The Path Ministry

  Topic: Sacred Fauna of the Path The animals sacred to the Path are: Cats, Squirrels, Crows & Ravens, Goats, Amphibians, Turtles & Tortoises, Whales, & Elephants. Most of these animals are intelligent, or at the very least, clever, but all of them are sacred for their own reasons. Cats teach us how to truly relax and live in the moment. Cats also have the ability to do nothing when there is nothing to do, a practice that many humans could benefit from. I like cats on a philosophical as well as visceral level. Squirrels are sacred because they are my father’s Spirit Animal, and he is a Patron Saint of the Path. They also teach us how to put something by in case of lean times, whether that is a stash of acorns or a savings account. Crows and Ravens are often depicted as trickster archetypes, challenging established authority, and there is a certain element of that challenge in the practice of the Path. We are not a branch of any other religion, and we question ...

  Topic: Core Tenet #8 and Treating People as Things Today we are going to talk about Core Tenet #8. First, I would like to read the full quote that this Core Tenet is based on: “And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.” This quote comes from the Discworld novel “Carpe Jugulum” by Terry Pratchett. The one delivering this profound statement is the witch and Patron Saint of the Path Esmerelda “Granny” Weatherwax. She is speaking to a young priest, who objects, claiming that there must be more to it than that. But if you think about it, she is absolutely right. The only true prohibition of the Path is doing harm, and harm always begins with denying a person’s humanity, whether yours or another’s. The root of a lot of this is xenophobia, which is fear of or aversion to anyone different or not of one’s self-selected tribe. Xenophobia manifests itself in different ways, including racism and stereotyping. Racism may be the m...

  Topic: Core Tenet #7 and Ka as a Wheel While official Path doctrine is agnostic on the topic of life after death, we know from experiment that one’s Ka continues to exist after one’s body has ceased to function. I used to view such an idea with abject horror, but after several conversations with my late father, I now find the concept reassuring. Today’s sermon is based upon a discussion I had with him on the subject of my understanding of Ka as a wheel and also as another word for higher consciousness, and how to apply that understanding to daily life. What I call the “Collective Cosmic Consciousness” could also be considered the Ka of the Universe, consisting of all thought, all emotion, and all memory since the beginning of Time. We are all also a part of that Cosmic Ka, which is how I believe we can tap into it. In the grand and beautiful scheme of things, there are wheels within wheels; your individual Ka is but one of an infinite number of overlapping circles, stretching...

  Topic: Core Tenet #6 On Gender Identity & Sexual Orientation This Tenet teaches us to use an individual’s preferred name and pronouns, even if we do not yet understand why.   For those who are fortunate enough never to struggle with identity issues, the experiences of a trans person, or anyone using a different name than the one they were given, can be confusing and therefore frustrating. We automatically dislike anything we do not understand, but it is our responsibility as followers of the Path to put in the Effort to ask questions until we do understand. It is also our responsibility to exercise Patience and Compassion when we are asked to address an individual in a way that is different than what we are used to. I have a few examples of individuals who have chosen, for whatever reason, to use a different name than the one they were given at birth. My old friend Katsu was originally named Zachary by his mother purely out of spite. Now everyone who knows him, inclu...