Life's Journey...Or Ours?

   
 Sometimes, we walk a path already well marked and well trodden. Sometimes we find ourselves blazing new pathways. Often we are lead by a compass of some sort, marked by our desires, goals and dreams. At times we find our compass is only a hint at the direction we are headed. So what makes us continue... what changes our path? Many times we label things as happenstance, or 'life getting in the way'. But is it?

     Few of us believe in coincidences, yet we still find excuses that include the 'event' in our path as something that happened and we cannot control it. True, we are limited in controlling things in our lives as we are only a part of the co-creation of our world. Yet we have these obsticals and events there as part of our path, not a deterrent. How often we forget that. Trailblazing or following a well marked lane, we will always have the opportunity to find or experience things differently than what we expect. And thanks the Gods for them!

      How would we learn if not for those unscheduled events about maintaining direction...personal fortitude...determination... character...and always holding on to hope? If everything went as we expected, how droll would life be? Why would we seek balance, seek experience  even seek spirituality without conflict of some sort to our plans? Lets face it, conflict is a big part in every known religion...there's good and evil, dark and light, elements of earth vs water and air, and fire vs. water and earth... this is just an example but clearly marked in all religions. These are all lessons of balance, either by attaining them or removing balance from their interactions.
     We strive for enlightenment, balance, harmony...yet we avoid the conflicts and dislike venturing close to them.....and these are our lessons and teachers of the very goals we set fourth to achieve. How do you learn these things without taking the lessons or avoiding the teachers? Life gives the test before the class as many have said and destiny is a two part principal...one of creating what we desire by our own action, and one in creating what we need by Universal manipulation beyond that which we can control.
      I have been taught that knowledge is only the beginning of wisdom, what we know helps us decide action and course to follow. Wisdom is tested by what you do when you don't know what to do, and based on the knowledge that you can hold to comparison of the situation. Experience is our only teacher then, and that is where we will find ourselves, while we walk our paths in life. Equipped with will, desire, motivation, and with any luck, a strong moral and personal fortitude of self worth...we travel along looking for our goals, answers and destiny. Many times we find out that the path we actually are on, takes us much further along many lesser venues that we needed to experience so that we could better understand if not appreciate the path we chose to begin with.

     So we refer to our compass, and at times draw our maps through our journals. We find ourselves lost at times, and at other times set hard on our chosen coarse. We blaze through tangled jungles of confusion, sail seas salted with hardships, climb above mountains of personal issues, and wade through wondrous meadows of emotion. Such a journey is worth it....even if you are uncertain of the destination. And what of that?...a destination?
     We reach many crossroads between now and our chosen destination. We even change course in our quest to find a better path to it. But what is that destination? Where are we willing to go to get there from here? And why is it so important for us to reach it? Questions that we encounter, ideas that we meet, and perspectives that we begin to see all will ask us, and remind us, of that destination, and our purpose for finding it or achieving it. Sometimes it is a good thing to find a point in our journey to rest and reflect upon the  destination and our value that we place on it. It also allows us to take stock in our growing supply of knowledge and our new found skills learned.
     Whatever your answer, it is right for you, and only you. Whatever your destination, path, choice...these only you can decide on. The rest is up to the Universe to collaborate and work in conspiracy with, and against, to create the perfect experience that you will meet next along the way.
     Journey well, rest often, and may we meet sometime while on our way...

Storm Rant

   I don't know about anyone else....
but if this government spend a single penny on rebuilding Wall Street and trading houses, I will support the rioters that will appear! 7.2 million people need our help on the East Coast, and it is the People that this Government is supposed to support and defend. All the World Trade and Bank Corporations have the money, they can rebuild themselves... the People have each other. 
   We don't need world trade right now, we need American know-how and muscle, American determination to get our country back from these international thieves and scamers and rebuild our Nation as a strong self sustaining country without the inflated dependency on foreign goods they we used to make here in America.
    We do not need the illusionary currency that these International Banks are driving this country further into debt...to them... We need National currency that this country has dominion over, not some private corporation.
    And lastly, we do not need polititions in our government, we need people who know how to govern a Nation, not politic themselves into more money for them while our tears are unattended and out cries are ignored. We need people who work for the People of this Nation, not some multinational group of thugs and thieves stealing our country one job, one product, one trade, at a time.
So take note America, civilian or government employee,...Rebuild America by rebuilding the security of the People, their homes, their families, their jobs, their future. 
Because without the People, this Government doesn't stand a chance.
And we have had enough excuses, enough litigation, enough apathy....

My New Book

Today I finished my working handbook project....actually finished it a few weeks ago, but tired of reading it, re-reading it, and tweaking here and there, and actually editing stuff OUT. So I contacted some peers, contacted some publishers, found some decent deals, (for myself and my reading audience) and proceeded to publish the work as finished.
A Pagan Clergy Handbook: Letters, Essays & Observations by- Rev Sean (Shadar) Bigham
was published on Lulu Publications and is available in print for $12.95.

The handbook is just that, a handbook. Not overly bulky, not overly complex, (at least not for those who have studied in the Pagan traditions and have entered into the Clergy services beyond the functions of the Priesthood) and slim and small enough (6x9 trade book size)to be able to be carried along where ever you may go. No, it is not a how to manual for Clergy, it is however a resource suggestion and guide for such functions as counseling, ministry work, community bulding and continual education for Clergy while serving their community.
composed of letters between myself and various Pagan Clergy, essays on topics such as Universal Laws, Mystery of Religion, and observations of myself and others...rather they are condensed versions or footnotes of conversations during my 20 years of community service as Clergy. I kept this open to all traditions of Pagan and Neo-Pagan practitioners, held no custom or traditional values above any others, you know, quite generalized, yet concise information with enough lead and detail to help guide others into and along the way of our duties and responsibilities as Clergy.
I am still working on 'One Man's Philosophy; A Druids Journal, and will one day have it completed and available to the public. I am still offering classes and discussions on What Modern Pagan Clergy is Today, and many other topics that we cover as teaching Clergy, ministers and Advocates of our various Pagan faiths.

Spring into Summer: Cycles and Seasons

   This Spring I agreed to stop working on my journal (One Man's Philosophies; A Druid's Journal) and begin getting another book going into the forefront of my works, 'A Pagan Clergy Handbook'. So I spent the better part of our slow arriving Spring reading and researching so that I could encompass as much as possible that we clergy face almost daily. Then, after so much reading (4 to 6 hours daily and 2 to 4 hours nightly) I began to gather essays, letters, and clips of emails and messages along with topics already addressed in our (Temple of the Stone) clergy handbook and Book of Order. That was the easy part.

      By late May, I began in earnest to write again, focusing on simple and complicated topics that I thought were the most important in "what clergy are, and what they do", and so began the headache of discovering my "going off on tangents and overstating the obvious". What came next was a laid back 'discussion' type writing style that allowed me to explain some things as if to someone who has never been involved in Pagan communities. Rereading that, I went out and discussed a few things, again, with Pagans and non-Pagans, clergy members of many faiths, and gathered their responses and questions. I found my 'crystal ball'!

   Re-write, re-write, re-write... that became my mantra for a week. I had discovered a few things about understood labels, common allowances in definition, and a much better understanding of how to take my years of study of the American Witchcraft Traditions, Wicca and Pagan / Neo-Pagans traditions and explain things from a more simple approach. True, not everyone will agree with some of my terminology, however, it is based on common acceptance of various things and varying traditions. I sent out a few emails to friends , mentors and peers for further discussions. I sat and began to write once more; adding into some, editing out some, and saving notes for other possible chapters as well as adding some overseen and forgotten subjects.

   Entrenched in my pondering, I became complacent with my current collection of 'background music' playing continuously from the laptop. I began to search often for more and new music. In doing this, I remembered a CD sent to us from a Pagan band in Boise Idaho (yeah, color me surprised as well). So I put it on, and actually sat for the next hour or so memorized by the songs and sounds of this wonderful group. It was nothing less than inspiring for me, and I began to write once again. The words flew, the culture of Pagans ( in general ) awakened in sentences of understood ethos, and it became more simple to explain.

   Being Pagan clergy in this modern world, with it's social political bias and religious intolerance is hard enough, but to write about it in positive affirmative ways was the challenge. I refused to get too into the debates of religious definition, legal requirements and equality. I simply see all paths of enlightenment as true religious experiences, even if and when I disagree with their methodology, mythology, or doctrines. I have always felt that true religion is between me and my God(s), and no one can take that kind of faith away. So I focus on not the Priesthood aspect ( those who create ceremony and dispense the sacraments) but on the Minister or Pastoral aspects of the clergy. That function of administering to the needs of the community in spirit and mental/emotional council. In my research, clergy of every faith follows almost the exact types and systems of council. And the community demands that as well.

  So, here it is, early June. I am only about half-way into the handbook, and yet the flow is beginning to ease into a slow ebb of distant tides. What once rushed to be written down, now flows more like dreamy clouds aloft in the sky, refusing to touch down. That too inspires me to re-read and meditate on the depths of certain subjects. I let common sense do a lot of talking, and i phrase metaphor more perceptibly.  I have nothing new to write, and I don't want to re-write or hack what has already been written by me or by others.

But too I am reminded of an old adage; "Never fear moving slowly, only fear standing sill." I know what I must do, yet not yet how I am going to do it. To finish this work before Summer ends is my goal, yet I have yet to find the path that leads me to it... Maybe it is because of the cycle of the seasons, and the change in pace.

   Each season has it's own pace, and it will affect those of us who live close in the cycles. It is because of our esoteric knowledge and the exoteric customs of our religion that we connect deeply with the seasons. (A point I teach upon in my lessons as well as in my journal.) I hope to get those lofty clouds to land softly soon, and regain my strength in writing that has been given renewed roots and such wondrous sprouts. It will soon be Summer and thus the height of growth. May we each find that in each other, and help nurture it along. 

   One last note

Here is some info about that wonderful band...

Check out Boise, Idaho's very own Pagan Band!

Though their foundations may be traditional, Beltane's sound is quite “modern”. One can hear the influence of everything from Celtic violin, to Middle Eastern rhythms, to Native American flutes, and classic American rock guitar.

Ultimately, Beltane’s sound is about the human voice, and its ability to create beauty, and to share messages, feelings and stories. The lush female harmonies, and the beauty and integrity of the lyrics are central to their sound.

Take a journey through the pagan goddess myths of the Celtic lands and beyond. Beautiful female voices backed up by world and rock instrumentation, create a unique and evocative listening experience. Enjoy their new, self-titled CD, “Beltane”.

You can purchase “Beltane” at:

The Record Exchange 1105 W. Idaho Boise, Idaho
83702 208-344-8010

Crone’s Cupboard 712 N. Orchard Boise, Idaho 208-333-0831

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/beltane
www.amazon.com
iTunes

Check out their official website at:
www.beltanesongs.com

Making a simple 'Sun Gun' to view Solar Events

To safely view the sun during solar events, one can buy solar goggles, or use a #12 or higher strength welders lens(for short term viewing, about 30 seconds) but how can you share the experience with others? This can be done by a using a pin hole projector, which is okay, or by making a 'sun gun' projector, which is a little better and is safe for everyone.
These are relatively easy to make, and there are several types and styles to choose from. A solar eclipse safety page ( http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how2.html ) is a good source as is this site - http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/observing/six-ways-to-see-the-transit/ . Both have good ideas that anyone can use with simple tools and a little know-how. My style is a convergence of a few I found, and works well.

What you need: a 5 gallon bucket, a small monocular (I used a scope off my old Daisy air rifle) a tripod or stand to support the 'sun gun' a back board and some bright white paper or card stock. Some duct-tape or bungee cords to hold it to the stand.
First, measure the diameter of the monocular or scope, the end opposite of the eye piece. Drill a hole of that diameter in the center of your bucket. I was able to use my mounting brackets for the air rifle to hold my scope in place, but you can duct tape yours in place through the hole. You can adjust the focus on the eye piece now or later, just DO NOT look at the sun through it while doing so, you can blind yourself that way.

After securing your bucket to your stand, you can use the wire handle and some small bungee cords to adjust and hold the proper angle. I placed a small hose clamp on my stand post and another through it to attach my bungee cords. You want to place your back board about a foot beyond the open end of your bucket to get a good projected image. My back board is a 1x10 shelving board that I taped a piece of white card stock on for better clarity. I used a scrap 2x4 for it's back rest. Now it's time for some aiming...

By using your back board, aim your sun gun at the sun, watch the shadows cast on the board, DO NOT look at the sun to aim. When your bucket shadow is nice and round, the sides cannot be seen you are almost certain to begin to see a bright dot, about an inch or so round, appear. That is the sun.

Now center your image into the shadow of your bucket. Now you can adjust your back board and or your eye piece for the best clarity safely by watching the projected image on the back board.

Now sit back and enjoy your solar event. This can be used to watch eclipses, transits of Venus or Mars, or just to watch the clouds float across the sun. (This last photo was taken with light cloud cover so it does not appear as bright when the sky is clear.)

One last note: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SUN GUN UNATTENDED!!!! Focused light can begin to burn your back board and it can damage your lenses on your scope or monocular. Take a few frequent breaks and either cover your lens or move it as to not be aimed at the sun to avoid damage to the equipment.

I hope you enjoy many solar events o come!!!

Beltaine... May Day...

Beltaine... May Day...

    I have always had a place in my heart and childhood for Spring rites, and May Day was always the best. As a child, we learned about May Day and it's roots in school (sadly not taught much here in America any longer) and even did the May Pole Dance as a school project during the Spring Fairs. The events that bring about the 'new life' were the center of my life during the first few weeks of Spring, and I watched in wonder as the plants and animals around me aged and grew so quickly from my 'snails pace' growing. It was here, at about the age of 8, that I discovered that time moved differently for everything.

    Beltaine has been a wonderful time for all the peoples of the Earth in one form or another, and by several various names and cultural traditions. A time of 'new beginnings', a time of community gatherings, a time for planting, a time to revel in making it through the harsh winters months and finding life springing out all around us. Trade and wars were halted just to revel in life affirming ceremony and ritual feasts were held in honor of lords and ladies, Gods and Goddess alike. Truly a time to be with friends and families.

    Much honor is given to our Gods and our gratitude bestowed upon alters and fields ready for a new season. This was a cause for many to take hand in hand and celebrate rejuvenation of the land. And here I hold fond memories, as I once also I embraced a lover and friend on a Beltaine morning in a field ready to be planted. Memories from that day have carried me a long way, and always have been part of my ritual. There is a lot to be said about sex magic... but not here, not now. To May Day instead...

    This year my 'home community' hosts once again their May Day festival just outside Memphis, Tennessee. This years theme is 'Back to the Roots', and I definitely cannot wait. A trip back there is always good for me, and to be there with them at festival is even better. Rekindling old acquaintances, meeting new friends, swapping old and new stories and just soaking up the Mississippi River's wonderful energy in the forest.            Yeah, it is a 35 year tradition for us, and I have only missed a few times since my first attendance in 1994. There is a lot of history there, and most any Pagan in the Mid South can tell you a bit of it as well.

    Also May Day (May 1^st) this year is a call to strike by the members of the Occupy local, state and National movement along with Occupy Wall Street. Why? They remember May Day as the Labor Unions day of rest. It is a day to celebrate life, not to toil away one's life for others. Unions and non-union workers are all being encouraged to take the day off. Students of schools, colleges and universities, as well as teachers are being invited to take a day out of class. Families are being challenged not to shop, bank, or do any type of non-family engagement also. It's all about celebrating life with the people in your life that matter.

    I know that I am going to enjoy myself this Beltaine. I am co-hosting an event on the 29^th of April for our local Pagans here in Idaho Falls. I will be traveling down for family and friends in the Mid-South for the May Day Festival (11^th – 13^th). And somewhere along the way, I will try to find a nice field, ready for planting...  

America's Spring Rising

With all the Winters wet and dreary days behind us, for the most part, I see renewed activities ongoing with the Occupy and 99% movements all around the Nation. people have spent much of the winter waiting to see if this continues, or falls to the wayside. We have not stopped! America is no longer in it's deep slumber of government and media induced dreams and illusions. The Occupy Movement grows stronger every day, and their voices shout out; Wake Up!

We are seeing many new faces and hearing many new voices just in the last few weeks, as more and more people realize that we are not just some passing fad, and mean to create change in our Nation by expressing our voices, our concerns and our needs to our government. Groups like the 99% Declaration , OWS , Occupy Together , and even the Democratic Underground have been doing a lot of things in favor of the U. S Citizen, even when most of the Nation was not aware of the goings on.
We the People, yes all of us, have a voice to cry out with, and we all have issue(s) with how our government has been run  and run down by these 'elected' offials. 'Elected' by corporate spending, private monies, and most of us never voted for them, yet they won. It is time to place the People back infront of the government concerns, and not these privatized corporate mongers of self worth and demand our Constitutional Rights be returned to us, WE the People.

That is what is going on now, people like you and me, getting together, working on the avenues of redress for our grievances against our current sitting government and addressing the Nation. We started in humble lots and squares all across our Nation, to place ourselves in-front of our Nations government, our Nations media, and were systematically denied our rights, news coverage, and personal safety from government harassment. If it weren't for Livestream, U-Stream, RT TV, and many other Private On-Line media like YouTube, we would have never been seen nor heard. However, we do have the power of the free press and media sources outside government control, and we know how to use it. It gives us back our power of the media. And now, once the mainstream media and government controlled media has realized that we are not going away or will be silenced, they are slowly getting on board. A friend wrote a guest editorial in our local paper ( Kay Finley, who is running as a delegate in the 99% Declaration site) and I am going to share the important things she said:

4-4-12 Guest Editorial

Where are the people?  The people of the United States have been left out of the public discourse.  The jobless rate, foreclosures, healthcare, gas prices are all reported as “How will it affect Obama’s re-election?”  “Will that affect the Republican candidates?”  For the last two years, since the Supreme Court ruled on the “Citizens United Case”, Pacs, Super-Pacs, and media celebrities are important.  The people-not so much.
But the Constitution of the United States gives power to the people through the First Amendment “…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.  Redress – to remove the cause of a grievance or complaint (Webster ‘s New Collegiate, 1979).  
Now we have a website set up to help “We the people” reclaim our power.  The 99% Working Group, Ltd. is planning for a General Assembly in Philadelphia during the week of July 1, 2012.  On the website (the99declaration.org), set up to facilitate the process, people can sign up to run as delegates  (two from each of the legislative district), register to vote for a delegate ( a separate contracted entity will conduct the voting), give input to the preliminary set of grievances, add a new grievance, and share the plan with others.  After the delegates are elected (June 1, 2012), it will be their responsibility to pare the grievances down to less than 10.
The final ratified and signed Petition for Redress of Grievances will be presented to all 535 members of the 112th Congress, the nine members of the Supreme Court, the President of the United States and each of the political candidates seeking federal public office in the November 2012 general election. Each of the political candidates will be asked to respond to the ratified petition and each of their responses, or lack thereof, will be shared with the voting public in a series of wire press releases made in each of the 435 Congressional districts prior to the November general election.
As the real concerns of our country keep mounting, the President and Congress appear to be in continual campaign mode, not willing to do the work we elected them to do.
The 99% Working Group, Ltd is putting a tremendous amount of energy to help us regain a say in our government.  All people of the United States are encouraged to participate.  The more of us who give in-put, the more effective we can be.  It is our country that is at risk.  “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country (John Kennedy).

We have not yet begun our 'battle' in regaining our Rights, and repairing the damage done by the greedy governmental officials that have help steal and limit our National Freedoms.
Join with us!