Fruits of the Spirit, Unite!

Posted on April 24, 2015 by David Taliesin

So far as I am aware, the New Testament gives only one certain test of spiritual value,  Jesus said, “by their fruits ye shall know them.”  (Matthew 7:20) What are the fruits of valid spiritual practice?  Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance…”  But the fruits of those who have emphasized the errors of other faiths, when offered the power of state or mob to enforce their beliefs, have been vile, murderous, evil, are as far removed from these fruits of the Spirit in Biblical terms as a person can get. —Gus DiZerega, Pagans and Christians: The Personal Spiritual Experience

Bellurget Jean Louis/ Stockbyte/ Getty Images

Bellurget Jean Louis/ Stockbyte/ Getty Images

Christianity has a rather long, violent and bloody history when it comes to the persecution of those whose beliefs are different from theirs.  This persecution was not only directed toward Pagans, it was also directed toward other Christians who did not have the “right view” of the faith as determined by those in power.  As a Christian who has always been an out-of-the-box kind of thinker, I’ve been on the receiving end of so-called righteous anger more times than I can remember.  Because of this, I feel more of a kinship with Pagan folk who have always welcomed me warmly.  I guess people who have been persecuted and discriminated against sense a “comrade in arms” when they meet him or her!

My criteria for judging authentic people of Spirit has always been to look at the fruits of their lives.  Are they loving toward all their neighbors, even the ones they don’t particularly like?  Does joy radiate from the deepest parts of their being?  Do they have a peaceful presence about them and seek to live in harmony with the Eternal, others and nature?  I think you get my point.

As I read the gospels, Jesus rarely got angry with the Pagan folks.  Instead, most of his anger was directed toward religious leaders who used their faith as a tool to control and exploit others.  He even called them “white-washed tombs,” (Mt 23:27) implying that they looked really pretty on the outside but their hearts were filled with all kinds of hidden hatreds and judgmental attitudes.

Unfortunately, the white-washed tombs are the ones grabbing all the headlines these days.  Yes, progressive voices of faith like myself are fighting them tooth an nail, but they continue to cause irreparable spiritual damage to those who are the target of their latests political and religious crusades.  These people do not represent the spiritual path I practice.  It’s gotten so bad that I often refer to myself as a “follower of Jesus” rather than as a Christian so that people don’t associate me with the kind of Christianity they espouse.

Haters are gonna hate.  Lovers are gonna love.  And it’s not too difficult to discern the difference between these two groups of people!  If we are going to survive this era of fervent religiosity in America, the “lovers” are going to have to unite.  Christians, Pagans, and others who exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in their lives need to focus on what unites us rather than on what divides us.  If we work together, I believe we can be a powerful force of healing, peacemaking, bridge-building and justice for all people in this great nation of ours.  Blessed be and Amen!

Copyright © 2015 by sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Sleepwalkers, Awake!

Posted on April 14, 2015 by David Taliesin

walking-with-cell-phones“Our world invites us to become what I call sleepwalkers.  Many people, some without even knowing it, have accepted the invitation.  We’re not truly alive within our senses, days bleed into days,  night after night passes.  Too many of us squander our lives, spending them in front of televisions, filling our minds with a crazed habitual raciness that is hard to throw off.”—Frank Mac Eowen, The Mist-Filled Path

On a beautiful spring day like today, it absolutely amazes me that people are walking around the streets of my city looking down at their cell phones.  They just missed a magnificent Bradford pear tree in full bloom and the sounds of happy birds singing their Spring song.  They missed a cute black lab puppy full of energy and curiosity, and the sight of the sun trying to poke through a few ominous rainclouds.

For the love of all things Holy, put those blasted devices in your pockets and take a look at the world around you!  You’re missing a bright, beautiful world full of hidden secrets and delights.  It’s the kind of stuff that can actually recharge your Spirit instead of it being drained by small, impossible-to-read, screens.  Smell the slight dampness of the air this morning.  Feel the shifting pavement under your feet.  Be daring enough to smile at someone who passes by you on the street.  There’s a wonderful world out there if you only have ears to hear and eyes to see it.

The reason why I share my rant and rave with you today, is that I used to be one of those people.  Then, one day, I realized I was nature-starved.  I also realized I spent way too much time on the computer instead of interacting with people face-to-face.  These days I’m practicing what my Buddhist friends call “mindfulness.”  I’m sure there’s a Christian and Pagan equivalent to this Holy practice but the Buddhists do it the best, so I take my cues from them!

Now, instead of multi-tasking, I give my full attention to one thing at a time.  When I take my dog to the dog park, I keep my cell phone in my pocket and spend my time talking to other dog owners and interacting with the dogs.  I also watch all the subtle changes in the natural world that surrounds the park.

When I sit down to eat a meal, I try to enjoy the food I’m eating and pay attention to how it smells, tastes and even feels in my mouth.  I also say a prayer of gratitude that I am the recipient of the meal that is before me.

I think you get my point.  If you’re feeling a bit drained and frazzled these days, I encourage you to connect more deeply with the natural world.  In getting in touch with nature, I believe we become closer to the Divine.  When we engage in deeper conversations with those around us, it changes our energy as well as theirs.

Speaking of which…why are you reading this?  Yes, I’m glad and grateful you’re interested…but I think I’d rather have you disengage from your computer/iPad/cell phone and walk into the bright, beautiful world our Creator has made for our enjoyment.  Blessed be!

Copyright © 2015 by sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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The Bible Says…

Posted on April 4, 2015 by David Taliesin

angrybibleIf I hear the phrase “The Bible says…” one more time I’m gonna scream.  “The Bible says” is code language for “I’m proof-texting this particular verse and intend to hit you over the head with it!”  Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of such a “The Bible says” attack.  If you’re a member of the LGBT community, you get hit with it all the time.  Verses from Leviticus start flying..and yet, these same people completely ignore portions of the same chapter they are quoting from!  When you confront them with this observation, and call them on their inconsistency, the general response is “Well, that’s different.”  Of course it’s different…because the other stuff applies to you!

The same goes with Wiccans and NeoPagans who are always on the receiving end of “The Bible says…Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”  Seriously?  These same books also say that we should not eat pork, shrimp, or divorce someone for any reason other than infidelity.  They also tell us that if someone is a glutton or drunkard, the men of the town should stone them to death. (Deut 21:21)  Same goes for an unmarried virgin who is engaged to be married.  If she sleeps with a man, we’re supposed to stone both of them to death, too. (Deut 22:23-24).  I think you get the point.

Christians have to do more than simply say “The Bible says…”  It’s reckless, irresponsible and, quite frankly, dangerous.  When Jesus was asked “What is the greatest commandment?” he simply said “Love God with all your heart, soul and mind…And love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  (Mt 22:38-40)  It’s pretty clear that a bit of interpretation and context is important when quoting the Bible.  It’s not intended to be a weapon to use against other people.  It’s supposed to be a guide that brings us closer to God and closer to our neighbors.  If we use it for any other purpose, we’re not using it for it’s highest and best good.

Martin Luther said “the Bible is the cradle wherein the Christ is laid.” I take this to mean that it’s a tool that supposed to help us connect with the Divine.  The Bible is not the endpoint.  Our relationship with the Holy One is the end point.

This is where Wiccans have an advantage over “The Bible says…” kind of Christians.  Since there is no central scripture or authority in Wicca, everyone is free to discern their own path.  I’m sure there are probably fundamentalist Pagans out there but, so far, I haven’t met one!  The basic guideline is the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what you will.”  As I have said in earlier posts, it’s not that much different from Jesus’ dual love commands.

I have found Wiccans to be much more open and accepting of other people’s spiritual paths that may be quite different from their own.  If it makes you feel closer to the Divine and makes you a more grounded and centered person, then it’s the right path.  If it awakens in you the desire to help heal the planet and the people around you, then it’s the right path.  Christians spend far too much time arguing about who is right and who is wrong in terms of how we interpret the Bible and practice our faith.  I think this is like kids arguing in a sandbox.  It’s childish and doesn’t serve the greater good.  Perhaps we Christians can set aside the temptation to utter those words “The Bible says…” and, instead, ask how we can better love and serve God as well as love and serve our neighbor. (It’s also WAY past time for us to learn to love our planet as well!) The world would be a far better place if we could practice our faith in this way.

Copyright © 2015 by sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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April: Moon of the Waters

Posted on March 26, 2015 by David Taliesin

Full-MoonApril 4th’s full moon is known by some Pagans as the “moon of the waters.”  It embodies the old saying that “April showers bring May flowers.”  The rains of April help the earth to turn green again.  It seems like everywhere we look, something else green is popping up or blossoming with flowers.  Spring is a time when the life-force of the Universe is felt by even the most unobservant among us.

According to the wonderful book A Year of Ritual: Sabbats and Estabats for Solitaries and Covens by Sandra Kines, the themes of this moon are as follows: 1) To acknowledge the importance of water, 2) To celebrate our nurturing qualities, and 3) To honor the flowing and changing of life energy.

In the Christian tradition, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after this full moon. To my knowledge, it’s the only major Christian festival whose date is determined in this manner.  It always makes me smile because Easter, in particular, borrows heavily from the celebrations of our Pagan ancestors.  (See my posts on Ostara).  As Christians make the transition from the season of Lent to the season of Easter, themes of new life abound as we speak of resurrection and new life coming from death.

Interestingly enough, the popular Easter hymn “Now the Green Blade Rises” incorporates the symbols of the Pagan April Moon:

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many years has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat arising green.

In the grave they laid Him, Love Whom we had slain,
Thinking that He’d never wake to life again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat arising green.

Up He sprang at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;
Up from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat arising green.

I think it’s one of the most beautiful and poetic hymns the Church sings.  Happy Easter everyone and for those who celebrate the Estabats, enjoy the Moon of the Waters!

Copyright © 2015 by sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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Internet Sacred Text Archive

Posted on March 24, 2015 by David Taliesin

collageFor all my scholarly types out there, I wanted to let you know of an amazing resource called the Internet Sacred Text Archive.  The vast amount of information on this web site is staggering and includes tons of writings from Pagans, Wiccans and Christians as well as virtually any other faith tradition you can think of.  How this resource escaped my notice until today is a mystery to me!

From the Pagan perspective there are treasures such as numerous Book of Shadow and Grimoire writings, articles on the history of the Sabbats, ancient Celtic and Druidic texts, and so much more.

The Christian side includes ancient writings of the Church, Gnostic texts, various translations of the Bible, the Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England, and so much more.

There is enough information to keep even the most voracious of readers busy for a very long time…and all of it is free!  Nice!  And if you’re interested, you can also purchase all of these texts on a flash drive or DVD-Rom.

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Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending

Posted on March 4, 2015 by David Taliesin
clootieprayers

“Clootie” prayers from Imbolc celebration

I must confess that I was both excited and a little bit nervous when I attended a local public Imbolc celebration.  My nervousness was dispelled almost immediately as I encountered a worship service whose form is nearly identical to mine!  We began outside the gathering place where we were smudged and anointed.  Incense and anointing with oil (they used milk to honor Brigid) are a part of my liturgical tradition as well, so it felt like home.

The celebration itself had the basic form that Christians have used for thousands of years: GATHERING, WORD, MEAL and SENDING.  The GATHERING included joyful singing and a lovely ritual where we tied pieces of copper wire together to form a chain. (Metalwork is one of the attributes associated with Brigid) We talked about what ties us together and forms community.

The WORD portion included poetry and a message from one of the priestesses who led the celebration.  It dealt with one of the themes of Imbolc: the seed breaking apart, sending out roots and drawing strength from the soil so it can grow in the spring.  She talked about the need for us to focus on the things that ground us and give us strength as we prepare to grow in our spiritual life.  As we say in my tradition “That Will Preach!”  It’s not unlike sermons I’ve given myself.

The MEAL was the biggest surprise of all.  The celebrants offered pieces of Irish Soda Bread and a common cup of hard cider.  The words they said to those who chose to partake of this symbolic meal was “May you never be hungry.  May you never be thirsty.”  It was a beautiful symbol of community and a wish for everyone’s well being.

There were also several optional rituals people could partake in.  The first was to tie strip of cloth onto a branch, similar to the Celtic “clootie wells” in Ireland.  The intent was to have the cloth hold our prayer wishes.  There was also an opportunity to honor the goddess Brigid or sit silently and meditate.  It was nice to have options that appealed to the different kinds of people who assembled there.

The SENDING included more singing and a joyful benediction.  The experience made me smile because so much of it was familiar to my own Christian tradition.  I don’t think this happened by accident.  Early Christian worship was definitely influences by Pagan Worship and I believe of of the NeoPagan rites have been influenced by the Christian tradition.  There’s no reason why we can’t share with each other.  I think it makes for a richer spiritual experience.

I left that night feeling like a bridge had been built between our traditions.  It set me on the path of learning I’m trying to document through this blog.  There is already enough hatred in our world.  We need all the people we can assemble who can bring love, light and healing to others no matter what their spiritual path is.  Let’s learn from each other and celebrate the gift of life the Creator, the Great Mystery, has given to all of us.

Copyright © 2015 by sabbatsandsabbaths.com

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