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		<title>The Noble Pagan Forums - Blogs</title>
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		<description>Promoting religious tolerance through education with regards to Paganism, Wicca and other nature based belief structures.</description>
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			<title>The Noble Pagan Forums - Blogs</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/</link>
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			<title>Walking two paths. What my blog will be about.</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/ladyhawke/walking_two_paths_what_my_blog_will_about-108/</link>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:59:20 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Recently I read an attack against those of us who incorporate our Christianity into our Paganism, or vice versa.  The attacker felt that we, those of...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Recently I read an attack against those of us who incorporate our Christianity into our Paganism, or vice versa.  The attacker felt that we, those of us who identify as Christo-Pagans, are afraid to break off our ties with Christianity because we are afraid of our families or society; in effect, we are being accused of hiding.<br />
<br />
I've seen this same type of attack on Stregheria sites against the Strega who incorporate Catholicism in their craft.  These Strega, the attackers, call us hedge witches or kitchen witches, because we don't follow the pure Etruscan Pantheon.<br />
<br />
If I want to be nice I will say that perhaps these attackers just don't have enough of an understanding of the Paganism umbrella to really get what we are about. If I don't want to be nice, I'll tell them to stuff it - you do it your way, I'll do it mine.<br />
<br />
I've always gone my own way, refusing to conform to what everyone else said I should do; it's my nature I guess.  <br />
<br />
When I was kid in Catholic school I would get in trouble there because I didn't like the Vatican Two changes that were taking place and refused to comply.  It takes lot to piss off a Jesuit, yet I managed to do it. I guess he didn't like being called a liar by an 11 year old. <br />
<br />
That was the point when I started seriously getting into Wicca, Kabbala, the New Age..etc. By getting into, I don't mean I was practicing - I mean I was reading everything I could get my hands on. I would bring the books to school with me and get in trouble with the nuns; I even did an oral presentation that got me in more trouble and gave the bullies one more reason to go after me, as if they hadn't already found enough. But I wouldn't stop.  See, when those changes hit, the mystery, the sacredness, seemed to disappear from my religion.  Suddenly the Divine was very far away and all I was left with is a bunch of people, adults, who didn't know if they were coming or going, but expected me to do what they said I had to do. <br />
<br />
But see, this was the late 60's, early 70's and I had been spoon fed a steady diet of Spirit touching humanity, miracles, total universal awesomeness. And then they took the spoon away and told me I had to start studying my own navel. Well, I had pretty good idea of what my own belly button looked like, and I sure didn't care much about theirs, so I went looking for the Other where ever I could find It.<br />
<br />
At the same time I was being bombarded by the new feminist ideologies that were cropping up, telling me that I had the same choices as men, that I was as good as males. That as a female I could choose to be who ever I wanted to be and I shouldn't let a patriarchal society tell me otherwise. I later developed problems with the feminist community, but that's a story for another time. At the time I was 11, this was a whole new world for me and I grabbed it with both hands - the spiritual with one, the secular with the other. By 13 I was out of Catholic school, out from under the thumb of the Church, the Nuns and the Priests, and I ran as fast as I could.  From the human organization anyway.<br />
<br />
It was at this point I sorta,kinda embraced Wicca more fully, or at least my understanding of Wicca. I was a kid, getting everything from books, making it all up as I went along. I was pretty much like a lot of the HS kids we see these days, drawing pentagrams on notebooks, swearing by the Goddess, etc. I railed against the hypocrisy I saw in the Church when ever my parents would fight with me about going to Church. I bought my first Tarot deck at 14 and began reading. I also began exploring the paranormal more, trying to train the abilities that I read everyone was born with.   I tried everything or almost everything (tantric sex was scary to me) I read about. Maybe I was a poser, but it felt right inside...like putting on a pair of new shoes for the first time and they are perfect. <br />
<br />
Through it all though, my Catholicism was still well in place, somewhere in the back of my heart. I might have prayed to Diana, but she looked like the Blessed Virgin - the Virgin who I had an encounter with at 11 (that was a pivotal year for me). Something had happened between she and I that year and somehow it marked me as hers. I called her Cerriwen, Diana, Isis, but it was still Mary I was praying to, that I was bound to. <br />
<br />
Flash forward to my 26th year, married, living on Fort Bragg, trying to get pregnant and not succeeding and thinking that I never would be. I turned to the only help I could think of - the Virgin Mary. It was on her feast day - December 8th, another morning finding out that I still wasn't pregnant. I went on my knees and cried and pleaded and begged and made a deal. The next month my period was late...I went to the doctor a few weeks later and found out I was pregnant....conception probably dated back to the first or second week of December...She heard me and answered <b>(short explanation here - in Catholicism we don't believe that any Saint, even Mary, has power to perform miracles on their own. We believe that they are able to intercede for us, offer prayers for us, just like people on earth can. Catholicism teaches that Mary, because of her special relationship to God, has an 'in' so to speak, so her intercession is especially powerful).</b><br />
<br />
I kept my promise - I left Wicca behind, went back to Church, even went so far as to get deeply involved and began to study Theology. But the sacred was still missing, and it had gotten even worse while I had been away. I met people, Catholics, who denied some of the more basic dogmas of the Church - a man can't rise from the dead, a woman can't conceive as a Virgin.  They laughed at me for believing in 'fairy tales'...they laughed even harder when they found out about the Wicca, because that proved I was 'gullible' and would believe in anything.  Frustration built year by year, but I hung on because of that promise.<br />
<br />
There was always a pull towards the 'other' though. I couldn't let go of all the things I had learned all those years of being out of the Church. I couldn't just walk away - something kept pulling me.  One priest, who actually took me seriously (because he also believed in the &quot;fairytales&quot; told me that I had &quot;opened a door to Evil&quot; during those years and that it would take a lot of work, a lot of prayer, to close the door.  Uhmm, yea, okay...uh huh. His explanation didn't sit right, but I went along anyway, trying to find peace. <br />
<br />
Now we come to the present. A few months ago, just before I joined this forum I began to question everything about my life - everything that makes me who I am. And I found that for too many years the person I really am has been buried under the person I thought I was supposed to be. I started reading about Indigo Kids and found out that I fit the profile as it was presented of First Wave Indigo, whatever that means. Then a few people read my Aura and some pretty strange things came up, including the fact that I am leading a double life, one open, the other buried and trying to get out.  And then Macha told me about TNP and I came here and everything just exploded for me. <br />
<br />
At first I tried to deny it, tried to stay away. I prayed for help, for guidance. And at everyturn I was being led back, told that I was okay and it was okay to move forward. Things began to be clearer, I was able to see things I hadn't noticed before. Finally, as I always do in the end, I gave myself over to the Divine.  We have a saying - &quot;Let go, Let God&quot; and I did. For the first time in years I am at peace with who I am, at peace with my own spirituality and who it makes me. <br />
<br />
So I walk two paths now. A Pagan whose Deity is the Trinity, whose Goddess is the Mother of God. I belong to her just as I've always belonged to her, ever since I was 11 and she took me.  If others choose to call her by other names, so what? That is their choice, their Deity.  I don't understand why the name by which I call on her matters so very much to other people.  The only thing I can think of is that the attackers have bitter feelings towards Christianity in general and Catholicism specifically, I can totally understand where they are coming from. As someone who has lived within the Church, who has studied the history of the Catholic Church, I know first hand that there is more to be bitter about than most people can even imagine.  Am I am Christian Pagan?? No, not really, not as the term Christian is understood by those in and out of the church. Am I a Catholic Pagan, again, no - I left Catholicism behind a while back when I started working on my Medieval history degree.  My faith is Christ centered, Mary centered. I don't need a church to tell me how to base my life on the teachings of Christ - atheists do it all the time and they don't even believe in His divinity. <br />
<br />
So this ends my first blog entry. Maybe I explained the two paths, maybe not. Over time I hope to add more here. To talk about my spiritual development and growth. To talk about how hard it is to walk a path that, in a sense, makes me a half-breed, accepted by neither side. I'm not really worried about that though - I learned from a young age to never care what people thought of me, that they are not the ones I had to please. Oh, for a while I gave in and stopped fighting against the tide, but I'm back in a fighting mood now. The only one I have to please is the One I love and who loves me.  In the end, God, the Universe, the Deity/Deities, will be who judges me, not some priest/ess who is bound by the letter of their law and misses the Spirit - LOVE.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Ladyhawke</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/ladyhawke/walking_two_paths_what_my_blog_will_about-108/</guid>
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			<title>Weakness</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/cloudrunner/weakness-26/</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:07:32 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Today I had some interesting experiences, some mundane, others fairly spiritual.  It started with me dream-walking last night and having some...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Today I had some interesting experiences, some mundane, others fairly spiritual.  It started with me dream-walking last night and having some interesting conversations with some old animal friends.  The message all rolled into one is that I've been too tied into the stresses of everyday life and have forgotten who I truly am.  I know the steps I need to take to gain myself again, but it's not going to be an easy or simple road (you know sometimes this time of year sucks ...).<br />
<br />
I have forgotten my name.<br />
<br />
Then I had the pleasure to experience one of the most grueling job interviews of my career so far.  Talk about being on the spot and nervous.  1.5 hours of non stop questions on my technical abilities and how I would handle certain situations.  One word: INTENSE!<br />
<br />
They asked a fairly common question, but one that I find that most people have trouble with (thankfully I've answered this question before): &quot;What are your weaknesses?&quot;  One has to realize that this question is not a negative or fishing for where you are going to have troubles.  This question, during a job interview, is entirely about whether or not you can recognize your short comings and turn them into something positive and use them to your advantage.<br />
<br />
My response to this question was, &quot;My main weakness is the fact that I have the attention span of a small rodent.&quot;  As I explained to the interviewers though, this shortcoming of mine, while it can be detrimental at times, has taught me how to multi-task and how to organize a lot of things that are going on at one time and has enabled me to learn how to overcome the issue of being &quot;swamped&quot; to the point that I rarely feel that I am overloaded with work.<br />
<br />
See what I did there?<br />
<br />
They responded well to this response, as they did laugh at the rodent comment, and then told me, &quot;Nice response!&quot;<br />
<br />
Which brings me to tonight's blog subject ... Can you truly take stock of your shortcomings and find a way to turn them into something positive and use them to your advantage?  What are they?  How do you use them?<br />
<br />
The ability to take stock of yourself is one of those &quot;lost&quot; abilities that we humans general forgo and ignore.  Unfortunately, by doing this, we lose a part of ourselves and are constantly searching for something to fill that hole that's left behind.  If you understand not just your strengths, but your weaknesses as well and how to cope with them, then you are that much stronger.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px; ">
	<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px">Quote:</div>
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				<div style="height: 32px;">
					Originally Posted by <strong>Tim Jahn</strong>
					
				</div>
				<div style="font-style:italic">What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is the acknowledgement of weakness.  Bring your weaknesses to the front of the line, acknowledge them, and learn from them.  Think of them as a valuable tool rather than trash to take out.</div>
			
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</div>This is true both in your everyday life, and your pagan / spiritual / religious life as well.  How successful you are is entirely dependent on how well you can identify your weaknesses and faults and use them to your advantage.<br />
<br />
Side note as well, The Noble Pagan also released our Pagan Sabbat (holiday) newsletter / magazine / publication / whatever you want to call it today.  You can find it here:<br />
<a href="http://noblepagan.com/porch-3/noble_pagan_holiday_newsletter_samhain_2009_a-1614/" target="_blank">The Noble Pagan Holiday Newsletter - Samhain 2009</a>.<br />
<br />
I leave you tonight with one last thought along these lines:<div style="margin:20px; margin-top:5px; ">
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				<div style="height: 32px;">
					Originally Posted by <strong>Celtic Spider</strong>
					
				</div>
				<div style="font-style:italic">When all else fails and you have nothing left to lose ... there's always glitter.</div>
			
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			<dc:creator>Cloudrunner</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/cloudrunner/weakness-26/</guid>
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			<title><![CDATA[Faith - 'An Island in the Setting Sun']]></title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/shadarthedruid/faith_island_setting_sun-22/</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:30:48 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Many times I have discussed the issue, and issues, of faith. My faith and others faiths. We have discussed personal feelings and meanings of the word...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Many times I have discussed the issue, and issues, of faith. My faith and others faiths. We have discussed personal feelings and meanings of the word faith, religion, philosophy... and the various ways and means of them. And all these times I remember a single line in a song by Paul Simon ( 'Proof'), 'faith is an island in the setting sun, proof is the bottom line for everyone.'<br />
<br />
  Faith is confidence, belief, a moral and ethical compass pointing in the direction one wishes to live. Faith overcomes fear. (FEAR being either,      'false evidence appearing real', or 'f**k everything and run) Faith brings about and strengthens hope. Faith resides in the unseen and in the proven events of ones life. It is a tangeable thing, both temporal and coporial. It can and will be attacked, doubted, called into question and even destroyed. And yet we can hold onto it and overcome many things.<br />
<br />
  Faith isn't just part of ones religion. There is faith in oneself, faith in others, these are confidences of facts seen or experienced, or beliefs in abilities and possibilities. This is self fortitude, inner confidence, trusted beliefs. Faith here is trust without doubt. Sometimes easily explained, other times inexplicable, however it resides as,...'an island in the setting sun'. Seen sometimes only in a moment, or through certain light or perspective.</div>

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			<dc:creator>shadarthedruid</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/shadarthedruid/faith_island_setting_sun-22/</guid>
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			<title>A *very* brief summary of my core beliefs.</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/xynyth/very_brief_summary_my_core_beliefs-10/</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:24:27 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[I wrote this a while ago and it's still mostly true so I thought I'd share it. Even just re-reading it I feel like I might write something slightly...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I wrote this a while ago and it's still mostly true so I thought I'd share it. Even just re-reading it I feel like I might write something slightly different now. However, I do still hold all of these beliefs today even if tweaked.<br />
~~~~~~<br />
 <br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Firstly,I am Pagan. I’m not comfortable labeling myself as Wiccan though I do share many of their beliefs. I believe in a universal energy that we all share with every tree and every rock, every person and every bit of energy everywhere. I believe in many gods in many personifications.</font></font><br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><br />
</font></font><br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">While I’m on the subject of gods, let me explain my belief there. I believe that MAN creates GODS. What I mean by that is I believe when enough people believe in something, devote their energy to something, make that thing real in their minds and hearts, it becomes real and tangible. The more devotion and energy (a kind of sacrifice if you will) is placed into the belief of one particular god or another the more tangible it becomes. Likewise they can also fade with time. NeilGaiman wrote a great book called American Gods that really mirrored how I felt about gods. It’s a good read that I highly recommend.</font></font><br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><br />
</font></font><br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Do I personify my gods? Yes. I pray to Mother Moon and Father Sun or the All Mother and All Father. Do I believe that the sun and moon are actual gods? No. It’s just symbolism. We’re all connected by the same energy and I believe that you can draw energy from just about anything.But the moon is a BIG thing and the sun is a BIG thing thus I do believe that you can “draw down the moon.”</font></font><br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><br />
</font></font><br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">Let’s move on to the afterlife. This is where it gets a bit tricky. I believe in reincarnation. Now that means different things to different people.I don’t believe I was a cat in a past life (though how can I be sure?)but I do believe in living again and again in order to experience new and different things. Think numerology life path numbers or, more  simply old soul/new soul. I think there is a limited amount of time a soul/bundle of energy can or is willing to stay there before they move on to the next life. They can be guides, “angels,” guardians,helpers, watchers, you name it! <br />
</font></font><br />
<br />
<br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><br />
</font></font><br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">These are not ghosts. Ghosts are energy that is trapped within something or to something. I believe there are two different types of ghost, one is merely a recording or imprint of energy and the other is “aware” on some level. There are other things that are, as best I can describe it,non-human energy. That’s a poor description but the best I can come up with at the moment. I don’t talk about it much but I have seen ghosts, guides and “other” things.</font></font><br />
<br />
<br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"><br />
</font></font><br />
 <font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3">I believe in soul mates, twin souls, and the ability to affect your environment. I believe that you can affect changes to yourself and your environment through “spell work” and manipulation of energy.Visualization and meditation are key. I believe that horoscope personality descriptions are at least partially valid but I think it has less to do with the placement of the stars and more to do with the season or something here on Earth affecting you while in the womb.</font></font><br />
 <br />
<font face="Times New Roman"><font size="3"> My beliefs are ever changing but I will say that these things I have written have remained constant for many years now. I'm always open to adaptation and I don't claim to have all the answers. If you ask me what I think about religion I will tell you it's a comfort system for everyone. Like a warm fuzzy blanket in a cold dark world; making you feel safe and secure even though it's justa piece of fabric.</font></font></div>

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			<dc:creator>Xynyth</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/xynyth/very_brief_summary_my_core_beliefs-10/</guid>
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			<title>My time is spent wondering about...</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/drackam/my_time_spent_wondering_about-7/</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:31:38 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>So... I have this girl... Sweet, caring, funny, understanding and beautyfull... BUT!!! She is two years under the legal limit in my country... Now...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>So... I have this girl... Sweet, caring, funny, understanding and beautyfull... BUT!!! She is two years under the legal limit in my country... Now she says she can wait for me but I'm not really shure I want her to...<br />
<br />
On the other hand she likes my company, likes the way I treat her and so forth... I'm in a lot of worry because the next time she comes around my place, what do I do??? Do I tell her that I really love her, as I do, or do I tell her that she should find someone her own age and feel heartbroken if she does???<br />
<br />
It's really hard for me to regail my feelings as it is, and this situation helps no more than a kick to the groin... So I implore all you pagans out there to help me come up with a solution to my problem... Anything will help...<br />
<br />
Thanks in advance Your friend <font color="Red">Drackam</font>...</div>

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			<dc:creator>Drackam</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/drackam/my_time_spent_wondering_about-7/</guid>
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			<title>Another essay: religion</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/another_essay_religion-4/</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:57:45 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>Recently for my college English class we had to do a problem solution paper and my teacher enjoyed it so much that she requested to have a separate...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Recently for my college English class we had to do a problem solution paper and my teacher enjoyed it so much that she requested to have a separate copy just to keep. Though it may not be politically correct to some people and you may or may not like what I have to say, but I am just simply trying to make a point. If you don't agree, well, so be it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><div align="center">Society's Greatest Threat</div><div align="center"><br />
 </div></div>              In Afghanistan a woman can be tortured or murdered for disrespecting her husband, not wearing the correct clothing, or sleeping with another man. In 1692 nineteen people were hanged for accusations of being witches in Salem and religion justified the deaths. The Inquisitions and the Crusades – although different in their religious views and eras in which they occurred – both the Inquisitions and the Crusades were guilty for killing many people while under the impression that God was on their side. <br />
  Looking at all the senseless bloodshed over the centuries it has become my solemn opinion that the world and mankind's greatest threat is not poverty, crime or disease, but blind faith in outdated and irrelevant systems of beliefs. Religion is something I have never understood because it is founded on fairytales that in today's science and technological age is redundant. Religion has no grounds in reality or logic as we understand it and often times contradicts the very things we know to be true. By no means is spirituality wrong, but following something blindly that cannot be known in life and fighting over it, is not the way to live because in that path lies ignorance. <br />
  There is one truth that even today people fail to acknowledge which is that religion is man made. This should be evident to anyone who understands the basics of how society works because if religion were not man made then there would be only one, true belief and not thousands. Everything about the societies that humans have created show that they make their own customs for their society and religion is no exception to what history proves. <br />
  To reiterate, the idea of God is a human concept and it was created centuries ago as a way of explaining how things in the world came to be. Through the years these multitude of gods, goddesses, and the religions that they inhabit became a system of governance for controlling society. These beliefs rooted themselves into the different cultures and societies until the morals from them were incorporated into real governments.<br />
  Religions all around the world have justified their actions through the concept of manifest destiny; that it was their right and duty to spread the word of their faith. This is the leading cause of all the holy wars through the years because many religions believed this concept. If this bloodshed had never occurred then more Native Americans would have survived European conquest because it would have never happened, at least not in the way that it did. The majority of people in the world are Christians, but this is not because many people decided it was the one, true religion. It is because thousands had their blood spilled for not accepting it. In religion, war comes with the territory.<br />
  Hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes are all a few types of natural disasters that plague the earth. For centuries people have blamed the occurrence of these events on the gods. When such an event happened, some cultures would offer up people as sacrifices to appease their gods. Individuals had to pay the price for the collective's ignorance. Today such practices are considered uncivilized, but this still happens in small countries around the world.<br />
  Today science can tell us when someone is coming down with a disease and often how combat it. Today science can tell us what the weather is going to do whether it is as simple as a little rain or a hurricane headed toward a heavily populated area. Religion on the other hand would attribute all these occurrences as Gods' will and prefer to sit and pray when the problem could best be handled by human participation rather than inaction.<br />
  Religion has given people beings that can't be proved to exist in life, as well as prejudices against people of other cultures. With science, people have a system that continues to grow and change where things only thought to be true are tossed out, such as the earth being flat, and have replaced it with new found truths. Religion can't do that since each one sticks to claims that can not be tested by any known means and simply must be accepted based upon faith.        <br />
              In the United States it is believed that there is a separation between church and state, but if this were really true then people would not have their rights infringed upon because of religious teachings. Take for instance the difference between what benefits are given to a married man and woman, and two women or two men in a civil union. Few states will recognize the civil union at all, only offering a fraction of the state benefits the married couples get while the federal benefits are reserved only for traditional married couples and not those in civil unions.  If someone were to look at the arguments on this it can be seen that religious views are the main reason for the inequality.<br />
              Since religion is ingrained in the culture of the societies we have today and it would be impractical to think that it can be done away with when people are raised with it. One can not propose that people forget about their religions entirely because it would not happen. What people can do though is ask themselves what is the purpose of their faith and what is it that they truly want out of it.<br />
              Years of bloodshed have led people to this moment and I believe that in light of all the deaths religious conflicts have caused that people are more than willing to listen to reason when lives are on the line. Whether it be in schools, with parents or government, tolerance of people's faith needs to be encouraged. Otherwise the path will continue as it has for centuries and many people will lose their lives along the way.<br />
              Of course there are going to be people who refuse tolerance, either because they are too zealous in their beliefs or are so afraid of the possibility of hell. To them, the only solution I can offer is that they understand that it is not their duty to save other people who do not want what they have to offer. These people need understand that by forcing their beliefs on others that it threatens freedom. Also, they must be shown the reality of inequalities brought about by religion, as well as the deaths it has caused. If people are afraid of going to hell they must told, with evidence, that the continuance of pushing these beliefs on others will create a hell on earth for their children, and their children's children. In essence, combat their scare tactics with…scare tactics.<br />
  A person can be spiritual and not have to be tied down by the rules of a religion. Spirituality actually exists more from outside of religion than within because those not restricted by it are more open to thinking about the well being of all human beings and willing to use mankind's ability to understand and create to combat any problems that arise.  The problem though, is that people today often hold to their religions so they can feel that they have a purpose in life. This is because people are worried that their lives have no meaning and therefore they try to create that meaning through religion. In adopting a spiritual world view people can instead find their purpose in the improvement of life here on earth for everyone on it. By doing this humans can become a species united, instead of one divided.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Sagath Dai Lagilus</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/another_essay_religion-4/</guid>
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			<title>I love; I hate (an old poem of mine)</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/i_love_i_hate_old_poem_mine-3/</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:53:09 GMT</pubDate>
			<description>I love to see, a fantasy to behold. 
 A lively dream, that cannot be. 
 I hate to see, the loss of gold. 
 The ruins are all that is left to see. 
 ...</description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>I love to see, a fantasy to behold.<br />
 A lively dream, that cannot be.<br />
 I hate to see, the loss of gold.<br />
 The ruins are all that is left to see.<br />
 <br />
 I love to hear, a siren sing.<br />
 Seductive call, for the ocean is near.<br />
 I hate to hear, her song's ending.<br />
 For my whole world will disappear.<br />
 <br />
 I love to smell, a rose bud in spring.<br />
 A mild time, a lovely day.<br />
 I hate to smell, the dying thing.<br />
 That the bloody storm swept away.<br />
 <br />
 I love to taste, a soft sweet kiss.<br />
 A passion within the dark.<br />
 I hate to taste, the end of bliss.<br />
 For loves pain will leave its mark.<br />
 <br />
 I love to feel, a lovers heart.<br />
 For they are my only care.<br />
 I hate to feel, my world torn apart.<br />
 A lovers leave, anguish unable bare.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Sagath Dai Lagilus</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/i_love_i_hate_old_poem_mine-3/</guid>
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			<title>Evaluation: Monetary System</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/evaluation_monetary_system-2/</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:18:42 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Evaluation: Monetary System This is an essay which I got good remarks about from my English teacher. Figured I'd test my blog out with this. 
 
  ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Evaluation: Monetary System This is an essay which I got good remarks about from my English teacher. Figured I'd test my blog out with this.<br />
<br />
  <br />
<div align="center"><div align="center">Monetarism: the movement of the world</div></div>              The monetary system is the institution of money, which puts a price on goods and services of a society. In other words monetarism means that what a society values changes along with the economy of that country. Looking at the definition a person can see that this is how almost every country and culture in the world seems to work. Blaming money for all the problems that occur within a society is not a hard thing to do when you look at it closely. To begin, we must understand what money is and that is essentially nothing. The value it holds is only based on the value a society gives it and how much is available. <br />
  Currency has existed for many years, but it is the creation of the Federal Reserve and the World Bank that destroyed any chance the people of any country ever had on living debt free. When the United   States government wants money it borrows it from the Federal Reserve, which it has to pay interest on. This money is then untouched and used to create more money out of on the basis of the 'reserve' that it represents. Economics is a confusing system altogether and is another deterrent for people trying to learn how money works.<br />
  All U.S. dollars that exist today are owed back to the Federal Reserve and also at interest. This is what creates the problem of the monetary system. The interest is impossible to pay back because the only money that is and can be created outside of the Reserve only covers the bulk of the debt, but it can not extend to cover any interest. What this does is make it impossible for public at large to be debt free, no matter what their situation.<br />
  The monetary idea in society can be seen perpetuated in public schools because of how they often seem to be preparing students for the work force, nothing more. In a technological age where people are losing jobs because of machines replacing them we should not be preparing our children for an already outdated work force, but instead aim higher. A monetary system is controlled by the powerful few, the large companies, the world, state and country banks, and the government. These institutions gain wealth and power and through the monetary system are capable of controlling the public.<br />
  When people are required to make money that is in reality worth nothing and have to perform a job in order to acquire it, then it is just another form of slavery. Low end jobs are replaced by machines that can perform the duties, children are raised to perform these low end jobs, and the homeless do not have the knowledge for these low end jobs. The monetary system continues this cycle constantly, restricting people from being able to move up in the chain because of where the government chooses to put forth money. Knowing this, a society of people who must work to support their self is closer to a dictatorship than a democracy. <br />
  Through this system many other things occur such as war. For example, the U.S. government has been after Iraq for many years. What for? Oil. The oil and those who control it are more powerful than any government in the world because of the power they hold through the monetary system. For instance, the U.S. government has gone into other countries, taking companies they could use for themselves, and gain a profit from it. The countries that have this taken from them suffer because their resources are being used in other countries.<br />
  Capitalism in the monetary system just makes the situation worse for the people in the societies who uphold it. A capitalist society is all about competition and profit and because of this the people suffer. Looking at this, it can be seen that capitalism creates the desire in the culture to compete with each other instead of working together. In a government ruled by a monetary system, money comes first and people come last.<br />
  Technology advances have been made that could make the daily lives of people living wealthy and in poverty better in many ways. Wind and solar power alone could be used to run the world without any risk to the environment or safety. With all this technology available the question that we should be asking is, &quot;If it exists, why isn't being used?&quot; The answer is money. <br />
  When money is required for everything it puts a stronghold on growth. The people who own most the money are the oil companies and the last thing they want is for the world to stop depending on their product. Oil and fossil fuels are irrelevant when safer and cheaper fuels can be used. So money is denied for these technological advances and instead put where it is not needed.<br />
              Looking at all these different things about the monetary society that the world has been following for many years one thing is certain: Technology has grown, but society has not. In the face of all these technological advances that are abundant enough for everyone, people choose to retain the institutions they are used to because they fear the change. People have come to depend on the government and other institutions rather than themselves. <br />
              In light of the recent economic troubles in the United States and around the world it has become evident that the monetary system has not worked. The solution is to get rid of the institutions of the past and work toward a future. Resources are there for every human being to have the necessities to survive and with the technology these can be made available to everyone. This way, the well being of people as a whole will be more important than the profit that can be made through them. The monetary system has proven to only benefit a few people over the human population as whole and because of this it should now be considered irrelevant to the present and future of the world.</div>

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			<dc:creator>Sagath Dai Lagilus</dc:creator>
			<guid isPermaLink="true">http://noblepagan.com/blogs/sagath_dai_lagilus/evaluation_monetary_system-2/</guid>
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			<title>Test blog and baby #2 update</title>
			<link>http://noblepagan.com/blogs/xynyth/test_blog_baby_2_update-1/</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:29:55 GMT</pubDate>
			<description><![CDATA[Well let's start with the good news first.  
  
  
I get my gender U/S tomorrow afternoon :) Yay!!!! 
  
  
They are transferring me from the High...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>Well let's start with the good news first. <br />
 <br />
 <br />
I get my gender U/S tomorrow afternoon :) Yay!!!!<br />
 <br />
 <br />
They are transferring me from the High risk clinic to the Medium risk clinic<br />
 <br />
 <br />
I'm not diabetic (just fat).<br />
 <br />
 <br />
My blood pressure is NORMAL.<br />
 <br />
 <br />
Whatever the heck was going on with my pulse seems to have stopped.<br />
 <br />
 <br />
I was approved for attempting a VBAC!<br />
 <br />
 <br />
Which leads me to the frustrating. I had heard about doctors trying to scare you in to a repeat c-section but thought it was just a rare occurrence,well surprise surprise.<br />
 <br />
 <br />
This doctor today (third one I have seen in 3 visits... how many doctors do I have??) I'm sure was just going down the lists of risks and what can happen and blah blah blah but it was his TONE I didn't care for. Such as when he emphasized that if my uterus ruptured the baby would most probably <font color="#ff0000"><i><b><u>DIE</u></b></i></font>!<br />
 <br />
 <br />
I have to sign and initial this huge long release with things on it such as:<br />
#7&quot;I understand that if my uterus ruptures during my VBAC, there may not be sufficient time to operate and to prevent the death of or permanent brain injury to my baby.&quot;<br />
 <br />
 <br />
there are others but I don't feel like transcribing them. Not all of them are bad, some say that I understand I would have a quicker recovery and shorter stay in the hospital (duh).<br />
 <br />
 <br />
I know I'm probably taking it harsher than I aught to but damn it I don't want another C-section. The first one was traumatic enough!<br />
 <br />
 <br />
Oh but on another good note, I told the doctor I wanted absolutely NO needles anywhere near my back. I'm not objected in the least to drugs(quite partial actually) but I can not have another epidural after the hell I went through last time. So he marked that in my notes. I also said that if for some reason I ended up having to have another c-section, as I know it's a possibility, I want to be put out. I don't care if I am out for 3 days, someone can pump my boobs for me. I do NOT want to be awake for that nonsense again.<br />
 <br />
 <br />
Ahh, so there you have it. Tomorrow the big gender reveal! THINK BLUE PEOPLE!!!! THINK IT REALLY HARD!<br />
 <br />
 <br />
Thanks for reading :)</div>

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			<dc:creator>Xynyth</dc:creator>
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