I camped with my friend Wendy's Girl Scout troop as her First Aider this weekend at Camp Seminole Springs. It was fun, it was hot, and there's never enough food!
Oh, and then there's the ticks. Between 9 girls and 4 adults, each person had at least 2. Some attached, some just creepy-crawling around.
I had 3. Yay. There was a big, fat sucker stuck to the middle of my ass. Double yay.
But no incidents that required any real First Aid skills, so that's good at least. And every time I go camping I learn new things to teach to my own troop.
Girl Scout Camping Guide: Fun With Ticks
I'll write that book some day.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Merry Beltane!!
Happy May Day to everyone.
I had every intention of sending my daughter off to school with ribbons in her hair, but fatigue won out.
It's the thought that counts, right?
I found a couple of great sites yesterday that explain the history and some of the traditions of Beltane/May Day. Enjoy!
here and here
I had every intention of sending my daughter off to school with ribbons in her hair, but fatigue won out.
It's the thought that counts, right?
I found a couple of great sites yesterday that explain the history and some of the traditions of Beltane/May Day. Enjoy!
here and here
My Religiography
I was raised Baptist by a Preacher's Son dad and a wishy-washy mother who goes along with everything my dad says. I say Southern Baptist, but officially my Papaw is Independent... less organizational rules that way. Fire, brimstone, sin, damnation... the whole 9. He would scream from the pulpit until his face turned the color of a tomato. I wish I were exaggerating. My dad is prudish and strict and both he and his dad are all about appearances. We had to behave and be perfect little angels so that it would reflect well on them both, but ultimately my dad just wanted to impress his father, and still does anything that is asked (or told) by him.Lucky for us, however, my parents only attended church when Papaw was around to see it, and every Sunday for those couple years that we lived by them. They aren't even C&E Christians (Christmas & Easter) when left to their own devices. I got a vague concept of Christianity from my parents.
My mother's parents, however, are the Christ-Loving Christians. They love everyone, do good works, and honestly if it weren't for them, I'd have no concept at all of how Christians are supposed to be and what unconditional love really is. Now, this isn't to say that they weren't taught the same fears and falsehoods, but they handled them better. My Grandpa was judgemental, but it wasn't in regards to religious choices, more of taking responsibility for yourself and the opportunity to better yourself and make a better life (I wonder where I get that from, huh?). I've always had a very close relationship to my mom's parents. Now only my Grandma, and she was the first to sit down with me and try to get a better understanding of my Paganism. Yeah, she freaked out at first and threw holy hell... but after a few days she came back with a piece of paper and a list of questions. We've worked out our issues.
Here's the part where I mention that my dad's parents are rich and my mom's parents were dirt poor. Shocking, I know. Entitlement vs. True Charity and Love.
I always had questions about Christianity that I wasn't allowed to ask (I tried a couple times, not pretty). I always had more Nature leaning beliefs and found more comfort in the woods in the rain than I ever felt in a church. I don't recall ever praying to Jesus. Mine was more a broader concept of God as "Giver of Life" and "Creator of All". I saw God in the sunset, a rainstorm and funny enough, the moon. However, I was married for 2 years before I realized I had the option to be something other than what I was taught. I don't even remember how or when exactly it started, but I began searching online for definitions to other religions and found Paganism. It was a perfect fit. Not necessarily the magical and spell casting aspects, but their view of deity and the innate divinity of Nature itself was exactly how I felt.
It was still a few years after that before I started on my spiritual journey and actually became a practicing Pagan. Complete with the altar that my Grandma found and went ballistic over and called my dad so he could let me have it. And he did. My beliefs didn't waver. By then I had already learned why Christians were taught to hate Pagans so much and how much of their religion is adopted from it. My mom told me "Witches aren't real. They fly broomsticks and are only in the movies." I had already discovered that being a Witch is more about your frame of mind and your connection to the earth and it's cycles.
I was Pagan (never a Wiccan) for a couple years, but I still continued to study and learn about other religions and religion in general. I went from fervently believing in God as a being in direct contact with us, to more of a Deistic view, to full-on Atheism over a period of 3 years. It was hard for me to let go of God. I had a rough childhood and believing that God was watching and loving me through it all is probably what got me through it with my sanity intact (okay, with my sanity only slightly broken).
At this point my beliefs are a little hard to nail down. I believe that all religions are man-made. I don't believe in god in any form. The term "god" alludes to a sentient being that is cognitive. I believe more in a source of energy that is neither. I believe that life and all of existence is about balance. Dark and light, positive and negative. You need one for the other, but you cannot have an overabundance of either. I believe in Karma because the negative energy that you send out is bound to come back to you. (Tho my spiteful nature says that Karma is too damn slow.)
I believe that Reincarnation is entirely possible, but I also believe in the idea of ghosts and earth-bound spirits... so I haven't worked out all the details yet and have no plans to. The same goes for my sometimes-belief in the supernatural and possible magical aspects of life. I don't believe in fate or destiny, but sometimes I do believe that the universe gives us "signs" if we are observant enough to see them. I think that this comes out of my belief in our connection to the universe and all things... we are part of it, it is part of us... what we send out we get back. It's a bit sticky and I'm okay with that.
When it comes down to the base of it, I am probably a Humanist. I believe that the ability to know right from wrong, and behave as such, is a Human characteristic, not one that is dependent on a belief in god. God did not impose his morality on us, we attributed our morality to god. My biggest problem with religion is taking the responsibility away from the individual, both the positive and negative. When a person misbehaves, he is possessed or influenced by Satan (or some other dark force), when a person behaves admirably it is probably because he is a follower of god and full of god's love and righteousness. That takes the credit and the blame away from where it should be: on the individual.
So I guess the biggest question is: Can you be Pagan and be an Atheist? I say yes because my beliefs center on Nature as Divine, not in a sense of Deity, but in the sense of it's innate perfection and balance. It is a balance with Nature and the Universe that I strive for. And since we Humans are a part of Nature and connected to it, that Divinity lies in us as well.
My mother's parents, however, are the Christ-Loving Christians. They love everyone, do good works, and honestly if it weren't for them, I'd have no concept at all of how Christians are supposed to be and what unconditional love really is. Now, this isn't to say that they weren't taught the same fears and falsehoods, but they handled them better. My Grandpa was judgemental, but it wasn't in regards to religious choices, more of taking responsibility for yourself and the opportunity to better yourself and make a better life (I wonder where I get that from, huh?). I've always had a very close relationship to my mom's parents. Now only my Grandma, and she was the first to sit down with me and try to get a better understanding of my Paganism. Yeah, she freaked out at first and threw holy hell... but after a few days she came back with a piece of paper and a list of questions. We've worked out our issues.
Here's the part where I mention that my dad's parents are rich and my mom's parents were dirt poor. Shocking, I know. Entitlement vs. True Charity and Love.
I always had questions about Christianity that I wasn't allowed to ask (I tried a couple times, not pretty). I always had more Nature leaning beliefs and found more comfort in the woods in the rain than I ever felt in a church. I don't recall ever praying to Jesus. Mine was more a broader concept of God as "Giver of Life" and "Creator of All". I saw God in the sunset, a rainstorm and funny enough, the moon. However, I was married for 2 years before I realized I had the option to be something other than what I was taught. I don't even remember how or when exactly it started, but I began searching online for definitions to other religions and found Paganism. It was a perfect fit. Not necessarily the magical and spell casting aspects, but their view of deity and the innate divinity of Nature itself was exactly how I felt.
It was still a few years after that before I started on my spiritual journey and actually became a practicing Pagan. Complete with the altar that my Grandma found and went ballistic over and called my dad so he could let me have it. And he did. My beliefs didn't waver. By then I had already learned why Christians were taught to hate Pagans so much and how much of their religion is adopted from it. My mom told me "Witches aren't real. They fly broomsticks and are only in the movies." I had already discovered that being a Witch is more about your frame of mind and your connection to the earth and it's cycles.
I was Pagan (never a Wiccan) for a couple years, but I still continued to study and learn about other religions and religion in general. I went from fervently believing in God as a being in direct contact with us, to more of a Deistic view, to full-on Atheism over a period of 3 years. It was hard for me to let go of God. I had a rough childhood and believing that God was watching and loving me through it all is probably what got me through it with my sanity intact (okay, with my sanity only slightly broken).
At this point my beliefs are a little hard to nail down. I believe that all religions are man-made. I don't believe in god in any form. The term "god" alludes to a sentient being that is cognitive. I believe more in a source of energy that is neither. I believe that life and all of existence is about balance. Dark and light, positive and negative. You need one for the other, but you cannot have an overabundance of either. I believe in Karma because the negative energy that you send out is bound to come back to you. (Tho my spiteful nature says that Karma is too damn slow.)
I believe that Reincarnation is entirely possible, but I also believe in the idea of ghosts and earth-bound spirits... so I haven't worked out all the details yet and have no plans to. The same goes for my sometimes-belief in the supernatural and possible magical aspects of life. I don't believe in fate or destiny, but sometimes I do believe that the universe gives us "signs" if we are observant enough to see them. I think that this comes out of my belief in our connection to the universe and all things... we are part of it, it is part of us... what we send out we get back. It's a bit sticky and I'm okay with that.
When it comes down to the base of it, I am probably a Humanist. I believe that the ability to know right from wrong, and behave as such, is a Human characteristic, not one that is dependent on a belief in god. God did not impose his morality on us, we attributed our morality to god. My biggest problem with religion is taking the responsibility away from the individual, both the positive and negative. When a person misbehaves, he is possessed or influenced by Satan (or some other dark force), when a person behaves admirably it is probably because he is a follower of god and full of god's love and righteousness. That takes the credit and the blame away from where it should be: on the individual.
So I guess the biggest question is: Can you be Pagan and be an Atheist? I say yes because my beliefs center on Nature as Divine, not in a sense of Deity, but in the sense of it's innate perfection and balance. It is a balance with Nature and the Universe that I strive for. And since we Humans are a part of Nature and connected to it, that Divinity lies in us as well.
What Is This Blog?
Heya.
Well, I have a political blog (that I've been neglecting) and a knitting blog, so this will be my Atheism/Paganism and possibly Herbal Gardening blog.
I'm an absent-minded blogger, but I keep thinking one day I'll get my act together and have an awesome blog and people who actually care to read it.
In the meantime, this is what you get.
Well, I have a political blog (that I've been neglecting) and a knitting blog, so this will be my Atheism/Paganism and possibly Herbal Gardening blog.
I'm an absent-minded blogger, but I keep thinking one day I'll get my act together and have an awesome blog and people who actually care to read it.
In the meantime, this is what you get.
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