Tag Archive | religion

What Is A Spiritual Expert – Series

Eyes of the Hunter by Charles Alexander

A Six Part Series of Leadership and Inspiration

One of the first set of articles I created for my new blog in February 2012, dealt with what it takes to be a Spiritual Expert. I wrote these at the behest of my students entering into teaching themselves. Asking me to give some guidance for success and warning for the pitfalls.

I finally decided to put the idea into action when I started receiving a large number of questions from others about how to get started on their path of Shaman, Priest or Priestess. So it maybe time to talk about this series again.

It’s important to note that this path of spiritual expert is not an easy one. Ask any Minister, Priest, Shaman or whatever title one has taken and they’ll probably agree. The moment you put this idea of Spiritual Leader out there into the Divine Universe, you set energy in motion to mold you and your life.

If you are committed and sincere, the lessons brought to you will be designed to fulfill your goal. Some will be interesting, others will be difficult and some will even knock you on your backside. Be careful what you ask for; you might get it. Continue reading →

Lost Hope

Jul17

Howl And Let It Go

What Do You Do?

What do you do when you’ve reached the point of despair, no hope and all pride is lost? The news media prefers to cover sensationalized stories instead of actual news. So they don’t realize how many people around the world are still struggling and sliding backward without employment.

But whether or not the news covers the economy or not, doesn’t make it any less painful for families who are suffering and trying to make ends meet. And most, don’t even come close. They are losing hope, if they have any left at all. The pride they once had in themselves was given up a long time ago when they had to start asking for help. It dwindled away even more when they started asking for hand-outs.

Here in the States, it evaporated completely when they were told they don’t qualify for welfare or food stamps because of this reason or that. You might be surprised how many middle-class families who lost their jobs and are still struggling to find work don’t qualify for social assistance. It’s staggering. Here in Virginia, if you own a home, you will not qualify for aid. No matter how bad your situation, it seems many simply aren’t bad off enough and they’re punished for it.

I receive emails from families, single moms or dads and each one is heart wrenching. Each one has their own tale of struggle, looking for work and not finding any. Either they’re over qualified, or they’ve been out of work for so long their skill set is out dated. Or so they’re told. I can relate. Add to that people who have worked their entire lives who have crossed that 50 mark, and their age plays into the mix as well. Continue reading →

Mistakes Are A Passing Event

Jun27

Close your eyes to go with in,
not to replay the mistakes in your mind.

Don’t Allow Mistakes To Govern Your Future

We’re all human and not a single one of us is perfect. Every person on this planet has made mistakes in the past and will make more in the future. So why do we allow those passing events to rule and dictate our lives?

Yes the actions we take have consequences. And yes some of those consequences can create life long impacts. But does that mean we need to hold ourselves up to a standard of perfection and pay for the mistake for the rest of our lives?

Whether we hold guilt, embarrassment, shame, fear or dread; people are often way to hard on themselves when it comes to judging our own mistakes. It makes it hard to let go of the past events and gives them much more power over us than they deserve. We carry that baggage around with us and allow it to dictate our choices, or hold us back from new opportunities when they arise. However, this is the exact opposite of what we should do.

Mistakes are opportunities to learn and expand our understanding, both of ourselves and the world around us. Sometimes it takes a stupid mistake to teach us something or to recognize an issue we need to deal with. Doing so allows us to free the restraints of fear or even guilt, and walk our path with courage and a belief in ourselves.

Don’t close your eyes and try to ignore your mistakes, or try to pretend they never happened only to replay their words or actions over and over in your head. This only digs the anchor deeper into the soul and opens the doorway to sorrow and darkness. Continue reading →

We Join The Celebration Of Equality

Jun26

Love Triumphs All

Today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA, stating it discriminated against same-sex couples.

Then they declined to rule on California’s Proposition 8 which prohibits same-sex marriage, leaving in place a lower court’s decision that struck-down the ban.

From a pagan perspective:
It is important to note that Pagan Metaphysics strives for peace and harmony within the Divine Universe and within the individual being. Through mutual respect and acceptance we can discover and acquire peace for all and create a world that is harmonious for everyone. But this approach does not take away the choices of individuals to direct their own lives with free will and the acceptance of the consequences of those choices. ~ an excerpt from Pagans and Politics.

Everyone here at Spring’s Haven and Springwolf Reflections share in the excitement and celebration of all our Gay and Lesbian friends. Continue reading →

Happy Summer Celebrations

Jun20

Happy Solstice Celebrations

The Summer Solstice Beacons

Today is a day to take notice of Father Sun and honor his warmth and light as summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. The Solstice is a time that many look forward to and it’s celebrated around the world both as a spiritual holiday and a scientific event. For Pagan’s it is a day to dance around the bonfires and celebrate the Mid-Summer Solstice Day.

Everyone here at Spring’s Haven and Springwolf Reflections would like to wish you all a wonderful, happy and safe Mid-Summer celebration!

In legend and lore the Solstice begins the great battle between the Oak King of Spring and Summer and the Holly King of Fall and Winter. In the Northern Hemisphere the battle favors the Oak King who fights to keep the Sun’s warmth upon the Earth over the next few months. In the Southern Hemisphere, the battle favors the Holly King who shades the Earth and brings on the cold of winter. Continue reading →

High Holy Days: Southern Hemisphere

Jun20

A subspecies of the wolf, our cousin the Dingo

The Pagan Sabbats In The Southern Hemisphere

The early pagans around the world were very balanced in the way they scheduled their lives. One of the places this is seen most clear are in the High Holy days.

Each festival celebration falls in between a solstice or equinox. But the holidays were also celebrations of the seasons and the change of energy throughout the year.

Additionally, Pagans are pretty big on using the right energy in concert with the right movement of time and space. In other words, we align our conscious thoughts and connections with the Divine in our lives based on the energy that surrounds us.

Simply put, how you relate to the world around you and how you feel connected to the “this or that” in your life, all depends on where you are and the beliefs you choose to follow. It doesn’t makes sense to align your energy with the warm summer sun when outside your window it’s snowing like a blizzard. Because of this, the Southern Hemisphere sees the holidays differently than we do here in the North. Continue reading →

The Challenges We Face In Life

Jun10

Facing Challenges
Photo by Anne Marie Kalus

Why Does “God” Test Us?

Recently in a forum of Metaphysical Ministers this question was posted.

“Does anyone in our group believe that God tests us, or tests the strength of our faith?”
Rev.R.M.

The question isn’t an uncommon one. Nor is it one that is accepted on blind faith by Ministers. There are many answers and perspectives of course, because we all have a different way of looking at spiritual belief and practice. A Christian may say “Yes, God may test your faith and devotion of service to his teachings by placing challenges upon your path”. Unitarians might say “No, God doesn’t set up challenges to test our faith. But we set up problems in our lives to learn lessons”.

The wonderful Metaphysical Ministers within this group have similar perspectives to my first response. But when asked this question I have two perspectives to reply to this. Continue reading →

Belief vs Knowledge

Jun6

The Wise Old Wolf

How Wisdom Is Created

Blind faith is something we teach against in most pagan circles. Simply because someone else said this is true, or that is fact doesn’t make it real or accurate. Simply because something comes from old knowledge or understandings doesn’t mean it’s valid today.

Think about what people were sure of 1,000 or 1,500 years ago. Everyone believed the Earth was flat and if you sailed to far, you’d fall off the world. Of course today we know how silly that is. Image 1,000 years from now and wonder what is it that we’re sure about today that will be completely invalid in the future.

Blind faith doesn’t teach, it doesn’t inspire, it doesn’t allow an individual to experience, expand or grow. We cannot limit our experience in life by what we believe we know to be true. We must put our beliefs to the test.

“The word ‘belief’ is a difficult thing for me. I don’t believe. I must have a reason for a certain hypothesis. Either I know a thing, and then I know it- I don’t need to believe it.” ~ Carl Jung

But you cannot prove blind faith or belief, nor claim it to be true or accurate. That’s the whole point of belief. You either believe it or you don’t. You can share the same concepts of belief with others. But every person may have tiny little differences in how they apply those beliefs to life and the situations around them. So they’re never exactly the same. But why? Continue reading →

I’m A Survivor

May28

The Prayer of Strength and Endurance

Everyone faces adversity in their own way. Some people yell at the top of their lungs and join the march because they’re followers and part of the mob. They don’t stop to think for themselves or discover the truth behind the inflammatory remarks from others. Sadly the internet, social media and “sharing” posts have made this all to easy and created ignorance. When you do this you become part of the ill informed community who relies on others to lead the way. Continue reading →

Blessings On Memorial Day

May26

We Remember With Honor

To All those Veterans Past, Present and Future.
With 2 legs, 4, feathers, fins or anything in between we thank ALL our veterans for their sacrifices and service!

Produced by The U.S. Air Force News Agency

Thank You To ALL The Animal Vets

.
There will be no Tarot Meditation Drawing on Monday May 27, 2013.

"Believe In Yourself, Even When No One Else Does."
~ Harvey McKay ~
~~~~~~~~
“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
~~~~~~~~
“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 ~
~~~~~~~~
"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