The Parable of the Sacred Grove

Xia on the true meaning of sangha (TempleoftheGoddess.org)
(shinra-sanne.deviantart.com)

A solitary man journeyed about the world. When he met others on the road, he looked down, grunted a passing greeting, hunched his shoulders, and continued on his way.

In each village he passed, he saw the people gathering beneath the trees, the "Sacred Groves" they called them. They entered the wood by twos, threes, sometimes alone. They danced, sang, laughed, ate, and watched the cycles of the Moon together.

The man wondered what it would be like to walk beneath those trees. Each time he passed their wood, he wondered if the people would welcome him or turn him away.

He wondered why they met in their Sacred Groves, beneath the trees, instead of the village square. He wondered what drew them to those places. But the man never went into the woods. Having decided long ago that he needed no one, he walked alone. It was better that way. Still, he wondered. More

Hallows Eve Ritual and Celebration

• All Hallows Eve celebration
• Neighborhood Unitarian Church, Pasadena
• Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, 6:00 PM

Temple of the Goddess Hallows Eve Ritual & Celebration October 29, 2011 "The seasons and all their changes are in me." --Henry David Thoreau The Wheel of the Year spins and we come together to honor the turning of the seasons and the Earth's never-ending cycles of life. We remember, and honor, our beloved ancestors and the lives they lived. We remind ourselves it is time to Slow Down and synchronize our internal rhythms with the rhythm of the Earth. As we prepare ourselves for the coming dark of winter, we honor our ancestors and connect to the healing power of the Earth. October 29, 2011 Temple of the Goddess Hallows Eve Ritual & Celebration Samhain or Hallows Eve is the new year, the time when the veil between this world and the spirit world is at its thinnest. It marks the onset of a darker, more introspective time of year. The theme of Hallows Eve is honoring darkness, memory of the dead, communication with the spirit world, and purification for the future. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Newcomer's Meeting 5:45 Before the Ritual If this is your first Temple of the Goddess Ritual or you just have questions, meet with Kamala in the lobby before the ritual. Bring your questions, fears, hopes, and desires. Newcomer's Meeting in Lobby at 5:45pm, before the ritual. Hallows Eve Ritual & Celebration Saturday October 29, 2011 6:30 PM Doors Open 6:00 Neighborhood Unitarian Church, Pasadena NOTE: Families with children, please come early for a seat down front so your children don't miss anything! Our evening of ritual theatre opens with music and dance honoring Samhain night. Enveloped in candlelight, we come to the mythic labyrinth, offering song, dance and spoken word to create the magic of the cauldron. We are come to the labyrinth tonight, walking one by one. In the dark of Samhain, a riddle burning bright, and candles waving down. We are vessels of the highest love in a lesson, burning bright, the lesson of our lives. When all our sorrows cauldron into one, be reborn, this Samhain night. (SJ Tucker) When last we visited the mythic realm, we encountered Artemis, the First Environmentalist, who released the Green Dragon, the warrior that resides within each of us, the fighter that is called upon to battle the forces, both within and without, that would harm the Earth and Her Children. (Click here to read Joanne Elliott's article, Releasing the Green Dragon.) Now the Green Dragon sends our young heroine, Maya, on a quest for the shaman's path; to seek the entrance to Ix Chel's realm; the opening to the underworld of the Medicine Woman. Maya, fresh from the battle for the Earth and the people of Earth, must put down her bow and arrow to find the shaman within, the healer to balance the warrior that is needed in times such as these. The journey of our young warrior is to search for the inner knowledge of the ancestors; it is the journey of remembering the power of the Earth to heal ourselves and humanity.

Japan: What is Shinto? (video)

Huffington Post, Japan-Guide.com, A Pagan Tapestry

Shinto is Japanese for "the way of the kami" (devas, gods/goddesses, spirits). It is the indigenous spiritual tradition of the Japanese people. It is as old as Japan itself. It remains Japan's major religion alongside Buddhism.

Shinto does not have a founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like sutras (discourses) or the Bible. Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the people and traditions.

Shinto "gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits that take the form of things and concepts important to life-- such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami.

The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. More