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11 Aug 2007 @ 10:47, by vector8. Spirituality
"Life moves pretty fast… If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -- : Ferris Beuller
There are some films I watch over and over again and still find joy in them: Ferris Beuller's Day Off is one such film. I watched it again on television last night and I love it.
Ferris Beuller is a teenager in his final year at school and about to graduate. He wakes up one morning and decides it's too beautiful a day to be in school so he tells his parents he's not feeling well and he would like to stay home. They leave him tucked up in bed. More >
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3 Aug 2007 @ 21:51, by craiglang. Spirituality
(Adapted from article on my Yahoo 360 blog site)
This week has been a helluva week - and beneath it, I sense a very meaningful chain of synchronicites. More >
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1 Aug 2007 @ 22:30, by negby. Spirituality
Angels; Hospitality: Sharing
A Lecture given by
The Kabal Barak Negby
February, 1998
It is written in the Book of Genesis, chapter 32, 3:
"Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the Seir range of the Edom country ".
Apparently it seems to be a peculiar phenomena: Man sending angels.
We are used to refer to angels as God's messengers rather than man's servants.
They either bring or take something from a person or they tell man the word of The Lord meaning being sent by divine powers.
Thus each messenger is really an angel in his true meaning. More >
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  23 Jul 2007 @ 08:37, by feecor. Spirituality
Panoptic was the Word of Yesterday. Is it possible to have a comprehensive, coherent "all-seeing" from a high stand to see the context and have overview? As our society believes in specialisation and ignores the potentials of being both, specialist and generalist ways or constructions are shown to share positions, issues, and perspectives and their combination. The essay reviews the possibility of not only having single, a caleidoscop of images, but to agree upon a coherent unifying generalisation in order to find orientation and see and share contexts, overlaps, and common patterns, and proposes to study the combination of elements or signs forming the "whole" of "all" of panoptic endeavour. More >
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16 Jul 2007 @ 11:41, by vector8. Spirituality
From time to time I have experiences that make me go hmmm. Here's one example.
I'd been thinking of a friend I haven't seen in a while and wondered how he was. I couldn't believe it when I saw him in my local library. What was he doing in this part of London? On closer inspection I realised he wasn't my friend but his double. My friend is getting paranoid about losing his hair and this man's hair was also getting thinner around the same spot. Even their skin tone was similar. It was so uncanny. It's a shame we didn't speak; it would have been interesting to see whether he had an Irish accent. More >
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 9 Jul 2007 @ 04:03, by nemue. Spirituality
It has been a while since I last posted. Like so many others my life is a 'merry-go-round', never enough time to do all of things I want to do. I have managed however to keep up with my reading and research and I want ask a question
Why the silence?
Recent events in my country with regards to announced actions to protect our indigenous children and women have been met with interesting responses from the 'politically correct lobby'. Their concerns centre more on ideals than helping to stop inherent abuse of our children and also women. I fail to understand this attitude.
Likewise we are silent - mute - when it comes to speaking out about the abuse that is metered out daily in third world countries. As an example a report compiled on the request of the Federal Women Division, places the number of honour killings in Pakistan at around 2,500 to 3,000 cases every year.
The report, however, adds that a good number of honour killing cases still go unreported or are passed off as suicides. Not more than 25 per cent honour killing cases are brought to justice, states the report while calling for tougher laws on domestic violence. Please do not think this behaviour is restricted to countries like Pakistan it happens in the UK, the Netherlands, India, Africa, the US to name but a few. We now have the judiciary supporting abuse of women. The following ruling took place in Germany earlier this year.
23/03/2007: 'He beat her and threatened her with murder. But because husband and wife were both from Morocco, a German divorce court judge saw no cause for alarm. It's a religion thing, she argued.' (Der Spiegel)
The Koran seems to have become the basis for a court decision in Frankfurt. I have just finished reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirse Ali, she makes similar points regards the behaviour that she witnessed firsthand in The Netherlands.
Men go to war whilst turning a blind-eye to the brutalisation of women and millions of women themselves stay silent. Why I ask myself? Well I have made myself a vow, I will no longer stay silent. More of us need to speak out and support our 'sisters' around the world. More >
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22 Jun 2007 @ 00:44, by anandavala. Spirituality
Before joining the conversation, please read and accept this Invitation to a Conversation.
The Mystic Meaning of Original Sin
This was inspired by
comments from Astrid. She associated it with selfishness and greed; the need
to take from the world. I agree but the original sin, I think, can be clearly
identified, let me explain...
Firstly regarding sin, in all the mystic traditions that I have studied my
understanding of the concept of 'sin' is that it is associated with illusion and
delusion, which causes us to get out of synch with the harmony of the cosmic
symphony. This then gives rise to acts that are out of harmony with the whole
and creates dysfunction and suffering that spreads like ripples through the
interconnected system. The act isn't the sin, it's the delusion that is. It is
only in mystic traditions that were corrupted for political / authoritarian
purposes that this meaning was twisted to mean certain actions that were
prohibited by the set of rules imposed by the authoritarian structure.
As for original sin, I agree, it doesn't mean "in far distant time", it means
the originating illusion as in the root cause of illusion. This operates in each
moment of awareness. As each impression is interpreted by the subconscious it
becomes distorted by false beliefs and agendas. This distorted impression is
then experienced by the conscious mind which is oblivious to the fact that it is
experiencing a subjective impression and it assumes that it is experiencing "the
world" as it is "out there".
It is this last step, called
commonsense realism or naive realism that is the root cause of all further
delusions. NAIVE REALISM IS ORIGINAL SIN. Even with a mind free of other false
beliefs this last step soon fills the mind full of false beliefs. It is the
cause of our "fall from grace".
In reality: “That which permeates all, which nothing transcends and which,
like the universal space around us, fills everything completely from within and
without, that Supreme non-dual Brahman – that thou art.” (Sankaracharya) More >
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19 Jun 2007 @ 06:38, by letecia. Spirituality
In the Dianic tradition, on Summer Solstice we celebrate Goddess as
Mother/Maker and the diverse ways we create in our lives. Through movement,
trance and ritual enactment, we will work the power of fire in its many
aspects and applications: Fire as the power of the will, fire as a healing
power. Because of the possible intensity during this ritual, younger
children's participation will be limited to daughters 11 and older.
Place: Topanga Canyon (Indoors) Donation Requested: $13.00-$9.00 (sliding
scale) No woman is turned away for lack of funds. *All proceeds help fund
COA's community rituals and special events.
WHAT TO BRING:
*A red or orange jar candle (all candles must be in a holder)
*Healthy vegetarian food and/or drink to share (absolutely no alcohol
please)
*Plate, cup, utensils for the feast (In honor of our Earth Mother COA will
not provide paper goods)
*Wear comfortable festive clothing and supportive shoes (the floor at the
community house is terrible for bare feet)
Optional: Decorations for our communal altar - flowers in vases are always
welcomed
RSVP: COArsvp@gmail.com
Please leave a message including your name, phone number and the number of
women you plan to bring. Let us know if you or your guests are newcomers,
and if you or your guests will be bringing girls under 17. Womyn only.
FOR NEWCOMERS:
Newcomers are warmly welcomed! We want your experience to be optimal so we
have created these guidelines in your interest. Women new to Goddess
spirituality must be advised that the ritual is a participatory religious
service and is not structured to be an introduction to the Goddess of to
Feminist Witchcraft. The following books are suggested reading before
attending a public ritual: The Spiral Dance by Starhawk [link],
The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Z Budapest [link],
Ariandne's Thread by Shekhinah Mountainwater
http://shekhinah.net'Invocation to Free Women' (audiocassette) by Ruth
Barrett [link] and Felicity Flowers, Women's Rites Women's
Mysteries by Ruth Barrett [link] . These are available
at the COA Store or your local book store. If you are planning on bringing
newcomers to the ritual, please be responsible to them and COA by preparing
your guests in advance. Give your guests a general idea of what to expect so
that they can participate in benefit of themselves and all women present.
RITUAL LOCATION:
The Topanga Community House, 1449 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., in Topanga
Canyon. Please RSVP before Thursday to COArsvp@gmail.com with including your name, telephone number, and how many women you plan to bring. This is a participatory ritual is for serious seekers only. Once the circle is cast we cannot admit latecomers, so please arrive on time, Doors open at 6:30pm and will be locked at 7 pm. Carpool if possible.
DIRECTIONS:
From Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy .1): Turn onto Topanga Cyn. Blvd. and drive
into the canyon. 2 miles past the town you'll see the Community House sign
on your right. Drive up the hill to the hall and park. From the 101 Freeway
-Exit Topanga Cyn. Blvd. South and continue into the canyon for 5.9 miles.
When you see the "Pat's Topanga Grill" on your right you have about half a
mile to go. You'll see the sign for the Community House on your left. Drive
up the hill to the hall and park
*2007 Ritual Schedule*
Lammas: July 28 in Topanga
Autumn: Sept. 22 in Topanga
Crone Encounter: Oct. 20 in Topanga
Winter: Dec 22 in Topanga
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 1 Jun 2007 @ 07:00, by jazzolog. Spirituality
There is not a petal of a flower or a blade of grass that does not configure the Way.
---Bassui
Everyone wishes to have truth on his side, but not everyone wishes to be on the side of truth.
---Richard Whately
There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.
---Federico Fellini
Offering of Fruits to Moon Goddess, 1757
Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo
(b. 1727, Venezia, d. 1804, Venezia)
I have to be very careful here. Here I am offering up an article about a (The?) feminine perspective, and all the quotations up there are by guys. Is it a (The?) male perspective to explain things and solve problems, as those gentlemen are attempting? Women often respond by telling me what's wrong with my thinking and ignoring my solutions.
And of course there is a thin line between reporting and advocacy. I've had a whole life of trouble through advocating things, albeit worthwhile. Civil rights, anti-nukes, peace, organics, education and citizenship, cleaning up fraud and corruption, anti-consumerism. But of all the movements I tried to support, the feminine one has been the trickiest around which to maintain objectivity.
So I'm going to try just to report something here that I think may be significant and of interest having to do with what some call a particularly feminine outlook. Actually Cathy Holt is going to report it, so I'm hoping to get pretty much off the hook. I've subscribed to Cathy's occasional newsletter almost from the first day I got onto the Internet. Originally she wrote about natural foods and the alternative lifestyle, but from the vantage point of someone still struggling in the mainstream. That appealed to me because I try to do that. But a couple years ago, she decided to involve herself in an experimental community of people in North Carolina, who want off the grid and out of the rat race. As far as I know, there she has stayed...and while she doesn't write much about the struggles of such attempts, it seems to be going OK.
This article is a bit different, as she reports on a workshop she attended. Since most of the people who read what I send out---or at least skim through the ones with intriguing titles (before hitting delete)---have an interest in what direction the species seems to be headed, I'm hoping Cathy's effort will be helpful and inspiring toward hope! More >
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 25 May 2007 @ 13:34, by feecor. Spirituality
The International Symposium Nature, Space and the Sacred: TRANSDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES, an international, inaugural conference of the European Forum for the Study of Religion has brought together politicians and scholars from theology, architecture, geography, anthropology,... to discuss space and sacred spaces. My contribution was about metaphors & models for oikos & ecumene & ecodomy - spaces as fullness/emptyness/potential and tragic translation errors...
see powerpoints and links.
More >
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