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I just returned from the Pagan Studies Conference in southern CA. It was pretty interesting. One thing that came up over and over again was the question of how we can define Paganism? How do you define the boundaries of a religion? Why do you do it? If scholars can't even determine a...

I nod and give a puzzled smile. Nod, because it resonates. Puzzled smile because I'm pretty sure I'm missing something. :) But, after all, I am not a physicist. What I can speak to in terms of my beliefs, is a sense of divine unfolding and an encompassing of what might be termed darkness...

I don't know that I'd say it is telepathy- I usually think of telepathy as involving incarnate entities. I just don't know that the distinction is useful or not. I kind of have fuzzy categories of information-gathering/communicating with: incarnate entities; disincarnate entities; and God...

I'm not sure there is a difference that matters. I've experienced telepathy, both in receiving and sending. My own experience is that it is somewhat like empathy but with more specific information involved. In my opinion, it is possible to have telepathic communication with other humans...

No doubt. :) LOL Sounds nice, doesn't it? J/K. :D

Interesting- I like the topic. I hope folks respond- I'm very curious about how people think about the issue of divine inspiration and scripture. As a Druid, I believe in the awen. Awen is divine inspiration, which can range from mild artistic or philosophical openness to possession...

Well, clean water is natural. Until humans muck it up through population density. Then it is unnaturally unclean, and we have to make it unnaturally clean again. There has to be a balance in there somewhere between living harmoniously with nature, limiting our own suffering, and retaining...

I agree- and I also think it has to do with people not wanting to face death and the aging process. If the end of the world comes, it is some vague notion that "my" group will be saved from the trouble. I think it is largely human avoidance of mortality and self-induced suffering. It puts off...

Though I'm not a country music fan, there is some song I heard about a little girl who lived in a home plagued by domestic violence, and witnessed the death of her parents. In the song, after she was later adopted to another family and in Sunday school, she remarked that Jesus was with her as...

I think using what we have would be the first step toward striving for more. If we aren't using it, we don't have it yet. When we get it, we will use it. There are individuals that strive for something better, and they are largely the ones that drag everyone else with them (sometimes kicking...

No, but I believe we have an obligation to our planet and other species to not overpopulate it. So if we extend our lifespan, we should reduce our birthrate. We need to stop treating procreation as if it is just something that happens and is always a good thing, because we're creating...

Oh, I can see elements of myself in some of these forms of trolls. I suppose we all have a trollish side on our bad days. ;) I tend to think of trolls, however, as being consistent in their bad behavior, normally with only one of the following agendas: Spamming- usually done by people who...

I'm really inspired by people who live out their passion- who know themselves and become dedicated to something. It's not that I think everyone should be this way, but I find it inspiring, and it's what unifies so many people that have brought me that sense... artists, activists, scientists...

Thanks all for the well-wishes! :)

I'm no Maya expert, but so far as I understand it, it is fairly accepted that the Maya long count calendar (there are more than one type of calendar) ends in 2012. However, the Maya had a cyclical rather than linear view of time, and their calendars were circular not linear, so this would just...

As in, dreams you have when you're asleep? Or as in, aspirations, deep-seated desires, and hopes?

Interesting. I'm not sure how to respond because it depends on one's definition of soul. I realize soul means different things to different people. And I suspect that it may actually *be* different things to different people. What I mean is that I think it's probably universal that what is...

I agree. But what I've come to find in my own life is that attachment may be held at a level that is not fully conscious, and until one brings to conscious awareness those memories to which one is attached, one remains bound. Considering that many people remember nothing of any past lives, I...

I am indifferent to the poster. I don't find it hilarious, but neither am I offended. The idea that Mary remained a virgin forever boggles my mind. And the idea that sex is somehow a bad thing and shouldn't be poked fun at or mentioned is also odd to me. Sex is holy. And it is humorous...

I think we are limiting ourselves unnecessarily by thinking memory has to do with an individual's brain and body. There is individual memory (the idea of our brain remembering our own past) and then there is information. Arguably, memory as a human function is tied to the brain and body (i.e...