Silverleaf's blog

It seems like I am being totally divided down the middle. All I want to do is sit outside and watch the ripples in the brook and the gentle swaying of the trees. I feel like I have fallen head over heels in love with this beautiful planet and I want to spend every moment basking in her glory.

This has been an interesting couple of weeks.. First of all I started a course in Clinical Pastoral Counseling which I find to be fascinating. Originally, I took the class in order to add on credits toward my goal of becoming a Hospice Chaplain. But, I found that it has opened some insights into my own thought process that have been enlightening to say the least.

What exactly is religious pluralism? It is defined as peaceful relations between different religions. Religious pluralism may describe the view that one's religion is not the sole and exclusive source of truth, and therefore recognizes that some level of truth and value exists in other religions. As a Unitarian Universalist, I would consider myself to be a religious pluralist.

You sit in front of the blazing fire. It is hot and humid even though it is late harvest time. The dancers whirl and twirl around you chanting and singing praises for the bountiful harvest. The hide drums and turtle shell rattles join the sound of the chanting with their rhythmic sounds. The sparks from the fire spiral upwards to join the twinkling of the stars above in the clear air.

Imagine a society without traditions, rites and rituals.. No celebrations with families gathered together, no weddings, baby blessings, funerals. No Christmas, Easter, New Years Eve, Birthday parties, Yule celebrations, or Hannukah. No church services on Sunday mornings, Christmas carols, or celebrations of the seasons. No mother’s day or father’s day.

Whenever anyone tells me that they follow an “Earth” based pathway my response is always; “Don’t we all?” Everyone I know lives here on this planet, and is made up of the same elements as the Earth. We are extensions of the Earth as are the animal and plant kingdoms. We don’t own the Earth. The Earth owns us.

Chelation is a Greek word meaning claws. Chelation therapy is a process in which a chelating agent literally grabs onto and pulls lead or other heavy metals from the blood and arteries, and gets rid of them through the process of natural elimination. This is commonly done intravenously with a chemical agent called EDTA.

Our society is fast paced, stimulating and very demanding. We are constantly being bombarded by work and family pressures. Working parents are often torn between the financial and advancement opportunities provided in their work environment, and the conflicts which that advancement would create in terms of balancing family responsibilities. We feel that we are under pressure to achieve it all.

Most of what we know about Saturnalia is through the works of the ancient Roman scribe Macrobius. He speaks of Saturnalia as a time of feasting, gift giving, public gambling (which was usually forbidden), and great merriment.

What do a groundhog, purification of a Blessed Virgin, a Fire Goddess, pregnant animals, sore throats and candles all have in common?