Christians with Pagan leanings - Page 7

[jenneology]

This is the one that stands out most to me.

I don't think I saw this one on the list:
http://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Jesu...ref=pd_sim_b_4

I got the Lwellyn 2009 Calendar, I enjoyed the readings each month, but the datebook seems like it might be more inclusive.

I think my husband has a moon phase widget on his Mac. I'm wishing there was a fertility chart widget.

Today at church we had a great lesson on the Nature of God who he is and I think in the next lesson, we'll be able to have a really good conversation about his Goddess.

Oh...maybe I should share this article I read recently: this article described how perhaps there was legitimate goddess worship in the Jewish temple in pre-Christ times.

[holyhelianthus]

My iPod Touch has cool menstrual cycle aps but I can't find a free moon one.

<Mormon>
I have never been able to have a good conversation about Mother in heaven at church. As a matter of fact this past Mother's Day a brother talked about Her in sacrament meeting and was reprimanded for it later. Let us know how it goes!

Speaking of which I felt moved to listen to Oh My Father today. I posted it on my FB.
</Mormon>

I want to read the Jesus/Goddess one sooo badly!

[jenneology]

We sang Oh My Father at the end of RS today.

I think that a conversation about Heavenly Mother/Goddess would work in my ward. We had an excellent conversation about science supporting religious belief and my ward has been called the most liberal ward in the church. I think it'll be fine. Feminist thought is pretty much the norm around here.

I'm going to check out the menstrual cycle aps, thanks!

[jenneology]

Moon phase widget:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashb...prisesinc.html

[Aubergine68]

Thanks for the link to that widget! I needed one of those

[sky*hawk]

Wow! I'm impressed by churches that allow Mother Goddess talk! Is it the LDS church?

One thing I wanted to share: This Christmas, for the first time, Mary was in the forefront of my mind. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that this Christmas I was actually holding my own baby son... It was very illuminating and quite wonderful to focus on Mary for once. I guess that's the one thing about the Catholic church that I can get behind.

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by sky*hawk

Wow! I'm impressed by churches that allow Mother Goddess talk! Is it the LDS church?

One thing I wanted to share: This Christmas, for the first time, Mary was in the forefront of my mind. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that this Christmas I was actually holding my own baby son... It was very illuminating and quite wonderful to focus on Mary for once. I guess that's the one thing about the Catholic church that I can get behind.

No the LDS church definitely does not allow any focus on Mother in Heaven. We believe in Her but that's about it. She is mentioned in the hymn O My Father. But beyond that no. It depends on the congregation for talking about Her- in my area we don't (it's a no-no) but Jenne has had the opposite experience.

[Moonprysm]

Going to an Imbolc planning meeting tomorrow with my AP-friendly family-centered group.

[jenneology]

We didn't actually end up talking about Heavenly Mother during the "Our Heavenly Family" lesson and I was pretty disappointed. I feel like I should have mentioned it and brought her into the discussion in the lesson before when I felt like it was going to be appropriate. But I looked ahead in the manual and thought it would be more applicable in the next lesson. And then the teacher got switched at the last minute and turned it into a lesson of "how does knowing you are a child of God help you as a mother/wife/daughter?" It just wasn't the type of lesson I needed. Again.

I wrote a blog post recently about her: http://jenneology.blogspot.com/2010/...-feminine.html

[holyhelianthus]

I am full of thoughts this Sunday morning!

I have been thinking on Women's Spirituality and womanhood in general within patriarchal religions like Christianity. I have so many thoughts buzzing around in my head about this. I really don't have a problem with the fact that women do not openly hold the priesthood in my religion as I believe womanhood in and of itself is a sacred calling. Where my problem lies in that that truth is not talked about and even so much as denied in my religion and Christianity in general. That's what I would like to work on. What kills me is that when women seek to strengthen their spirituality it is looked down on as 'wrong' or even 'sinful'. Ok I have to cut this way short as I have 2 fussy babies. What are your thoughts on Women's Spirituality?

I am looking at getting The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries and am very excited about it. Has anyone else read this? I think I remember someone talking about it. Thoughts on this book?

[cachet]

I believe womanhood in and of itself is a sacred calling. Where my problem lies in that that truth is not talked about and even so much as denied in my religion and Christianity in general. That's what I would like to work on. What kills me is that when women seek to strengthen their spirituality it is looked down on as 'wrong' or even 'sinful'.

Well said. I appreciate that you brought this up, as I have been feeling a need to comprehensively write about my feelings on women's spirituality, kind of a summary of things I have read that resonate with me. When I do, I will post it. I haven't read that book.

Here is a quote I posted on FB last week:

To live as closely as possible to the numinous wild a woman must do more head tossing, more brimming, have more sniffling intuition, more creative life, more 'get down dirty,' more solitude, more women's company, more natural life, more fire, more spirit, more cooking of words and ideas. She must do more recognition of sorority, more seeding, more root stock-keeping, more kindness to men, more neighborhood revolution, more poetry, more painting of fables and facts, longer reaches into the wild feminine.
~Clarissa Pinkola Estes, from Women Who Run with the Wolves

[Moonprysm]

Originally Posted by jenneology

I wrote a blog post recently about her: http://jenneology.blogspot.com/2010/...-feminine.html

Interesting post! While honestly I'd thought about the multiple mothers thing, I'd never REALLY connected it with my belief in "Goddess", so to speak. Something to think about.

[holyhelianthus]

I am so posting that to my FB, Cachet! Thank you!


Jenne- I keep meaning to tell you I very much liked that post.

Ok I really need to get back here and share my thoughts on Women's Spirituality but there is so much to do before the girls get up and here I am on the computer! Ack!...

[sky*hawk]

I mentioned the Holy Book of Women's Mysteries as I found it at Half Price Books! Yay! Anyway, I've ready parts of it, but not all of it. More thoughts later...Must go pick up dd from PDO.

[jenneology]

Originally Posted by magstphil

Where my problem lies in that that truth is not talked about and even so much as denied in my religion and Christianity in general. That's what I would like to work on. What kills me is that when women seek to strengthen their spirituality it is looked down on as 'wrong' or even 'sinful'.

I would really like to hear your experiences with this because I don't think I've seen examples of this in my life or I don't know what you are referring to exactly.

You're making me think that you need to get out of SoCal and come up here to Seattle. You would probably be in love, like I am, with an LDS woman up here. I think she might blog but I haven't found her blog, and I'm pretty sure she's written for some of the LDS magazines, but I haven't found any of her articles. All I know is that I could listen to her teach every week, unfortunately many of the members in my ward don't like her teaching style as much as I do.

[holyhelianthus]

Originally Posted by jenneology

I would really like to hear your experiences with this because I don't think I've seen examples of this in my life or I don't know what you are referring to exactly.

You're making me think that you need to get out of SoCal and come up here to Seattle. You would probably be in love, like I am, with an LDS woman up here. I think she might blog but I haven't found her blog, and I'm pretty sure she's written for some of the LDS magazines, but I haven't found any of her articles. All I know is that I could listen to her teach every week, unfortunately many of the members in my ward don't like her teaching style as much as I do.

I would think it was just So Cal if it weren't for the feminist LDS women's movement. What I have experienced has been experienced all over the country in countless wards and stakes and sadly much worse than just what I a, talking about. Really I have had it quite good in comparison. I would say your experience is in the minority. You pretty much answered your own question here:

All I know is that I could listen to her teach every week, unfortunately many of the members in my ward don't like her teaching style as much as I do.

Unfortunately women aren't treated as equals in our church. We aren't treated horribly but we aren't quite equals yet. We pay lip service to womanhood and motherhood (etc) but the fact still remains that the YM and Priesthood groups get more funding from the church than YW and RS, that only a few women speak and General Conference, that women are told to cover up or sit in the bathroom to breastfeed in countless wards, and there are still wards where only the men are allowed to open sacrament meetings with prayer (etc etc). I do understand what you are saying but I think you aren't realizing just how prevalent all of this is. Worse yet it is "just how it's done". We talk a lot about the importance of motherhood and women but we don't really live up to that. Not to say we aren't working on it and not to say we are horrible just saying we do have a ways to go. But really when men are discouraged so strongly from staying home and viewed as weak if they do so and allow their wives to work there is a problem with how the greater society is viewing women. If they really think it is 'weak' or less than to be home then essentially what they are saying is it is weak and less than to be a woman. That is my entire point- it isn't. We can say that all we want but until we start acting accordingly it's not going to mean as much.

[holyhelianthus]

To clarify I am talking about Mormon culture not doctrine.

[Moonprysm]

How was Imbolc for everyone? We had braided Brigid's bread and potato soup by candlelight, read a story from Circle Round (which just came in the mail today, yay!), gave an offering outside of food from our dinner (we just had 1.5ft of snow, so it was pretty cool to put the food out for animals who can't find food through the snow and to watch the snow melt when we poured out the soup) and had a personal drum circle in our living room. <3 It went really well! I had planned to focus on Candlemas tomorrow, too, but it seems we did all the fun stuff today. lol We're having pancakes for dinner by candlelight tomorrow but I don't know what else.

[holyhelianthus]

That sounds so awesome! We'll be doing our celebrations tomorrow. Something small but there nonetheless.

[sky*hawk]

I totally scored last night at Half Priced Books! I got a 6 CD course by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D called "A Woman's Spiritual Retreat: Teachings, Meditations, and Rituals to Celebrate Your Authentic Feminine Wisdom." I got it for $3! I couldn't believe it. Does anyone have any experience with this author?