exploring postmodern religious naturalism

I laid there and contemplated.

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:46:00 -0400

Nothing that I do,
Advances my dreams.
When will I wake up,
To the sound of tui calling me,
Wind pulling me,
Sun warming me?
I am carrying an energy,
An old and dusty spell,
Laden with inertia,
And it is holding me back.
Is it the consequence,
Of my own doings?
I do not believe so.
But then I think,
Where did it come from?
Almost immediately,
As I ponder its origin,
A voice whispers inside of me,
And then comes the realisation,
That the inertia in my life,
Is of my own creation.

Wake up.
It is time to wake up.

- Kyle Bluck.

how to believe.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:12:44 -0400

how to believe.

fuckyeahgreenanarchy: magical.

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:09:10 -0400

fuckyeahgreenanarchy:

magical.

Photo

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:46:10 -0400

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and..."

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:28:02 -0500

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

- Albert Einstein

Daily Pagan News: Permaculture and Metaphysics (The Permaculture Research Institute)

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:04:37 -0500

Daily Pagan News: Permaculture and Metaphysics (The Permaculture Research Institute):

this is an interesting read from the permaculture research institute and definitely worth discussing. examines the mixing of permaculture and spirituality.

pagannews:

I recently had a brief email conversation with someone (a person whose name I shall omit), and I’d like to share it with you to get your thoughts. Perhaps I’m opening a can of worms here, but I can’t help myself. I am opening this potential can of worms for three reasons:

I personally often feel…

"postmodern naturalism asserts that humans are relational processes of nature; in short, we are..."

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:06:03 -0500

“postmodern naturalism asserts that humans are relational processes of nature; in short, we are nature made aware of itself.”

- Carol White, Saundra Morris.
Postmodern Religion in the New World Order: An Ethics of Relationality in Contemporary Models of Religious Naturalism.

Photo

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:04:32 -0500

five activities you can do right now to clear the mind and ease the soul

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:55:31 -0500

these are some of the things i do often. each activity has a unique effect on me and i do at least one of these every day.

go for a jog. jogging focuses the mind. each breath taken while jogging is a blessing. the sharp, raw, burning feeling as air is exhaled then quickly needed once again, inhale… exhale again… inhale!… out again!… in!… lets you appreciate the element of air. the stinging sensation one feels when in need of oxygen awakens you like a cold shower on a winters day.

meditate. there are a raft of different meditation techniques and rituals out there, so it is a matter of experimenting until you find one that suits you. meditation can open up places in your mind you’ve never ventured to before.

try new music. there is so much music out there, try something new every now and then. i’m currently enjoying a band called optimus park, especially this song here. i never pay for music because i don’t believe music should be a commodity that can be bought and sold. thankfully, optimus park releases all their music free to download at high quality. i make a donation if the music has had a positive effect on me and i’ve enjoyed it, and can afford to donate. music alters moods and has been part of human culture since time began.

garden. i find gardening to be very therapeutic. take your time when you do it and notice the interactions occurring around you in your plot. basing your garden on permaculture principles is very rewarding indeed.

take a cold shower. this really refreshes me! nothing quite like it! water has a special place in my heart and is an important element for all life on earth. treat it with respect and don’t waste it.

those five activities might not suit your lifestyle, but maybe you can start from here and adapt them to your situation or experiment with other activities. i believe performing one mind and soul ritual per day is important in maintaining good health. so i invite you to give it a try. have fun!

green anarchism

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:43:00 -0500

you can follow my blog about green anarchism and anarcho-socialism here:
fuckyeahgreenanarchy.tumblr.com

not much analysis of green anarchism there, usually just pictures and videos. but bringing some substance to that blog through discussion of anarchist theory is my goal for 2012.

herbs of high importance to me

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:37:00 -0500

the following herbs i find myself coming to use time and time again, whether for their healing properties, effects on the mind, rituals, practical applications or cooking.

these aren’t in any particular order. i will probably add to the list as life goes on.

sage i use not as much as i’d like to. i have to be kind to my one and only sage plant - it’s struggling to prosper - and therefore i can’t harvest many leaves. sage is a great herb for maintaining good health and also healing injury and illness.

thyme i love to add to oil and let the flavours fuse over time. a couple of fresh eggs from my hen cooked in this oil is positively delicious! i also add some garlic, salt, pepper and a hint of chilli. and then a couple of fresh thyme sprigs to serve!

basil is a luxury that i often take for granted. i love making pesto from it, or having it on top of tomato on toast. the variety i grow is an annual - and i think most are - so that makes it more of a chore to produce, but then it is a very enjoyable chore!

damiana is not something i grow. i enjoy having a cup of damiana tea at the end of the day. i enjoy the taste and it has a very comforting and relaxing effect on me.

chamomile can spread like wildfire in the garden, but i don’t mind at all! its flowers are lovely when in bloom and its fragrance is a deterrent to some pests. i make a tea from the flower heads when i have trouble sleeping.

tansy is great for keeping unwanted critters at bay. lice, fleas, flies and other insects i’d rather not have around the home are put off by the smell of tansy, so for that reason i grow a fair amount of it and hang it around my space. i also put some in my pillow and bedsheets - along with lavender - to keep fleas away, and rub it into the hair of my cat.

lavender could not be excluded from this list - it is good in so many ways! the smell brings magic and joy into my garden.

dandelion deserves more thanks than it gets. often treated as a garden weed by others, i welcome the presence of dandelion in my space. the whole plant can be consumed and is highly nutritious. it’s also good for pulling up minerals stored deep in clayey soils due to its long taproot. i also find the seeding flower head to be highly magical - a symbol of freedom and higher conciousness. i still practise my childhood ritual of wishing upon a dandelion bloom and then blowing the seeds into the air. the seeds fly so effortlessly and there are so many of them that it gives me comfort at least one will germinate and perhaps make my wish come true.

comfrey is an incredible plant. no gardener can be without it in their space. it brings up all of the nutrients locked away in deep soil and acts as a great fertiliser. and because it gathers up so many minerals, it’s highly nutritious too!

borage. my borage brings all the bees to the yard! i plant borage mainly for the bees - they love it! and the flowers are great for decorating various salads and drinks.

geranium you will always find under my apple trees. coddling moth hate the smell of it and along with the help of my chickens my apples are coddling moth free! my apple tree guild is nothing but geraniums and chickens!

garlic. not much of a herb as such, but i need to add this god of a plant to my list. i consider garlic to be highly magical and eat it so regularly that i swear i can smell it leaking from my pores when i sweat. super good for you and for keeping pests away in the garden. i plant it around my vegetable garden borders.

kanna i’ve only just begun to enjoy. its effects on the mind are literally out of this world. much, much, much less intense than salvia divinorum and for that reason i enjoy exploring deeper meditation and thought with kanna.

calendula, or pot marigold, is planted in my garden. i use it often in homemade facewash and soaps. it’s great for reducing even severe acne and helps sooth the skin and reduce redness. and the petals are edible - great for adding colour to salads!

no doubt this list will be updated, edited and expanded upon in future times.
[updated 30/11/11: calendula]