I'm wondering what people of any religious or spiritual bent do to practice their faith. I get that some Christians go to church and pray, that some people meditate, but I want to hear the stories of individuals. We're living in a time that sees religion becoming less accepted, and religion becomes a smaller part of more people's lives.
Do you meditate? Do you speak with a god out loud? In your head? Are you solitary in your practice or is your religion one of community?
I go to church but I don't really enjoy it, for various reasons. I hate singing with other people in endless loops of repetitive lyrics. I'm not that emotional, unless someone pisses me off, so I don't really get into the emotive side of church. I've been educated in the church since I was a baby so I can honestly say that the last time I heard a sermon that I hadn't heard before was at least fifteen years ago. I guess I go to let other people know I'm still on the team because sometimes they (and I) have doubts about me.
I study on my own mostly. I read much on my own, much of it hostile to Christianity. In the past year I read "God's Problem" by Ehrman and a book called "Godless Morality". A while ago I read "Why I'm Not a Christian" by Russel. I learned a lot from fighting with people who were much much smarter than me on the internet. Atheist. Christian. Jewish. Muslim. Pagan. I can do this because I realized a while ago that just because someone is smarter than me, or better spoken, or more educated--it doesn't mean they're right.
I don't pray much. I don't see the point really. If God is omniscient, he already knows what I need and knows whether or not he's going to do it the way I want. I'm not a fatalist because I don't believe everything is set in stone, but I think God is a good and I trust him to do what is right. This was tested this past year when my wife and I lost a baby (well--20 weeks of gestation. I know most people don't consider that a baby, but we do). It happens. I was mad at God for a while, but he kills everyone in the end, doesn't he? So I let it go. I still think God is good. My God is the God of life AND death. It's his job.
I'm not mystical. This is hard to be while attending an evangelical church because evangelicalism is inherently a mystical movement. People want to know what God's will is for them personally. They say things like "Christianity is not a religion but a relationship" which I think is an asinine cliche. It's crazy. Some people I know look down their noses at Catholics who do things like have symbolic marriages to Jesus when they dedicate themselves to holy work whereas your typical evangelical just wants to hug Jesus and hang out. And sip coffee. I just think we're supposed to do what he says. I love God by loving the people around me.
That's it.
Love God by loving the people around you. In the end everything's gonna be alright.
About as far as I get with spirituality is that I think "I could be dead" and remain thankful for being safe, healthy, and being able to see my family each day.
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Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
I grew up as a Christian and just recently became more religious. I read the Bible every morning and pray in silence afterwards and try to talk to god throughout the day and before meals. I also usually pray and give thanks until I fall asleep at night. Praying for me is asking forgiveness for my sins, asking for help in areas I need work, thanking God for all of my blessings and for life in general, asking to continue to be blessed, and praying for those that have wronged me in the past so that I am not holding grudges so God won't hold a grudge against me. I try to go to church every Sunday though I believe a personal relationship is more important, but I feel God does want us to come together to worship him which is why I recently started going to church again.
I tithe because I believe that is the one way God wants you to test him. Give generously and he will bless you even more than you can imagine. I feel very blessed in life in every way and feel good about giving back. I am open minded and don't expect everyone to believe what I do, just to respect it. I do my best to live by the two great commandments that Jesus gave us while on earth; Love god with all your heart, body, and mind, and love others as you do yourself. At church I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the holy spirit, which comes in the form of tearing up, not full on crying but I definitely get teary sometimes during worship or is what the pastor is saying is really hitting home for me personally . I'm not ashamed to admit it and it makes me happy to feel that even as a grown man. I believe in Heaven/Hell and that the only way to Heaven is by fully trusting in Jesus Christ, and that salvation can't be earned but is a free gift for those that believe. I do believe that salvation should make you want to repent and change your ways and I am constantly trying to better myself as a person in all facets of life.
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Well I have no religion, and similar to Captain Morgan, about the closest I come to anything spiritual is just being grateful to be alive. I also extend this same reverence for life to other people and even to a lot of animals. Like if I find a spider in my house I'll take it outside and let it go because I don't like the idea of taking a life.
Also, I'd be interested in seeing Talore's responses to his own questions.
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"For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." --Carl Sagan
I figured that out of all the regular posters, InfinityAlarm would want to know what I do
Funny, I don't think I would have given the same answer yesterday. In my pantheistic Druidry, I am solitary. Nobody I know follows the same path I do. Two people whom I know are Wiccans, but we don't do anything together. I know of people that do follow a very similar path as mine, but they don't live around here. Ah, to move to England...
As such, I don't partake in much ritual. I believe ritual is an activity that allows the participants to shift their consciousness, and I value that, but I simply haven't been initiated into any ritual, so I do what I feel works. I sometimes try to meditate if I wish to calm myself, but often I'm too restless and impatient for meditation to work... and since April I've had constant dizzy spells, so whenever I'm on the verge of a trance I start feeling very woozy and I have to stop. I used to be able to go into trance, but not so far since the concussion.
I do tarot readings for myself sometimes, when I am indecisive about an issue, or I am filled with worry. For me, and for others, like the people who wrote the tarot book I use, tarot is NOT a tool for seeing the future. It is a tool for reflection on possibilities, and a tool for examining the past and present with new insights. The meanings of the cards show me possibilities, and make me think about what could be. In this sense they really aren't magical at all; anyone could use them like I do. For me it is religious though, the imagery of my cards and the interpretations in my book all come back to Druidry. The three swords in the Awen symbol have a lot more meaning than a playing card.
The activity that allows me to connect to nature the most is simply being outside. I go for walks, sometimes finding a nice spot far from any artificial construction and sheltered from the horrible noise pollution of cars (though sometimes I make due with an abandoned courtyard.) Other times I'll just step outside whatever building I'm in and take in the air, the wind. My spirituality is in nature; it allows me temporary respite from my life in society. Everyone expects things of me, judges me, and moulds me whether it is conscious or not. Nature doesn't expect anything of me. If there really are gods, I think that a life close to nature is what they intended for us (See Ishmael by Daniel Quinn).
But now that I think of it, the single largest part of my paganism is music. Music is connection, from artist to performer to listener. What I think makes pagan music special is that the connection becomes a connection to nature, and like tarot it is experiencing nature in a different way, through the emotion of someone else. That bond the pagan artist makes is profound. Even into things like folk metal and viking metal, that music is connecting to something bigger. People really like to slam Neopaganism as having no real connection to the past, how we just see the past in a romantic sense. Well, we're at least trying to connect to the past. Those people weren't all too different from us, and a lot of us have blood ties to them. We do know the mythologies from things like the prose edda and the Mabonogion and if we're making a connection to that through music, I think we're also connecting with the people of the past. And celebrating with the thoughts of all of those people is a powerful thing.
Music is what lets me re-connect when I am feeling cut off from my spirituality. Be it Damh the Bard singing about his personal experience with the wild places of England, or Omnia performing re-interpreted traditional songs in Gaulish, or Beltaine's Fire rapping(!) about the Celts, each song is constant communication.
Richard Dawkins describes Pantheism as 'Sexed-up Atheism.' Examining my belief and practice, I guess that works. But I think the essential act of finding meaning beyond the scientific method and Western thought gives my belief greater kinship with Theism. I walk a border between the two, which is why I strive to defend either when I feel it is important (Atheism to TheBaron or Theism to Elvish Crack Piper, hehe)
I've said things in fairly vague and veiled manners because it is simply difficult to share these things in a concise manner, by all means ask if you need clarification.
The activity that allows me to connect to nature the most is simply being outside. I go for walks, sometimes finding a nice spot far from any artificial construction and sheltered from the horrible noise pollution of cars
Yes, I totally understand that. I kinda get the "spiritual" feeling that you're talking about too, but I view it as a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and inner tranquility.
My favorite is going hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I just like the feeling of smallness that I get when I'm there. It's as if the mountain is looking at me and saying "Ho, ho, tiny human! You think your kind are the masters of this world but I was here millions of years before your grandparents, and shall remain millions of years after your grandchildren are gone. Out here you are just another animal wandering my forests." I don't know why it feels relaxing to feel so small and insignificant, but it does!
Also, is there any good pagan music on youtube or anywhere else online that you'd recommend? I'd be interested in listening to a little bit to hear what it sounds like.
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"For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love." --Carl Sagan
Yes, I totally understand that. I kinda get the "spiritual" feeling that you're talking about too, but I view it as a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and inner tranquility.
My favorite is going hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I just like the feeling of smallness that I get when I'm there. It's as if the mountain is looking at me and saying "Ho, ho, tiny human! You think your kind are the masters of this world but I was here millions of years before your grandparents, and shall remain millions of years after your grandchildren are gone. Out here you are just another animal wandering my forests." I don't know why it feels relaxing to feel so small and insignificant, but it does!
Also, is there any good pagan music on youtube or anywhere else online that you'd recommend? I'd be interested in listening to a little bit to hear what it sounds like.
I love hiking, I don't get to do it much anymore but it is very spiritual for me, similar to the way you described.
I'll post a few links here, and you can fish around the related videos for other songs by the artist/band, as well as other artists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdrG_CjKEjQ
-Land, Sky, and Sea by Damh the Bard. The song I mentioned last post. Check out Cauldron Born and Spirit of Albion at least, too. Voyage of Bran is a beautiful instrumental by him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqMqr7bVKrE
-Etrezomp Ni-Kelted (Between us, Celts) with En Avant Blonde into by Omnia. Dance Until We Die, Alive!, Richard Parker's Fancy, Tine Bealtine, there are so many good songs by them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuZ2ZirQQmM
-Andro, performed by Faun. This one is actually an Eluveite song, but I love this version. Von Del Elben, Karuna, Rhiannon, great songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGUL71cyK4
-Rockhill by Beltaine. Great, straight-forward inspired folk. Really, any songs you see by them in the reccomended videos are great, Foggy Dew is one of my favourites.
That is all folk. Now, here's some pagan metal and rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msRy4vcSX4k
Omnos by Eluveite. This is one of their light songs... there are rough vocals in other songs like Inis Mona, Thousandfold, or my favourite, Quoth the Raven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP4oO9rHWdY
Midsummer Night by Korpiklaani. In between all the songs about alchohol and partying, especially in their earlier songs they have a lot about nature and their own kind of paganism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcTWJXntskU
Lai Lai Hei by Ensiferum. As you'll find in a lot of metal, the message is hidden, veiled. Ensiferum sings of vikings and legends, but it shows through soungs like this.
There is a ton of pagan metal, but a lot of it is kind of hard to get into for someone who isn't into metal already. Folkearth, Waylander, Wolfchant, Satyricon, Bathory (Viking albums, not Black), etc.
I find the folk music easier to connect to, because of the calming nature. But the pagan metal is a lively celebration of life. Also, you may wish to check out Druidcast -The Druid Podcast on iTunes (free). It is made by Damh the Bard as entertainment mixed with interviews and news for the OBOD, you'll hear a LOT more pagan folk artists on the podcasts then I can list, or even find on youtube -_-
I walk an Earth path, I guess you can call it. I view everything as being connected to everything else. Think of the Gaia hypothesis, but on a universal scale.
I made a set of Pagan rosary beads which I use daily, prayers and all. My main "rituals" include tending my garden, taking care of my rats, frog, cat, fish, and dog, observing the natural changes taking place in the trees and animals through the year, etc. I strive toward a constant opening of the eyes to the connection between myself and others and the Divine spark we all carry.
As for music, Google Gaia Consort, they have some good tunes.
I guess I am what most people would consider a "mainline Christian".
I view Romans 12:1 as what my religious practice should be: In light of the mercy shown me by God, the whole of my life should be an act of grateful worship. This includes every waking moment: how I conduct my actions as well as my thoughts.
-I go to church on Sundays and attend a Bible study Tuesday nights. I view this as more than just learning and more than just habit, but a critical component of living in community with fellow Christians.
-My wife and I pray and read our Bibles together every morning. Again, I view this as more than just habit, but a critical component of learning from God and choosing to submit to His will (in the general sense of leading a life that honors him).
I do my best to live by the two great commandments that Jesus gave us while on earth; Love god with all your heart, body, and mind, and love others as you do yourself.
Agreed.
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I don't really have a mainstream cult that I follow. Mostly I just live my life the best I can with respect to those around me and my loved ones. I don't need some omnipotent god figure to tell me what is right and wrong and to use as a crutch to blind me of the travesty of life.
In life all we can do is try to make things better. Sitting lost in old ways and fearing change only makes us outdated and ignorant.
Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
Albert Einstein
Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.
I honestly try to "love my neighbor" as much as I can (keyword being try -- I slip and still lose my temper at times).
While I probably attended mass/eucharist more in the past 2 years than in the past 30 (was agnostic till my 30's), I'm still not a regular church goer. Oddly. I read the bible a _lot_ less today than I did when I was younger; on the other hand I read more about theistic philosphers as well as other religions more.
I do folksy, personal things and few would understand me or it all. Some of it's run-o'-the-mill such as personal reflection, hoping or praying, walks on the beach in the mornings as they break, traipsing 'round town in the evening and even at dusk, and all other things that makes me mushy and a bag of warm fluid.
Other stuff includes staring up at the sky, stoning (without drugs) or doing thousand-metre stares, and creative activity things (drawing or play).
On a weekly basis, I used to go to shul and OHCA (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic)-and-reformed services (been to various types, believed various religious things but this sticks like flies to flypaper). I somewhere between sometimes and often crack open religious texts (e.g., those of my folks before me, those not of my folks before me, catechises, theology) for readin', sometimes for kicks and giggles, sometimes for wisdom, sometimes for something else.
I still don't like too many people and don't let too many new people into my life; a watered-down defence mechanism.
Now, I'm pragmatic, lethargic, apathetic, spiritual, religious, irreligious, analogising, syncretic, and other.
Long story short: I don't do anything particular. If and when I have kids, I think they'll be of parents that are of religious backgrounds but are "non-heathen-but-pagan scum".
Quote from jland13 »
I do my best to live by the two great commandments that Jesus gave us while on earth; Love god with all your heart, body, and mind, and love others as you do yourself.
I'm forced into attending church with my family every sunday. I can't simply express to my parents that I don't worship God in the same way that they do, largely because my mother overreacts and starts crying and furiously praying or performing exorcisms on me when the notion of not being a christian pops up.
Once upon a time I was actually a rather zealous Christian, but I've kind of just fallen out of the faith as I began to find that I kept falling back on Pascal's Wager as my justification when things came into question. And then I realized that I'd stop bull****ting myself.
At this point I feel mostly apathetic about everything. I used to dabble in studying various pseudoscientific or otherwise mystical flavors of divination and spirituality or whatever. Now I just...play Magic and read Sci-Fi books. I feel as though I need to do something that doesn't make sense to fill some spiritual void. Perhaps I just need to start making art for my own sake more often. Whenever I discuss God or spiritual things I feel very invigorated afterwards in a way that traditional worship never could.
Anyway, to answer the question. I guess I don't. I just can't determine how...
I'm forced into attending church with my family every sunday. I can't simply express to my parents that I don't worship God in the same way that they do, largely because my mother overreacts and starts crying and furiously praying or performing exorcisms on me when the notion of not being a christian pops up.
As someone from a very similar background, I can only advise you to wait it out. Yes, you see it as a waste of time, and for you, it is. Better to leave everything as is until you don't live with your parents. The more you disagree with people who fundamentally think you are wrong and cannot see otherwise, the more strife there will be, and the more difficult and strained your relationship will become. Just walk through the rituals you consider empty, and eventually, you'll outlast it all.
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As for the topic at hand, I wake up in the morning, and usually the first thing I do is eat a bagel, and put the kettle on to boil. Sometimes, I put cream cheese on my bagel, but if I'm particularly hungry, I'll eat it topped with swiss cheese and sliced kolbassa. Once the kettle whistles, I'll put a bag of earl grey in a mug, and pour the boiling water in.
After that, I'll usually stretch, and then go for a jog. I jog five repetitions, with four minute jogs separated by two minute walks. This will probably change to be more strenuous in a week or two, but I'm not in great shape. During my jog, I usually listen to CommanderCast, Planet Money (an economics podcast by National Public Radio), or This American Life (also NPR). When I'm out of podcasts, I think about Magic, and EDH in particular. Not always, but a lot.
I then go home, shower, drink the tea that's now cool enough to drink, get dressed. Sometimes I drink the tea before I shower, and sometimes after. Then I go to work/school/life. In the evening, I make dinner, wash dishes, put the children to bed. Spend time with my wife. Go to sleep.
The point of this rather boring account of my usual day isn't to troll. I just am. This is how it is, and for me, there is nothing more. In short, I am at peace, with everything. Were I notified that my life was to be significantly shorter than anticipated, I am unsure whether I would do anything different. I would perhaps drink more alcohol.
Do you meditate? Do you speak with a god out loud? In your head? Are you solitary in your practice or is your religion one of community?
I study on my own mostly. I read much on my own, much of it hostile to Christianity. In the past year I read "God's Problem" by Ehrman and a book called "Godless Morality". A while ago I read "Why I'm Not a Christian" by Russel. I learned a lot from fighting with people who were much much smarter than me on the internet. Atheist. Christian. Jewish. Muslim. Pagan. I can do this because I realized a while ago that just because someone is smarter than me, or better spoken, or more educated--it doesn't mean they're right.
I don't pray much. I don't see the point really. If God is omniscient, he already knows what I need and knows whether or not he's going to do it the way I want. I'm not a fatalist because I don't believe everything is set in stone, but I think God is a good and I trust him to do what is right. This was tested this past year when my wife and I lost a baby (well--20 weeks of gestation. I know most people don't consider that a baby, but we do). It happens. I was mad at God for a while, but he kills everyone in the end, doesn't he? So I let it go. I still think God is good. My God is the God of life AND death. It's his job.
I'm not mystical. This is hard to be while attending an evangelical church because evangelicalism is inherently a mystical movement. People want to know what God's will is for them personally. They say things like "Christianity is not a religion but a relationship" which I think is an asinine cliche. It's crazy. Some people I know look down their noses at Catholics who do things like have symbolic marriages to Jesus when they dedicate themselves to holy work whereas your typical evangelical just wants to hug Jesus and hang out. And sip coffee. I just think we're supposed to do what he says. I love God by loving the people around me.
That's it.
Love God by loving the people around you. In the end everything's gonna be alright.
fwiw.
guaca.
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
I tithe because I believe that is the one way God wants you to test him. Give generously and he will bless you even more than you can imagine. I feel very blessed in life in every way and feel good about giving back. I am open minded and don't expect everyone to believe what I do, just to respect it. I do my best to live by the two great commandments that Jesus gave us while on earth; Love god with all your heart, body, and mind, and love others as you do yourself. At church I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the holy spirit, which comes in the form of tearing up, not full on crying but I definitely get teary sometimes during worship or is what the pastor is saying is really hitting home for me personally . I'm not ashamed to admit it and it makes me happy to feel that even as a grown man. I believe in Heaven/Hell and that the only way to Heaven is by fully trusting in Jesus Christ, and that salvation can't be earned but is a free gift for those that believe. I do believe that salvation should make you want to repent and change your ways and I am constantly trying to better myself as a person in all facets of life.
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Also, I'd be interested in seeing Talore's responses to his own questions.
Funny, I don't think I would have given the same answer yesterday. In my pantheistic Druidry, I am solitary. Nobody I know follows the same path I do. Two people whom I know are Wiccans, but we don't do anything together. I know of people that do follow a very similar path as mine, but they don't live around here. Ah, to move to England...
As such, I don't partake in much ritual. I believe ritual is an activity that allows the participants to shift their consciousness, and I value that, but I simply haven't been initiated into any ritual, so I do what I feel works. I sometimes try to meditate if I wish to calm myself, but often I'm too restless and impatient for meditation to work... and since April I've had constant dizzy spells, so whenever I'm on the verge of a trance I start feeling very woozy and I have to stop. I used to be able to go into trance, but not so far since the concussion.
I do tarot readings for myself sometimes, when I am indecisive about an issue, or I am filled with worry. For me, and for others, like the people who wrote the tarot book I use, tarot is NOT a tool for seeing the future. It is a tool for reflection on possibilities, and a tool for examining the past and present with new insights. The meanings of the cards show me possibilities, and make me think about what could be. In this sense they really aren't magical at all; anyone could use them like I do. For me it is religious though, the imagery of my cards and the interpretations in my book all come back to Druidry. The three swords in the Awen symbol have a lot more meaning than a playing card.
The activity that allows me to connect to nature the most is simply being outside. I go for walks, sometimes finding a nice spot far from any artificial construction and sheltered from the horrible noise pollution of cars (though sometimes I make due with an abandoned courtyard.) Other times I'll just step outside whatever building I'm in and take in the air, the wind. My spirituality is in nature; it allows me temporary respite from my life in society. Everyone expects things of me, judges me, and moulds me whether it is conscious or not. Nature doesn't expect anything of me. If there really are gods, I think that a life close to nature is what they intended for us (See Ishmael by Daniel Quinn).
But now that I think of it, the single largest part of my paganism is music. Music is connection, from artist to performer to listener. What I think makes pagan music special is that the connection becomes a connection to nature, and like tarot it is experiencing nature in a different way, through the emotion of someone else. That bond the pagan artist makes is profound. Even into things like folk metal and viking metal, that music is connecting to something bigger. People really like to slam Neopaganism as having no real connection to the past, how we just see the past in a romantic sense. Well, we're at least trying to connect to the past. Those people weren't all too different from us, and a lot of us have blood ties to them. We do know the mythologies from things like the prose edda and the Mabonogion and if we're making a connection to that through music, I think we're also connecting with the people of the past. And celebrating with the thoughts of all of those people is a powerful thing.
Music is what lets me re-connect when I am feeling cut off from my spirituality. Be it Damh the Bard singing about his personal experience with the wild places of England, or Omnia performing re-interpreted traditional songs in Gaulish, or Beltaine's Fire rapping(!) about the Celts, each song is constant communication.
Richard Dawkins describes Pantheism as 'Sexed-up Atheism.' Examining my belief and practice, I guess that works. But I think the essential act of finding meaning beyond the scientific method and Western thought gives my belief greater kinship with Theism. I walk a border between the two, which is why I strive to defend either when I feel it is important (Atheism to TheBaron or Theism to Elvish Crack Piper, hehe)
I've said things in fairly vague and veiled manners because it is simply difficult to share these things in a concise manner, by all means ask if you need clarification.
Yes, I totally understand that. I kinda get the "spiritual" feeling that you're talking about too, but I view it as a feeling of relaxation, calmness, and inner tranquility.
My favorite is going hiking in the Rocky Mountains. I just like the feeling of smallness that I get when I'm there. It's as if the mountain is looking at me and saying "Ho, ho, tiny human! You think your kind are the masters of this world but I was here millions of years before your grandparents, and shall remain millions of years after your grandchildren are gone. Out here you are just another animal wandering my forests." I don't know why it feels relaxing to feel so small and insignificant, but it does!
Also, is there any good pagan music on youtube or anywhere else online that you'd recommend? I'd be interested in listening to a little bit to hear what it sounds like.
I love hiking, I don't get to do it much anymore but it is very spiritual for me, similar to the way you described.
I'll post a few links here, and you can fish around the related videos for other songs by the artist/band, as well as other artists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdrG_CjKEjQ
-Land, Sky, and Sea by Damh the Bard. The song I mentioned last post. Check out Cauldron Born and Spirit of Albion at least, too. Voyage of Bran is a beautiful instrumental by him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqMqr7bVKrE
-Etrezomp Ni-Kelted (Between us, Celts) with En Avant Blonde into by Omnia. Dance Until We Die, Alive!, Richard Parker's Fancy, Tine Bealtine, there are so many good songs by them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuZ2ZirQQmM
-Andro, performed by Faun. This one is actually an Eluveite song, but I love this version. Von Del Elben, Karuna, Rhiannon, great songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGUL71cyK4
-Rockhill by Beltaine. Great, straight-forward inspired folk. Really, any songs you see by them in the reccomended videos are great, Foggy Dew is one of my favourites.
That is all folk. Now, here's some pagan metal and rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msRy4vcSX4k
Omnos by Eluveite. This is one of their light songs... there are rough vocals in other songs like Inis Mona, Thousandfold, or my favourite, Quoth the Raven.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP4oO9rHWdY
Midsummer Night by Korpiklaani. In between all the songs about alchohol and partying, especially in their earlier songs they have a lot about nature and their own kind of paganism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcTWJXntskU
Lai Lai Hei by Ensiferum. As you'll find in a lot of metal, the message is hidden, veiled. Ensiferum sings of vikings and legends, but it shows through soungs like this.
There is a ton of pagan metal, but a lot of it is kind of hard to get into for someone who isn't into metal already. Folkearth, Waylander, Wolfchant, Satyricon, Bathory (Viking albums, not Black), etc.
I find the folk music easier to connect to, because of the calming nature. But the pagan metal is a lively celebration of life. Also, you may wish to check out Druidcast -The Druid Podcast on iTunes (free). It is made by Damh the Bard as entertainment mixed with interviews and news for the OBOD, you'll hear a LOT more pagan folk artists on the podcasts then I can list, or even find on youtube -_-
By living a life that my man JC would be proud of.
Insert witty phrase here
Do you do anything specific, like prayer and attenting church?
I made a set of Pagan rosary beads which I use daily, prayers and all. My main "rituals" include tending my garden, taking care of my rats, frog, cat, fish, and dog, observing the natural changes taking place in the trees and animals through the year, etc. I strive toward a constant opening of the eyes to the connection between myself and others and the Divine spark we all carry.
As for music, Google Gaia Consort, they have some good tunes.
I view Romans 12:1 as what my religious practice should be: In light of the mercy shown me by God, the whole of my life should be an act of grateful worship. This includes every waking moment: how I conduct my actions as well as my thoughts.
-I go to church on Sundays and attend a Bible study Tuesday nights. I view this as more than just learning and more than just habit, but a critical component of living in community with fellow Christians.
-My wife and I pray and read our Bibles together every morning. Again, I view this as more than just habit, but a critical component of learning from God and choosing to submit to His will (in the general sense of leading a life that honors him).
Agreed.
UBW Sharuum
BR Olivia Voldaren
UR Jhoira
URG Riku
U Vendilion Clique
Troll warning.
Albert Einstein
Thomas Jefferson
While I probably attended mass/eucharist more in the past 2 years than in the past 30 (was agnostic till my 30's), I'm still not a regular church goer. Oddly. I read the bible a _lot_ less today than I did when I was younger; on the other hand I read more about theistic philosphers as well as other religions more.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Other stuff includes staring up at the sky, stoning (without drugs) or doing thousand-metre stares, and creative activity things (drawing or play).
On a weekly basis, I used to go to shul and OHCA (one, holy, catholic, and apostolic)-and-reformed services (been to various types, believed various religious things but this sticks like flies to flypaper). I somewhere between sometimes and often crack open religious texts (e.g., those of my folks before me, those not of my folks before me, catechises, theology) for readin', sometimes for kicks and giggles, sometimes for wisdom, sometimes for something else.
I still don't like too many people and don't let too many new people into my life; a watered-down defence mechanism.
Now, I'm pragmatic, lethargic, apathetic, spiritual, religious, irreligious, analogising, syncretic, and other.
Long story short: I don't do anything particular. If and when I have kids, I think they'll be of parents that are of religious backgrounds but are "non-heathen-but-pagan scum".
Verily.
Once upon a time I was actually a rather zealous Christian, but I've kind of just fallen out of the faith as I began to find that I kept falling back on Pascal's Wager as my justification when things came into question. And then I realized that I'd stop bull****ting myself.
At this point I feel mostly apathetic about everything. I used to dabble in studying various pseudoscientific or otherwise mystical flavors of divination and spirituality or whatever. Now I just...play Magic and read Sci-Fi books. I feel as though I need to do something that doesn't make sense to fill some spiritual void. Perhaps I just need to start making art for my own sake more often. Whenever I discuss God or spiritual things I feel very invigorated afterwards in a way that traditional worship never could.
Anyway, to answer the question. I guess I don't. I just can't determine how...
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As for the topic at hand, I wake up in the morning, and usually the first thing I do is eat a bagel, and put the kettle on to boil. Sometimes, I put cream cheese on my bagel, but if I'm particularly hungry, I'll eat it topped with swiss cheese and sliced kolbassa. Once the kettle whistles, I'll put a bag of earl grey in a mug, and pour the boiling water in.
After that, I'll usually stretch, and then go for a jog. I jog five repetitions, with four minute jogs separated by two minute walks. This will probably change to be more strenuous in a week or two, but I'm not in great shape. During my jog, I usually listen to CommanderCast, Planet Money (an economics podcast by National Public Radio), or This American Life (also NPR). When I'm out of podcasts, I think about Magic, and EDH in particular. Not always, but a lot.
I then go home, shower, drink the tea that's now cool enough to drink, get dressed. Sometimes I drink the tea before I shower, and sometimes after. Then I go to work/school/life. In the evening, I make dinner, wash dishes, put the children to bed. Spend time with my wife. Go to sleep.
The point of this rather boring account of my usual day isn't to troll. I just am. This is how it is, and for me, there is nothing more. In short, I am at peace, with everything. Were I notified that my life was to be significantly shorter than anticipated, I am unsure whether I would do anything different. I would perhaps drink more alcohol.
http://www.commandercast.com/category/articles/generally-speaking
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