The BBC came out with an article yesterday that I thought was an interesting, and too-brief, look at the Greek phenomenon known as Hellenic Reconstructionism and the challenges it faces.
These folks see Greece as a pagan nation under occupation by the Orthodox Church and are, quite literally, attempting to reconstruct the ancient religion of Greece.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
National Pollinator Week kicks off - with a huge bee kill
Sun: 29' Gemini
Moon: 28'Scorpio
Waxing Gibbous - 3 days before Full
My sister Alohi, who runs the blog Tales of Alohi, tipped me off to this story on OregonLive earlier this morning:
Moon: 28'Scorpio
Waxing Gibbous - 3 days before Full
My sister Alohi, who runs the blog Tales of Alohi, tipped me off to this story on OregonLive earlier this morning:
25,000 bumblebees killed, dropping from trees in Wilsonville; pesticide suspected
25,000 bees. 55 trees, known to have been sprayed with neonicotinoid pesticides just days before as National Pollinator Week began.
The European Union has issued a continent-wide ban on the use of these "neonic" pesticides. Why? Because they have found sufficient evidence for concern that the extreme toxicity of these insecticides (to bees as well as to the insects they're intended to kill) is contributing significantly to Colony Collapse Disorder - observed worldwide among farmers and beekeepers for years now. The evidence is strong enough that Vladimir Putin almost refused to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry because his outrage and fury over America's support for the companies that make them - including Monsanto, Bayer, and Syngenta.
The European Union has issued a continent-wide ban on the use of these "neonic" pesticides. Why? Because they have found sufficient evidence for concern that the extreme toxicity of these insecticides (to bees as well as to the insects they're intended to kill) is contributing significantly to Colony Collapse Disorder - observed worldwide among farmers and beekeepers for years now. The evidence is strong enough that Vladimir Putin almost refused to meet with Secretary of State John Kerry because his outrage and fury over America's support for the companies that make them - including Monsanto, Bayer, and Syngenta.
If you like to eat, you may want to keep reading this one...
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Cult of the American Flag?
Sun: 28'Gemini
Moon: 00'Scorpio
Sun Trine Moon - Waxing Gibbous
I will make no friends with this post, I am sure. It is a mix of both theological thought and politics, fair warning, but it should be said despite the common convention. (After all, you came here, and it's your choice to keep reading or not.) And there's no better time to explore the deep-seated psychological thoughts and urges than under a Scorpio Moon.
What defines "sacred?"
This question came to my mind after noting the incident in which rapper Lil' Wayne stepped on, or was perceived to be stepping on, the American flag.
Now, I normally don't give a flying rat's ass about what goes on in popular culture, and the rap "scene" is just really not my thing at all. However, this caught my eye as both a Pagan and an active servicemember. And my thoughts are not precisely what one might expect from either perspective.
Moon: 00'Scorpio
Sun Trine Moon - Waxing Gibbous
I will make no friends with this post, I am sure. It is a mix of both theological thought and politics, fair warning, but it should be said despite the common convention. (After all, you came here, and it's your choice to keep reading or not.) And there's no better time to explore the deep-seated psychological thoughts and urges than under a Scorpio Moon.
What defines "sacred?"
This question came to my mind after noting the incident in which rapper Lil' Wayne stepped on, or was perceived to be stepping on, the American flag.
Now, I normally don't give a flying rat's ass about what goes on in popular culture, and the rap "scene" is just really not my thing at all. However, this caught my eye as both a Pagan and an active servicemember. And my thoughts are not precisely what one might expect from either perspective.
RLS, pregnancy and energy flow
Sun: 28'Gemini
Moon: 28'Libra
Sun Trine Moon: Waxing Gibbous
Restless Legs Syndrome is truly torturous. I've dealt with it for as long as I can remember in one degree of another, but now in the third trimester of pregnancy, it's worse than ever before. It's a common side-effect of late pregnancy, and it is both debilitating and absolutely maddening.
Moon: 28'Libra
Sun Trine Moon: Waxing Gibbous
Restless Legs Syndrome is truly torturous. I've dealt with it for as long as I can remember in one degree of another, but now in the third trimester of pregnancy, it's worse than ever before. It's a common side-effect of late pregnancy, and it is both debilitating and absolutely maddening.
Friday, June 14, 2013
A discussion on Fire
Sun: 24'Gemini
Moon: 29'Leo
A burst of colorful flowers in the sky, fading away in smoke trails just before another illuminates the night. A campfire crackling merrily away, toasting your marshmallows, before it escapes the confines of its coals and transforms into a raging wildfire. A volcano spewing embers into the storm it generates to wreathe its own summit in rainless lightning a la Etna, or fountaining smooth streams of heavy basalt into the sea as Kilauea so iconically does A candle, steady or flickering in the wind. The scent of bread baking in the oven and meat roasting on the barbecue. The light by which you read these words. The fury of the nuclear fusion at the heart of the warm sunlight on your skin (and the painful red burn it may leave after)...
These are some of the physical manifestations of Fire.
Earth may give us form and Water life, Air is breath (or death). But no element has brought people together again and again the way that Fire does. It is as beautiful as it is dangerous, tough to contain but impossible to live without.
Moon: 29'Leo
A burst of colorful flowers in the sky, fading away in smoke trails just before another illuminates the night. A campfire crackling merrily away, toasting your marshmallows, before it escapes the confines of its coals and transforms into a raging wildfire. A volcano spewing embers into the storm it generates to wreathe its own summit in rainless lightning a la Etna, or fountaining smooth streams of heavy basalt into the sea as Kilauea so iconically does A candle, steady or flickering in the wind. The scent of bread baking in the oven and meat roasting on the barbecue. The light by which you read these words. The fury of the nuclear fusion at the heart of the warm sunlight on your skin (and the painful red burn it may leave after)...
These are some of the physical manifestations of Fire.
Earth may give us form and Water life, Air is breath (or death). But no element has brought people together again and again the way that Fire does. It is as beautiful as it is dangerous, tough to contain but impossible to live without.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Capitalism, Calvinism, and Japan
Sun: 21'Gemini
Moon: 27'Cancer
New Moon
While I disagree with the essay's final conclusions, I do find this to be a fascinating and very thought-provoking piece.
Japan, of all the Asian countries, has most stringently resisted the incursion of Christianity into their lands. This is a look at the historical and cultural roots that make such powerful nationwide resistance possible, and further, a look at how Calvinism empowered (in a way, created) modern capitalism as we know it. Finally, it looks at the cultural assumption behind that empowerment - that wealth is a sign of godliness - and questions the religious exclusivity in the tradition from which that assumption came.
Moon: 27'Cancer
New Moon
While I disagree with the essay's final conclusions, I do find this to be a fascinating and very thought-provoking piece.
Japan, of all the Asian countries, has most stringently resisted the incursion of Christianity into their lands. This is a look at the historical and cultural roots that make such powerful nationwide resistance possible, and further, a look at how Calvinism empowered (in a way, created) modern capitalism as we know it. Finally, it looks at the cultural assumption behind that empowerment - that wealth is a sign of godliness - and questions the religious exclusivity in the tradition from which that assumption came.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Elemental shrines
Sun: 14' Gemini
Moon: 08'Taurus
Dark of the Moon
A short post tonight. Now that our home's central altar is up and running, my husband and I are in the process of putting up several small elemental shrines around the house. So far, one is in progress, the other three are in conceptual form.
Where we live in Hawaii is urbanized, but when you close your eyes and strip out the city from your awareness and focus on what is behind it, the elements are screaming to be heard. This land, this solid earth, is born of fire from water's embrace, kissing the sky as the winds play over the mighty pali (cliffs) under the heat of the tropical sun. You can't miss it, if you quiet down half a second to listen. It's easy to overlook the origins of your land on the continents: when the volcanoes that gave rise to your island are still watching over you (and are still active or potentially so!), you don't forget.
Moon: 08'Taurus
Dark of the Moon
A short post tonight. Now that our home's central altar is up and running, my husband and I are in the process of putting up several small elemental shrines around the house. So far, one is in progress, the other three are in conceptual form.
Where we live in Hawaii is urbanized, but when you close your eyes and strip out the city from your awareness and focus on what is behind it, the elements are screaming to be heard. This land, this solid earth, is born of fire from water's embrace, kissing the sky as the winds play over the mighty pali (cliffs) under the heat of the tropical sun. You can't miss it, if you quiet down half a second to listen. It's easy to overlook the origins of your land on the continents: when the volcanoes that gave rise to your island are still watching over you (and are still active or potentially so!), you don't forget.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)