ZOMG PAGAN BLOG PROJECTTTT!!!!!!! January 6th - A is for Afterlife.

As stated last time, I'm very interested in becoming part of the Pagan Blog Project! A lot of times, I feel like I could be more connected to my spirituality by writing about it, which I almost never do. So, bombs away! Let's see if it works, and what I learn! Wahey.

OK for my first blog post, I wanna run some ideas by you about the Afterlife, since this particular thing came up in conversation with some of my co-workers, and I love thinking and speculating on things that I can never know until I experience them.

Most modern religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc) feature the afterlife as a prime goal, and according to their philosophy, there is actually a pretty good reason for this: modern religions feature a Deity from whom we are 'separated' and must get back to through actions, belief, etc. Thus, the afterlife for them is framed as this state of being 'reunited' with Deity and finding a place of pleasure, peace, and probably rest. (Unless you're Muslim, and then you're probably not resting at all with those hundred virgins around! ;) srsly.)

I reject this specific notion of afterlife for two reasons: 

1. My personal beliefs as a Pagan are such that Deity is not separate from us, but is constructed of the Universe, of which we are all a part. So technically, you are a piece of Deity, and that which we refer to as "Gods" or "Goddesses" are simply symbolic manifestations that represent part of our experience in the Universe. (Note to any non-Pagans reading: This does not mean that all Pagans believe what I believe. Pagan is a very wide umbrella, and includes people of many belief systems.)

2. The second reason, is that as a part of the Universe, we are both individuals, and we are not, and this affects what happens to our spirit/soul energy when we move on from this world.

Let me explain that last bit. As far as we can tell, both scientifically and spiritually, the Universe runs in cycles. We see this manifested from the tiniest cell to the largest of galaxies. So let's talk death from a physical, natural perspective for a moment. When you die in a natural environment, what happens? Your body breaks down from causes such as bacteria, weather conditions, or even animals that might rip your arm off to carry it away and eat it. All the atoms and molecules in your body are recycled, and used by other organisms. That arm goes to feed a tiger, and so contributes to its molecular structure. Maybe another part of you is munched on by bacteria, and then the leftovers become soil, which nurtures a tree. Your body essentially becomes other bodies, and does not remain whole.

I am of a mind that soul energy does the same thing: when you die, it returns to the Universal 'collective' (for lack of a better word) of soul energy, and as new living beings are born, then random pieces of soul energy are used from the 'collective' to fulfill the life requirement. Thus, you are reincarnated, but your entire soul probably will not be reincarnated wholly into another being. Part of you might be mixed with other soul parts to become this living thing, another part might go towards this other living thing, etc.

This may be why people have flashes and sections of past life memories, without having entire lifetimes of previous existences floating around in their psyche. (Not that this can't happen -- it's just rarer.) It also would explain why you wouldn't have past life experiences from every being that's ever contributed to your soul: maybe some parts of your soul were sitting around longer than the fresher, newer parts. It also would explain why, if you were reincarnated, why do you not have all similar personality traits, necessarily? (Barring the nurture part of Nature vs Nurture, anyway.)

So that's my first blog post! Yay! This is exciting. Tune in (tomorrow?) for the 1/13 Other "A" blog post before we move on to B!!!!!!!

Love, Dreams and Steampunk,

<3 Sapphirescent <3

(No, I haven't worked any on that awesome sexy signature graphic yet. Sue me :P lol)

Successfulness... so far, mostly.

OK, so I'm kind of stealing a little something from 2011. During Christmas break, Tim and I went to  hang with his family, and we ended up going to the beach for a few hours with our friends Missy and Dani. It was awesome. There wasn't snow on the beach like there was last time we were there, but it was still fun walking along the waves and chilling in the sand. (With shoes on. Except Dani, she had her shoes off because she's awesome like that.)


**Picture(s) to come shortly!!**

But meanwhile, since I've been a douche and not updated at all, let's take a look at how I've been doing:
--Weekly goals: Two photographs, one book, putting money into savings, and meditating.
So... I've been kind of doing ok. I've been meditating (I missed the first week though) particularly since I apparently have high blood pressure and meditation can help bring that down. Even if it's only a five minute session (like today) or if it's up to a 35 minute session (like last week) or longer, I consider this a success.
Photography wise, I've been blowing, and here's why: my camera is (somewhat) busted. It simply will not grab a charge from batteries. Boo Hiss. So I call exemption on this one for now. At least until I can get it working or have the money to buy film for my 35mm.
Books, I've been doing ok. I'll probably have to kick it down from 52 in a year to maybe 26 in a year. I finished up A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, the 4th book, and plotting a way to get my hands on the 5th (buy or library? Hmmmm...) and I've read part of the Buddhist Handbook by John Snelling.
Savings... I don't wanna talk about it. Haha.


--Monthly Goals: 1 Watercolour, Hike, Loans paid on time, Walk in the Park, Book Swap, Karaoke.
I did a watercolour. It's pretty. (Picture soon.)
*Technically* we went on a "hike" or at least that's what I'm calling it, since we went to 4qf for the January New Moon service and romped around in the snow a bit, so we're gonna say that counts!
I paid all of my loans on time, and I've been taking walks in the park and thru University City on my lunch periods, so that's good.
I did not sing karaoke or trade anything on PBS, mostly because I am kinda broke. Maybe once I have more money, I'll make these up in another month sometime.

As far as long term goals, we've been doing mostly well at Primal eating! A few slip ups here and there, but that was only on (2) weekends and I'm down by a belt hole! I might have to buy a new belt. I think the coolest part is learning how to reward myself with meat instead of with sugar. It's kind of a tough transition, but seriously, biting into a chunk of excellent juicy flesh is a damn good reward. Sugar and flour and grains/carbs in general (exception: veggies and fruits! <3) tend to make me feel like shit nowadays.

Speaking of Paleo, Tim made some AMAZING MEATZA a la Marks Daily Apple last night when our buddy Jon came up. (Pictures coming soon too!) Basically, you just take some ground beef, press it into a parchment-lined cookie sheet, bake it at 450º for 10-15 minutes, add toppings, and broil another 7-10 minutes. Tim loaded the thing with mozzarella cheese, sliced garlic, and sliced grape tomatoes. Ho. Ly. Crap. It was amazing. Mark Sisson is the man for this recipe, although I still have yet to try it with the toppings he recommends. Tim doesn't like olives. Boo hiss.

Anyway. I also have decided I want to start incorporating posts for the Pagan Blog Project! So, starting with another post later today, I will catch up with the A and B weeks and start updating weekly for that, as well as attempting to stay more updated for the actual 2012 list.

Keep on rockin' in the free world,
<3 Sapphirescent <3 (I need a cool logo signature thingy. Full of bling, and sexiness. I will get on this. Oh, and I'm also hunting down a good template too. Keep in touch.)