"Any religion or philosophy which is based on the fear of being tortured for eternity because of some godling's displeasure is psychologically diseased."
~The Danaan Press

"All religions are true. Religion is basically a container for faith, and faith is a very important part of what allows us to remain stable, remain balanced."
~George Lucas

Celtic Myth

Before time was, there was The One; The One was all & all was The One.

And the vast expanse known as the Universe was The One, all wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.

And Space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The One and of The One.

The Goddess & God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save
for The One.

So they formed energy into gases and gases into suns and planets and moons; They sprinkled the Universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God. Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns. and the Goddess and Gods, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one.

From their union sprang seeds of life, and of the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.

The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol, and the God the Sun as his symbol to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their
fashioners.

All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath The Sun and Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.

~ Scott Cunningham

Ah me! I cannot sleep tonight;And when I shut my eyes, dispair! I cannot banish from my sightThe vision of your golden hair.

You stand before me lovely wise,Your shinning beauty fair and bright, You smile upon me, and your eyes doth sparkle at me to my delight.

Slowly You lean to me. I meet The passion of your gaze anew, And then your laughter, clear and sweet, Thrills all the hollow silence through.

O, goddess, of the tempting night!O beauty, lily-sweet and white!I see you, shinning, fair and bright.And ah! I cannot sleep tonight.

~adaptaion by
pixel 3/99

   I am an introspective explorer on the Path to Enlightenment. I've been learning bits and pieces from many philosophical schools of thought for a number of years. Awareness is a state I aspire to. I believe that ancient cultures around the Earth, while geographically separated and isolated, ascribed similar attributes to the same phenomena in dream interpretation, religious symbolism, and their indigenous mythology. And as such all *religious* beleifs throughout the world share a universal consciousness what could be called the collective unconscious - a belief firmly heald by the Hindu. And that all of us can call on and use this collective force to fufill dreams, wants and desires.

   As a self-described Pagan, I feel affinity for and alignment with forces and energies that have to do with and are sourced of Nature and Earth. I practice and learn cultures, practices and rituals of several spiritual faiths including Hindu, Buddism, and Wicca, among any others I can learn about, and I am always looking to learn more.

"Who is that goddess of the night, with the silver hair that shines so bright? Who wakes me from my deepest sleep, and lul's me in her arms. Oh goddess you've stolen my dreams, captured my soul, and my heart it seems. Don't toy with me, such a mortal frail, love me forever I beg, to no avail." ~ pixel

The forest was shady and brown, smelling of earth and stagnant water. Ferns growing waste high on long ago fallen trees. I was 12 the summer we built the new house in the woods, and the woods would be my friend for the next 6 years till I moved away. But that’s getting ahead of my story. The woods were new to me, but I never feared getting lost. I instinctively have always been able to find my way in forests. Stumbling through the mucky water, past vibrant wild purple iris, stepping on skunk grass releasing its smells. I came to a small glade. Something was special about this place. Even now I can remember the feeling that came over me. This was a "holy spot" I decided, since I with my Christian upbringing I couldn’t think of any other explanation. I knelt down on the damp earth, and began clearing a spot. Sweeping it smooth of old debree and leaves from past autumns. I gathered up some small stones and placed them in a pile. I took some sticks and leaned them over the rocks. I picked some flowers and placed them before the rocks. What was I thinking? I wasn’t, that’s the key. I was following a calling in my heart, something that stirred in the quiet whispers of the woods. It didn’t feel appropriate to pray to God here, but thinking a little about Native Americans I decided that a small prayer to the Mother Earth was fitting. This place, this special place, became a sanctuary in the woods for me. I would come with fresh wild flowers and place them by the stones. As time went by the stones were replaced with rocks, and flat piece of wood, things to make it look like an altar. At that age I tried not to figure out why I was doing this, just that I was, and that it,  like so many other things in my life just couldn’t be explained or fit into my simple Christian faith. Only much later was I to learn about paganism and other beliefs. From the woods I take my "pagan" name....fern, or more often I use "shyfern".

Tao Te Ching
~ Dao De Jing

If you can talk about it,
it ain't Tao.
If it's got a name,
it's just another thing.

Tao doesn't have a name.
Names are for ordinary stuff.

Stop wanting stuff.  It keeps you from seeing what's real.
When you want stuff, all you see are things.

The Way that can be experienced is not true;
The world that can be constructed is not true.
The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;
The world represents all that exists and may exist.

To experience without intention is to sense the world;
To experience with intention is to anticipate the world.
These two experiences are indistinguishable;
Their construction differs but their effect is the same.

Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,
Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.

The Tao that can be followed is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth
While naming is the origin of the myriad things.
Therefore, always desireless, you see the mystery
Ever desiring, you see the manifestations.
These two are the same--
When they appear they are named differently.

Their sameness is the mystery,
Mystery within mystery;

The door to all marvels.

Words and names are not the way
They can't define the absolute It's better that you look within
Hold your tongue and just be mute

Look within and look out too
You will not find a separation
Out there you see appearance
Within you see origination

Look within with wonder
At emptiness and bliss
For wonder names totality
Where nothing is amiss

The space within is always there
If you can moderate desire
A place of utter emptiness
And possibility entire