Acknowledgements

-

 

Acknowledgements

 

          No man is an island; I would never have done what I have done without a lot of love and support from some wonderful people. Here they are:

My late father, Myles. He taught me to think for myself, to question authority, and to find my own Path if I need to. His questions and observations always led me in the right direction.

My mother, Doloris. No matter where my spiritual path led, you let me live my truth as it was at the time, and never judged me. You also never made me feel unloved or unwanted, and you didn’t pressure me into becoming something I wasn’t; you always let me be myself. I love you, Mama!

My second ex-husband and dear friend, Marcus. You have your own private faith, which I will always respect, as you have always respected mine. You were my cheerleader, and made some insightful observations that helped to shape the Path. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

My beloved little sister, Lisa. I love bouncing philosophical ideas off of you, because you get what I am saying better than anyone. Having a sister is having a built-in best friend, and you have been there from the very beginning.

My precious daughter and only child, Deanna. There was a time when you were my only reason for living. It will be up to you to preserve my legacy after I am gone. I know you are up to the task, as you have grown into a strong, smart, independent woman who knows her own mind. I am incredibly proud of you.

My coven sister and best friend, Courtney. You have answered every question gently and honestly, never making me feel bad for having to ask. You brought me into your world, and a wonderful world it is! I look forward to many adventures with you and your fascinating friends.

My boss and mentor, Trinity. You are patient, kind, supportive, and understanding. You are one of the many reasons I love my job, and look forward to working for the company until I retire.

The author Stephen King. Although we will probably never meet, your work has served as inspiration, as well as comfort and escape when I really needed it. Your stories resonate with me in many ways. I am, and will always remain, a Constant Reader.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On Sacrifice and the Path

-
  On Sacrifice and the Path   Sacrifice is a prevailing theme of many world religions, whether you are giving up life, time, or money. The idea is that you have to pay for salvation somehow; nothing is free, after all. Some religions have an entire laundry list of things you cannot do, things you must give up entirely in order to practice their faith. Some ask for money, either through tithes or “charitable donations.” The entire Christian faith is based on what is an objectively barbaric form of human sacrifice. The message is clear: to be saved, you must offer up something in return, or forgo something you once indulged in. A sacrifice must be made. Pagan spiritual traditions incorporate energetic reciprocity: to invoke the favors of the gods, certain offerings are made. These offerings can be physical or energetic in nature, either cream and honey to please the Fae folk, or personal psychic energy expended during a healing rite. These sacrifices are more personal (as ...
Read more

Beware the False Dichotomy

-
  The appeal of the dichotomy is understandable. It’s psychologically soothing to have two clear options, so we can act accordingly. Unfortunately, life is messy and complicated, and many of the dichotomies we embrace as a society are not only false, they are actively damaging. Consider the false dichotomy of “fight or flight,” of which I’ve written before. If you believe you only have two possible responses to perceived threat of trauma, you won’t realize that freeze, flop, and friend may be more appropriate to the situation. You could end up punching your boss, because running away is for cowards. Even worse, however, are the dichotomies we apply to sex, sexuality, and gender: you’re either gay or straight, male or female. What we are finally beginning to acknowledge is that these things exist on a spectrum, and the old labels just don’t work anymore. But there are still those who cling to these false dichotomies and refuse to recognize anyone’s identity if it doesn’t fit in ...
Read more

Path Doctrine on the Seven Deadly Sins

-
  Topic: Path Doctrine on the Seven Deadly Sins Today’s sermon is about the Christian list of seven “deadly sins” and how they relate to Path teachings. Some of these so-called sins are of the body, some are of the mind. But they must be subject to rational dissection so we can extract whatever value they may have. Lust is a body sin, and an easy one. The sex lives of others are none of our business, as long as everyone involved is a consenting adult and no harm is being done. If you are not hurting anyone or treating other people as things, feel free to lust after and even have sex with as many people as you want. Greed is one of the sins that you only commit in your head; the only problem with greed is that it can turn you into a power-hungry asshole. But there are wealthy people who still try to make the world a better place, so there is nothing wrong with greed itself. Gluttony is a body sin, and is contrary to the Virtue of Balance. If you find yourself overindulging, ...
Read more