth for example).
Now this is NOT a male bashing post lol. I simply mean to point out that physical mass is not the only form of strength. There lies a certain courageousness in being able to love over and over again even though you've had your heart broken so many times. It is not easy juggling your day job, the kids, the hubby, and still trying to find time for yourself. And please let's not forget the doing all this in a pair of gorgeous 3" heels that cramp our feet but look so good. lol It's not easy.
On a serious note though, I wish this world would wake up and acknowledge the strength of our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and all the women without whom this world would cease to exist. Quit telling our daughters that they are less important than our sons. Yes our sons will carry on the family name, but the daughters carry on the family blood.
Friday, May 21, 2010
The age old battle: Pagan vs. Christian
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: I began this blog simply to work out and share my own beliefs on this subject. I do not intend to offend or disrespect anyone and would never discourage someone from what they believe. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and is welcomed to express them however please do not comment unless you have fully read what I have written. I would greatly appreciate it if you would not Bible bash, preach, disrespect and/or offend my views for they are well thought out and wholly a part of me. Thank you and I hope you find something positive in my writings.
So I've been reading up some more on the whole Pagan/Christian thing and I'm starting to become a little upset by what I'm reading. Before I get into why I'll give a little background on myself as this is my first blog entry.
I go by the name Bella Donna and currently have found a spiritual as well as material interest in the Old Religions. I was raised Christian. When I was younger (I'm 24 today) I was taken to both Methodist and Baptist churches with my Grandmother and Grandfather every Sunday morning. Both of them are home grown southern folk so it would be only natural that they would drill Christianity into their own family.
Being so young I never really understood the why of it all. I knew the basics, I wasn't a dumb kid by far. It was all the "thees and thous" and shouting and falling out, the rules to live by, communion and testifying (I'm a kid, what do I have to testify about?) and all the works I couldn't understand. I tried to be a good person, why wasn't that enough? It was confusing and no one could explain it enough to help me understand.
As I got older my interest in my faith became both deeper and more shallow at the same time. On one hand I knew when I got in over my head in certain situations I could call on Jesus and He would help me. It has happened to me many a times which is why I never discount a person's faith. On the other hand the more I read about Christianity from a historical point of view the more things did not add up for me. It left me once again with more questions than answers.
Seriously at war with myself one night I decided to leave it up to God. I prayed and meditated on what it was I was searching for. I needed to understand what it was I was missing. Why my involvement in the faith felt so empty at times. Going to church was upsetting instead of inspiring. I remember thinking that church should not feel like a chore. I shouldn't feel like I'm being forced to believe in something that doesn't seem right to me.
Now please do not misconstrue what I'm saying. I believed in God and His Holy Son. I feared Satan. I just couldn't understand why I had to worship a certain way, and speak a certain way, and sing a certain way etc. in order for God to acknowledge me. Something inside told me this was not God's way. It wasn't His rules I was following but the rules of the church. During that moment of meditation God reminded me that He is a part of me just like I am a part of Him. "Trust your intuition, for that is My voice given to you" is what I "heard". And thus began my journey on the Pagan path.
Most would vehemently disagree that God Himself would tell me to walk the path of Paganism. "But the Bible clearly says..." is always the beginning of the argument. My rebuttal to this is the Bible is man made. How do you know for sure that the version we have today is truly authentic. As much as you may want to point to the ancient scrolls and text that make up the Books you still can't say with certainty that it's handed down by God. For one thing a good majority of the stories in the Old Testament itself are not Christian or Jewish stories but those from the "Heathen" (which means people of the Heath or country side btw) folklore.
The famous Creation story for example is not inspired by God but an orally handed down folklore of Babylonian, Sumerian, and Akkadian origin. For those that would like to read more on this subject (which I do recommend) please click on the following link: Rejection of Pascal's Wager. PLEASE NOTE this is not the only source from which I derive this information. It is but one way to thoroughly explain my point of view on the topic.
Something I have also been "enlightened" if you will, about are holidays. The Christian holidays coincide remarkably with Pagan Holy Days. Christmas itself, considered one of Christianity's most important day in the year, is completely submerged in Paganism. Take a look at just a few of the elements: the tree which was formerly the Yule tree represents the fertility of the land and the Goddess. A promise from Her that the God will once again be reborn from the cold of winter. The red/green silver/gold colors of the season are actually the colors of the Pagan Goddess and God. Red and gold to represent the God, Green and Silver to represent the Goddess. The mistletoe under which any woman that passes must give a kiss to the man next to her is also a Pagan tradition. This comes from the thought that mistletoe had strong compelling powers that a woman could not resist. It is also another symbol of the Goddess and God, the Red berries representing the God, the silver flowers representing the Goddess and thus bringing the two together in harmony. These are but a few of many ways that Christmas is just a modern Pagan overtone.
I have many more thoughts to write about but seeing as I am in class and the day is almost done I must wait until Monday. I hope my blog has inspired you to open your mind and do a little research of your own independent of the clergy's influence. Sometimes to find the truth you have to trust yourself. Anybody can tell you anything they want you to believe and that is dangerous. It is only when you see for yourself all sides of a situation that you can make a more intelligent conclusion. As my momma always said, lol "Don't go off of fool's knowledge. Learn how to think for yourself."
That being said, if Christianity is the path for you then I am very happy you have found solace in such a beautiful faith. Like I said before I am not writing to discourage, insult or disrespect anyone's belief. I write merely to work out and share my own.
Thank you for reading. Merry Meet and Merry Part.
So I've been reading up some more on the whole Pagan/Christian thing and I'm starting to become a little upset by what I'm reading. Before I get into why I'll give a little background on myself as this is my first blog entry.
I go by the name Bella Donna and currently have found a spiritual as well as material interest in the Old Religions. I was raised Christian. When I was younger (I'm 24 today) I was taken to both Methodist and Baptist churches with my Grandmother and Grandfather every Sunday morning. Both of them are home grown southern folk so it would be only natural that they would drill Christianity into their own family.
Being so young I never really understood the why of it all. I knew the basics, I wasn't a dumb kid by far. It was all the "thees and thous" and shouting and falling out, the rules to live by, communion and testifying (I'm a kid, what do I have to testify about?) and all the works I couldn't understand. I tried to be a good person, why wasn't that enough? It was confusing and no one could explain it enough to help me understand.
As I got older my interest in my faith became both deeper and more shallow at the same time. On one hand I knew when I got in over my head in certain situations I could call on Jesus and He would help me. It has happened to me many a times which is why I never discount a person's faith. On the other hand the more I read about Christianity from a historical point of view the more things did not add up for me. It left me once again with more questions than answers.
Seriously at war with myself one night I decided to leave it up to God. I prayed and meditated on what it was I was searching for. I needed to understand what it was I was missing. Why my involvement in the faith felt so empty at times. Going to church was upsetting instead of inspiring. I remember thinking that church should not feel like a chore. I shouldn't feel like I'm being forced to believe in something that doesn't seem right to me.
Now please do not misconstrue what I'm saying. I believed in God and His Holy Son. I feared Satan. I just couldn't understand why I had to worship a certain way, and speak a certain way, and sing a certain way etc. in order for God to acknowledge me. Something inside told me this was not God's way. It wasn't His rules I was following but the rules of the church. During that moment of meditation God reminded me that He is a part of me just like I am a part of Him. "Trust your intuition, for that is My voice given to you" is what I "heard". And thus began my journey on the Pagan path.
Most would vehemently disagree that God Himself would tell me to walk the path of Paganism. "But the Bible clearly says..." is always the beginning of the argument. My rebuttal to this is the Bible is man made. How do you know for sure that the version we have today is truly authentic. As much as you may want to point to the ancient scrolls and text that make up the Books you still can't say with certainty that it's handed down by God. For one thing a good majority of the stories in the Old Testament itself are not Christian or Jewish stories but those from the "Heathen" (which means people of the Heath or country side btw) folklore.
The famous Creation story for example is not inspired by God but an orally handed down folklore of Babylonian, Sumerian, and Akkadian origin. For those that would like to read more on this subject (which I do recommend) please click on the following link: Rejection of Pascal's Wager. PLEASE NOTE this is not the only source from which I derive this information. It is but one way to thoroughly explain my point of view on the topic.
Something I have also been "enlightened" if you will, about are holidays. The Christian holidays coincide remarkably with Pagan Holy Days. Christmas itself, considered one of Christianity's most important day in the year, is completely submerged in Paganism. Take a look at just a few of the elements: the tree which was formerly the Yule tree represents the fertility of the land and the Goddess. A promise from Her that the God will once again be reborn from the cold of winter. The red/green silver/gold colors of the season are actually the colors of the Pagan Goddess and God. Red and gold to represent the God, Green and Silver to represent the Goddess. The mistletoe under which any woman that passes must give a kiss to the man next to her is also a Pagan tradition. This comes from the thought that mistletoe had strong compelling powers that a woman could not resist. It is also another symbol of the Goddess and God, the Red berries representing the God, the silver flowers representing the Goddess and thus bringing the two together in harmony. These are but a few of many ways that Christmas is just a modern Pagan overtone.
I have many more thoughts to write about but seeing as I am in class and the day is almost done I must wait until Monday. I hope my blog has inspired you to open your mind and do a little research of your own independent of the clergy's influence. Sometimes to find the truth you have to trust yourself. Anybody can tell you anything they want you to believe and that is dangerous. It is only when you see for yourself all sides of a situation that you can make a more intelligent conclusion. As my momma always said, lol "Don't go off of fool's knowledge. Learn how to think for yourself."
That being said, if Christianity is the path for you then I am very happy you have found solace in such a beautiful faith. Like I said before I am not writing to discourage, insult or disrespect anyone's belief. I write merely to work out and share my own.
Thank you for reading. Merry Meet and Merry Part.
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