Bro. Hex

This (above) is a great post! BTW It's Halloween! Samhain to some of us...it is also "Dia de Los Muertos" (even if it is celebrated on a different date, it's really "all the same").

Congrats, RevElkins, I hope your ordination serves you well, and that it brings you much joy. Yeah, many of us have trod that "road of questioning"... like, for instance, what about Jesus' TWIN brother? If he was "one in a litter of two", did "the correct one" get identified as the Messiah? Were they "both" the product of a "virgin birth"? Makes you realize why "the church" didn't want to include Gospel of Thomas in the canon, doesn't it? I think "they" just wanted Thomas to "go away". So they "disappeared" him. Maybe? All copies of GoT were destroyed, except (lucky us!) for Nag Hammadi

Blackthorn, you have just given us an astonishingly good post. Thank you. You have "left us" two beautiful pearls. I only hope that you have not "left us". Your friend, Hex

The "old noggin" has done splendidly, by my lights. Your post was my first exposure to Druidry to any but the most superficial extent. I had no idea that they taught such a concept as "taking up your authority". It rings true, as does your reflection that it is difficult "to do" for others, when we ourselves are in such dire need. Thanks for the Maslow refresher...haven't thought of him recently. "The quiet solid knowing, that comes with a life lived in contemplation" is suggestive of a Gnostic's perspective on meaningful living in awareness of the "Spark of Light" (the God-spark) within. Thank you for a great post. Hex

I do not mean to minimize the suffering, the personal injury, or the loss that has resulted from the Twin Towers bombing. But truly, we Americans seem to treat this tragedy as a life-altering event for the whole world. Well, the "rest of the world" has been living with this kind of madness for decades now. Finally it happens to us, and we are "suddenly aware" of terrorism. We "feel the pain" for ourselves, and suddenly we awaken to the reality that everyone else has been enduring for a very long time. We are not unique under the sun, and neither is our pain. Terrorism isn't going to go away "for us" until it goes away "for everyone, everywhere". Welcome to the Global Village.

Welcome to the Forum, RecieDivie. You will find quite a wide range of participants here, From the sublime to the ridiculous !

Tail of Two Civets, which was not at all what...

Brother Sean, You, your brother, and your family are in my prayers, and the prayers of many here.

. 666: Isn't this what they now call "Old Route 66"?

Thanks Brian, Tracey, For letting us know that things got better, Blessings, Hex

I don't know if this approach is going to work here at the ULC, I have tried it elsewhere, with mixed results. The idea is to keep a thread, which is essentially a display of scripture, from getting unwieldy. So, I am asking folks who want to comment to "do it here". If this works out, Great...and if it doesn't...no big deal.

Yours is a very interesting choice of words, Fawzo. It brought to mind a narrative description of an episode from the works of Carlos Castaneda writing about The Yaqui Indian Sorcerer, Don Juan, in which the "lines of connectivity", which were radiating from "the center of being", a point approximately midway between the navel and the genitals, actually "became visible". Of course, reading Castaneda's accounts of his several mystical experiences involving Don Juan, do require something akin to "a suspension of belief" in the experiential world that we call "normal time". Castaneda, before his death, went on to transform himself into something quite wierd. But his Don Juan episodes are remarkable.

Not everyone can AFFORD to worry about whether or not a royalty payment will adhere to a re-sale of a used book. If you are one of the fortunate few who doesn't have to "watch his (or her) nickels and dimes", then you will most likely choose to "treat yourself" to a nice crisp (new) copy of any given text, anyway. You will still enjoy searching the used book stores for those out-of-print or just-not-stocked items that aren't readily available anywhere else. And don't forget the environmental aspect! Buying a used book might save a tree....and besides, used book sellers are usually small businesses, and those folks "need to eat" too.

Hi Midnyght, Welcome to the ULC Forum. Pagans, "Neo" or otherwise have had a "bad rap" (historically speaking) at the hand of some of the traditions represented here. I have only recently come to realize the extent of the polemic assault waged against the "Old Religion" by those who were the fierce proponents of a "New Religion" many hundreds of years ago. If I understand you correctly, when you speak of "the horns of the stag" you are speaking metaphorically about a "symbol" which represents for you one of the specific deities of your religion, am I correct? I am in total agreement with your observation that no human language is "sufficiently perfect" to speak accurately of the Divine One.

I wish to share my favorite sentiment concerning our four-legged friends... I cannot call it a theory, because it is more from the heart than the head: There are indeed Angels in this world, they walk on all four, and are covered in soft fur.

Origen is one of the more reliable of the Early Church Fathers. The very first Lines of The Gospel Of Thomas (GoT) read as follows: "These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. " Many of the Secret Teachings are presented in the Gospel of Thomas, which can be viewed on-line at the following URL: http://www.webcom.com/gnosis/naghamm/gosthom.html We know Didymous Judas Thomas as "the Apostle Thomas". The word Didymous means "the Twin". It is thought by many that he was a twin brother of Yeshua. Fawso has alluded to an episode during which Yeshua (Jesus) communicated some Secret Teachings to one of the Apostles (it was Thomas). As for "what was said by Jesus during that encounter, here is what GoT tells us about that encounter: 13. Jesus said to his disciples, "Compare me to something and tell me what I am like." Simon Peter said to him, "You are like a just messenger." Matthew said to him, "You are like a wise philosopher." Thomas said to him, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like." Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended." And he took him, and withdrew, and spoke three sayings to him. When Thomas came back to his friends they asked him, "What did Jesus say to you?" Thomas said to them, "If I tell you one of the sayings he spoke to me, you will pick up rocks and stone me, and fire will come from the rocks and devour you." As for what Yeshua said to Didymos Judas Thomashim, "Teacher, my mouth is utterly unable to say what you are like."

Hello Rev Tess. I'm from the U.S. so I am no authority on Aussie rules and regulations. But I do have a suggestion for you: Talk to clergy folks in the progressive churches that are already accepted Down Under. You may discover that the Unitarians there, or some equally liberal organization, can themselves recognize your ULC ordination, and perhaps they can offer you "association" status, which may be useful in getting government recognition, if not for the ULC "in general", then perhaps at least for you and your mission. Good luck and God's blessings be with you. Rev Sam (hexalpa) Below is an exerpt I found "on the web" that lists some Aussie progressive organizations..Might be of help? What is new about the current progressive Christian expression, is this open and pluralistic faith is ‘coming out’ or resurfacing in many congregations in mainline churches, despite or in spite of, archbishops, moderators and ‘religious right’ lobby groups. As well it is giving sustenance and support to thousands of disillusioned individuals who “love the Christ and leave the Church” (Murray 2000) as New Zealand songwriter Shirley Murray puts it, and who now meet in informal, safe, discussion/nurturing groups in a dynamic grassroots movement. Some of the more formal groups are included among the sponsors of this Conference: Sea of Faith in Australia Progressive Christianity Network, South Australia The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought, Canberra The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought, Sydney Progressive Spirituality Network, Brisbane Progressive Christian Network of Victoria Progressive Evangelical Network, Sydney The Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship, Kirribilli.