The War on Christmas, from a different point of view.

I am trying to fight this "war on Christmas". I am using logic and reason to explain this to everyone. And it just seems that everyone else has drank too much egg nog with rum and then had a massive bowl of stupidity flakes.

Please let me make this freaking clear to all of you pagan minded people that are messing everything up for the rest of us.....

Christmas is a Christian Holiday. It was created by the pope many years ago to compete with pagan solstic...e celebrations. Why? Because the Christians had nothing to keep the newly converted Christians from going back to the old ways and celebrate the various old ways. The pope told the various clerics to take existing Pagan traditions and activities and put a Christian spins to them, and sell that as now acceptable Christian traditions.

99.999999% of all Christmas traditions come from pagan traditions. There are many different dates for the various winter solstice events. Generally speaking they are usually on December 21-22. Saturnalia was a Roman celebration that started on the 17th and lasted for about 7 days. But it was Hanukah that really set the date. With Jesus being a Jew, And the Jewish religion was a competing religion as well. So Christmas was placed on Dec 25th.

So please stop wishing me a Happy Yule.. Yule is over now for this year. So if you want to put out all these yule blessings on Christmas, you have your dates screwed up. Or Maybe you are still fighting the whole Christians stole Christmas from us pagans. Well if you are wishing 'Blessed Yule" on Christmas to get at those Christians, then you are proving the Christians right in that there is a war on Christmas. Stop it!!!!!

I recently seen a "Shamanic origins of Christmas" post on facebook. There is no Shamanic origins to Christmas. Some of the traditions in modern Christmas can be traced to different pagan cultures. You can not find a single pagan tradition that is the single source for all Christmas traditions. You are looking for an argument and again showing that there is a war on Christmas.

Kirk Cameron was slightly right this year. Christmas is a Christian holiday, and it is being stolen by pagans. Why? Because too many pagans are trying to claim what Christmas is today is their holiday and not the Christians. Christmas was originally called Christ's mass, it is something that the Christians have to celebrate their religion. We pagans, still have our Yule, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice... or whatever you call your winter pagan holiday. The Christians did try to destroy our beliefs and traditions, but they still live on. So follow your belief's religious holiday according to your beliefs, don't go claiming something that isn't part of your religion.

We Pagans know that their traditions come from us, and we can prove it. Let them have their Christmas, and lets enjoy our Yule and then move on.

The 8 social Sabbats

    As I  look at the various pagan communities, I  see many  great things and a few bad things about it. I  love being a part of the pagan community.  There is a level of disconnect within the pagan community for  each other and with  the rest of the world it seems in my eyes. This  goes for the solitary practitioner and those that  are members of covens. We have become entrenched in a cycle of  the life , that  we kind of forgot about living. What  I  mean is that  it  seams most pagans can tell  you about the 8  sabbats , the 13 esbats, their primary gods and goddesses, and recite the wiccan rede. This in a way  does bother me,  it is slowly turning into  a dogmatic  cycle of being pagan.

    When I  think  about dogma , I  automatically think  about the Christian dogma and all  the boring cycles it has and all the troubles that it has as well.  And if you have ever had to  deal  with  or witness the cold hearted approach that  some Christians have towards non-believers, you  might have asked yourself ..."Why  don't they teach Christians how to live in society?"  In my debate room days the frequent question was why  does the church  spend so much time preaching about dying and going to heaven, but no  time on being a part of society?  And I  started to  think  that  we as pagans are falling into  this same situation, and I  don't want that  to happen.

     Because paganism is an umbrella term, it covers a lot of ground and  groups. Odinists that  would carry an axe for some ceremony  work  are in the same group as "Harm none" Wiccans.   As in Christianity there are rifts between the different denominations, so  I  know we will have the same issue as the Pagan community grows and gets stronger.  And it is human nature to focus on the differences and forget what  we have in common with  others.  But for Pagans it is much  worse, there is a feel  of being head strong in beliefs and being shunned by others.  So  we separate and hide our pagan sides to  society, we can walk next to  another pagan and never know it.

     So I  was doing a lot of thinking on what  can be done to  stop  this and improve the pagan community. I  decided that  I  was going to  create 8 new sabbats for my practice that  focus on being a better person and a part of society.  No longer was I  going to  hide who  and how I  am. The eight traditional sabbats will  stay in place, and be treated with  the great respect they  deserve. I  will  refer to  these as the 8  Solar Sabbats because they  are based off of the solar year.  In between each  sabbat I will  be placing a Social  Sabbat.  These will  work on improving our personal and social lives and break us out of the ruts that  some of us are in.

1. Dec 21      Yule
2. Jan 11.      Resolution Day
3. Feb 2.       Imbolc
4. Feb 25.     Peace Day
5. Mar 21     Ostara
6. Apr 11,    Friendship  day
7. May  1     Beltaine
8. May  27   Homage Day
9. June 21    Litha
10. July  11.  Animal Day
11. Aug 1      Lughnasadh
12. Aug 27    Rustic day
13. Sept 21    Mabon
14. Oct 11     Sharing Harvest Day
15. Oct 31      Samhain
16. Nov 26    Day of Mourning

    I know that  the names of these new sabbat ideas may  sound corny, but they  are still  a work in progress.

    Resolution day  is a day  of self discovery  and evaluation. Taking a lists of good and bad traits that  you have , and thinking about why  you are that  way.  And making a 3rd list on who  you want to  be in the coming years. The ritual  that I have figured out is taking the good qualities list and the who  you want to  be list and place them in your  book of shadows .  The list of negative qualities  would be burned at  the altar , symbolizing you shedding the parts you no longer want.

    Peace Day is about resolving the conflicts in your life and your part of the world. The day is spent  thinking about who  you have issues with and why.  and when possible talk them out and end the hatred.

    Friendship  day is a day  devoted to  making new pagan friends.  With  the previous sabbats completed you are a better person and  worthy  of making new pagan acquaintances.

    Homage day, is a day  devoted to  honoring people that  have changed your lives. not just immediate family and veterans. This concept is about learning and honoring the great people of history and how  they  affected us today.  The ritual that I envisioned is a meal  with many images of the honored people and openly talking about them and to  them. Many  people love Robin Williams, you could have an image of him on a wall and talk about your favorite movie and how it moved you.

    Animal day is to  focus on the animals in our world. We as pagans focus on how the plants are growing that  sometimes we forget to  look  at  the animals.  It is summertime, so  spend time with  animals outside, maybe go  to  the zoo if you don't have any  pets.  Go  vegan for a day if you still  eat meat. Have a ritual  that  focuses on the totem animals and their  attributes.  Such  as the Bear is a symbol of the earth and strength.

    Rustic day is to  remind us that  the natural  world is not of computers and cellphones.  That  people used fire to  cook  and not a microwave.  Shun all  modern equipment the best that  you can and live life like  those back in the day.  I know that  we can never get back  to  the say it used to  be in the 400's.  I  plan to  live that  day  like it  was 1914 not 2014.

    Sharing the Harvest Day  is about sharing the good foods ands wealth that  we may  have. The foods are being harvested in the fields, this should be a day  to make sure that  nobody goes hungry. Have a ritual  for some food that  you can give to  charity.  Maybe you know a family that is down on their luck,  cook  them a meal  and give it to them. For those that  are also  having economic issues, I  thought about setting up  a potluck for friends and family.  If everyone brought one dish, the group  will have a good meal and good friendship.

    Mourning day, Homage day  was to  celebrate all  the positive moments and people in history during the waxing time of the year. Mourning day is to  show respect for those that  lost and suffered .  A ritual  to  send out energy so  that  these people would not be forgotten for  what  they  did or went through.

 I  think  that  this  would be a great journey for us pagans to  take. With  resolution day  we are reborn. We  make peace and friendship as we grow in the year. As the year matures we show respect to  those that made our lives possible and to  world around us.  Then we learn about work  and sharing with others. Finally as the year  starts to  end we mourn those that  paid a high price for what  they  believed in.

    I  would love to  hear some feedback  from others about this idea of mine. And do  you know of any  other pagans that  have similar ideas. Take Care and Be At Peace.

Evangelical Pagans and Shunning..

     I  was greatly disturbed yesterday  when I  quickly peeked at Facebook  before I  headed off to  work. I  have Shauna Aura Knight on my friends list and she recently posted a comment that  bothers me greatly.  Shauna is upset that  the Frosts are invited guests to  the Michigan Pagan Pride Day,  and she has decided to campaign to remove the Frosts from this  event. Here is the post she made:

There are a many issues here that  just upset me greatly. Shauna lives in Illinois and is from Wisconsin. Why is she getting involved with  what is going on in Michigan. If a group in Michigan want to  have the Frosts  as guests, they  should be allowed without  some out of state person complaining.  Shauna is just as  bad in my eyes as the  American Family Association. This is one of a few groups that  sent Campaign money to Iowa after Iowa legalized Gay marriage. They made it their mission to  oust the judges that  voted in favor of Gay  marriage.  Shauna is wanting to  campaign to oust the frosts.

One of my Favorite aspects of Paganism is the freedom that we all  have in following the path  that  we want. You  can place 200  pagans in the same room and not find two  that  share the same exact beliefs. There is really no  wrong way  to  be a pagan. But Shauna is basically telling these people in Michigan that  they  are wrong in  wanting to  have the Frosts to  be at their event.  A couple of pagans must have wanted to  meet the frosts and they are being told be Shauna that  this is wrong.

Shauna is saying that  her problems aren't with  the Frosts, but  with  the pagans that  support them.  That it is 'water under the bridge". If it is actually water under the bridge, why is she getting so upset about  this?  But  she did  mention that  the Frosts were "wrong" with  what  they  wrote TWICE.  Everyone including Shauna can have an opinion, but  there is a difference in having an opinion and trying to enforce it one others. Shauna has become an Evangelical Pagan, she has decided that  her  moral  standards are above others.  Because everybody that  doesn't  agree with  her must change their  way of handling of the Frosts.  Shauna wants you to  SHUN the Frosts.  There is no  way  of spinning this to not look like shunning.  Shauna is very  descriptive to  the level of interaction she wants the Frosts to  get... NONE!!!

     When did  Shunning become a part of Paganism?  Up until  this  year I  have never heard of any  pagans be told that  they  are to  be shunned. With  Shauna's demand that  the Frosts receive no  hospitality, this makes it the second time for me to  see Shunning used in Paganism. The first was a few months ago when a lady  that  I  was in a disagreement with  said that  she would block me from attending a any  pagan event  within 300 miles.  And what  makes this situation even worse is that  both these people are members of a pagan leadership group on Facebook.  And that  should  make you  see some red flags.  It is also  how organized religion works, Paganism is going to  face some growing pains very  soon. Name a religion that is famous for shunning people?............ I  bet over half of you said Christianity.  Didn't many of us Pagans leave Christianity because of things like this?

     Shauna is upset  with  the Frost's writings , calling them unethical.  Which is something that  I  find hypocritical. Shauna is asking for the Frosts to  be shunned by the pagan community.  In her eyes they shouldn't be a part of any  events and nobody should attend their classes.  This is how pagans earn money in the pagan community. Thus Shauna is openly blocking the Frosts  from employment in the  Pagan community. Shauna is Blackballing the Frosts, and that is an illegal action.  And the legal  definition for Blackballing in Iowa (my State) is: Preventing or trying to prevent, either verbally or in writing, a discharged employee from obtaining other employment.

     Why is Shauna so  upset? Because the Frosts wrote a book " The witch's bible" later named "The good witches bible". Chapter four has some writings that  can be taken in a unethical manner. It is talking about sex in the coven, and that  new members should be prepared to  be sexual within the coven. In the original edition no  age was stated and thus a few people like A J Drew took  it as targeting children. Shauna states in her post that  the Frosts have done nothing about this problem. When in fact they have done all they  can do to fix the situation.  They have revised the book, calling the revised version 'The Good Witches Bible" In which  they have added a disclaimer stating   "No formal initiation into a group that practices the great rite should be done before the candidate attains the age of eighteen."   18 is the legal age of adulthood, thus no kids would be brought in to  this act.  The reason why  this issue won't die is because there are still  copies of the original book still out there and that is what  people are looking for. The Frosts can't go out  and find every single copy and destroy them. And the revised edition was printed over 25 years ago.

     Evangelical Shauna has decided that  the many many  pagans that have moved past this one book are wrong as well.  Shauna is upset that  these pagans have swept this issue under the carpet.  Remember that  wonderful aspect about Paganism, how we can each  find our own unique path. Shauna thinks you are wrong for not  punishing the Frosts as much as she thinks they  deserve.  Should it be up  to  the individual  to decide who  they wish  to  be friends with and learn from?  Shauna has decided that she is the moral  standard and that  you apparently need to  follow her desires when it  comes to  the Frosts. I  have ideals and ethics as well, but I  can't and won't campaign to  have them imposed on others.  I am not perfect, and my  ethics are ideal for my culture and location. Paganism is a world wide blanket term for various earth based religions, covering many  cultures and nations. Who am I  to  say that  my ethics can be put on the world,  I  would be an ASS is I  tried that. But Shauna is doing it by  telling others that  the Frosts should be shunned and receive nothing from the Pagan community.

     I  did my research on the Frosts. I  double checked sources looking for anything that  was questionable about them.  If they  were molesting children,  I  wanted to  see the proof of it. And that is the thing,  The Frosts have never be charged with  molesting children.  There are people like A J Drew that have accused them of it, but  they  are innocent of child molestation.  I seen people on Shauna's post call them child molesters, and Shauna never corrected them on the name calling.  The Frosts are being punished for a crime they  did not commit.  They  are only guilty of poorly writing and explaining their ideas about sex in the coven. I  read the Wild Hunt that  said the same thing I  am saying,  The Frosts have never been found guilty or charged with  child molestation, but  some people  assume that  they  have.

     Then I  have been asking myself a very important question. Why is Shauna doing this? The Book in question has been out of print for over 25 years. The Frosts have added the disclaimer, thus editing and removing the  parts in question.  It is my opinion that  Shauna has gotten a little too  big  for her britches and is still  working on building her name.  I  call  her an Evangelical  because she is trying to impose her ideals on others,  showing little regard to  the individuality that  pagans love.   Most evangelicals need something to  preach  against. Christianity has satan and sins, Shauna as it seems has picked the Frosts.  The Frosts are 84 and 83 years old, it is a canned hunt. Just like the crude trophy hunters that  spend money  hunting an old or injured tiger, Shauna is 38 years old with  a large online fan base of young people that  have probably never read any  book  by the Frosts. In my opinion , Shauna is just as bad as A J Drew when he decided to  burn the Frosts in Effigy.

     I  am going to post my blog on Shauna's facebook  page.  I  am blunt and to  the point, some of these questions need to  be answered. Shauna, when did shunning become an acceptable practice in Paganism? Who  gave you the authority to  decide which people need to  be shunned?  Shouldn't the  Pagans of Michigan be the ones to  decide who will  be the special guests at their Pagan event? After all, it is Michigan Pagan event and not Shauna Pagan event.  Are you going to  create a list of all  pagans that  are not allowed to  be special guests at Pagan events? So  that  next year Michigan doesn't have to  ask you before they  pick that years special  guests.  Shauna is out doing a witch  hunt on two people that done a lot for  the pagan community. It  was their church  that  was the first federally recognized pagan Church. They  have written many  books, and have helped teach many  pagans. I  remember there being discussions about respecting older pagans for all  the knowledge they have is important to  share,  I  guess you missed those discussions.

      Those two pagans wrote the very first pagan book I  ever read,   I  do  respect the older pagans that  have so much  to teach us.  They are not guilty of any  crimes against children.  So if you are looking for a fight,  you now have one with me.

The Maynard Generation, not the millenium generation.

I  am an older person with  some strong old fashioned ethics. But do not conclude that I  am out of the loop. I  am fairly good with  computers and I  check out the latest trends.  And there a old fashioned ethics that  worth knowing and living to.  Shunning these ethics is not productive for yourself and society. And what  are these ethics that  I  am talking about? Hard work, manners, and being self reliant are the three standards that I  think  are being ignored by  the latest generation to enter the work world.

A few months ago I  read an article that  kids are taking their parents with  them to  job interviews. If I  was an employer I  would never hire a person that  brought their mom or dad to a job interview. I  would want a one on one conversation with  the person that I  might hire.  And since I  am not hiring their mom or dad, they  shouldn't be there. It tells m that  this person can't handle situations on their own. If I  had a large corporation to  run with  a major presentation to  be delivered by  the millennial , do I  tell  then to make sure that  the  bring their mom with, because we can't miss this opportunity?

Manners seams to  be dying away  at a quicker pace. Because of the limited social interactions that  this new generation has due to  cellphones and twitter,  millennials are social stunted. At work  for me, the younger employees barely say  anything at break  and lunch  time. they  just sit and stare at their smart phone.  And their posts are so  grammatically challenged , you would think  that  a 5th grader wrote them. The art of conversation  has vanished, being replaced with  "loll's" and "ROFL's".  With  such limited mentality, these people don't know social  graces like please and thank yous. opening the door for someone is now mostly done by  the older people only.  There are some exceptions, but  there aren't many.

I  was told at work  that  the 'rules' have changed. That  we have to  be nicer and more sensitive towards the younger generation. They  can't handle  the negativity that  we are accustomed to. I  am so  against this principal. Now the younger people that  have little or no  work  ethic have been given ore control over the work environment. Worse yet , we can't tell them to  get to  work. So  people like myself that have worked  a certain job for over 10 years have to bend over backwards to  accommodate the younger less experienced person. They  can actually start dictating how the work area will  run because they  can now run to a manager and say  that someone like me was 'mean'.

And this new generation doesn't have a work ethic  to save their life.  Recently I have a 20 year old kid last one day  working with me, and I  did  a majority of the work.  Many  25 and younger kids  haven't lasted more than a month at my  work. How  can you say  that  you gave a job an honest attempt if you  only went to work  twice?  And these kids are our future leaders? well I  feel  a great deal of doom over head.  Many kids were handed everything they  wanted without having to earn it. So  they  have become dependent  on the others giving in to  them. These young adults  get upset when they are cut off from  their parents  bank  account.  Work is something they  just can't handle. They  want the paycheck  but not the work it takes to  earn it.  There are many  that  believe that  they  should be managers when they  can't do  the work  of an entry level employee.

So  why  call  these young adults with  little to offer society the Maynard Generation instead of the millennium Generation? Because there is a TV character that  these people act like.  And not the Tow truck  named Maynard from Cars.  Because that  character was 'Get R Done" , and that  would require an effort.  In the early  1960's there was a program called "The Many  Loves of Dobie Gillis" or just "Dobie Gillis".  Well Dobie was a high school student and he had his best buddy... Maynard G. Krebbs.  Maynard was a Slacker that  was afraid of work. Every time he heard the word work he would  freak out.   Maynard lacked social skills, manners, and a work ethic, much like this new generation does today.  He is the clip from YouTube the shows you what I  mean..  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqzpQPDSr2s


This is the first generation that  has  failed to  show  potential  and desire to make this country a better place. This generation will  be in and out of the work environment faster that many of us older workers and we will have to  support their  failures.  This why  we must improve our schools, schools have declined in putting out quality people. This must change our we will  become the least modern industrial nation on the planet.

Safety versus Freedom.

    All of the turmoil caused by  the arrest of Kenny  Klein is  taking shape , and it is a very ugly monster that  is being created.  Many  people are voicing concern of safety for  the women and children at pagan events.  Men you are on your own, at  these events.  Emotions are still  high and will  cause lapse of thinking by  those that  are enraged by  the possibility of something happening to children.  Don't get me wrong I  want to  protect the children as well, I  am a divorced father and I  would go  psycho if I  learned someone harmed either of my  kids.

     There is some rational  thought  when discussing preventive measures.  We do  need to  keep  a better eye on the children and know the people that  are watching the children as well.  But many  people knew Kenny, just because you knew a person for 10-15 years doesn't mean that  he is not dangerous. Think about the 3 ladies that  were abducted and locked up in a house for over a decade. Nobody really questioned it , it all  depends on how well you can hide your 'bad behaviors'. No security system is fool proof. If someone is desperate enough, they  will  find a weakness to  the system and exploit it.

    Recently in Witch.vox, there was an article written by    Lady Ann Oxyer aka Lady Sage Bastisis , her articled was titled: Safety: Lets shift our focus. I  strongly disagree with  her  concept of improving security at pagan events. She states: "There is a very easy way to counteract the tactics of sex offenders. As I do in my coven, every person who attends an event absolutely has to be checked, at the very least, against the National Sex Offender Registry. It is a free website that anyone can look at and it only takes 15 seconds to type in someone's name and run a quick check. If the person sends in their registration before the event, even better. You can check them out before they show up at your event's registration table. At the registration table, have a laptop with mobile WiFi set up for the ones who didn't register ahead of time."

     A few paragraphs down she then states:"In addition to checking everyone against the sex offender registry, I also propose that state issued It’s be checked at registration, a photocopy of the I.D. is taken and kept on file, and that you keep records indefinitely. I can think of several reasons why this is a good idea; however, the main one being that you have a person's legal name AND photo in case the unthinkable happens at an event. It is much easier for a victim of a sex crime to look through copies of photo I.D.'s to find a perpetrator's face and also it makes cooperating with a police investigation MUCH easier."

    So  starting with  checking every name against the sex offender's registry. If a person has no  sexual criminal  history, they  have nothing to  worry about.  But this can be beaten easily, How many  people can tell if an out of state license is real  or forged. I  could get an out of state license with a fake name , and I  will  not show up on the registry, and thus get access to  the event.

     And there is one thing that  has not been mentioned by  all  the security minded people that  want to impose security standards.  What if the next pervert that  walks through that  gate has never been caught before?  The  Sex offenders registry can't list people that  haven't been found guilty of sex crimes.

    Taking a photocopy of the ID is something I  would have to  scream no to.  And it would be something that  would cause many  people to  walk  away from pagan events.  I say  this because many  pagans are still in the broom closet and the chance that  this information getting out would be devastating to  them.  The worst thing happens, a little girl is molested at an event. All the people that  went to  the event are called to  the police station. What if  "Billy" , snuck  to  the event because he is only 19  and still  lives with  his parents, which  are devout Christians. The police  call  his mom and inform  her of the Pagan Pride day  and the possible connection to the little girl getting  molested. Can you imagine  what  "Billy's" life is going to  be after that  call.

     "John" is also in the broom closet, he attended the same event.  He is innocent of everything, but the police go  to his work and talk  to  him.  If it gets out that  he is a pagan, he could lose his job. Having the police talk to  him about a child molestation is also  going to  cause havoc on his life.  Yes I  would want the pervert found and arrested,  but I  also  don't want it  to  destroy other lives in the process either. They  couldn't ID the assailant because he wore a mask.   It is also  known that  minors sexually abuse those younger than themselves.  So if a 15 year old  molests a 7 year old, there would be no photo ID to  compare with.

    Far  too many  ways to  breach  the supposed security. And there will  be many  of you that  will  tell me that  this is just a start. And that is what  I  am afraid of.  Look  at  the anger and disgust with  the NSA at the airports. Do  we want something like the NSA for pagan events?  Are we going to  require advanced screening and applications to  attend pagan events?  Sorry sir, your application was turned down, you didn't get it in our office in time to purchase a ticket.  Sorry madam,  we no longer allow walk-ins at Iowa Pagan events, you will  have to leave.

     And then many  pagan events occur in NATURE, scary concept I know. And this lady stated:"For many years I have preached, pleaded, and begged leaders in the Pagan Community to NOT take such a laissez faire approach to festival/Pagan event planning. Most Pagan events are held in semi-remote, wooded, primitive camping type settings. People show up at these festivals, pay their entrance fees, and are free to set up camp (literally) , as they like."   And it is true, The Iowa Pagan Pride event takes place at an open city park where people  from the surrounding area can just waltz in.  So  a pervert doesn't even have to  get processed at  the from gate to  get in.  But by  her standard, pagan events should now go inside  a secured fenced in area with  a patrol or a large building to  regulate all people coming and going from the event.

     While an event should make sure that  the area is safe for kids to  be at.  It is still  the parents job to  watch over their children. Why  should event organizers be held to  resolve security issues, when it should be the parents held responsible.  Mom and Dad want to  look  at  the  vendors stuff, kids go  run and play over there. 

    There are bad people out there. They  don't wear signs or send warnings. Some people can hold their evil  intentions back until they  know they  can get away  with  it.  No  security system is fool proof,  if there is a weakness ,people will  find it.

    All of this comes at a price that  I  don't want to  pay. There is a nice little quote that I  remember, and I  want to  share it with  you.   “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” Quote by Benjamin Franklin.  When great acts go  against people, there seems to be people that  take advantage of the situation to  get what  they  seek.  Look  at  Bush  and the Patriot acts.  Let's not go  down this road of  over-reaction. We have seen the results with the TSA.  In the US we value our freedoms of religion, but  will  we allow fears take control and Tarnish  what  we are working so  hard to  build?

"Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security" - Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.dictionary-quotes.com/the-man-who-trades-freedom-for-security-does-not-deserve-nor-will-he-ever-receive-either-benjamin-franklin/#KgBjuClswx5zmLST.99

                        

"Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security" - Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.dictionary-quotes.com/the-man-who-trades-freedom-for-security-does-not-deserve-nor-will-he-ever-receive-either-benjamin-franklin/#KgBjuClswx5zmLST.99

"Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security" - Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.dictionary-quotes.com/the-man-who-trades-freedom-for-security-does-not-deserve-nor-will-he-ever-receive-either-benjamin-franklin/#KgBjuClswx5zmLST.99

"The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either." – Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.dictionary-quotes.com/the-man-who-trades-freedom-for-security-does-not-deserve-nor-will-he-ever-receive-either-benjamin-franklin/#KgBjuClswx5zmLST.99

"The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either." – Benjamin Franklin
Read more at http://www.dictionary-quotes.com/the-man-who-trades-freedom-for-security-does-not-deserve-nor-will-he-ever-receive-either-benjamin-franklin/#KgBjuClswx5zmLST.99

Life Coaching... My understanding of it.

     Recently I have been seeing a few people claim to  be life coaches, and a couple of them were giving me a less than positive feeling.  So I  decided to  do  a little research and present my views on this rapid growth industry.  What is a "Life Coach" in the first place. A Life Coach is a person that is paid to  provide positive re-enforcement and structure to  help  a client react his/her goals. This is not just  motivation speaking in general. The life coach is to  develop a plan to meet the unique needs of the client. They usually give the client a weekly session  of an hour to  listen to  the clients current status and then give encouragement and instructions.

     So  a life coach  needs to  be a good listener, take plenty of notes, organizer, be an excellent communicator, understand sociology and psychiatry.  You  should have a friendly disposition and be able to  separate your personal life from the needs of the client. Patience  would be a requirement as well  when dealing with  people that  have little if no  will power to  motivate themselves.

     As I  stated earlier this is a growing business, there has been reports of over 1 Billion dollars spent last year in this and closely related fields. Many  institutes are available to  teach  you the basics of being a life coach. With little time and effort you can be a certified Life Coach.  In fact you can  be a Life Coach today if you wanted to. Being a Life Coach is a non regulated profession in the United States. It  falls into  the field of Psychics and tarot readers. You  are only as good as the way  that  you present yourself and sell  yourself.

     Doctors have to  pass a series of tests to  be a licensed and practice medicine in the US. Lawyer's have to pass the Bar exam. Many  professions require a college degree in  the field of employment. And some professions just need you to  have an advanced education to  do  the work  that  you seek.  A good doctor has spent 8 years in college before he is allowed to  perform serious medical  procedures

     You  can go online an find many  'institutes"  that  are willing to  teach  you how to  be a Life coach and other holistic style professions. I  checked out the Spencer institute and I  was in shock  about what I  found.  They have  several of these 'new age' profession set-ups. I  saw prices from $150.oo to  $197.oo for this training. And you are thinking that  wow  that is cheap, upon reading more about this class offering, you  will  find out why.  They  say  how long it should take to  finish  this training package.  They  said the average person can finish it in 40 hours.  That  means that  I  can in one week devote 8  hours a day to learning this and finish the course.  I  then take a test and earn my certification that is valid for 2 years. Then I  would have to  go  back  and get further training and recertification.

     But I know what  you are thinking... they  are an accredited  institute.  Yes they  are accredited by  the American Association of drugfree  Practioners.. or AADP. this group was formed in 1990, making it only 24 years old.  It is also listed as a fake accrediting agency.  http://www.geteducated.com  Because this is an unregulated industry, I  can get a couple of friends together and create an accrediting agency and then give accreditation to an institute that  I  built myself.  And while it would be a very unethical thing to  do, it would be legal.  Thus in a couple of months I  can create the institute and accrediting agency and sell various holistic classes to  others.  And isn't that  a quite scary concept.

     I have seen this happen recently. And I  am very  upset about it. I know many  pagan ladies that  will  be upset with  this. Flora Petersen has a class that  she is currently selling for  people to  be "Certified Professional Psychics".

 

Flora Peterson has called herself a Life Coach.   I  wonder what  special  training she gives people.  Here is the link  for you to  check it out yourself. FloraSage Therapies Institute But the numbers speak  for themselves 18+ hours of training on prerecorded formats. As I  read it the only one on one time you get with her is the certification process. In which  you will  read the tarot cards for her.  And anyone can give a general  interpretation of the cards and can't be called wrong. That is what  make Tarot card reading awesome there is really no  right or wrong answers, it is about making a vague result to  satisfy the client. This is no  Legal Bar Exam.  But look  at  the highlighted  part of this next image. 

 

"  At the institute Flora teaches Psychic Development courses and personally trains and certifies Spiritual Empowerment Coaches as well as a host of other programs and classes for people from all walks of life."  And what is the name of this Institute called ... "FloraSage Therapies Institute".  And you were probably calling me nuts when I  mentioned I  could create my own institute and accrediting agency, and that it  would be legal.

 

    I already  give people advice and help others through life's troubles.  Recently at work,  I  offered my services to  a lady  that is a lesbian. I  told her  that if she couldn't find a minister to  get married because they  were objecting to it, that I  would perform her marriage ceremony.  I  am an Ordained minister. I  love helping people that  are new to  paganism,  showing them some of the things I  have learned over the years.  I  give advice to  the young men that  I  work  with about how to  live a better life and avoid the pain that  comes through opening new doors of life.  I have read many  books about relationships and social issues.  I  am just not getting paid for  any of it.  Well  that is about to  change, today I  am becoming a Life Coach....

     OK, I  am only joking about becoming a life coach.  I am happy to  help others without the money. You  have to  ask  yourself do  you  really need someone telling you to  live your life. And there has to  be a degree of self-centeredness to  be a life coach. You  think  that  your life is so  great that  others will  pay  you to  place your ethics into  their life.  We are all unique and our needs and desires are also  quite unique.  We have to  find our own way  and learn from our mistakes.  If you must have someone hold your hand, are you learning everything that  you  need to?

     As I  was saying earlier, life coaches don't have any  required training and with  certification being just a fancy  piece of paper, could you allow someone without proper training give you mental assessments?  If they are fully trained psychiatric medical  personal, why  are they not working in the regulated medical industry?  There are probably some wonderful  people out there that  can help out a great number of people, however you are gambling that  the person you pick is worthy  of your trust and money.  If you  got  the money to waste , just grab Joe Schmoo  off the streets and get his advice,

that is the risk that  you would be taking.



Feminism in Paganism

    Paganism talks about equality between the two  genders.  I  talk  about the days of the Celts where men and women were equals. Both men and women can own land, inherit wealth, and fight in battle as equals. In Celtic society it was the person with  the most financi9al  wealth in the marriage that  made the decisions, and so  the female could very  well  make all  the decisions of the family. It was the spread of Southern European and Christian values that  put an end to  that.  Soon women were treated as property and second rate people. Something that  I  find disgusting.

    We have made some great changes in society since then. Women have laws in place to  protect them from being treat bad by most men.  I  say most men because not all  men follow the law. Women can go  to  college and enter the job market like most men can now. There are still  some issues with  equality, but it is caused by  a select few men, not  the majority in general.
    
    One of the great aspects of Paganism is that it promotes gender equality. And so  many  women flock  to  paganism for a chance to  have religious freedom that  they  are not allowed in many  Abrahamic groups.  This  has cause a great imbalance of women to  men  in paganism. And it is starting to affect the balance in paganism , in my opinion. Feminism has been crawling in at a steady rate and is now affecting groups of pagans.

    As I  stated in a previous post, with  the Arrest of Kenny Klein, a door was opened to  promote feminism quicker in paganism. I  saw a few statements that  were also  direct transfers of rhetoric from Atheist Plus to paganism.  With  mentioning the "Don't be that  Guy" campaign in Canada. I  find this troublesome.

    Today , I  encountered feminism in a Facebook  group, and it inspired me to  write this blog. I  have been seeing a lot of imagery and comments about women be better than men.  I  responded to  image that  has a man apologizing to  a female deity, the female being mother earth.   And I  would have just ignored the whole image, but  it has the female aspect calling the man aspect self centered. Then it stated that  the earth would survive with man  by stating" You  are fucking yourself over big time and you won't be missed."  I  found this to  be a massive insult to me.  SO I  stated that  I  found this image to  be sexist by  having the man being showed as flawed and the woman as a goddess.  And then how I  usually see many  goddess images on Facebook, but so  little god images.  Then I  used science to  remind that life here would be possible if it wasn't for the sun. Many  aspects view the sun as male and the earth female.  SO  where was the gender balance in this image.

    And the response was classic feminist tactics.

Lena Breijer The sun is female too - get over it.
Lorn West No, in some paths, the sun is considered male. learn something.

     Telling me to  'get over it' was an aggressive move be this lady. I  responded in kind, by telling her to  learn something.

JD Hobbes Dial it back Lorn. No need to be so aggressive. We're all just sharing our ideas.
Lorn West JD , And someone just told me to 'get over it', where is your comment to her to not get aggressive?
JD Hobbes Telling Lena to "learn something" was unnecessary and insulting
Lorn West And her telling me to 'get over it' was insulting to me. and yet you said nothing.
JD Hobbes Boo-hoo. Life is so unfair.
Lorn West Oh great the white knight is here.

    The white knight is a man that  will  defend any  and all  females in a fight even if she was the one that  started the fight. There has been many  studies and TV shows that  show white knights in action. Women in general  can cause fights in groups of people because they  know that most men would enter the fight to  defend her, even though she threw the fight punch.

     And the feminist rhetoric is in Paganism. I  was asking for equality, was  never insulting towards women.

Serendipity Ninth perhaps you can "get over" your male white privilege and see things through alternative eyes...
Lena Breijer Yes the sun is male in some southern regions - like those have have tried to run over the rest of the world for the last 3000 years - get over it. It is our turn. Most of what has been done to the earth that s discussed was due to male gods and and MEN in power wanting more and more power and cash - suck it up baby
Lorn West white male privilege, comment that  is sexist and racist at the same time. Just because a man is white doesn't mean that he is blessed with privileges.
Serendipity Ninth you may not recognize the privileges you have, but being annoyed by this comic shows male privilege in that you're annoyed that it doesn't fit your comfortable stereotypes (just the uncomfortable ones).

    See the spite that  these pagan women have for men. It is so  terrible and unneeded. SO  let me get this straight, because men from 200 years ago  did  some bad things it is my  fault.  Just because men from 1000 years ago  did  some stupid things I  must be held accountable because I  have a penis.  I  am not those men that  oppressed any  woman a hundred years ago  from attending college. I  am not the man that  blocked equal  pay, but  these angry ladies are holding me responsible for it.  I have to  pay for the crimes committed against women for the last  3000 years in some areas just because I  have a penis. The sins of the father are passed on to  the son for eternity.

    Lena's ending to  her comment was absolutely pathetic. "suck it up  baby".  Another aggressive angry comment by  the same person, and the white knight does nothing.  Calling me a baby is an insult, and this JD Hobbes  is the supposed admin for a debate group. The typical  white knight does exactly what  white knights do.  Goes blind to  female aggression and only sees men as the aggressors. It is his way  to  pay  for the guilt he has for the crimes ,against females committed over the last  3000 years. Even though he has done none of it.

     SO I have to  ask a simple question. Do any of these ladies and all  ladies in general  use these advances created by man ? I personally find it hypocritical  for women to  complain about the ways 'men' have corrupted the world, but  have no problems using these advances that  resulted in their actions. Most of the current smart phones a dependent of rare metals to  function,  these metals are strip mined in China.  Yet how many  have the latest cellphone? I  don't own a cellphone, and I  never will.

    I have seen women's business groups form all over Facebook  and other social media. And that  would be fine if these same women didn't complain about the 'good ole boy's club'. https://www.facebook.com/myBWNOnline   So  why  are men wrong for doing something that  women  are doing?   IN Canada , women protest the MRA events. Funny how it would be sexist and oppressive for men to protest Women's events , but it is alright for women to  protest men's events.

     As I  see it, women have benefited from all  the advancements of 'men' but  they  are passing the blame for all  the bad results  on men.  Women have aided in development of sciences as well, but only man is guilty for raping the earth.   I  am tired of hearing that society is a patriarchy or male dominated.  Bars have Ladies night, where woman can drink  half priced drinks, men don't have that. Men are told to  give up  their seat so  a lady  can sit down. Half of the Domestic violence in the US is proven statistically to  be caused by  women, but there is a "Violence against Woman act".  The selective Service still only requires boys to  sign up  at  age 18, not women. There have been wonderful female world leaders  like Margaret Thatcher of the UK, Merkel  for Germany.  In the "Ban Bossy" campaign one of the speakers is a woman that  is a billionaire.  

     So I  will  end this with one simple question. The Feminist movements has created many  laws that  protects women's rights to  go to  college, get a job, and buy  a home. There are laws that  protect a woman and give her special treatment if she suffers from domestic abuse.  There are laws  now and some still  be worked on that  provide women with  equal pay  rate.  There are many  colleges and business that  now have quota on how many  women must be employed, meaning that  a better male candidate could be turned down to  make the quota.  Has feminism grown so  powerful and drunk  with  power that  they  don't want equality, they  want vengeance?

     The next time you watch a feminist video, see if they  mention 'women's rights' or 'equal  rights'.  If they  can't mention 'equal rights' they  are not working  for equal  rights.