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This post is part of Blog Action Day.
We Pagans do not have a formal concept of sin, as such, and we certainly do not have a Hell, but if we did, despoiling the environment would be a mortal sin, and there would be a separate and very special Circle of Hell for irresponsible developers and the politicians they keep in their back pockets. How would I construct that hell? It's simple. I would simply make them live forever in the places they have ruined.
They Paved Paradise
I am a Westerner. Wide, open spaces are in my blood. I grew up in Southern California in a valley just outside of Los Angeles, in the 60's and lived there for 35 years. In my time there, the farms and open fields disappeared to be replaced by shopping malls, concrete and urban sprawl. It is now just called The Valley and the area became famous in the 80's for Valley Speak and Valley Girls, but when I knew it, the valley was a green and pleasant place. The deer and the cougar are gone from the hills, many of the hiking places I knew as a kid are gone, as well. One of my favorite parks, which was once a oak dotted haven for rock climbers, is now covered in graffiti and broken glass. As children we went with our parents to the coast. We danced on white sand and played in the gentle surf at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As teenagers, my friends and I built bonfires on those same beaches and gazed up at the moon. We did this in perfect safety. The sea water off the California coast is now toxic and filled with sewage, as are the river systems where my Dad taught me to fish. The public beaches that are left are overcrowded and unsafe. Beach access and beach views become more and more a privilege of the very rich, except, of course, when the million dollar homes they build in mudslide areas slide into the sea.
In the early 90's I moved with my husband to the Bay Area Northern California. During our 15 years there, we watched as what was once known as the Valley of Heart's Delight change into the overcrowded Silicon Valley we know today. Skies that were blue for much of the year are now more and more polluted. Unlike Southern California, much that was beautiful about the Bay was saved by devoted environmentalists. They preserved wild lands and some open space, even the development mad 1960's, a time when plans were made to pave even the wetlands near Palo Alto and turn them into shopping malls. As I said, much was saved by those who loved this area, and fought for it, but far too much was lost.
I saw great changes in my brief time there. During the dot.com boom, farms and open space were paved over to make way for huge high tech campuses. No thought was given to making green space or parks or wildlife sanctuaries in the 1990's. Housing was in high demand. The population soared, and tech growth and high paying jobs meant that money was no object. Thousands of new houses were built to handle the "sudden" population surge (a surge that had been predicted for this area for decades). Homes were built without any thought to issues like traffic, infrastructure, water or power or even flood plains (so look for more areas to slide down the Fremont Hills in the coming years). Areas, like Morgan Hill, a pleasant green place outside of San Jose, that tried to slow development was pressured by the state and disparaged by then Governor Gray Davis (Dem) for impeding natural progress. And then the cosmic chickens came home to roost. The Bay Area started to suffered their infamous rolling blackouts thanks to the good folks at Enron and the short-sightedness of our own civil servants. During that time, the dot.coms went bust, and those multi-storied high tech buildings that had been built with such hubristic intentions were never used. They lay empty for years. I hear that they have finally been pulled down to make way for chock-a-block condos and multi-storied homes. When I still lived there, such places cost the moon. The housing market has now tanked. Meanwhile, the developers who built such places are living in gated communities, where the wild lands and the unspoiled views have been preserved. It is only the public who must live in overcrowded, unlovely conditions and who fight the gods awful traffic every day. The rich are different from you and me. Steve Jobs still has a lovely view, while he continues to produce products the mount up in landfills. Increasingly, open space is a privilege, not a right. For example, if you want to visit one of the nicer wild areas in upscale Palo Alto (the place that brought us Google, and where all those Venture Capitalists live and work) you must show proof of residence. Otherwise you will be turned away.
Two years ago, work and family obligations took us to Western Oregon. We have a little place in the mountains, close to the Willamette Valley. It may be one of the most beautiful places still left in the West. Which is why the developers are eying it now.
Some years ago, Oregonians passed Proposition 37, which essentially overturned the land use protection laws that had been in place for so many years and which had saved Portland, and much of Oregon from the hellish urban sprawl that infects the other western states. 37 was deceptively worded and complex. Oregon voters had no idea what they had gotten themselves into until the timber, housing, and mining wolves moved in from out of state, and bought up family farms. They turned charming, livable areas like Medford, which lies in Southern Oregon, into a mirror image of the San Fernando Valley, the place where I grew up and rode horses and which is now a by-word for urban blight, pollution, crime and over crowding. Throughout the Medford area small wineries, open acreage, and family farms disappeared. Deer can no long roam the mountain sides, which were now covered in homes. More and more areas of open space disappeared to be replaced by enormous housing tracks, strip malls, shopping centers and traffic congestion. No new parks were built. No green spaces were set aside. No wise use plan was ever brought before the public, in fact, no real public discussion was ever had, at all. furthermore, No thought has been given in the last 6 years (and yes, that is all it took to make this natural heaven into a modern hell) to consider the needs of their wild ecosystem in one of the most beautiful areas in this state. As we took habitat away from wild creatures, we also ruined it for ourselves. No one gave a thought to what such crowding would again do to people when power and water began to be be scarce. "Wise use" is not a term developers use. They think in terms of how much and how fast, and the only green they know or care about is on color of the currency they wave in front of politicians who sell off our sacred environmental birthright when we're not looking.
Faced with the dilemma of Medford and other areas, Cascadians are now looking to overturn Proposition 37, and amend it this November with Proposition 49. All across the western states, voters are faced with the same sorts of issues.
But perhaps you don't live in the west, or perhaps you live happily in an urban area and don't feel you need to care. So let me tell you why you might care:
* The Water Wars.
Water is a finite resource. As cities and towns grow, so does their need for water. Water will grow more scare, and become much more expensive in our lifetimes. And yes, wars will be fought over this, as they are in the middle east, wars that will involve all of us in one way or another.
* Food Security
As farm land disappears under the developer's heel, so too, does our ability to feed ourselves. We are faced now with two, linked issues that will become urgent in the coming years. First, we must be able to feed our own population in healthy, socially just ways, or face the issues we now have with oil: global blackmail from other nations, increasingly high prices and pollution on a massive and enduring scale.
Secondly, we are looking at increasing factory farms and loosing small family farms, not to mention viable farm land, across the nation.
We are choosing to have huge farms run by corporations that pollute the environment. They produce hormone laced meat under the cruelest possible conditions, and offer us pesticide laced produce. Such products add to the health crisis and the cancer rates in this country. Factory farms also pollute the groundwater, ruin the landscape for miles around and produce manure that threatens our health.
The readiness is all
- Hamlet
Former Vice President Al Gore was just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the environment. Let us consider what that means. He did not win a science prize, he won the peace prize. That is because issues like food security, water rights, overpopulation, pollution, climate change and the resulting famine and floods it brings with it are issues of global war and peace.
As Mr. Gore said on receiving his prize,
We face a true planetary emergency.
The climate crisis is not a political issue,
it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity
Gore's portion of the prize money will benefit a non-profit organization he founded, The Alliance for Climate Protection. It is no surprise to me that this group would be based in the west, because we westerners have seen so much dramatic environmental change in our lifetime. For us, it's personal.
As a Pagan, I don't believe in the Judeo/Christian ideas of sin and hell, but I do believe in things like balance, right action and our connection to the earth. I believe that we are all children of Gaia and that what we do as individuals affects the whole. Decisions about the environment, development and wise use must be made with both current and future generations in mind. We cannot pave paradise and still expect to live there. It's just not possible.
Sia
Links:
Alliance for Climate Protection
Gaia's Guardians
Pagans and the Environment (The Wild Hunt blog)
Sierra Club
National Audubon Society
Related Articles:
Training as a Green Witch
Our Environment Harvest: Ecology, Climate Change and Religion
Beauty and Meaning: Gardening Like a Green Witch
Caring for Each Other, We Care for the Earth by NineRavens
Sia@FullCircle
Women in ancient Greece and Rome struggled to exist. It wasn't just a struggle to be equal to men, but even to be seen was unheard of. Some women married, some had demeaning jobs, and others were slaves. Their role in society was essential, however, no matter how poorly they were treated.
GODDESSES
In ancient Greece and Rome it was common to believe in different Gods and Goddesses. A Goddess is a female deity. Deities were believed to be holy, divine, sacred, and often times immortal. There are many associations with Goddesses, but the more common associations were Earth, Household, Mother, and Love. People would prey to Goddesses for things they lacked in their life. They may prey for their children, love, and even beauty.
* Aphrodite: Goddess of love, **EasterEgg**, and beauty.
* Artemis: Goddess of the moon, fertility, and childbirth.
* Athena: Goddess of wisdom and war.
* Eris: Goddess of chaos
* Hera: Goddess of family and marriage.
* Images of Women and goddesses
EDUCATION
While boys were allowed to learn in school, the women of ancient Greece were often educated at home by their husbands or brothers. Women were not allowed to spend a lot of time pursuing their education as they were needed to support their men and take care of the home. They had to be educated somewhat to help educate their children. The Hetaera, a group of women trained as prostitutes, were educated outside the home on things like entertaining and conversation. They were meant to sit and have conversations with men during long food festivals and therefore needed to have a higher education. While a woman's education was limited there were things they were allowed to learn.
* Education of Women in Ancient Greece
* Ancient Greece for Kids
* The Hetaira
MARRIAGE
The singles life wasn't accepted for woman in ancient Greece and Rome. Marriage was arranged by the parents of the bride and groom. A financial contribution or dowery was made by the bride's father. Women married between the ages of 14-18 and were raised to obey their husbands. Wives weren't fully accepted by their husband's family until a child was conceived. Weddings consisted of rituals, were not resided over by priests, and were completed in three parts; pre-wedding ceremonies, the wedding itself, and post wedding ceremonies.
* Marriages in Ancient Greece
* Ancient Greek Wedding
* Marriage and Funeral Rights in Athens
* The Women of Athens
* The Average Roman Housewife
* The Julian Marriage Laws
PRIVATE LIFE
The private life of married women was based around their household and the wishes of their husband. Their job was to raise their kids and tend to the house, the needs of her husband, and the make sure the slaves are doing what they should be. It was rare that a wealthy women ever left the house, they sent slaves to the market and lived in a special part of the house. Their children lived with them until the age of 7. Their role was to raise the children and tend to the various household chores while instructing daughters on how to run a household, all the while staying out of sight.
* Aristotle, on a Good Wife
* Roman Women, Marriage and Children
* Family Values in Ancient Rome
PUBLIC LIFE
The public lives of women were determined by the type of women they were. Married women were allowed to associate with other women but never men. The non-married women played a huge part in society. It was believed that wives were there to bare legitimate children and keep the house, but the women like the heteras, were like call girls and were their to entertain the men. Ancient Greece was a time before dating services, but it was full of brothels. While they did have sex occasionally with the men, women like the heteras had other duties as well.
* Women in Classical Greece
* Women in Classical Athens
* Daily Women's Life
LEGAL STATUS
The legal status of women in ancient Greece and Rome was practically non-existant. From the time they were born women were owned. They were owned first by their father and then by their husband. Women were not allowed to sue people, be in government, or even own houses.
* Spartan Women
* Spartan Women in the Spotlight
* Women and Politics in Ancient Rome
MEN'S OPINIONS
The man's opinion was what mattered in ancient Greece and Rome. Their role was to run the government, among other various jobs. Men believed that wives should be seen and not heard. They often kept separate rooms in the house because male visitors weren't allowed in the rooms where the families regularly were. Their opinions about women were the only opinions that mattered and often times women were treated no better than a domestic slave.
* Aristotles theory of the nature women
* Valerius Maximus' examples of womanly virtue
* Aristotles on Spartan Women
OCCUPATIONS
The non-married women had occupations. Those occupations almost always involved entertaining. While some were slaves, most women were prostitutes. The hetaeras were a step up from regular prostitutes as they were also trained in dance and conversation. While prostitution was the main occupation for women there were others as well. Some of these occupations were dancer, poet, midwife, or entertainer.
* Midwives and Birth in Ancient Rome
* Sex, Power, and Politics, Women in Ancient Rome
Origin: religion-events.blogspot.com
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Reference: invocation-rituals.blogspot.com
Hades was the king of the underworld. He was the brother of Zeus the king of the gods. Hades was the oldest son of the titan gods Kronos and Rhea. Kronos was the king of the gods and the god of time. He heard a prophecy that foretold one of his children growing up to overthrow him as the king of the gods. Kronos made sure this would not happen and each time Rhea gave birth to one of his children he would eat the child. This was a metaphor for time consuming everything. Hades along with his brothers and sisters were each swallowed up by Kronos. Hades, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter were all consumed by their father. Zeus was the youngest of the children and when he was born Rhea hid him from his father and instead offered Kronos a stone wrapped up in swaddling. Kronos was deceived by this and ate the stone. Zeus grew up and finally challenged his father. With the help of the goddess Metis (wisdom) he made Kronos disgorge all of the children he had eaten. When Hades and his siblings were freed, they along with Zeus fought their father until finally they defeated Kronos and threw him out of the heavens. At this point Hades was not the king of the underworld. The poet Homer says that Zeus, Poseidon and Hades decided to draw lots to find out who should have authority over the sky, sea and underworld. Hades drew the lot that gave him kingship of the underworld. The underworld was a place with different rivers and areas. There were five rivers, Kokyos (lamentation), Phlegethon (fire), Acheron (woe), Lethe (oblivion) and Styx (hate). The main regions of the underworld were the fields of Asphodel, the isles of the blessed, Tartaros and the pools of Lethe and Mnemosyne (memory). In later Greek religion the initiates of mystery cults such as the Elysium mysteries and Orphic cults taught that they could drink from the pool of memory in the underworld and thus retain their sense of self in the afterlife. During the times of Homer (c.800-700BC) such beliefs were not prominent, with a pessimistic view of witless shades the outcome for most mortals. Hermes would usher the psyche of the dead person into the underworld where it would lose all memory of the person it once was. Odysseus met the shades of the dead in Homer's Odyssey (book 11). He visits the fields of Asphodel and performs a ritual sacrifice of a black goat. The blood from this sacrifice is mixed with barley and poured into a circular ditch. The shades approach and when they drink the blood retrieve their memories and are able to converse with Odysseus. Tartaros was the deepest section of the underworld and a place of punishment for impious mortals, titans and giants. The isles of the blessed (Elysium fields) is a later optimistic view of the underworld where the sun shone and the heroes lived in a sort of semi immortality. The pool of memory is where the judges of the underworld resided. They were Rhadamanthos, Minos and Aeakos. The most famous story involving Hades was his theft of Persephone. Persephone was the daughter of the goddess Demeter. She was out in a meadow with her friends when Hades appeared from the ground and snatched her away. Demeter searched for her daughter for many months and threatened to stop the spring months from coming to earth. Zeus intervened and told Hades to release Persephone. Hades knew that he could keep her if he tricked her into eating something so he gave her a pomegranate seed to eat. Finally a compromise was reached with Demeter and Hades. Persephone would live with Demeter during the spring, summer and first months of autumn. She would then live with Hades in the underworld during the latter months of autumn and winter. This story was a way of explaining why there were fruitful times of the year and times when little would grow. Another famous story involving Hades was when Pirithous and Theseus. Theseus decided to abduct Helen of Sparta and keep her until she was old enough to marry. Pirithous decided to abduct Persephone from the underworld. The two heroes descended in the kingdom of Hades and attempted to take Persephone. Hades knew of their plan before they arrived and soon imprisoned the heroes. He tricked them by pretending to host a great feast. The heroes were enjoying the entertainment when the food started to turn to snakes which coiled around them and acted like chains. Herakles would later rescue Theseus, however Pirithous would remain a prisoner in the underworld. Hades is rarely depicted in art, however it is safe to assume that his appearance would be similar to Zeus. He did not have temples dedicated to him like the other gods, however he was remembered in prayer. Although Hades is a very important god he has not ranked as one of the 12 Olympian gods. Special honours known as the secular games were held every hundred years in honour of Hades. Learn more about the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece at http://www.mythologyhellenic.com Jane Sproston was a teacher of Classical Civilisation and Classical Greek in a number of secondary schools. She is also an examiner of Classical Civilisation for a major examination board. Her website is http://www.mythologyhellenic.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane Sproston
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Three world-renowned scholars of misconception, religion and spirituality were all amazed by kundalini yoga long prior to it become commonly understood in the West. Carl Jung believed its development of chakras, or energy centers, mirrored the phases of advancement of the personality. Joseph Campbell called kundalini 'India's greatest present to us.' Unlike the various other two, though, Mircea Eliade, author of 'Yoga: Immortality and Liberty,' was likewise a kundalini practitioner.
The Kundalini Serpent
Kundalini is a branch of tantra, esoteric knowledge passed down by mouth from guru to disciple but generally prohibited to the uninitiated. Date-wise, its beginnings are odd however according to Eliade, Tantra had actually become 'profoundly popular' throughout India by the sixth century. Kundalini's central symbol, a snake asleep at the base of the spinal column, represents dormant spiritual energy. When 'awakened,' she relocates up along a hierarchy of seven chakras, each standing for a progressively advanced state of consciousness. The opening of each chakra triggers a profound, sometimes shattering, psychological and individual transformation.
Carl Jung, 1875 To 1961
In 1932, Jung, a Swiss psychologist, delivered a seminar on kundalini to Zurich's Psychological Club. The Western psyche was too focused on intelligence and rationality to the exemption of instinct, sensation and spirituality, Jung believed, which had actually triggered the mindful and subconscious minds to divide on both specific and cultural levels. According to Harold Coward, author of 'Jung and Eastern Idea,' Jung felt that Eastern wisdom provided an 'encounter with another means of understanding and living life which jars the Westerner loose from his narrow-minded encapsulation' and could assist 'enlarge awareness of his own subconscious.'
Joseph Campbell, 1904 To 1987
Campbell wrote or edited of lots of books on myth and faith and in his 1974 book, 'The Mythic Image,' assessed kundalini's chakras or 'lotuses,' flowers considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists due to the fact that their beauty goes beyond the dirt in which they're rooted. The three most affordable chakras represented spiritual energy at its dullest: 'uninspired materialism,' sexual fascination and the impulse towards physical violence. By the time the kundalini reached the 4th chakra, the heart, the professional experienced 'the noise of the imaginative energy of deep space' and at the 5th, God-consciousness. Achievement of the sixth level is accompanied by 'divine revelations day and night' and when the snake reached 'the thousand-petaled lotus' at the crown of the head, the yogi attained union with the 'Unqualified Absolute.'
Mircea Eliade, 1907 To 1986
Romanian-born Eliade, editor-in-chief of Macmillan's 'History of Religions' and director of the College of Chicago's history of faiths division for three years, was acknowledged as a worldwide authority on yoga prior to he was 30. 'Yoga: Immortality and Liberty' was released in 1958 and re-released in 2009, although much of the research was finished the 1930s throughout his time in India. After three years researching at the University of Calcutta, Eliade stayed in an ashram in the Himalayan foothills, where he was initiated into the practice of kundalini, although he refused to discuss his 'keys' on the grounds that such knowledge have to only be passed from master to pupil. Yoga made it possible for Indians to go beyond the human condition, he composed, and offered Westerners a brand-new model for discovering the mind.
Kundalini Facts
Bruce Epperly brings the second of his reflections in his Loosely Christian Series. Now for those of you who know Bruce and his writings, he is a Process Theologian. As such, he envisions God present in and working through creation. His is a panentheistic theology. Since I still work to some degree within a Barthian scheme -- thus God is outside us and revealing from outside -- I find his reflections challenging -- in a good way. I like my theology with a little of Barth and a little of Process, which ends up with a bit of an odd mixture. Whatever the case, I think we can benefit from thinking about the ways in which God is moving and revealing God's self in our lives. Take a read, and offer your thoughts.
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"AN AFFIRMATIVE VISION OF GOD: "
"EMBRACING THE DIVINE FLUIDITY"BRUCE G. EPPERLY"
Faith is best learned through positive spiritual affirmations. Our affirmations shape our perceptions of ourselves and our vision of reality. Christian faith begins with our images of God. Followers of a fluid Christianity believe that God is of all things, and the creative wisdom reflected in the evolution of the universe and the emergence of this moment. While we can never fully fathom God (the apophatic way), the affirmation of divine omnipresence suggests that all things witness to divine wisdom and creativity (the kataphatic way). What we say about God, then, truly matters. It can be a matter of life and death for us and the planet. Here are some affirmations at the heart of "Loosely Christian:"
. "God is moving in and through all things, seeking abundant life for all creation." God is alive, intimate, and on our side. This is the practical meaning of God's lively omnipresence and omni-activity, aiming at beauty in all things. God does not need to control the world to give our lives meaning and vitality. Rather, God guides the world from within, providing a vision of possibilities for personal and global transformation.
. "God's revelation is as intimate as this moment's inspiration, but also revealed over the long haul of our lives and communities of faith. "God brings healing to your life and the world. God's transformative power energetically shapes our lives and the evolving religious traditions in their diversity and relationship with one another.
. "God does not act over against the world, but within the world through encouraging creaturely freedom and creativity". God seeks abundance for all creation. God wants you and your loved ones to have abundant life. God does not create a "zero sum" universe, in which creaturely innovation challenges God's sovereignty. God delights in our personal and corporate adventures, encouraging evolution and innovation. We live in a lively and abundant world in which we are partners and co-creators with God. As we become more creative and caring, we enable God to become more creative and caring. Our personal and communal healing helps God heal the planet.
. "While God seeks wholeness in all things, God must act in the context of real creaturely freedom". In contrast to popular Christian writer Rick Warren's deterministic viewpoint, a loosely Christian vision asserts that God has "not "decided all the important things in our lives without our input, nor has God placed obstacles in our way simply to test how we'll respond. Instead, it affirms that God lovingly responds to events God has not and would not have chosen - cancer, abuse, suicide, earthquake, and tsunami. In the context of a world in which all creatures exhibit at least minimal creativity and self-determination, God invites us to be God's healing and welcoming partners in the process of "tikkun 'olam", or mending the world.
. "God experiences the joy and pain of the world from the inside out". God's love involves receptivity as well as activity, listening as well as acting. What we do really matters to God and shapes God's own experience and the nature of God's future involvement in the world. As Alfred North Whitehead says, "God is the fellow sufferer who understands." God is also the fellow celebrant who rejoices in our healing, intimacy, and creativity. That's what love is all about, nurturing intimacy, celebration, freedom, and growth - whether in my love for my wife, son, or infant grandson or God's love for the evolving universe in all its diversity and fragility.
". God constantly creates in partnership with the world. "God is still speaking and moving in our lives and the world. God's word goes forth, vibrating within our spirits and the circuits of galaxies. God is growing and evolving in relationship with an evolving universe. Protean and flexible in character, God, as the source of evolution and emergence, is constantly doing new things and inviting us to embody new possibilities, working with the world as it is to bring forth a dynamic and evolving vision of Shalom. Our vision of an adventurous and shape-shifting God invites us to be part of a holy and fluid adventure.
YES, WE ARE PART OF A LIVELY HOLY ADVENTURE WITH GOD AS THE GREAT ADVENTURER. GOD IS READY TO GIVE US MORE THAN WE CAN ASK OR IMAGINE. WITHIN THE LIMITS OF OUR LIVES, GOD SEES WONDROUS POSSIBILITIES FOR CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION. (NEXT WEEK, I WILL BE REFLECTIVE ON AFFIRMATIVE HUMANITY, IN OUR ADVENTURES WITH "LOOSELY CHRISTIAN: ANSWERING GOD'S CALL FOR AN AFFIRMATIVE FAITH FOR TODAY."
Bruce Epperly is pastor of South Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Centerville, MA. A resident of Cape Cod, Bruce has previously served on the faculty - or on an administrative or ministerial capacity - at Georgetown University, Wesley Theological Seminary, Lancaster Theological Seminary, and Claremont School of Theology. The author of twenty seven books in spirituality, ministry, healing and wholeness, and process theology, his most recent books are Letters to My Grandson: Gaining Wisdom from a Fresh Perspective and Loosely Christian: Answering God's Invitation to a Creative Faith for Today
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My response to Rick Warren is found in "Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living" (Nashville: Upper Room, 2008; second edition, 2013, Parsons Post Books). Alfred North Whitehead, "Process and Reality: Corrected Edition "(New York: Free Press, 1978), 351. Loosely Christian: Answering God's Invitation to a Creative Faith for Today
Thai amulet is somehow related to buddhism. Most of the thai amulets are blessed by monks in thailand. Thus, wearing the holy amulets with a good heart and faith is very important. Lacking any 1 of them will lead the wearer to a confused state. Wear a good amulet with a good heart and good faith will lead to the wearer to has a better life from now for sure. Recently, I come by a article who mention about the right motivation. I feel that we should has the right motivation when wearing a amulet. Below is the wonderful Zen story:A devoted meditator, after years concentrating on a particular mantra, had attained enough insight to begin teaching. The student's humility was far from perfect, but the teachers at the monastery were not worried.A few years of successful teaching left the meditator with no thoughts about learning from anyone; but upon hearing about a famous hermit living nearby, the opportunity was too exciting to be passed up.The hermit lived alone on an island at the middle of a lake, so the meditator hired a man with a boat to row across to the island. The meditator was very respectful of the old hermit. As they shared some tea made with herbs the meditator asked him about his spiritual practice. The old man said he had no spiritual practice, except for a mantra which he repeated all the time to himself. The meditator was pleased -- the hermit was using the same mantra he used himself -- but when the hermit spoke the mantra aloud, the meditator was horrified!"What's wrong?" asked the hermit."I don't know what to say. I'm afraid you've wasted your whole life! You are pronouncing the mantra incorrectly!""Oh, Dear! That is terrible. How should I say it?"The meditator gave the correct pronunciation, and the old hermit was very grateful, asking to be left alone so he could get started right away. On the way back across the lake the meditator, now confirmed as an accomplished teacher, was pondering the sad fate of the hermit."It's so fortunate that I came along. At least he will have a little time to practice correctly before he dies." Just then, the meditator noticed that the boatman was looking quite shocked, and turned to see the hermit STANDING RESPECTFULLY ON THE WATER, next to the boat."Excuse me, please. I hate to bother you, but I've forgotten the correct pronunciation again. Would you please repeat it for me?""You obviously don't need it," stammered the meditator; but the old man persisted in his polite request until the meditator relented and told him again the way he thought the mantra should be pronounced.The old hermit was saying the mantra very carefully, slowly, over and over, as he walked across the surface of the water back to the island... Click on the link below to go back to my home page: Home Click on the link on the below to read some of the comments given by people who has used amulets or bought amulets from me:CommentClick on the link below to go to my magical store:Magical store
