Tag Archive | Insights

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A Little Inspiration

Quote and picture by Springwolf 🐾 ~ Click for a full size wallpaper image 1366×768

We’ve Caught Up

Back From The Holidays

We’ve caught up on voice and email from the holidays. If you left us a message, or sent an email to any of our websites, we’ve replied, answered, and scheduled appointments. If you didn’t receive a response than something went wrong.

Typically that means the email you provided for us to respond to didn’t work for some reason. If it was a typeo, we can usually figure it out. But not always. Sometimes it’s because you have your spam filter set tightly and we can’t get through. To fix that, you can allow mail from springshaven.com or paganspath.com.

Other times, we simply have no clue what happened. So if you sent us something in December or the first week of January, and didn’t hear back, send us a note again. You can get in touch with us through our contact pages, Spring’sHaven Contact or Pagan’sPath Contact. Be careful typing in your email address.

A Homily: Guilt By Association?

Jan4

Bigotry Cloaked In Religion Is Still Bigotry

When people learn you’re a minister, they make a lot of assumptions about you and what you believe.

Of course here in the U.S. the first assumption is that you’re Christian. Once you over come that and spend several minutes explaining that Christianity is not the only religion that employs a clergy based system, you’re spend the next several minutes explaining what Paganism is. Ok that one often takes much longer, after they’ve looked at you as if you’re speaking a foreign language. But if they’re still talking to you, the next set of assumptions come up. What ever you call it, if you’re religious, you must believe what “I” believe. Continue reading →

Setting The Motto For 2014

Dec31

“Merlin In The Moon” by Springwolf 🐾

The Yearly Affirmation

If you’ve followed me for any significant time, you know that I don’t set resolutions for the coming year. To me it’s an act of setting yourself up to fail, as I’ve yet to meet anyone in person who says they have kept their New Years Resolution throughout the entire year.

Some years ago I decided to create a Motto for the year. An affirmation that will carry me through the good times and the hardships. A phrase that both empowers and inspires hope. One that I can say when ever needed. That I can pull into daily meditations, or recite each morning as I look in the mirror and get ready for the day with a clear purpose.

In last years 2013 Motto post, I reminded you to remember words have meaning and energy. What you think and say, how you act and react creates energy around you. That energy you establish within will dictate the energy you attract to you each day. Start your day with a positive thought and give it energy to manifest.

My Motto for 2014:

I am at peace and live in the moment,
with all the prosperity and abundance I require!

May you have a wonderful, prosperous and abundant new year!

Counting My Blessings

Dec29

A Story of Friendship

I’m from a little town in Tennessee called Jonesborough. I didn’t grow up there, but my Grand Mother lived on West Main St. until her passing many years ago. My dad was born in that house. When we went to visit family, all of whom live around there, that’s where we stayed. It was going down “home” and I truly love that little place.

One of the things that still draws me to this little town is its history, being the Oldest Town in Tennessee, and that it’s home of the International Storytelling Center. A truly wonderful place to visit!

To show my support for one of my favorite places, I follow the ISC on Facebook. This weekend, they shared a story that is definitely worth reading. They posted this on their FB page. Continue reading →

2014 Moon Phase Calendar

Dec29

Our Popular Reference Sheet

Each year I publish a calendar for the moon phases and astronomical events of the coming year. About this time I’m amazed by the number of people sending me messages asking if I’m going to update the calendar for the coming year. I’m very glad the calendar has become such a popular resource for so many people. Especially in this technological age of tablets and smart phones.

If you’re one of those folks who enjoy the Moon Phases Calendar on my old Pagan’s Path website, it’s been updated today for 2014!

This will probably be the last year I update the calendar because of those technological apps. They do a great job of personalizing phases and events for your specific location.

If you have a tablet or smart phone, I have a couple of apps on my phone that I use throughout the year that you might like. What I like about them the most is they notify me of phase changes. I have a reminder set for a few days before a moon phase change so I have time to get ready for a ritual or make plans for a Esbat ceremony I might be officiating. Between my two favorite apps, I never miss a phase change or a daily event.

I gave a critique of these apps here on Reflections in December 2012. So check out Sun & Moon Watching On Your Phone for more info.

A Homily: Observing The Holiday

Dec26

Pagans Living Amongst The Christians

“I’m not Christian, I don’t celebrate Christmas”, “I’m pagan, why should I be forced to celebrate Christmas”, “It’s too hard to tell your extended family that you do not observe their bastardized holiday.”

I received several messages like these over the past few days. For those of us who do not celebrate the Christian Holiday, no matter what time of the year it is, there’s another way to look at spending time with your family members who do.

You go to parties that are given for your relatives and their birthdays. Moments to mark another year older, or an event for celebrating a milestone in their life, such as a graduation, a new job, retirement and so on. Why do you observe those days? It’s not your birthday or your achievement. So why do you participate in those events? Isn’t so you can share in the celebration of what’s important to those you care about? So you can be with your family and friends to create happy memories while they are here with you? Continue reading →

Certification and Affiliations

Dec20

Take Pride In Your Accomplishments

In 2008 I took on a personal quest to satisfy a desire for personal validation. I had decades of knowledge and experience in my spiritual path, but some how I felt that I didn’t have the right to call myself a teacher or spiritual minister. This was simply something I felt was lacking within my own confidence.

I was serious about my mission and what I wanted to accomplish with my teachings. I was often praised for my classes and lectures, consultations, healing and helping others. But those compliments didn’t satisfy my own inner perspective of my, let’s call it authority for lack of a better word. I did my research of universities, colleges, cost of enrollment and which programs would support my pagan beliefs and focus on the foundation of those beliefs from a metaphysical and shamanistic perspective. I settled on the degree programs of the 50+ year organization of the International Metaphysical Ministry (IMM) offered through one of their institutes of higher learning, the University of Sedona. Continue reading →

A Lesson In Tolerance

Dec17

Mystic Faery Tarot by Linda Ravenscroft

A Tale of Caution

Today’s 12/17 Tarot Meditation Message received a comment on Facebook that generated a bit of interest. So much so that I received a few emails and FB message about it. I acquired permission from the comment poster to share what she said and to give a little tale that I hope answers some of the messages and emails I received.

Let me first put this in context.

The Facebook Tarot Meditation Promo:
Being a spiritual being isn’t measured by who yells the loudest or who degrades other beliefs the most. It comes from living your life in the every day actions according to what you believe. What you express to others is what you will receive back. If you want respect for your beliefs, you must first give respect to others and their beliefs. ~ Click the link to read all of today’s message.

Myranda’s Comment to the Promo Post:
Perfect for me. A “Christian” in my office overheard me talking to one of my friends who is a new pagan about Yule. The Christian felt the need to interrupt us and tell my friend she’s too young to listen to a devil worshiper and she needed to come with her “right now” and pray to God for protection. Some people are amazingly ignorant. Continue reading →

Another Friday the 13th

Dec10

One Last Time For 2013

This week marks Friday December 13th, 2013 and many people are wondering what is it with Friday the 13th days anyway? What does it mean, where did this spooky tradition start and is it really a day for bad luck?

It’s known as “Black Friday” or “Black Cat Day” and fear of Friday the 13th is known as triskaidekaphobes. It may not surprise many people to know it’s not a world-wide thing. It’s pretty much an Anglo-European/American thing.

As with many evil and spooky occasions such as this, fear of Friday the 13th began with the vilification of pagan beliefs and practices from the early Christian Church. What a surprise! But this isn’t about them, it’s about Friday the 13th for December 2013! Continue reading →

"Believe In Yourself, Even When No One Else Does."
~ Harvey McKay ~
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“Take a chance on faith. Not religion, but faith.
Not hope, but faith.
I don’t believe in hope. Hope is a beggar.
Hope walks through the fire and Faith leaps over it.”
~ Jim Carrey ☆ 2014
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“I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less. And I am one of the seven billion human being. Basically we are the same… your emotion, my emotion, your mind, my mind.., same physical. So I always look [at it] that way. We are the same.”
~ Dalai Lama 2012 ~
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"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”
~ Bruce Lee 1971