hat Religious Projects Are You Working On?

It seems like it's been awhile since this was asked: what are you working on, religiously? What things are you struggling with, what issues are you facing? What's going really well for you?

Myself, I have a bit of a laundry list of things I'm working on. I'm working out ritual structure for some weekly, some monthly, and some yearly rituals; I'm writing hymns for said rituals (for lack of a better word for "stuff I say during ritual"); I'm preparing for a major altar move and redesign; I've got a book reading project going on my religious blog; and I'm researching for a hands-on religious symbolism project. It seems like a lot, but it's coming together pretty well, especially since my social and working lives are in a state of limbo, and school hasn't restarted yet.

So what's going on for you?

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Life After Death?

Image via Wikipedia

So, we come inevitably to the question of life after death. Is there something else out there waiting for us? Is it heaven? Hell? Reincarnation? An alternate universe? Or do we simply cease to exist? This is a question worthy of several weeks worth of discussion. Even then one would probably come to no solid compromise or agreement with others.

This has probably come up before, but I have a few questions that may or may not have been addressed.

First of all: Do you personally believe in a life after death? If yes, what do you see the afterlife being like? Where do we go?

Secondly: If there isn't anything else, what is the point of a moral system and/or why hold back from pleasure? Shouldn't we all be major Epicureans?

And: What is the point of religion?

Finally: Why do you believe/not believe in an afterlife of some sort? Furthermore, why do you think humans in general cling to this notion?

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Vodou (Voodoo) and Lwa

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Does anyone here, specifically those who do NOT consider themselves members of a vodou tradition, have personal experience with the lwa? I am not a vodouisant, and I don't intend to become one. Nevertheless, I have recently experienced some things that (to me) strongly suggest one of the lwa is actively and inexplicably interested in me, a possibility that makes me a tad bit uncomfortable. Anyway, I was wondering if there were any non-vodouisants here who have worked with lwa and how their presence has affected your religious practices.

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Dance in Pagan rituals?

Not too long ago, I was involved in my first pagan/Wiccan ritual ever (it was part of an educational program for another, non-religious, subcultural group). The woman who had been one of the main mentors of the program was a Dianic/Am Trad High Priestess, so she incorporated some of her experiences into a not-really religious ritual tailored to our program. This was very special to me as around the same time I began to explore paganism in earnest and that experience helped me keep momentum in my exploration. Anyway, the end of the ritual involved dancing, to get in touch with our bodies and dissipate the energy raised. This was very hard for me to do. I don't feel I am a good dancer and therefore feel very self conscious dancing. However, the experience left me curious about the use of dance in ritual. So, my question to the board is: do you use dance in ritual? How do you use it? Is it comfortable for you to do so? Any tips about dance in this context for a newcomer? Books/DVDs? Thanks!

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Dedications, Professions, Oaths, Oh My!

This was inspired in part by the Jump Starting Your Faith? thread, but thought it worthy of a new discussion. There is also a similar, excellent thread here from a few years ago. I don't claim to have read it all yet, but it seems a bit different than what I'm thinking here...

* If you have dedicated yourself (professed, sworn an oath, et. al.), how did you know you were ready?

* More specifically, I'm somewhat interested in if anyone has dedicated to a specific path or religion, rather than a specific god/dess as appears more common on TC. (I'm thinking more like an Asatru profession or Christian confirmation.) How did you come to that decision? If you like, feel free to share what you did or what that entailed.

* Alternately, if you have NOT professed or dedicated yourself, why not? Do you think you would in the future, why or why not?

I'm curious because I don't think I am, and haven't really ever thought I was, currently in a state to dedicate myself to a patron deity. I just have a hunch like that's not something I would do. And there is lots of other discussion around here about doing that. On the other hand, I could see myself professing or making an oath with Asatru or the Aesir and Vanir more generally. I'm also interested in how people make such a decision, how you knew it was time.

Don't hesitate to add anything else, of course. Thanks in advance!

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Seeking Advice on Finding Gods and Paths

I'm not going to ask "What path should I choose?" because no one can answer that for me, but I am asking for some advice on how to choose, and how to get started.

I first started thinking about paganism back in high school, but it was a very general kind of thinking. It was the realization that the traditional Christian worldview and structures weren't fitting me and trying to fit them was making me miserable. The issue went dormant for a while, but it's stormed back a good deal stronger and a little more focused. I've seen people here refer to being thwapped by a deity, but I'm not so much being thwapped as I am incessantly tugged at, and I don't know who's doing the tugging. I'm pretty sure it's from the Norse or Celtic areas, and I'm also pretty sure it's not just one, either, since there's a definite male and female kind of feel. Ancestrally speaking, I have both of these cultures in my background, though the Germanic is a bit more prevalent. I think a lot of the smoke will clear if I can figure out who's bugging me.

Has anyone else had this kind of experience? Being nagged at by gods who feel like playing hide and seek instead of being thwapped by them? Are there any ways for finding out who they are? Any tips on meditation would be nice, too, since I'm not very good at it.

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New Book: Brigid - Goddess, Druidess and Saint

As has been mentioned in a couple other threads, there's a new book out, Brigid: Goddess, Druidess and Saint, by Brian Wright.

I'm wondering if anyone else is reading it -- or plans to -- and whether anyone would be interested in a book discussion thread.

So far, I've only just started chapter 2 (I read very slowly now and don't retain well, thanks to a brain injury), but I have some issues with what I've read so far.

F'ex, the author seems to be a proponent of the Great Universal Mother theory, although I could be drawing incorrect inferences on that. He also posits that the Irish goddess Brighid was a deliberate, first-century AD creation specifically designed by Brigantian druids who fled to Ireland when Britain was romanized. His theory is that they made Brighid up -- as the daughter of two pre-existing Irish deities, the Daghda and the Morrigan -- as a way of uniting the Celtic tribes in the hope of resisting the Romans.

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What Was Your 101 Book?

So, if you started out on your path by reading a book, what was your '101' book, so to speak?

Looking back on it, was it a good beginner book for your path? Would you, or do you, recommend it to people who are just starting out? Why or why not?

Conversely, looking back, are you embarrassed about it, and do you try to avoid mentioning it, or do you warn people away from it? And once again, why or why not?

(I know it sounds awkward - I was tempted to ask, "What was your first book on Paganism, Wicca, or the occult?", but not everyone here is on a Pagan path, and I didn't want to exclude anyone, lol).

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The Avatar Design Challenge: Jan/Feb '10

Welcome to the new Avatar Design Challenge! I'm very excited to get this all going again. Smiley Here's how it works:

* Entries will be accepted from January 1 through February 28, 2010. Our theme is Wildlife. Multiple entries are allowed!

* You don't have to register to participate, but letting us know if you're planning on giving it a go is always appreciated so we know what the response looks like.

* When submitting, please upload them to an image hosting service like Photobucket, and then inline them into a reply to this thread (using the [*img][*/img] tags without the *).

* Posting a theme suggestion with your entry isn't required, but is definitely appreciated! Suggested themes will be used for upcoming challenges.

* Voting will take place between March 1st and 15th in a new thread. The winner will be announced on March 16th in the active challenge thread. All members are encouraged to vote.

* Please review the Avatar Guidelines and be sure your entry abides them. Also, please do not use copyrighted images in your entry unless you have permission from the copyright holder.

* By participating in the challenge, you are giving other members of The Cauldron permission to use your entry as their avatar; all entries will be added to TC's onsite avatar selection. If you do not want your entry to be added, you must specify this in your submission post!

Upcoming Themes:
* March/April - Architecture
* May/June - Sanctuary

I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

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Up All Night: A Technopagan Winter Solstice 2009

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Hey, what is this thread? Tonight—beginning at sunset on Monday, December 21, 2009—is the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. To celebrate the winter solstice (a.k.a. Yule, Midwinter, and probably other things, depending on your tradition), a bunch of us plan to stay up all night and post here in this thread off and on throughout, sharing our experiences or random thoughts...sharing recipes for our conceptual meal around our cyber-campfire...or just encouraging each other to stay awake!

So if you’re trying to stay up till dawn, or just want to pop in to converse with those of us who are, this is the place! (Or if you're lucky enough to be in the Southern Hemisphere, enjoying the warmth and sun of summer solstice, tell us what we're missing!)

In that spirit, I'm resurrecting a modest rhyme I composed specifically for our winter solstice efforts. I've recycled it here as a sort of dedication to kick things off:

A WINTER SOLSTICE REVEILLE

by Altair

Light dwindles, life despairs
A bitter chill is in the air
The sun departs, and with it goes
A fruitful season free of woes
As winter’s icy grip takes hold
The sleeping landscape to enfold
Many hours of dark must pass
Before the sun returns at last
To make its long-awaited climb
With promise of a flowering time

Until that hour, let dark prevail
Greet longest night with strong wassail
Sing and dance, feast and drink
Or solemnly reflect and think
From strange and hidden wells partake
With one rule only: Stay awake!
From dusk till dawn, hear our refrain:
Let the solstice revels reign

[In the last line, swap in the word “vigil” for “revels” if the feeling is more contemplative than festive]

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