Many things I might not write today because I no longer believe them, but I wouldn’t change them, since I believed them at the time.

Jorge Amado

It is time to determine what we believe and how it has changed. Our faith is based only on what we know, therefore what we know rules all. But everything changes. To be ignorant means what we know is limited. When will we pass this threshold? When will we be more than what we are? 

So many things that have been written are “believed”, however they are also things that have been abandoned with good cause. What you believe at the time is not what you will believe. 

Change for the better. The old God is not to be confused with the old gods. Know your faith. Know your religion. Know the difference between the spiritual and the secular. Time changes views but the values can remain the same. 

Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus called out with a loud voice:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

What is it to be forsaken? That which has been left desolate or denied? That which has been opposed? The growth of Paganism has been stunted, restricted and inhibited from evolving in a natural manner because of adverse environmental factors. We as Pagans must reevaluate the meanings of our entire knowledge base. What has been our opposition? What has left us desolate? Why do we not thrive as our ancestors did? It all comes down to what has been deemed good or right or evil and immoral. But what are these things? Nature does not differentiate between immorality and morality.

Take for instance “good” and “evil”. When we separate the secular from the spiritual what are we left with? More questions? No, an impartial universe where rules are created by whoever holds the sway of the time. And then there are the gods of every generation which are as changing as time itself. Which gods you ask? Not the moral guidelines created by mankind but what we know of the entities that people serve regardless of what their names are from culture to culture. You may see these gods or powers reflected in our own world throughout civilizations that have risen and fallen for thousands of years. Thousands of years? Of all of these which is right and which is wrong? There are common denominators among these various powers. Good and evil being the least of them. Answer for yourselves what they are. They can be both terrifying and beautiful, cruel and benevolent. Who needs good and evil when you have a universe of gods locked in dichotomous harmony and opposition?

There are such oppositions in the universe as to defy description but we have deaf ears while we listen and blind eyes while we see. We learn but will never understand. Life and Death define each other – one cannot exist without the other. Nature does not compete against Nurture because it is the same thing. Fire and Water. Earth and Air. These opposites make one another valuable. Like Satanism and Christianity. Without each other they have no value. If one lacks the other they are just Shamanistic Earth based Faith’s relying on a bogey-man to create a basis of opposition. The Secular and the Spiritual, they go hand in hand but will never coexist. The Gods’ creation is bigger than most give it credit for yet still is relegated to a realm of basic human understanding involving black vs white and good vs evil.

Followers of cults and followers of religions can cause the same amount of harm as they can cause the same good. However, they can be condemned and redeemed all the same. Perception is a fickle bitch. We do no have to fall for the same old tricks. Do wolves condemn foxes for hunting? There is a natural order. If the wolf tells the fox is he is a good at heart and it is all right to eat the hen in his name then nothing has changed. The wolf and the fox both have to eat. In order to survive in the spiritual world, like the secular world, one must adapt. No one faith is very different from another. We need Pagan temples and schools so that Pagans everywhere can flourish again. There must be a balance.

When will you adapt to survive? We adapt to save the future of a species, that is in essence the core of evolution after all. Change that brings survival. Why choose a religion of self persecution? When will you choose a sacred path and not a dogmatic one? When will future generations fail to fear religion as a cause of death? When will we begin to accept all religions again? Will you always choose to be forsaken? As long as religion rules your hatred and fears we, as a species, are doomed. I am afraid for our future.

So many questions. I write in questions. I fear I will never have enough answers. We can teach our children now what it means to be more than a single religion or a faith but my greatest fear is that we as a species will fall short of this mark and breed a culture of Pagan ignorance as opposed to Pagan Education and an air of Monotheistic Theocracy as opposed to Monotheistic education. Let us learn what it means to be human before what it means to be a Christian, Muslim, Pagan, Hindi, or Jew before we learn what it is to be human or let us learn what it is to be human before what we learn what it is to be affiliated with a faith. What is there to forsake other than what we have been taught? Nature is a Bitch and Nature is a Beast. It is too easy to say one way is right while saying the other way is wrong. The universe doesn’t differentiate but human laws do. 

Versatility is the way to adaptation, which in turn is the way of survival against all odds. 

Matthew 20:22

But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what
you are asking! Are you able to drink from the
bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”
“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

And so the disciples asked to drink of this cup of madness held in the hands of yhwh as well. In the past people have been imprisoned and suffered because they had ideas that others did not agree with like the witch hunts and have suffered persecution. The innocent have been imprisoned for their beliefs and the guilty go free.

But somehow you failed to wake up and the sons of abraham came like thieves in the night. You have been robbed of your heritage and your true faiths and they made you their slaves. They have been here all this time taking whatever it is they want and you have failed to act. All it has taken for the Jews, Christians and Muslims to succeed in their hypocrisy is for everyone else to do nothing. The same suffering and persecution they glorified is the same they have been inflicted by each of them for untold years across the world.

They are the ones who have created a kingdom of priests to serve yhwh and christ and allah by standing aside and letting this go on while you live your lives. While standing aside and watching the world has spiraled into religious chaos where wickedness in the name of holiness is the new standard. No, it is the only standard. They have reigned on the earth too long and make the world suffer more everyday.

Psalm 23:5

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

In an attempt to avert disaster or prepare for it you may inadvertently open the door only to witness the birth of that which you try to avoid in an exercise of futility made by your own hands. In trying to side step a puddle to step into traffic where those with the forethought to see the whole picture will sacrifice the puddle when they see past the insignificant.

A re-determination of constants and variable factors must be pursued. The only constant in the universe is change. All things must evolve in order to survive. Adaptation is the key to survival and stagnation leads to dissolution.  All other logic is fallible. We are witnessing change now that must occur for survival. This is diapause.

We have been caught in an age of suspended development where factors have inhibited the advancement of humanity. If we as a species continue on this path we will not be capable of undoing the damage. We are talking about something that is bigger than one government, or one religion, or something so narrow minded as many of the issues that take precedence today.

Revelations 21:4

“…and there shall be no more death…”

There are some religious texts that promise an end to sorrow and death. For all of those who have suffered in the interim between the time that promise was made and the end of time who held faith in such promises were fools. They, perhaps, have been the ones who suffered the most and caused the most suffering. Why? While living with the delusion that there shall be no more death in this supposed paradise they have failed to realize that they are the source that has brought even more death. Gods? Demons? Heavens and hells? Holy wars and divine wrath? Rapture? Are these the gods of death?

Thus, in bringing an end to all suffering (except for those in the Hell described in said text) they ignore the fact that they are the very authors of this story of death. Ah yes, waiting for death to achieve a sense fulfillment never found in life and finding a joy as only a spiritually induced psychosis can bring. Truly a magical experience. Why were such things never found in life? Why wait to be apologetic about your actions in death or upon the death of another when we know we have all of our lives to make right choices? 

There are things that people should say before they die yet never say. Also, there are things that people could do before they die but never do. There are even things that people would like to have before they die but will never have. All I can ask is “Why?”. You must ask yourself and find the answers to these questions as well. Why don’t you say what needs to be said? Why don’t you do what you know needs to be done? Why don’t you have what you want? 

So many of our lives are dedicated to religions or to ideals that promise rewards after death while others sacrifice everything they live for for others and then copiously play the victim. You are the one who is giving all for nothing. No one else can do that for you. No matter what God or devil you worship or -ism you follow, in ignoring the world around you you can become the thing you claim to despise the very most.

There is no end to a thing that you consistently breath life into so how can you hope for an end to death and bring war if you do not mean to destroy everything around you? What are you willing to do to catch a murderer? Kill them? We, as a species, can deify and demonize anything and that thing can consume us all while we ignore ourselves. That thing that consumes you could be your parents, your career, or your faith. It can be the enemy you claim to hate, the injustice you rally against or the corruption you seek to destroy. And in so doing you will never learn to live for yourself and you may never truly live at all because everything that you will have will be based on an idea that to suffer or to cause suffering in this life so that you may reap the rewards in the next (as taught in these religious texts) is the greatest good. Look around you at the things that people do so that they may have their end to sorrow and eternal reward in the next life. 

We must be able to differentiate the moral guidelines of faith and deities from the basic moral compass of humanity, otherwise we have children who create laws from fairy tales. If that is to be the case then from this world to the next the righteous and the evil will be condemned all the same. Are we so driven by the preconceived intricacies of our mundane world and enforced doctrines of spirituality that we forsake the things that define who we could be? Don’t give in to the promises of fools. When the weak willed have shallow desires, all actions ultimately lead nowhere. 

But, when you find yourself slipping from this life or faced with imminent death, as one of the living dead will you be satisfied with the demons you have fought and the wars you have waged? Because there will be no time for should’ve, could’ve, would’ve and maybe, just maybe enough time to reflect on what you have done to empower yourself in life to make those around you better before death takes you as it will takes us all.

Corinthians 15:26

And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

When we we think of new beginnings we think that the old has died to make way way for the new. While is true for so many things such as the birth of children and the passing of the elderly. But was is a new beginning other than the continuation of that which composes a cycle? Here we all are trying to determine what place we hold in this vicious cycle we call life. And little do we know that we are the cycle. We are that thing that makes our limited world go round. And little do we know that it is all worth it but we so often fail to see that worth. 

The value of life is not found in death. It’s the little things that make life worth living and the big things that give us the scope to dream bigger. Defeat death? We don’t need to defeat death, we need to make our lives bigger so that when death does come for as, as it surely does for all, that we will have lived a worthy life that once gone we will leave a legacy that is more than fear and hatred. Death is the scope through which we view life. If we were immortal then what good is life? We would have no basis for comparison.

Death in a few texts has been viewed as the true immortal which can never die unless all was dead. Death is not the last enemy to be defeated. Without death humanity would not feel the need to fear, love, and experience. Death teaches us lessons on how to become more than what we were, are, and what we can become. Death is an ally, a reminder. It is balance and Centrosymmetry. Thinking of death as an enemy is thinking of life as an enemy. Fearing death is fearing life.
Anything that can exist can cease to exist so to destroy death all things would come to an end and the state of all things would be as it was before the beginning.

There would only be the Void.

Just musing on the thoughts and sayings of the prophets…

Satan? YHWH?  Iblis? Don’t be ridiculous. Just stop. We are bigger than the limitations that have been handed down over the generations of humanity. Feel free to fight the wars of lost gods if you really want to. Go ahead. Be our guest.

Before you do that just answer a few questions. Why are you fighting in the name of spirituality? Why do you fight in the name of a particular faith? Please tell me how this world will continue to function and survive for our children’s sake when you destroy it in the name of one God over another?

Is the answer Judaism, Christianity and Islam? Are they the answer that you seek and that will solve all problems? We have seen that in the past 3.600 years they are not apparently. So why do we bother? They must be the answer as they have been around so long.

I can safely say no, these are not the answer. We cannot rely on these faiths, but so many do. Their barbaric faiths dominate our world as they consume and destroy anything in their way and no one is any the wiser. But why? I hear of the joys of so many wishing Jesus a happy birthday and they refuse to question what they are wishing. Christmas? Ramadan? Chanukah? Horus? The Winter Solstice? Your religion was chosen for you because you know NOTHING of any other religions! 

This is of course not true for all people but so many try to take a political platform and create a individualized dogma based in what they think they need or want. This is not the way it works. This is not how any of this works. We as a world of independent and intelligent people are being choked out by the One true way. However, the One true way could fade into history and good people would still exist just as they always have as well as bad people. This is what it is to be human.

We can get rid ourselves of the gods of monotheism and life will go on with all other Gods playing just as big as a role as they ever have and the New World Order will simply be the order of humanity living out their lives. Perhaps we do not need heavens and hells. Maybe we just need each other. Wishful thinking? That’s what Moses, Jesus and Mohammed thought too I’m sure. But we will never know. Or perhaps we do.

Deus Ex Machina; God from the Machine

Why are people looking for that easy fix to that thing they call life? Paganism is the old way to look at the new, which ironically has become the new way to look at the old. Demons and saints are just as interchangeable now as as angels and sinners. But as much as people would like to focus on the supernatural we must look at the mundane. 

Look at those who call themselves satanists. They are reliant upon an idea that, in and of itself,  their faith is defined and limited by certain teachings, effectively limiting themselves. Jews, Christians and Muslims are divided by the one god they all worship. The unification of versatile people is like bringing all the spokes necessary to create a great wheel. A wheel that keeps the cosms turning. Creativity and imagination coupled with purpose in action is the internal source of all humankind’s achievements.

True prayer doesn’t come prescribed and true magic has no guidelines. These things come from the drive, the intention and from the constant changing of the world. Patterns develop systems and in turn develop traditions which will almost always will invert a group of people into themselves and conversion to their honored ranks becomes an ordeal.

The true ordeal is a lifetime of learning and trying and understand the multifaceted gem that is the magic, religion and philosophy of this world and others. Without being truly dedicated you waste time and may eventually turn away from your faith.

The lifetime of achievements is much more rewarding than to achieve once in your lifetime and be satisfied. We must always push forward not falling into the pits others have made for us or the distractions that would keep us from fulfilling our destiny. We can still honor and serve the Gods as we once did. We just cannot expect some deity to come to drop down from the sky nor a Chthonic goddess to work her way up from the underworld to help us. 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.

A basic tenet dating back some years defines the criteria set forth for “God’s will”, which determines a paticular behavior which is considered sanctified. I will stress here the last line, “Do not take advantage of a brother or sister”. 

What do we have? The term “sexual immorality” as defined in the above mentioned passage which specifies the criteria which determines a Judeo-Christian moral standard for sexual relations? We have to ask ourselves “What does this mean?” What are Jews, Christians, and Muslims teaching our children? Once upon a time, you could sell your daughter for a bull and two goats, or some silver from the man that raped her. Marrige has changed over the course of the past 2,000 years. What are we learning from them? We must determine what this message means in today’s world. So I ask you:

1. Q: What is immorality? 
2. Q: How do you avoid sexual immorality?
3. Q: How do you control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 
4. Q: Not in passionate lust like the pagans, who “do not know God”,
5. A: No one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.

Preach your dogma elsewhere. You answer you own questions. Your sanctification is wasted on your own moral dilemmas.