Changes and challenges

Tomorrow, October 1, is the start of the the Domestic Pagan's fitness challenge.  The timing has been rather fortuitous for me.  I've been contemplating changes in my life and this challenge is a great way to start.

When change is needed, I like to step back and take stock.  Then I make a plan, set some goals.  I also remind myself that change is like transforming from a caterpillar to a butterfly: it requires some work, a safe place, time and discomfort, but in the end, I will emerge with a beautiful new set of wings.  I am also becoming aware that my body is interfering with my spiritual development.  In order to get back on track, I have to take care of my body, my mind and my soul.

So in the spirit of the challenge and of creating change, here are my goals (for the moment, I do better with baby steps than big changes):

• I'm going to walk 5 days a week (for starters).  Now where did I put that pedometer I bought a while ago and never used?
• I will drink water, not soda.  My kidneys are cheering.
• I will finally watch that yoga video I keep ignoring and try it out. 
• I will try a new low fat meal each week.  By the way, does anyone have any good recipes for making black beans more palatable?  How about lentil soup?
• I will not replace sleep with caffeine.

If you need a change, set some goals and start working.  I'm sending good thoughts you're way.  Wish me luck, I'm off to look for my fitness stuff.

I am feeling accomplished!

After hours of frustrating work, my website, www.cauldronfullofstars.com has been updated.  New images, new colors, new content.  It all my made my brain hurt, but I have a huge sense of accomplishment (I've got my geek on). Ta!

Past and Present- Lather, Rinse, Repeat

One of the lessons you will learn during an archaeology internship is that the needs of human beings haven't changed, well, ever.  Food, water, shelter, companionship, procreation all have stayed pretty much the same since time immemorial.  Yes the cultural rules and customs all shift, but basically, humans really are pretty much the same as they've always been.

The past is something so frequently romanticized that we often overlook the reality of it.  My take on the past is that it was just as complicated, frustrating and silly as things are now.  Yes, of course the details change, but the basic expereinces don't.  People marry (or partner or contract), they have kids (who have to be potty trained, taught manners and grammar and all that fun stuff); they have conflicts and interactions and friendships with other individuals; they hoped; they dreamed; they got old (and frankly, probably complained about wrinkles and sagging parts and baldness and all the stuff we worry about), and they died.  I'm pretty sure nothing ever really changes.

As Samhain (All Soul's Night, Hallowe'en, Ancestor Night...) approaches, the time to reflect on the past, especially our ancestors, has arrived.  Part of my practice of honoring my ancestors is to accept that they were not very different from me.  They were real, living breathing people who loved and loved and were spiritual beings.  Their problems were similar to mine and the world they created is the same one I am creating.  We carry the burden of our pasts with us, whether you want to think about that in the genetic or the ideological or the cultural.  Without them, we are not us.  We all come from somewhere, even if we don't know or understand where that somewhere is.

For the next six weeks or so, I will spend time honoring and connecting with my ancestors, with the ancestors of my culture and with the ancestors of humanity. If they have messages for me, I will try to listen, and if not, I will reach out to them all the same.  We keep a candle in our house for those moments when we need to mourn or think about those people who have crossed over into the afterlife.  Any time we need to feel a connection, we light it.  We have created a space and process for dealing with grief and a need to touch our past.  It does not do to live in the past or to romanticize it, but we can't ignore it either.

Event: Fitness Challenge

  I'm taking part in this challenge and invite you to the same.

Visit: http://www.thedomesticpagan.com/2011/09/get-off-your-broom-witchy-fitness.html

Coexisting- religious tolerance

I'm not a Christian, but that doesn't mean I haven't read the Bible.  I am familiar with the history of Christian thought.  I think a guy named Jesus existed two thousand and some years ago.  I even think he had some awesome things to say.  Nothing against him, really.  I don't worship him (and frankly, would he be comfortable with idea of being worshiped or deified?), but that doesn't mean I can't admire the message.  I'm not an atheist either, but I still understand their point of view, even if I don't it.

What I have a problem with is the "missionary impulse", as one of my college professors liked to refer to it.  I have a problem with hypocrisy, and I have a problem with any worldview that insists it is the only "right" way to experience the world, especially when it's followers engage in behaviors that are strictly forbidden by that viewpoint.  You will notice that my money is always where my mouth is.  I don't tell people that steal is bad and then rob my neighbor of what is justly his due (through economics).  I don't cheer for killing- even the legal sort (executions).  I don't force my view on anyone.  If you want to read this, great.  If it offends you, well, bugger off and find something else to read.

I may be a pagan, but I will not convert anyone (including my children who are being exposed to many other belief systems in an effort to be fair).  I won't say one thing and do another, especially while pretending righteous indignation or damning others who don't see things my way.  I won't help you keep other people down or strip away the rights I believe them to be endowed with by simple virtue of being part of humanity.  I won't engage in religious warfare, but I will fight back if I'm threatened.

Rather than engaging in "othering", the practice of creating a divide between "us" and "them", lets look for common ground, or at least points we can admire in other spiritual paths.  If you refuse to engage in the us/them dichotomy, possibilities for cooperation and understanding.  And the next time a missionary comes uninvited to your door, be polite, but ask them how they would feel if you were trying to convert them.  From there, maybe you can have a conversation.

And, as a way of whistling in the dark please enjoy these two videos of Austin Lounge Lizard performances, as they poke fun at the overly holy.  Namaste.

The older me and the younger me

Lately, I've seen and heard from several friends who have all made an interesting comment- they want to get back in touch with their younger selves.  Sometimes, I understand this rather well, but other times, it's nice to be this age.  I miss being responsible for only myself, but I've learned so much through being a wife and mother and a student.

Don't get me wrong, there are things about my younger self that I miss, like hope, energy, and size 6 pants.  Looking back, with a considerable amount of honesty and humility, I realize that in most respects, I like this me better.  I know a lot more, but realize how little I know in comparison to what is out there to learn.  I've had some experiences and met some people who changed my perspective drastically.  I am more in touch with the world and more aware of how things work now.  I've developed a duck's back against many forms of criticism and learned to take advice with a grain of salt.  I've developed strange forms of courage (the younger me would have never started this blog or breast fed in public or written a letter to an elected leader calling them out for their behavior).

I don't think that revisiting the younger me is a great idea.  I can love her, admire her innocence and laugh at her attitude, but I can no longer be her.  I think the healthier path is to reclaim the parts of her that I need, and more importantly, embrace the great parts of who I am now to make another version of myself who is stronger, smarter, happier and more beautiful.  You can't ignore your past, but you don't have to dwell there, either.