When you’re sitting looking at life from the everyday perspective of things to do, not enough time to do them all, worrying about disappointing people who are depending on you – every once in a while the Universe throws you a curve. You open the door to go out and work in the garden because you ‘have’ to plant those seeds right now today, and the sky opens up with a downpour to nearly drown you. So you can’t plant the seeds right now today, and you have to think farther along your list for something to do inside until the rain stops and the ground dries out a bit. You go to sew a dress you’ve promised someone, and there isn’t thread. There’s really lots of thread, it’s just the wrong color, or not enough for what you need, and nothing you can really fake it with. Dinner requires creativity because you haven’t gone shopping yet. The people you need to talk to aren’t there today. And just as you’re about to explode with stress and frustration, a little dog looks up at you, and smiles, and wags her tail saying “you’re the most important person in the world right now, and I love you”. So you sit down, and she asks to jump in your lap, and when you say OK, she is so happy and enthusiastic just to be close to you, you forget to be stressed and frustrated because someone you could easily kill trusts you, and loves you for no reason except for joy, and is happy to be close and feel safe in your arms. And you remember you are a Child of God in that moment.

Sometimes you find something on the net that looks like it might be helpful to someone else.  I was wandering around, I think in facebook, and I happened upon an interesting little quiz entitled “What kind of a pagan are you?”

Thinking this was a bit silly, especially since I know what kind of Pagan I am, I decided to try it out and see what I thought of it anyway.  I actually had to consider some of the questions.  They weren’t all the  ”no-brainer”s  I had expected they would be.  I was even (cough, cough) a little impressed.  But I still didn’t expect anything resembling a real outcome.  These things are always a bit…off…right?

I finished the quiz and waited for my results.  It was actually rather accurate.  It pegged me as an eclectic Pagan with shamanic leanings.  Umm…guilty as charged.  That’s part of why I can be a minister in a non-sectarian, non-creedal inter-faith Pagan church.  I’m not convinced I have the One True Way for every Pagan out there.  I have my One True Way, which is under constant development and revision as I learn more and experience more.  But my Way is probably not quite your One True Way, even if we seem to agree on everything in principle.  Every person, and every person’s experiences, are different, even though they may be in the same place at the same time and perceive the same thing.  If nothing else, their perspective (literally) will be different, so they can’t actually see the same thing.

But, back to the quiz.  I’ve posted the link here so you can play with it if you want to.  You may not agree with the results, but it does give you a new way of looking at your beliefs, and, perhaps, a window into how other people see those beliefs.  I do advise you to think very carefully before you change anything about yourself in response to how the quiz “pegs” you.  Only you can judge what your One True Way is supposed to be and how you are supposed to express it to be true to your spiritual purpose.

If nothing else, this quiz will give you an opportunity to be One with the Divine in the gift of laughter.

http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=11726

A while ago, I was lucky enough to witness several people talking about their spiritual paths and their assessments of their own progress along those paths. The group consisted of a couple of teachers and several of their students, none Wiccan. The conversation went something like this:

Teacher A: Yes, for a long time now I have been able to communicate directly with (the Divine). I sit down to meditate and (S/He) comes to me and we have face to face conversations.

Students, seeming collectively impressed: Ahh…

Teacher B: Oh. What does (S/He) look like when (S/He) comes to you?

Teacher A: Well – (description)

Students look at each other.

Teacher B: Well, when (S/He) comes to me, (S/He) looks – (description).

At this point battle lines seemed to be forming. The two teachers were each sure they had the TRUE vision, but neither was going to openly contradict the other. I suppose this was a sign of mature spirituality. The debate continued, but the students were off in their own direction.

Student 1: I guess I’m not very spiritually evolved because (the Divine) has never appeared to me.

Student 2: I think I might have sort of seen (Divinity) once, but (S/He) didn’t look the way either of them said.

Student 3: I can’t visualize at all. I guess I’m never going to be really spiritually evolved.

The thing I found saddest about the whole affair was that neither “teacher” addressed a valid concern of the students. They were both so involved with posturing that they missed pointing out to the students that what one individual envisions has very little bearing on the truth of any other individual’s relationship with the Divine. The students obviously were interpreting their teacher’s statements to mean that the students could not be “spiritually evolved” (whatever that is) until and unless they literally had a vision of the Divine which matched their teacher’s personal vision.

A little later in the day, the students saw me sitting alone and came over to me. After introductions and “We noticed you”s, they asked my opinion on their teachers’ debate.

When Student 3 reiterated dismay regarding any hope of spiritual evolution, I felt compelled to make further inquiry. Student 3 said they felt the presence of (the Divine) when they looked at natural things, trees, flowers, wind – and that they saw (the Hand of the Divine) in things like a newborn. They got a feeling of Divine approval when they offered a kindness or comfort to another living being. My observation was that this was an equally valid and, to me at least, a much more practical “vision” of (the Divine). I asked them to consider whether they felt spiritual evolution was touching the Divine, being in touch with the Divine, being touched by the Divine, or different combinations at different times. And I reminded them not to judge what can only be a very personal relationship on the basis of what someone else says their situation is.

Some people crave strong visions of individual Deities, some need the caress of a raindrop, others are content without any sort of proof. If it’s your relationship, it must be right for you. It is easy to fall into the path of accepting another’s statements rather than inquiring of ourselves. It can be very reassuring to have our own personal beliefs confirmed by the statements of someone we respect and whose opinions we value, but we should all realize it is just that – reassurance – and not an immutable absolute. As we grow and change, our relationships grow and change. Our relationship to, and our interpretation of, the Divine will probably follow that same rule throughout our existence.

“And the whole of My law is Love.” – most religions

Presented for your entertainment:

WWGD?  G=Gaia   Remind them to worship the ground they stand on.