Tag Archive | Springwolf Reflections

Holiday Etiquette

Happy Holidays Or Merry Yule Or Merry Christmas

This time of year is for good cheer, peace and compassion between all people. There is enough hate and anger in the world without people becoming offended by a simple holiday greeting.

In this over sensitive world many are looking for the correct greeting for a politically correct environment. Many have started a campaign to put “Christ” back into Christmas. Extending their religious preference over all others and becoming offended when someone doesn’t greet them in the manner they are accustomed.

What these religious folk seem to forget is that this time of the year comprises many holidays. It’s not only Christmas that is being celebrated. It’s also the Pagan Yule, which begins at sunset on the Winter Solstice (for 2012 that’s December 21st) and ends at sunset on January 1st. It’s also Hanukkah,which starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. This year Hanukkah begins in the evening of December 8, 2012, and ends in the evening of December 16, 2012. Kwanzaa begins December 26, 2012, and ends January 1, 2013.

Additionally, many non-religious people observe some form of winter celebration. Either because they grew up with it and like the family gathering and companionship. Or because they want to recognize some form of gift giving for their young children. Continue reading →

Sunday Homily: Who is Santa Claus – A History

Dec2

Happy Holiday Howling!

The Origins Of The Winter Gift Giver
By SpringWolf, D.D., Ph.D.

It twas a blustery night as the snow fell heavily through the wintry barren trees. The land lay quiet, the fields are still from harvest and inside the hearth blazed warm with the burning yule log. But overhead in the storm laden clouds, a clash of hooves and metal thunder in the night. For Odin and his great horse Sleipnir are celebrating the Wild Hunt on this solstice eve with spear in hand and brethren by his side. Their windswept ride is long and filled with madness that shall not end till the twelfth night of Yule. But during their ride, in the fields below, there lies grain of plenty and piles of straw fit for the hordes of Odin’s steeds. His eight legged horse Sleipnir rests upon the ground and feasts on the meal left for the mounts of the Gods. And in return for this gift, Odin the All-Father leaves presents of gold. Quietly he fills the winter boots resting outside the door of the humble homes that lay quiet in the cold winter night. Continue reading →

Thank You For Your Service

Nov11

Veteran’s Day Is Today

History of Veterans Day
From The Department Of Veterans Affairs

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…” Continue reading →

Sunday Homily: What Is Spiritual Love?

Nov11

Respect & Tolerance

The Love Of Tolerance

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. ~ Dalai Lama

Spiritual love is the exercise of love, compassion and respect for all things, seen and unseen throughout the Divine Universe.

It is taught in all religious and spiritual paths. It is shared as the utmost character to achieve. We know this, we hear it, we talk about it and perhaps even preach it. But do we practice it?

In times of disaster people don’t ask what religion do you practice, what sexual preference do you favor before they hold out a helping hand. We see the plight of others who have been devastated by storms or earthquakes and we rush to their aid out of compassion and care.

A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. … We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive. ~ Albert Einstein Continue reading →

Proof Of An After Life

Nov8

Neurosurgeon claims to have seen Heaven

Your perspectives are based on your experiences. What you define in your life, or give a label to is based on those understandings and views. You and I could have the same near death spiritual experience and based on our perspectives give aspects of that experience different names because of what we believe to be true in our own lives.

You may call your experience a visit to heaven, I might call it the Celtic Otherworld, someone else may call it Summerland or Valhalla. No label is wrong, because the label is given by the person who had the experience. It was their event, they have a right to call it what they will.

This discussion has come up here in my community because of story reported in our local news. One of our NBC News anchors, Curt Autry, reported on a story about a neurosurgeon who had a near death experience and believes he has proof of heaven.

A few people are upset that the “news” is reporting this story. Some are denouncing the Dr.s claims and insist there is a medical reason for his “vision”. Others, like me, support his vision as it’s not the first time we’ve heard this type of story or near death experience.

So the discussion has begun. Here is a link to the story and video posted by Mr. Autry – Neurosurgeon’s Experience Of Heaven.

Spiritual Inspiration & Thought

Nov7

The Votes Are In – It’s Time For Compassion and Unity

Nov7

Patriotic Wolf – Artist Unknown

Thank You For Your Patriotism America

Thank you to everyone who got out yesterday and voted. Who ever you voted for, your action was an expression of freedom that has been paid for by many who have come before us and many who have given life and limb so you could do so.

Now that the votes are in, it’s time to bury the anger and political rhetoric. We cannot be a United people, when some groups are being restricted, controlled, hated or ignored out of fear and ignorance. Doing so breeds contempt, distrust and hate. Acceptance creates peace, respect and inclusion. A United States born out of a desire to be free for all, not for a controlling few.

We light a candle today and ask the Divine Universe to guide the knowledge and compassion of our leaders, that they may guide their steps with wisdom and inclusion. We hope our leaders walk a path of compromise for the good of all people, without fear, anger, or hatred. But rather in love and compassion for all. We hope that even though we may have our differences, we can all find common ground to share a smile, common respect and the return of civility once again.

Let It Be So –
~ Spring Wolf

Spread A Smile

Nov5

Spread A Smile

Optimism and Smiling Help You Live Longer

There’s an old adage “ignorance is bliss” that pops up from time to time when I’m teaching or giving a lecture. Especially when the subject is about taking personal accountability for your life. Inevitably someone will mention this old saying and wonder why becoming more spiritually aware in your life means giving up that bliss happy feeling that comes along with attaining enlightenment.

The simple answer is, you’re looking at this from the wrong perspective. Because becoming personally accountable for your actions, thoughts and choices shouldn’t be a burden. It should give you a sense of empowerment over the path your life takes and the direction it’s headed into.

You have the free will and choice to allow every action you take to be overwhelming or a gift of insight and understanding. But that choice is yours to make. Others cannot make you happy, nor can they be held accountable for the choices you make in your life. When you stop blaming others for the things that go wrong in your life; you will discover that you had the power in your hands to create the results you wanted from the beginning. And that spiritual knowledge can and will help you change the direction of your path toward a more positive and optimistic future. Continue reading →

What’s In A Name? And What Does It Mean?

Nov4

How Pagans Define Their Religion

Do we call it Pagan, neo-Pagan, Witchcraft, Wicca or some other label? Is ‘Witchcraft” the religion or is it something else? If we look at the origins of the word and how it was originally used, then yes, Witchcraft is a religion. But it’s important to look at the origins as well as the meaning of the words as they were initially used to begin this discussion. But it’s also important to look at how these words have evolved throughout time and what they have become to mean.

Words like people evolve in their meaning and in their use. When a religion such as modern paganism has evolved so much through the centuries, does it really make sense to hold onto old labels like “Witchcraft”? Some say no. Others say that was never the name for our religion to begin with. It was heaped onto believes by the early Christian Church and demeans our beliefs and practices.

So how do modern practitioners of paganism define the name for their religion? For that we have to start at the beginning and discuss the meaning, origin and evolution of some of the words and labels that are used within our religion. This maybe tedious stuff, but it’s important to know where you came from in order to understand where you’re going. Continue reading →

Thank You For Helping Us Help Others

Oct31

Help Us Help Others

Our Indiegogo Campaign Has Ended

Yesterday was the final day of our campaign to Help us keep hope alive for shut-ins and the military asking for help. We’re calling it a satisfactory success!

We began our campaign on August 3, 2012.

Our goal was $1,700 and 18 people helped us raise $347 of that. But nearly 380 people helped us to get the word out and share our campaign across social media.

I can’t begin to express what these gifts mean to us here at Spring’s Haven. We may not have meet our ultimate goal, but thanks to Apple’s new iPad Mini we should still be able to meet the need! We’ll know in the next few weeks as we dot the i’s and cross the t’s. So stay tuned for our announcements and new face to face services!!

More than the monetary value, we truly appreciate the thought behind the support and the compassion everyone shared with those in need. Knowing we have the support of people like those who contributed, shared, tweeted and helped to get the word out, inspires our day and encourages our mission.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart and from everyone at Spring’s Haven.

"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