Yesterday Greg and I attended a Summer Solstice ritual and feast with some pagan friends of ours. It was so nice to see them again, after taking a sabbatical from the pagan community. I love my witchy friends!

Summer Solstice is a celebration of the beginning of summer. It is one of the eight sabbats (holidays) of the pagan calendar, which form the wheel of the year. At the beginning of summer, the days start getting shorter, marking the transcending into the darker part of the wheel of the year. It’s a time to be thankful to the gods for the beauty of the flowers and our gardens, and the babies of the wildlife.

For me, it is a time to be reflective about the good things in life. We are at the high point of the year. The sun is bright, the days are hot, the evenings are warm, and the summer festivies are numerous. It’s a time for me to be thankful for everything good in my life, to be thankful for the friends that I have and for time spent with them, and it’s time to be thankful for the gifts I’ve received in this life.

So, to continue my summer solstice celebration:

I am thankful for my beautiful daughters. I love you both and think of you daily. I am thankful for the passion and love you have brought into my life.

I am thankful for my husband Greg. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. You bring out the very best in me. You have made me step out of my shell and try things I never would. You instill a confidence in me I have never know.

I am thankful for my friends. I am sorry I don’t spend more time with you, or stay in touch as much as I should. I will work very hard to change that, and try to be the friend to each of you that you have been to me.

I am thankful to the gods for my home, for my job which provides my livelihood, for the gifts you have given me, the space and knowledge to grow some of our own food, and for the wonderful life you have bestowed upon me.

As the days begin to grow shorter, I will be reminded of these things, and take comfort in all these blessings when the short days and long nights of winter approach.

Hail Sunna!

Debbie Robins: 7 Tips to Ensure A Less Toxic World.

I copied this post from someone’s facebook status today:

“I believe it takes special gifts and graces to join one of our armed forces and serve our Country. I believe that God chose those individuals and equipped them with those gifts. I today thank God for those He chose and for those that accepted His call. I appreciate all you’ve done and all the sacrifices you have made for me, my family and this country. Well done good and faithful servants! God Bless!”

I know this poster meant well, but I don’t think all the men and women who serve in the armed forces would agree with her way of thinking. First of all, not all soldiers are christian, and we have to recognize and accept that fact. I find this post to be a bit offensive, albeit unintentionally, because it takes away the free will and courage of our soldiers, and their desire to serve this country.

These men and women made a choice to serve our country. They put aside some of their own freedoms, left their family and friends behind, put some of their careers on hold, to make a commitment to our country and those living in it. Neither I, the original poster, nor anyone else has the right to take that choice away from them. I’m sure god is proud of them what they have done, but I don’t believe he molded and guided them to do it.

Especially on this Memorial Day, the men and women of our armed forces deserve our respect and gratitude. They do not deserve to have that taken away from them, and given to someone’s impression of their god. They deserve ALL the gratitude and credit for the choice they made.

Thank you, all men and women, serving in the armed forces to protect my country and my freedoms. May you receive all the respect you deserve today, and every day. May your god be proud of you for wonderful person you are.

Jeff Witzeman: Becoming One with God: Do We Make It Harder Than It Is?.

Greg and I went to the local UU church today for Easter service. This was our second Sunday to the UU, and it seems to be a very good fit for us. The UU gives us a group of people to fellowship with, which is something I have missed lately, and doesn’t require us to change or hide what we really believe. I am pagan at heart, always been a witch and always will be; I am a little bit Buddhist, and try to incorporate the mindfulness training into my daily life; I would not call myself Christian by today’s definition, but I do believe in God and Jesus.

I believe Jesus was a great teacher and prophet. He was a revolutionary who taught against the teaching of the church. He taught that we are to love God, and we are to love each other. It’s all about love and relationships. Today’s Christian churches seemed to have missed that teaching these days. I believe if Jesus came back today, he would teach the same lesson he taught 2000 years ago, scrap the church of laws and rules, and find God again.

The church today is focused on the idea that Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead after three days. I believe he was crucified, just for the things he said about the established church, which controlled the government. I don’t believe he rose from the dead though. But whether his resurrection is fact or myth doesn’t really matter. What does matter is did we hear the lessons that Jesus taught. Are we focused on God and taking care of each other? Do we provide food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless? Do we heal the sick, regardless of their social status or do we turn them away? Do we raise our children to respect their elders, each other, and themselves? Do we stand up for injustice, or are we just spectators waiting for someone else to speak up?

Easter is about new beginnings. Easter is about sacrifice. The sacrifice of doing what is right intstead of what is popular. The sacrifice of stepping out of our comfortable boundaries, and taking care of our neighbors that need our help, of accepting each other as children of God and nothing more, and taking care of the earth and life that are gifts of God. The sacrifice of this Easter should be a return to humanity, a return to love and acceptance, and a letting go of the prejudice, judgements, and stereotypes being preached today by churches, politicians, and media. Let this Easter be the day you give yourself permission to be the person that Jesus taught us to be, and not the person that’s expected of society.