I know this pic has been out there a while; I just stumbled upon it in my photobucket and had to post it.

Hubble M17
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured this image of a star forming region within the Swan Nebula, which is located about 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.

I know it is simple anthropomorphism; I "know" this is a photo of a collection of gasses expanding and changing and all that great scientific fact....but I gotta tell ya, this picture gives me the warm fuzzies about an intelligent universe..call me kooky!

God/Goddes; Faith/Reason; Solitary/Group--these are just some of the areas in life that I find consistently challenging in which to find the "perfect" balance.

When I first began studying and investigating Pagan paths that first one was really tough! First, I was coming at this from a virtually atheist point of view, well perhaps agnostic is more accurate. I was feeling jaded and cynical as many who were raised (at least somewhat) Christian and stumble upon Paganism.  In my mind Dogma was the enemy and even the slightest hint that I was expected to bow down to some kind of stricture or law was highly stressful.  But, I worked my way through it and began to see that simply accepting deity is not a precursor to servitude and restriction.   But then....

I was investigating the pantheons of various paths, when Sekhmet (Kemetic) smacked me upside the head...I am not kidding, it was like being hit by a truck!  She is not known for her subtlety nor her gentleness--at least not til you get to know her a little....she was right there and led me to some wonderful discoveries and set me on my way.  I was very comfortable with this new Goddess interaction; finding the feminine in the divine was very exciting and the fact that She is at the same time ultimately female and ultimately fierce made it even more appealing.

Then, along came Tehuti/Djehuty/Thoth, which, looking back is not shocking really, though I was enjoying the firely femininity of Sekhmet really at heart I am more of a logic/law/language based woman. Well, while He was a little more subtle than She, He could certainly not be accused of being less persistent or less vocal.....I have not a great history with male authority figures in my life and I was, well, less than extremely welcoming of the idea of a Male Deity poking his nose (beak) into my life.  At the time I had recently begun studying with a Priest (yes, a man, but he was also a gay man, which really did make a difference!) He gave me a good talking to about my resistance to Tehuti and really made me see how this lack of male energy could very well lead to a very unfulfilling practice of my faith....so, slowly but surely I let the Great Ibis into my life. Best decision I ever made! He has helped me improve in so many areas, perhaps the most surprising of which to me at the time was spellwork! What a great writer! I am still at times taken aback when I get the the old voice in the head for the next line in a ritual or spell and i KNOW, absolutely without question where it came from.....I mean, the first time it actually felt like automatic writing or something!

Yes, balancing the masculine/feminine of the divine, I think can present a real challenge to many Pagans. I think the important thing to remember is that relying soley on Goddess energy is just as narrowing and restricting as having only a Patriarchal God.

I will write Parts II and III on Faith/Reason and Solitary/Group another day....Blessings to y'all!

I am a grown woman; I am married and have a 6 year old child. I am a Pagan and the only people who know it are other Pagans--which luckily for me, includes my husband.  This "secret," however, does not make me sad or bother me, nor do I blame the muggle/cowen/monotheists of the world for my supposed oppression.

Frankly, I get a little tired of all the belly-aching about how we are so misunderstood and the world is so judgemental and blah blah blah! I mean how many times has each of us (Pagans) been at least somewhat annoyed by some really really zealous Christian "sharing" his/her beliefs with us? Personally, I consider my faith/path/beliefs to be, well, personal! Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy interacting with other Pagans and even belonged to a great goup in Florida before I moved out of state. However, I simply do not find it necessary to "share" my beliefs with anyone. I think part of it is that while I live my life as a Pagan, I don't find that every thought, opinion, piece of advice or other such conversational elements is based on my being Pagan. It/they are simply "me."

I do not find it offensive that my daughter's school celebrated "Christmas" or "Easter" (that one especially makes me giggle--Jesus is coming back, hide the eggs!). I think it is great for her to be exposed to alternative religions. She also learned about Kwanza, several Jewish Holidays, and we, of course, keep her in tune with the solstice and other earth-based observances. All and all, she is becoming a more well-rounded kid as a result. She absolutely LOVES Jesus...who could blame her??? He was a great guy! (Seriously, by all accounts what a wonderful egalitarian view he had! It was the bigots like Saul of Tarsus "Paul" who hated women and turned his teachings into something most Pagans find distasteful). 

Plus, many of (at least the modern)  Pagan religions/paths are SUPPOSED to be mysteries, supposed to be esoteric....I just get to have a secret that only my select few know about! 

More to come, it is late here!