So, due to school and mental stress, I've completely skipped over the weeks for "C". I was going to talk about "color" and probably "clarity." Ah, well.
So today, the first "D" week, I'll be talking about human kind's oldest and truest friend, the dog.
I have two dogs; a long-haired Miniature Dachshund, and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Of course, everyone's heard the praise of dogs, their loyalty, bravery, selflessness and so forth... It's the qualities of my dogs that are contradictory to those above, that I find particularly spiritual.
My dogs could be perfect.
They could be the stick-retrieving, crowd-adoring, command-obeying pictures of health that you see in magazines.
They are not.
The Corgi suffers from allergies, a very sensitive GI tract, a genetic cataract he's had since he was seven months old, and a near-phobia of unfamiliar dogs. The Doxie was unsocialized as a young puppy before I had her (I got her when she was just under a year), and as a result, she is very nervous and fearful around people that aren't me, and has just a dash of separation anxiety to top it off.
These dogs don't make me treat them like babies, anthropomorphize them, or otherwise pretend they're "little humans". They don't always do "socially idealistic things". They remind me every day that they are definitely dogs. I take care of them, help them with their fears and aches, and I love them for their unapologetic honesty.
Their breath smells bad, they fart right next to me in bed, and when one of them has an accident on the floor, the other one tries to eat it.
Despite being shaped physically, mentally, and genetically by humans for thousands of years, they have remained their own animal. And that is a very admirable spiritual quality to me.
If ever you're in need of reassurance of your sense of self, I recommend trying to contact dog. They come very highly recommended.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
B is for Bears
Welcome to the second Friday of my Pagan Blog Project! (And also the second week of the letter "B")
Today I'm going to talk about bears.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Although personally, I've only seen a bear in the wild a couple times over my whole lifetime, I'm still afraid of them. Why? Well, because they're very powerful, intimidating animals. (Even the "smaller" Black Bears native to my area.) Every campsite around here has warnings about bears, and for good reason. Bears are strong creatures, and if you don't give them the respect they deserve, they can definitely take their "pound of flesh" right out of you.
However, they are also misunderstood. Though they have the ability to kill you, they don't go stamping around the forest just to look for a reason to maul somebody. Especially black bears, which are less aggressive than the brown/grizzly, and generally avoid people if at all possible instead of attacking them.
Facts aside, this blog is about my spirituality, so let's talk about that.
Bears, as they are physically, are spiritually powerful.
They're often alone, and have a very strong sense of self, and of independence. Bears aren't afraid to stand up (sometimes literally) for what they believe in. Their senses are very strong, and spiritual sense is probably no exception.
As far as Shinto goes regarding bears, the only thing I have to go on is that the Ainu people, indigenous people of Japan, and who's religions and customs are what Shinto is based loosely on, revered bears very strongly as gods (the most important of all types of god, actually). I'm not sure if I regard bear gods quite as important as the Ainu do (all things are important, after all), but I can definitely agree with the basic sentiment, and think of bears with the utmost respect.
Up until now, I've been afraid to attempt any prayers to bear gods.
But I think I'm going to start... I could definitely use their diligence and independent strength.
For any readers:
What do you think of bears? Do you contact them? Why/why not?
Do bears hold a special place for you?
Today I'm going to talk about bears.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. Although personally, I've only seen a bear in the wild a couple times over my whole lifetime, I'm still afraid of them. Why? Well, because they're very powerful, intimidating animals. (Even the "smaller" Black Bears native to my area.) Every campsite around here has warnings about bears, and for good reason. Bears are strong creatures, and if you don't give them the respect they deserve, they can definitely take their "pound of flesh" right out of you.
However, they are also misunderstood. Though they have the ability to kill you, they don't go stamping around the forest just to look for a reason to maul somebody. Especially black bears, which are less aggressive than the brown/grizzly, and generally avoid people if at all possible instead of attacking them.
Facts aside, this blog is about my spirituality, so let's talk about that.
Bears, as they are physically, are spiritually powerful.
They're often alone, and have a very strong sense of self, and of independence. Bears aren't afraid to stand up (sometimes literally) for what they believe in. Their senses are very strong, and spiritual sense is probably no exception.
As far as Shinto goes regarding bears, the only thing I have to go on is that the Ainu people, indigenous people of Japan, and who's religions and customs are what Shinto is based loosely on, revered bears very strongly as gods (the most important of all types of god, actually). I'm not sure if I regard bear gods quite as important as the Ainu do (all things are important, after all), but I can definitely agree with the basic sentiment, and think of bears with the utmost respect.
Up until now, I've been afraid to attempt any prayers to bear gods.
But I think I'm going to start... I could definitely use their diligence and independent strength.
For any readers:
What do you think of bears? Do you contact them? Why/why not?
Do bears hold a special place for you?
Friday, January 18, 2013
B is for Blood
This is the first Friday of my joining the Pagan Blog Project, and so I have the pleasure of posting my very first topic of discussion starting with the letter "B". It took a while to come up with a subject, since I don't often interact with or think of things starting with that letter. Most of the week, I had no idea what I was going to write about. But while walking back from class today, and discovering the body of a car-struck vole (and acting as a brief, impromptu psychopomp for said vole), I thought of the importance of blood.
B is for Blood
Blood is something spiritually significant to me.
However, it is also a point where my beliefs conflict. Although personally I regard blood as something very strong, Shinto disagrees with me. The taking/spilling of blood is looked down upon in Shinto, and considered unclean.
It does make a lot of sense; especially in the early times of humanity. We didn't have things like antibiotics back then, so if you had an open wound and it happened to get infected (also likely, since germ theory didn't come about until very much later) you would probably lose the use of that limb, or maybe die. Additionally, you can definitely (even in these modern times) catch disease by someone else's infected blood coming into contact with a scratch or open wound of yours.
Despite that, I do use blood for a number of spiritual things. (Carefully)
Blood is a very powerful life source, so if I want to make my intentions clear to the spirits around me, and to the spiritual realm, I will use my blood to draw symbols on a significant thing (such as a stone, leaf, crystal, bone, or untreated/raw wood) I'm working with. What I draw depends on what I'm asking or praying about, and who I'm trying to contact.
For instance, if I'm asking something of the fox gods, I'll give them an offering (usually of food, but sometimes also a sacred item with a symbol or picture drawn in blood on it) ring a bell, bow, pray, clap, and bow again. I will not do this if I'm praying to the deer gods, or other strictly herbivorous animals, as I feel that would definitely hold true to the "offensive" opinion on blood, and may put me in a sour standing with those animals. In that case, I will use my breath to convey an equal meaning for them, as I consider them to be interchangeable in power and meaning (and "breath" also starts with "B"! ).
For those reading, what are your opinions on blood? Do you use it for anything? (Why/why not?)
Remember to wash your hands, disinfect, use bandaids, and otherwise exercise extreme caution when working with blood. I also do not encourage or condone excessively harming yourself on purpose (cutting). Please think of the feelings of your loved ones and your future self, and seek help for yourself instead of turning to self-harming methods.
I hope you enjoyed following along, and I'll continue with the second week of "B" next Friday, the 25th.
Well wishes,
Cloudfoot
B is for Blood
Blood is something spiritually significant to me.
However, it is also a point where my beliefs conflict. Although personally I regard blood as something very strong, Shinto disagrees with me. The taking/spilling of blood is looked down upon in Shinto, and considered unclean.
It does make a lot of sense; especially in the early times of humanity. We didn't have things like antibiotics back then, so if you had an open wound and it happened to get infected (also likely, since germ theory didn't come about until very much later) you would probably lose the use of that limb, or maybe die. Additionally, you can definitely (even in these modern times) catch disease by someone else's infected blood coming into contact with a scratch or open wound of yours.
Despite that, I do use blood for a number of spiritual things. (Carefully)
Blood is a very powerful life source, so if I want to make my intentions clear to the spirits around me, and to the spiritual realm, I will use my blood to draw symbols on a significant thing (such as a stone, leaf, crystal, bone, or untreated/raw wood) I'm working with. What I draw depends on what I'm asking or praying about, and who I'm trying to contact.
For instance, if I'm asking something of the fox gods, I'll give them an offering (usually of food, but sometimes also a sacred item with a symbol or picture drawn in blood on it) ring a bell, bow, pray, clap, and bow again. I will not do this if I'm praying to the deer gods, or other strictly herbivorous animals, as I feel that would definitely hold true to the "offensive" opinion on blood, and may put me in a sour standing with those animals. In that case, I will use my breath to convey an equal meaning for them, as I consider them to be interchangeable in power and meaning (and "breath" also starts with "B"! ).
For those reading, what are your opinions on blood? Do you use it for anything? (Why/why not?)
Remember to wash your hands, disinfect, use bandaids, and otherwise exercise extreme caution when working with blood. I also do not encourage or condone excessively harming yourself on purpose (cutting). Please think of the feelings of your loved ones and your future self, and seek help for yourself instead of turning to self-harming methods.
I hope you enjoyed following along, and I'll continue with the second week of "B" next Friday, the 25th.
Well wishes,
Cloudfoot
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Introduction
Hello,
This is my Pagan Blog Project (http://paganblogproject.com/) blog.
I will be posting regularly every Friday with a topic starting with a letter chosen by the project for that week (I missed the two weeks for A, so I'll be starting with B).
Feel free to follow along with me as I explore and strengthen my own personal beliefs and spirituality!
This is my Pagan Blog Project (http://paganblogproject.com/) blog.
I will be posting regularly every Friday with a topic starting with a letter chosen by the project for that week (I missed the two weeks for A, so I'll be starting with B).
Feel free to follow along with me as I explore and strengthen my own personal beliefs and spirituality!
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