Earth-centered Spirituality: Pagan, Wiccan, Druid, Native American, Other

[ladee]

Healing time for you @Fadeaway. Nameste.

 

[BloomInWinter]

@Fadeaway , I'm so happy you decided to share! There is no Litha celebration in my tiny community (yet) but several of us will be drumming together to celebrate this glorious summer.

Like you, I have far too many traumas associated with traditional "Christian" holidays that leaving those behind in favor of the peaceful, loving, fun, social traditions has been such a relief. They give me real, tangible things to celebrate.

I will be hosting a Litha celebration at our Unitarian Universalist fellowship next year if I am still in this community.

For those who haven't heard of Litha, some information:

"Here we are, we have arrived at the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Goddess is now full and pregnant with Child, and the Sun God is at the height of His virility. This is the peak of the Solar year and the Sun is at the height of its life-giving power. The Earth is awash with fertility and fulfillment and this is a time of joy and celebration, of expansiveness and the celebration of achievements.

Yet within this climax is the whisper and promise of a return to the Dark. As the Light reaches its peak so this is also the moment when the power of the Sun begins to wane. From now on the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer and we are drawn back into the Dark to complete the Wheel of the Year.

At this time the God, as Oak King, is rich in abundance, but he too surrenders his reign to his brother-twin, the Holly King, and the descent begins. But before we welcome the return to the Dark side of the year, and acknowledge this great turning point of the Wheel, we celebrate!"

Source: Dead Link Removed

 

[ladee]

Thanks again for this thread. I am learning so much about so many different things....!!!And each and every one of them make sense and have meaning. No shame, just celebration of life and nature... I always feel like I
'breathe free' when I am reading or posting here !!!

 

[KwanYingirl]

My parents took us to a Community Church where the golden rule was the basis of the mission. We didn't have rituals or fear control. We were simply taught to treat everyone the way we would like to be treated. Of course, there sat my abusive drunk of a father and a mother that allowed his reign of terror because it made her life easier. They knew my grandfather was a pedophile and still allowed him open access to my sisters and I.

I was active in the youth fellowship in high school and we routinely got stoned in the parking lot before meetings. Still, I liked the adults that worked with us, encouraging us to promote peace and to help those in need. But I've never considered myself a Christain. Ever. I have considered visiting the UU fellowship but am finding my belonging with Buddhism and Shamanism.

My interest in Buddhism started during Yin Yoga sessions where my teacher recited quotes. And also, the Dalai Lama visited my daughters college and they shut down the entire place and invited everyone to his talk. She said you could hear a pin drop, the awe and respect for him was palpable. Then she said he liked cracking jokes!! Once in a lifetime opportunity for her. Through yoga and mindfulness meditation I have been able to recover from panic attacks and feelings of suicide. Just breathing with prescience has helped my PTSD symptoms.

 

[Whyteferret]

I completely agree. Satan is a part of the Christian Pantheon, and having been raised as such I us...

I still struggle with the "You're going to hell" thing.
I'm partway out of the broom closet. There are times I wear my pentagram openly but around other spaces I don't,

Christianity can leave its mark. And not always in a healthy manner.

I still remember being told that my mom was going to hell because she's Catholic and hadn't accepted Jesus. I was 7. I almost went crazy, trying to get mom "saved." I had nightmares about her being in hell. Once mom found out what happened, she was pissed. We never went back to that church. She did say the "magic prayer" to be "saved." It stopped the nightmares.

I found the Goddess much easier to connect with and much more fulfilling and peaceful. It's nice being able to find your own Path and being able to figure some things out for yourself. I really like the Wicca Rede. It provides guidance and a place to start but isn't literal or dogma.

I didn't run from Christianity though. I was drawn by Her.

 

[Whyteferret]

This is a meditation I like a lot. I use it meditating, while trying to do yoga, running, on the bus, etc

Mother Earth
Enlighten what is dark in me.
Strengthen what is weak in me.
Heal what is sick in me.
Mend what is broken in me.
Bind what is bruised in me.
And lastly, revive whatever hope, love, and peace that have died in me.

I really like the last line because you can change the words to whatever is needed, like "faith "
"joy"etc

 

[BloomInWinter]

@Whyteferret , Thank you for sharing that meditation. How lovely!

I too feel drawn to the Goddess. How wonderful to discover that women are not inferior, and don't need nor deserve to have some human (usually male) authority putting himself in-between us and the sacred. I now believe everything is sacred. It's a completely different path for my psyche to walk. As you said, much more peaceful, healing, and welcoming. Every church I went to before had some message of something that was wrong or evil about me that needed to be changed. When I actually questioned that message was when I realized I needed to honor my soul by seeking a different spiritual path for myself.

Learning about all the wonderful, wise women healers from the past has been such a comfort. If trauma can be carried on our genes, why not wisdom, and compassion, and a connection within us to the divine? Our world would be far less traumatic and more peaceful if the feminine divine was not shut out of religious and/or political structures of power and authority.

 

[Whyteferret]

@Whyteferret , Thank you for sharing that meditation. How lovely!

I too feel...

Hmm
Can trauma be carried in our genes? That would mean we pass trauma on to our kids. Or am I missing your meaning?

I know that we carry the Divine, as that is Who created us. The Devine is our Mother and Father. Father not in the Christian sense. So, we also carry peace and love. And knowledge.


And thou who thinketh to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not, unless thou knoweth the mystery; for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning ; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire. (Charge of the Goddess- Doreen Valentine).
She is within. Not outside us.

:)

 

[BloomInWinter]

Yes, trauma is carried on our genes. It actually shortens the terminal ends of our DNA strands, the telomeres, which determine the length of our lives. But laughter and healing can repair a lot of the damage.

 

[BloomInWinter]

There are a lot of Buddists in the UU. I'm so grateful for their sharing. Our meditation group leads us. I bought myself a singing bowl and it is very calming. It's been amazing to discover the almost infinite body of knowledge about health, healing, and spiritual grown that was already available in the world once I decided to allow myself to question the teachings I was brought up to believe.

I truly believe the meditation and mindfulness helped to restructure my brain and break me free from all the self-destructive thinking. I feel very grateful to have been diagnosed at this time when those things are finally being accepted as other options to traditional western medicine.

 

[Changing4Best]

I'm part Iraquois (A tribe that is up in northern New York State and Canada, and my grandmother, who carried that blood, was a devout Catholic. I, as I have stated earlier in this thread, was brought up Unitarian. I still feel close to Mother Earth and have since childhood. We used to play in the woods in an area called BURNT HILLS and it had been burned by the natives of the area, the Mohawks, to route out settlers. One day when I was playing in the woods, I found a spearhead. It was awesome, and about the size of my hand. I showed it to my teacher, and she asked me if she could "borrow" it and so I let her borrow it, never doubting that she would give it back to me. Little did I know! She donated it to the local museum, is what she said, but I later as an adult searched all the exhibits there and never saw it. So I assume she lied to me, and kept it for herself, but I can never be sure. What I do know is that we played the part of being natives and when we played, we felt as if we were natives. When I found that spearhead, I had this feeling in me that one of the braves had GIVEN it to me. I kind of felt his presence, in some kind of spiritual way.

Later, when I went to a Cherokee Museum, I bought an arrowhead. The spearheads were too expensive for me to afford, but I wanted something to commemorate what was given to me by that brave. I keep my arrowhead by my favorite spot in the house, right next to where I pray and read my Bible these days. It is precious to me.

 

[BloomInWinter]

@SheliaKathy, respectfully, I'd appreciate it if we could keep this thread topic focused on Earth-Centered Spirituality. Just about everywhere else on this forum has space for writing about how you practice your Christianity.

I want this to be a safe space for those of us who need just one place where that's not brought into the discussion, please. Though you might make a thread where you can discuss that as you wish.

Thanks.