Temple of Why

Meditating with Plants

I started a new practice just because the idea presented itself. i was sitting in my office studio and had just watered my plants. I was looking at them and the thought occurred to me to pick up 2 vines from my pathos plant and meditate with them. Maybe the plant called me, I don’t know. So I sat with one vine in each hand started thinking about giving and receiving energy. I sat with the plant and dropped deeper into meditation.

10 or 15 minutes later I started to notice myself palpably feeling calmer. I felt like energy was gently flowing back and forth between us. I relaxed and just enjoyed feeling connected.

The next day sitting in the music room I was feeling anxious. I was tired from not getting enough sleep and have been a bit tense and on edge from work and from being at home for almost 4 weeks with our Great Dane who is recovering from knee surgery. I seldomly allow myself the luxury of a daytime nap, I am too much of an action driven person. But I reclined on the divan and noticed my big peace plant next to me. Again, maybe it was calling me. I decided to gently hold its leaf and meditate with it. It hasn’t been doing well, it is large and pretty old for a plant at 15 years old. I am not sure how long plants live? I have been wondering if it is nearing the end of its life span. So I gently sat with it and sent it healing thoughts and absorbed what it was sending me. I do think it is not well, I did pick up what felt like mini pin pricks or light electricity zaps. I told it it was an old friend and I would sit with it. Again I felt a sudden relaxation that was different than when I normally meditate, it was a release.

I think we can enhance a nature based spirituality by incorporating plants, trees and other aspects of nature consciously into our daily practice.

I am curious to see if I notice any visible difference in the health of my plants by sharing energy with them.

Unee is coming alive

Unee is an affectionate term I coined for the universe, the feminine aspect of universal energy. I envisioned her as a mother figure always with the best interest of the whole universe in mind. She is the impartial mother balancing the needs of the whole of the human and universal family, sometimes letting things fall so we can learn from the experience and learn to walk or grow. We would half-jokingly state “Unee has our back we don’t need to worry”, but now I find myself with growing more affectionate toward her. I feel like “she” really is the feminine universal mother who is looking out for all of us. God is so loaded with baggage sadly and frankly, so patriarchal. I feel like the world needs some mother love right now, the kind that is fair, but not enabling, is fierce when it is required and above all loves us unconditionally the way a good mother would.

I need love right now, the world needs love right now. I don’t think we are evolved enough to be loving toward each other all the time even if we sincerely want to, humanity is still in it’s narcissistic teenage years trying to develop into maturity.

Unee, universal love out of the darkness, watch over everyone, all my worldly sisters and brothers, Mother Earth and the universe.

I trust Unee

For those in the US and those outside the US we all face challenges. Tonight we face the presidential debate and no matter what the outcome of the impending election, we have to trust the universe. I trust Unee, all will be well.

Peace to all tonight and always.

Jesus, Moses, Allah and Buddha are walking in the world right now, who is happy with their legacy?

Questions from the Temple of Why

I have spent a fair amount of my lifetime contemplating the religions of the sand, those great Abraham religions that have been the underpinning of society since they could be forced onto these same societies then I moved to the Eastern religions. Are they the source of truth or have the become programmed into our DNA over centuries of repeated use? Does anyone think, really think about what they believe? Is belief sincere or programmed and habitual? Have these religions hurt or helped society more? Do they help or hurt society more or less now?

We have to think, those of us in the Western world have the opportunity, perhaps even the obligation, to do so. Are the laws of the sand religions truly immutable or should they be questioned, would they withstand 21st century scrutiny or would they be called out once and for all with the questioners exclaiming “the emperor has no clothes”?

I am not claiming to have the answers, just the questions. Is belief in Jesus the “Jesus Cult”, belief in Moses the “Jewish Cult” and belief in Allah the “Islam Cult” even belief in Buddha the Buddha Cult” ? Can we be dispassionate outsiders looking in with no attachment to the answer?

I offer each orthodox version legalizes some sort of behavior not accepted in most societies today: discrimination against women, homosexuality and underage marriage. Is that ok under the guise of protected religion? Can we separate out one belief from the body of belief without losing the integrity of the whole of that belief? Is a version of “cafeteria” Catholics or Jews or Muslims or Buddhists ok?

Can we call each other out for our beliefs and ask “why do you believe?” At the same time can we ask what benefit does belief brings to society (and I think there is a benefit), but how to we separate the good from the well, not so good.

Jesus, Moses, Allah and Buddha are walking in the world today, who is happy with their legacy?

I started this blog and temple as a place to question spirituality. A place to dig deep and root out why I believe what I believe and continue to explore why others believe what they believe. I decided it was a “Druid” temple because I realized I have been a practicing Druid long before I even knew what a Druid was. There is not a lot out there about Druidry and what Druids did, theirs was an oral tradition and they too were killed off by the Romans. It begs the question then how do I know I am a Druid? Why would anyone want to be a Druid?

I think it is important to be connected to spirit, to source, to the between that connects everything in this world – there is something there. I don’t think the something wants or needs to be worshiped or to have sacrifices made to it, I think it just is. It is what keeps a banana alive versus a banana peel that disintegrates, keeps a person alive or lets there body disintegrate after this life force leaves the body. It is the mystery that captivates the mystics and the subtlety that creates awe.

I call her Unee. She is the universal force. When I remember to live according to Unee, I am living in union with the universal force that underpins our world. I work with the moon to help guide the direction of my life and focus on moon phases to cadence my life. I find the more I do that, setting intentions during the new moon, moving to action and checking in on the full moon and following through until the next new moon helps me be in rhythm with the universe. I follow the wheel of the year for the same reason. I am not a farmer so I can’t plow, plant and harvest, but I can direct my life that way. I can be restful during the winter months and recharge, I can start waking to action in the spring, I can follow through on projects in the summer and I can reap the rewards of my work during the Autumn Harvest. I can feel in step this way and pace my life. I also love the opportunity to be “holiday festive” and decorate and have fun with the changing seasons.

Maybe you want to join me in the Temple of Why and find your source. I am going to launch a Temple of Why school to help people along their path, I think it is my mission and how I can help the world.

My barn. Future home of the Temple of Why Druid School.

What is your “Mission”?

What is your mission? What is my mission? Does it matter or is life more destiny based with a few routes to choose from that get us to the same destination?

I think we have a purpose or mission in life, I get confused about what it is for me probably because it is right in front of me staring back at me. I have thought about this a lot over the past lots of years and gone back and forth with myself and others also trying to figure out what they are supposed to be “doing”. I think we all want to be impactful, some people would say important, but I think impactful is a better way to look at it. What impact does my life have in this world? Do I matter at all?

I am focusing in on what I like to do and how that can impact the world. I have spent a lot of time working in my life as many of us have and wondering what the point of it all was. Money, yeah, paying the mortgage of course, taking care of my kids and husband, sure, is that all? Should I expect more? Do you expect more? I feel like there is something else there, deep inside, that drives me to keeping thinking – why am I here?

I like writing this blog, but why bother? Does anyone read it? or is it kind of an online journal? Maybe. I guess I hope for connection, that someone else who is seeking reads something and they are inspired and a connection is made.

What’s my mission? Spirituality, writing, communicating, connecting, letting others know there are others out there….