Category: Spiritual Growth


Who Are We to Question the Bible?

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Who Are We to Question the Bible?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

It seems to me that spirituality has taken a turn for the worse and become very ego-centered. Who are we to question the Bible and what is true or not true in religion?
– R.

Dear R.:

Thanks for your brave and honest question. First, I would like you to take a moment and ask yourself who wrote the Bible, and when was it written. Many “Bible thumpers” have no idea. They seem to think it manifested from heaven fully formed while everyone was asleep one night long ago. Those who don’t bother to find out, or who are afraid to find out, tend to be the loudest proclaimers that everything in it is true. I personally believe in having good reasons for believing (and especially proclaiming) what I believe, which does involve some thought and study.

For those who don’t know, the Bible was written by men who never met Jesus. They had heard legends about his miracles and teachings, which had been passed around and passed down orally. Written records were not common at the time of Jesus, much less books. The Bible was written over many centuries by different men, many of whom disagreed with each other on just about everything. This is why the Bible contradicts itself right and left. You can argue for or against anything based on passages of the Bible. How do you know what is right if you don’t question?

I am NOT saying that the Bible is a bunch of baloney, but rather that we are fools if we accept everything in it without knowing who wrote it and what their motivations were. We can safely assume that a spiritual teacher named Jesus lived a couple millenia ago, and that his teachings and his life changed the world and is still deeply influencing humankind many centuries later. I am in total harmony with the true teachings of Jesus. Sadly, few people who call themselves “Christians” have bothered to try to sort those true teachings from the various, conflicted views of modern Christianity.

Would you accept anyone’s ideas about what Jesus or any other spiritual teacher was trying to teach us? What if you went to church, and the minister told you that Jesus said that clothing was evil, and anyone who didn’t go nude would go to hell. Would you do it? What if you visited another church and was told that nudity was a sin? Then what would you do?

If you would not blindly follow what these ministers said, then why would you blindly accept the writings of men you’ve never met who lived hundreds of years ago, and who never met Jesus themselves? Perhaps they were human and fallible just like us, and they were wrong on some points. Perhaps their words, which were written in either ancient Aramaic or Greek, have been mistranslated. Perhaps those words were purposefully edited/revised/deleted to create a version of the Bible designed to serve the political aims of someone in power. This DID happen. I encourage you to do some research on the Roman Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicea. Just plug some of those terms along with “Bible” into a search engine, and you’ll learn that a man with entirely political aims was given the power to decide what would go into the Bible and what would be kept out. If this is news to you, it’s because writing about or even possessing any written record or account of what happened at Nicea was an offense punishable by DEATH.

Unless we want a greedy, power-hungry politician or some other person with a personal agenda to decide our spiritual beliefs for us, we’re going to have to question EVERY view we encounter in life. We do that with the divine tools we’ve all been given and are meant to use: our minds and our hearts.

This whole issue is a matter of ancient controversy: was Jesus a Gnostic or not? The early Jesus movement was divided into groups of followers. One such group was the Gnostics. Their teachings/writings didn’t make it into the Bible, for the most part. They were discovered in this century, buried in a cave in Egypt (research the “Nag Hammadi Library” for information on this). Nevertheless, I believe it’s clear from all that was included in the Bible that Jesus Himself was Gnostic. Gnostic comes from the word gnosis, which means inner knowing. Jesus looked for the truth in His own heart. He was also a social and religious critic who was constantly questioning everything and weighing it against that truth in His heart and then standing up for what He felt was true. According to the Bible, he said, “The kingdom of God will come not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

We have to question and look within for answers to tap into divine truth and understanding. This is what Jesus Himself did. How can we go wrong if we are following in His footsteps?

You say that spirituality has taken a turn for the worse. To me, it’s gotten better and better. Spiritual is personal; a spiritual path is an individual, personal relationship with the Divine. Religion, by comparison, is not personal, it’s communal. If we can only truly know God within our own hearts, then we are far more likely to discover truth and Divine light on a personal spiritual path than a religious one. A personal spiritual path involves seeking truth and answers and understanding, which means questioning. It is in fact all about questioning what is right and wrong, what is important, what is highest and best and most true. It is about following in Jesus’ footsteps by connecting with our own “inner knowing,” by recognizing that it is within our own hearts that we can best connect with “God.”

This is not an intellectual pursuit, but a spiritual one. It’s the ancient path of the mystic. It transends dogma and rules and all that is written by other humans. It tunnels beneath the common teachings of religion for direct experience of the truth. Thus, spirituality is subversive by its very nature.

A true and devoted seeker is willing to do more work than the average person; she is willing to journey longer and harder and farther than those who simply ask for the rules and for others to absolve them when they fail to follow them. She is also willing to fully accept the consequences of her choices. To me, that is not selfish, but rather bold, courageous and ultimately more respectful of “God” than blindly following the rules as others interpret them to be.

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom of God is only found through self-awareness. “The kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.” He went on to say, “[The kingdom of God] will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying ‘Here it is’ or ‘There it is.’ Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth and men do not see it.” To see it, we must find a new way of looking for it, which involves questioning the old or commonly accepted way.

– Soul Arcanum

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Protecting Yourself from Fear and Negative Thinking

Filed Under: Energy/Vibration, Law of Attraction, Manifesting, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Protecting Yourself from Fear and Negative Thinking

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

There has been a lot of discussion about economic trends for the past several years. I have heard quite a bit about an impending huge economic crash, and that it is unavoidable. The national debt, wars, etc., have thrown our world out of balance, and we will have to go through some dire times to regain balance. Maybe this is true – maybe not. Others believe that the economy is turning around. I truly believe we create our own realities, but how do you work within the realm of global thought? I believe even in dire times that beautiful things can happen, but how do you protect yourself from succumbing to fear? It feels as if global events are out of an individual’s realm of control, but is this really true? How much impact does each individual have on the unfoldment of harmony in our world?
– P.

Dear P.:

Personally, I’m more concerned about the global love market. I read that the world supply of love has been dwindling for the past decade, and that by 2010, we will be facing a crisis unlike anything humankind has known before unless we do something quick! Of course this report set off quite a panic, and love experts are now warning us that the more we hoard love, the worse things are going to get.

While I’m obviously being facetious, money IS just a tangible representation of energy, and just like love, the universe is alive and overflowing with energy. Money/ love/ abundance is everywhere, and it responds to the energy of our minds and hearts.

Our prosperity consciousness is not measured by how much wealth we have attained, but rather by the amount of wealth/blessings we are able to ENJOY. A rich man may be very poor in prosperity consciousness if he lives in fear of losing what he has, and a relatively poor man may be very rich in prosperity consciousness if he is happy with his blessings. As prosperity is a state of mind, you are wise to be asking how to be positive/ happy despite what is happening around you.

Everyone who is reading this is an extraordinary creator, including you. I know this, because one does not consciously encounter knowledge/wisdom until one is vibrationally in harmony with it and able to work with it. Thus, those who are consciously aware that we create our own realities are those who have awakened their power to do so consciously. These people also tend to have certain other traits, one of which is high sensitivity (which is what led them to conscious awareness of this subtle truth in the first place).

So you’re sensitive and you’re obviously still paying attention to “the news” – it’s no wonder you’re struggling to remain positive! I do not watch the news, for I am one of those hyper sensitive souls who can be upset for DAYS by something that happened to someone I will never meet. I empathize with people, which means I put myself in their shoes and imagine how I would feel if what happened to them happened to me or someone I love.

Being highly sensitive may be challenging, but it can also be a blessing. While we’re easily “upset,” we also blissfully cry at weddings and shed tears of joy when babies are born because we’re so good at stepping into others’ vibrations. So to answer your last question, some sensitive, powerful creators are going to have more power than most to consciously affect (for better OR worse) their own realities and the world around them. This is all a reflection of the basic truth that we are responsible (via natural spiritual law) for the knowledge/wisdom we attain.

Faith is another key element to include here, for it is through the power of believing that we work magic in our lives. When we have faith that everything happens for a good reason and that life is a learning journey, then we won’t want to wave our magic wands and make the global economy perfect for everyone. What fun would a life without any challenge or contrast be? It’s not our job to save the world, but rather to evolve through our own fears into a lighter, brighter expression of divine creation.

So while you’ve asked how we work within the realm of global thought, my answer is we DON’T. We make our own reality bright by shining our light, and surrender everyone else’s reality with faith that they are experiencing just what they most need to experience to learn what they need to learn. What folks need most is not a better economy, but the truth, power and wisdom to consciously create what they want in their own lives. So don’t worry about what is happening in other places to strangers. Worrying will not help them anyway. And instead of feeling guilty when you’re prospering and others are struggling, look upon manifesting abundance and happiness as being a good role model, which is the highest and best way to be of service.

To maintain a high vibration despite all the negativity of “global thought,” drop the notion that you have to protect yourself from fear. You can’t, for the very notion of protection is fear-based. Instead of trying to get rid of fear, we have to cultivate faith and positive expectation instead. Here are a few ideas designed to help you with that:

  • First, only watch, read and listen to things that feel good. The only TV show I watch is “Whose Line is it Anyway?” (This article was written in 2004.)This comedy improvisation always makes me laugh and marvel at how quickly some people can take whatever life sends their way and spin it into something delightful through the sheer power of their creativity. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to consciously choose your “input,” including the music you’re mindlessly absorbing as you drive in the car, which is programming your mind at a subconscious level. It’s like a hypnosis/self-help tape, except it’s often far from helpful. If “Love Stinks” is playing in the background of your life, turn the radio off! Similarly, carefully choose the people you associate with. The more sensitive (powerful) you are, the more important this becomes.
  • Don’t just cut out negative influences – add IN positive influences as well. Read uplifting and empowering books. Seek out positive shows, music and movies. Always focus on what you want. Every time you hear some negative story or prediction, make a point of seeking out a success story or some other uplifting and encouraging input to boost your faith, power and magic! Avoiding anything is impossible, for in just thinking about it/giving your attention to it, you are attracting it. It’s therefore wise to purposefully replace all negativity with empowering thoughts/energies. If you pull all the weeds from a garden, it will just be a lot of dirt unless you also plant flowers and luscious fruits and vegetables and then cultivate them.
  • Own your power! Money is just a tangible form of energy. Your thoughts and feelings are also energy. Visualize energy flowing through your life, and then visualize energy as money flowing through your life. It’s all just energy. Money is not some magical, scarce resource; it’s just pretty paper. It DOES grow on trees!
  • Study the Law of Attraction and actually work with all the (endless) exercises available. From writing affirmations to listening to self-hypnosis tapes to creating visual collages of your dreams, there are innumerable powerful tools to choose from, but you have to USE them.
  • Above all, follow your bliss and count your blessings. If you’re happy, you naturally feel blessed. This not only attracts more blessings, it’s downright satisfying in and of itself!

– Soul Arcanum

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Nasty Neighbor is Testing my Spiritual Character

Filed Under: Law of Attraction, Manifesting, Psychic Protection, Relationships, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Nasty Neighbor is Testing my Spiritual Character

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I consider myself to be a kind and compassionate person, and am generally tolerant of most people. My tolerance, however, has about run dry with my nasty neighbor next door. Without going through a litany of offenses, it takes every ounce of my being not to throttle her and/or perpetrate some delicious revenge for having to put up with her lack of decorum. Any time she’s nice, there’s always an ulterior motive. I know she’s a very troubled woman and has had a tough life. Her insecurity and self-hatred are painfully obvious. As a spiritual person, I try to be understanding and compassionate, knowing that deep down she’s miserable. I find it more and more difficult, however, to continue biting my tongue when I hear the dog endlessly barking, the trash piling up in her yard, and the unasked for advice on how to landscape my own yard. I’m planning on moving at some point, but until then, I’m stuck living next to her. What are some ways to put up with an obnoxious person who seems to test us at every turn? I’d love to launch her into the next solar system!
B.

Dear B.:

You’ve come to the right person, for I assure you that I too have had my own nemesis; I too have succumbed to anger and lost sight of my own spiritual values; I too have plotted wicked revenge. I have in fact amazed myself with my capacity for vengeance, and I now think the last person I’d want to have really mad at me would be ME.

I believe that you’re quite a bit like me, and what’s bothering you more than the neighbor herself is your own inability to remain “spiritual” in the midst of this conflict. If we are the sort of people who strive to do the right thing, to rise above ego to be kind, to give of ourselves in helping others, etc., it’s hard to accept and handle people who seem to be living at the other end of the spectrum, but it’s even harder to accept ourselves when we begin to sink to their level.

In our naivete, at first we may assume that our “enemies” couldn’t possibly know the harm they are inflicting, or else they’d change their behavior. When it becomes apparent that they just don’t care or are purposefully being negative or harmful, we sensitive souls can be shocked and disturbed. (As I was happily in denial myself for the first 30 years of my life or so, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but some people can be downright mean and nasty out of pure self-interest.)

It’s then further upsetting when we can’t seem to find a spiritual solution that works for everyone. Some people will try to use reason and persuasion to change the other person; others will pray or resort to spells or other efforts to affect the situation; some of us endlessly search for a “win/win” solution for everyone involved. If none of this seems to work, it’s easy to get caught up in confusion: Is the other person really wrong, or am I too sensitive and judgmental? Is this situation driven by my own bad karma? Am I to be a teacher here, or is the lesson for me? (And when did I become so ugly inside, anyway? Do my angels and guides know how wicked my thoughts can be? Gasp! Does GOD?)

As the Law of Attraction states that we draw people and experiences to us based on our own vibration, if we’re staring at something or someone really horrible, it’s natural to wonder if WE are horrible too. I don’t believe that all people and experiences in our lives reflect our own vibration – some are just secondary results of some primary manifestation. There are many ways/reasons such people may enter our experience. Sometimes the house we really want just happens to be next to theirs, as in your case. Sometimes we are related to such people, or were married to them in the past. Sometimes having a certain wonderful person in our lives means we have to deal with that person’s not so wonderful ex-wife, kids, spouse, etc. If someone irritating is in your experience, don’t assume you’ve done something wrong. If your inner world is festering with anger and revenge, however, the true “enemy” you’re battling is inside of you.

After much experimentation and frustration myself, I have learned that you can’t change a lion into a kitten, but you can either win the lion over or learn how to walk through the jungle without fear of attack. The lions are still there, but they’re no longer a threat to our well-being.

While enmeshed in my own similar lesson, I did at times lose my temper and engage in conflict, which of course only led to escalation. On the whole, however, when I began to “turn the other cheek,” to return mean acts with kind ones, things began to shift. They shifted even more when I realized how much inner time I’d started to devote to the situation, and decided that I needed to get a life again. (If you look back, you’ll realize you had a lot more important stuff going on in your mind and heart before this battle began.) When I stopped trying to force things to change because I had more important things to do, when I focused my mental and emotional energy on creating what I wanted in the rest of my life instead of pushing against the one thing I didn’t want, then the situation really relaxed and shifted. Before long, I was free from obsession, ugly thoughts and feelings. I still meet that lion now and then, and I still have to deal with the occasional drama, but it doesn’t pollute my soul anymore. In fact, much of the time the lion is downright friendly (though I’m not going to put my hand in its mouth or try to bring it home as a pet.) That is where you want to be.

I’m not saying you should be a doormat. I’m saying you should raise your vibration far above your neighbor’s, for then one way or another, she will fall out of your experience. So instead of focusing on getting rid of the neighbor problem, I recommend you focus on manifesting goodwill and harmony within you, regardless of what the neighbor does. This means that so long as you’re able to remain positive, you’re content. For every thing your neighbor does to disturb you, simply do something kind, either for her, yourself or someone else. Focus all your attention and energy on building big dreams and being the kind of person you most respect and admire. Look for people who are all the things you love: kind, polite, fun, respectful, courteous, etc.That is your challenge.

I know that my greatest “enemy” has been my greatest spiritual teacher. From that relationship I’ve learned the limits of my own compassion and tolerance, and I’ve stretched those limits. I’ve learned that even when we don’t understand others’ perspectives or opinions, that doesn’t mean we’re always right and they’re wrong. I’ve learned that even when I don’t like or trust someone, I can find the humanity in them, and I can continue to serve in many ways: by offering an example of someone who walks in Spirit; by overcoming my own ego and emotions to do the right thing; by remaining calm and speaking reasonably when others are yelling and angry. I’ve learned that the best way to “protect” myself is simply to focus on manifesting what I do want. The list is endless.

What I didn’t expect was to teach that person just as much as I learned. Recently she told me how much she has learned from how I’ve handled myself, and how much she admires and respects me. That was a great feeling.

Try to respond to your neighbor’s irritating issues with positive energy. You may just win her cooperation and admiration, but even if you don’t, you’ll have your soul back, and then what she does or doesn’t do won’t really matter to you anymore.

– Soul Arcanum

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Weird, Wonderful Wicca

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Weird, Wonderful Wicca

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

My teenage daughter has a good head on her shoulders. She’s a great student, never in trouble, and hangs out with good kids. She recently announced that she is going to become a “Wiccan,” and her father just flipped out. He started screaming at her, asking her if she knew this meant she would be a “pagan,” and if she was going to start having sex with children and animals. She was totally taken aback by this response, as was I, but she stood right up to him and told him she had been reading a great deal about it, and felt drawn to it regardless of what he thinks. I don’t think her father really knows anything about Wicca. I have known a few people who have been into it. Some have been weird, and some have been wonderful. Should we be concerned?

D.

Dear D.:

Your question itself is very illuminating, for modern Wicca can indeed be both weird and wonderful. I have met some very ungrounded, flaky and far out people via Wiccan channels, and I have also met beautiful, powerful, ethical and sincerely spiritual people the same way. This, however, is true of every religion. Just like priestly pedophiles get tons of press, weird pagans tend to hog the spotlight.

Wicca is unfortunately often confused with Satanism, which casts such a menacing shadow over it that most people turn and run without ever really looking at what is true. I don’t know of a single Wiccan who even believes that Satan exists, however, much less worships him. Wicca is in no way Satanic, and it sounds like her father is confusing the two.

Wicca has gained in popularity as more and more people have abandoned the rigid dogma of many organized religions in search of a more personal connection to the Divine. It’s now even officially recognized as a religion by the U.S. government, even though there is no central authority telling everyone what is true and what they “should” be doing. (Wiccans are known for their independent thinking.)

Modern Wicca is indeed a form of neo-paganism. Unfortunately, Christianity has lent the word “pagan” negative connotations. A pagan, through this lens, is uncivilized and uneducated. As pagan really means someone who sees God in all of nature, or someone who tolerates the existence of all gods, then given the revelations of quantum physics and the tragic role of religious intolerance in igniting wars, I think being “pagan” suggests a certain degree of spiritual maturity and sophistication. Wicca reveres the divinity in all of nature and seeks to harness universal creative energy for personal growth and humanitarian change. Wiccans share a deep respect for all living beings, and as a group, they assume more personal responsibility for their own choices than adherents of any other religion I’ve encountered. They also honor the free will of every living being – including themselves. They see God/Goddess/divinity in everything and everyone, and thus the number one “rule” in Wicca is “Do as ye will, but harm none.”

You didn’t mention what her father’s spiritual beliefs are, and if he adopted them part and parcel from his parents, as so many people do, or if he is so opinionated because he has been blessed by some direct revelation from God Him/Herself. I presume, however, that he either considers himself Christian or an atheist/ scientist. The cure for this conflict is not to prevent your daughter from exploring Wicca, but rather to get her father to learn more about it. A little research will reveal to him, for example, that almost all Christian traditions have their roots in pagan beliefs and rituals. Christians practice pagan rituals all the time – they just don’t know it. As mentioned above, Wicca’s pantheistic foundation is also very much in harmony with modern science and quantum physics.

Research may not completely resolve the problem, however, for there is a big difference between Christianity and Wicca: Wiccans honor both the feminine and the masculine forces in nature, where Christians, I’m sorry to say, tend to be a bit more patriarchal. A great deal of anti-Wiccan sentiment is thus simple misogyny, just like back during the witch-hunting days. If her father is uncomfortable with strong women in general, he may have a very hard time respecting your daughter’s right to make any decisions for herself, even in matters as profoundly personal as her spiritual beliefs.

By contrast, I have never heard of a Wiccan trying to convert anyone, or trying to impose their own beliefs on others. Most witches also have no problem with Christianity and other paths, aside from the efforts by people of those religions to deny others religious freedom. In this way, Wiccans tend to be far more “Christian” (loving their neighbors as themselves, and doing unto others as they would have done unto them) than many Christians. (I doubt her father, for example, would want anyone telling him what to believe or how to worship, so in this matter, she’s more “Christian” than he is). In fact, the “golden rule” is fundamental to Wiccans, who believe that everything that they do comes back to them threefold. Thus it foolish to harm others, and always wise to do good in the world. (Scientists believe in karma as well, which they refer to as Newton’s law of physics: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”)

Most Wiccans strive to make the world a better place for everyone. They are often actively engaged in promoting environmental care, equal rights and religious tolerance. They believe that through proper application of one’s will (which is energy), one can affect physical reality (which is ultimately also energy). My own personal experience with Wicca confirmed that we can indeed use mental and emotional energy to generate positive change in the physical. I’m confident again that quantum physicists would wholeheartedly agree. The more scientists delve into the nature of creation, the more scientific theories align with spiritual truth.

Some common Wiccan practices include energy healing, seeking divine guidance and manifesting positive goals. There is generally a great deal of emotional therapy involved, such as releasing negative emotions and embracing spiritual growth and positive change. This may be done in some dramatic ways with spells and rituals which incorporate meditation, drumming, chanting, dancing, singing, praying, divination, etc. Most Wiccans are grounded enough to know that the props, practices and other accoutrements of ritual work are simply tools they are employing to alter their state of consciousness in order to energetically affect reality. There are a few, however, who get caught up in the drama for the sake of the drama, and come across as “flaky” or out of touch with “reality.”

As Wicca attracts both weird and wonderful people, who your daughter learns from and associates with is key. If she were Catholic, Buddhist or Muslim, you’d want to know she was safe and in good hands, and the same holds true here. She obviously has good judgment already, however. (How many teenagers are great students, never in trouble, etc.?) Continue to emphasize the values you’ve already taught her: honesty, courage, kindness, compassion, respect, etc., and tell her that you trust she will find her own best path to God.

Your daughter is strong enough to work things out with her father as she grows into the woman she is becoming. I feel that her father’s resistance here may even help her in the long run. As she steps into her own power as an adult, she may need someone to define herself against. Let her sharpen her edges against him. It’s good for her spirit, and over time, I feel he’ll grow to respect her judgment and strength!

– Soul Arcanum

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Weird, Wonderful Wicca

Filed Under: Law of Attraction, Manifesting, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Weird, Wonderful Wicca

All rights reserved. :)
 

My teenage daughter has a good head on her shoulders. She’s a great student, never in trouble, and hangs out with good kids. She recently announced that she is going to become a “Wiccan,” and her father just flipped out. He started screaming at her, asking her if she knew this meant she would be a “pagan,” and if she was going to start having sex with children and animals. She was totally taken aback by this response, as was I, but she stood right up to him and told him she had been reading a great deal about it, and felt drawn to it regardless of what he thinks. I don’t think her father really knows anything about Wicca. I have known a few people who have been into it. Some have been weird, and some have been wonderful. Should we be concerned?

D.

Dear D.:

Your question itself is very illuminating, for modern Wicca can indeed be both weird and wonderful. I have met some very ungrounded, flaky and far out people via Wiccan channels, and I have also met beautiful, powerful, ethical and sincerely spiritual people the same way. This, however, is true of every religion. Just like priestly pedophiles get tons of press, weird pagans tend to hog the spotlight.

Wicca is unfortunately often confused with Satanism, which casts such a menacing shadow over it that most people turn and run without ever really looking at what is true. I don’t know of a single Wiccan who even believes that Satan exists, however, much less worships him. Wicca is in no way Satanic, and it sounds like her father is confusing the two.

Wicca has gained in popularity as more and more people have abandoned the rigid dogma of many organized religions in search of a more personal connection to Source. It’s now even officially recognized as a religion by the U.S. government, even though there is no central authority telling everyone what is true and what they “should” be doing. (Wiccans are known for their independent thinking.)

Modern Wicca is indeed a form of neo-paganism. Unfortunately, Christianity has lent the word “pagan” negative connotations. A pagan, through this lens, is uncivilized and uneducated. As pagan really means someone who sees God in all of nature, or someone who tolerates the existence of all gods, then given the revelations of quantum physics and the tragic role of religious intolerance in igniting wars, I think being “pagan” suggests a certain degree of spiritual maturity and sophistication. Wicca reveres the divinity in all of nature and seeks to harness universal creative energy for personal growth and humanitarian change. Wiccans share a deep respect for all living beings, and as a group, they assume more personal responsibility for their own choices than adherents of any other religion I’ve encountered. They also honor the free will of every living being – including themselves. They see God/Goddess/divinity in everything and everyone, and thus the number one “rule” in Wicca is “Do as ye will, but harm none.”

You didn’t mention what her father’s spiritual beliefs are, and if he adopted them part and parcel from his parents, as so many people do, or if he is so opinionated because he has been blessed by some direct revelation from God Him/Herself. I presume, however, that he either considers himself Christian or an atheist/ scientist. The cure for this conflict is not to prevent your daughter from exploring Wicca, but rather to get her father to learn more about it. A little research will reveal to him, for example, that almost all Christian traditions have their roots in pagan beliefs and rituals. Christians practice pagan rituals all the time – they just don’t know it. As mentioned above, Wicca’s pantheistic foundation is also very much in harmony with modern science and quantum physics.

Research may not completely resolve the problem, however, for there is a big difference between Christianity and Wicca: Wiccans honor both the feminine and the masculine forces in nature, where Christians, I’m sorry to say, tend to be a bit more patriarchal. A great deal of anti-Wiccan sentiment is thus simple misogyny, just like back during the witch-hunting days. If her father is uncomfortable with strong women in general, he may have a very hard time respecting your daughter’s right to make any decisions for herself, even in matters as profoundly personal as her spiritual beliefs.

By contrast, I have never heard of a Wiccan trying to convert anyone, or trying to impose their own beliefs on others. Most witches also have no problem with Christianity and other paths, aside from the efforts by people of those religions to deny others religious freedom. In this way, Wiccans tend to be far more “Christian” (loving their neighbors as themselves, and doing unto others as they would have done unto them) than many Christians. (I doubt her father, for example, would want anyone telling him what to believe or how to worship, so in this matter, she’s more “Christian” than he is). In fact, the “golden rule” is fundamental to Wiccans, who believe that everything that they do comes back to them threefold. It is thus considered foolish to harm others, and always wise to do good in the world. (Scientists have their own karmic theories, such as Newton’s law of physics: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”)

Most Wiccans strive to make the world a better place for everyone. They are often actively engaged in promoting environmental care, equal rights and religious tolerance. They believe that through proper application of one’s will (which is energy), one can affect physical reality (which is ultimately also energy). My own personal experience with Wicca confirmed that we can indeed use mental and emotional energy to generate positive physical change.

Some common Wiccan practices include energy healing, seeking divine guidance and manifesting positive goals. There is generally a great deal of emotional therapy involved, such as releasing negative emotions and embracing spiritual growth and positive change. This may be done in some dramatic ways with spells and rituals which incorporate meditation, drumming, chanting, dancing, singing, praying, divination, etc. Most Wiccans are grounded enough to know that the props, practices and other accoutrements of ritual work are simply tools they are employing to alter their state of consciousness in order to energetically affect reality. There are a few, however, who get caught up in the drama for the sake of the drama, and come across as “flaky” or out of touch with “reality.”

As Wicca attracts both weird and wonderful people, it is important that she chooses her teachers and fellow seekers with care. If she were Catholic, Buddhist or Muslim, you’d want to know she was safe and in good hands, and the same holds true here. She obviously has good judgment already, however. (How many teenagers are great students, never in trouble, etc.?) Continue to emphasize the values you’ve already taught her: honesty, courage, kindness, compassion, respect, etc., and tell her that you trust she will find her own best spiritual path.

Your daughter is strong enough to work things out with her father as she grows into the woman she is becoming. I feel that her father’s resistance here may even help her in the long run. As she steps into her own power as an adult, she may need someone to define herself against. Let her sharpen her edges against him. It’s good for her spirit, and over time, I feel he’ll grow to respect her judgment and strength!

– Soul Arcanum

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Knowing When It’s Time to Move On from a Relationship

Filed Under: Emotional Well-being, Relationships, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Knowing When It’s Time to Move On from a Relationship

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

How do we know when we’ve learned all we can from someone, and it is time to move on? I’m a Gemini who has long been married to a passive-aggressive Leo who is emotionally abusive in a subtle way. I’ve tried to leave several times in the past, but when I do, the Universe seems to create situations that make leaving unfavorable. I’m in love with the “inner being” of this man, which I can clearly see, but which he won’t allow out. He certainly has been a great catalyst for my personal growth, but there must be a time when there are no more lessons to be learned from a particular person, and staying with them is not in our best interests. I would greatly appreciate any clarification on the difference between running away and leaving because it’s just time. Thanks for a wonderful column. There is always something to be learned here!

Linda

Dear Linda:

Thank you for a wonderful question. This is really a biggie. It’s an issue I encounter all the time in my spiritual counseling work from people who are feeling bored with their careers, constricted by their relationships, or uninspired with life as they know it. Everyone who is in conscious pursuit of personal growth must tackle this eventually. The fundamental question is if we’re avoiding personal growth when we avoid discomfort, or if we’re simply listening to our inner guidance when we want to get away from situations that don’t feel good and right to us.

We might simplify the issue by comparing it to eating right. I have a very picky little eater at my house. Not only does she shun vegetables, but she’s averse to even trying new foods. This pickiness may be related to some primal instinct designed to keep us from poisoning ourselves, but it’s obviously more than that in her case, and she needs to eventually get over it. After all, vegetables (like learning) are good for you. If you, however, took a bite of some thing or experience and it tasted bad to you, that could be discomfort with something new, or it could be a warning from your body that what you’re eating is truly bad for you. Should you force yourself to eat it? Should you spit it out? Would you judge yourself harshly if you didn’t choke it down?

We’re told that we should always follow our bliss, and despite all the questions this raises, it ultimately DOES WORK. If we follow our bliss and just eat ice cream and candy all day, (or stay in jobs or relationships we’ve outgrown) we’re not going to thrive. In fact, before long, we’re going to feel really bored and yucky. Following our bliss will then lead us to do something different. Relationships are tricky because we often fail to realize that just as people have different levels of tolerance for pain, they also have different levels of tolerance for pleasure. One person’s “bliss” may be relatively low on our own scale of well-being – and that’s fine for them. Maybe we need to eat tons of vegetables and embrace new challenges to maintain our own high vibration, and guess what…that’s also fine! It seems you’ve allowed your husband to be “subtly emotionally abusive” for a long time now. Can you allow yourself to want something different?

It seems that what was once your bliss is longer your bliss. You may have been sincere in making huge, unfathomable promises when you married this man (to happily stay with him forever and ever and ever), but now your inner being has risen in vibration, and this is no longer bliss for you. To follow your bliss now may mean making new choices and arrangements. Inner conflict is most marked in people who are into self-development despite their high level of personal awareness. Not only do they expect themselves to grin and bear everything uncomfortable as some kind of “lesson” and to do the “right thing,” but they blame themselves if they’re not happy about it. An inner battle then rages between following their bliss and fulfilling their promises. What a dilemma!

The answer to your quandary lies in knowing that you have not really been learning anything FROM your man. You have learned plenty from this relationship experience, but he hasn’t really taught you anything. Your learning is your OWN, and it will continue whether the relationship thrives or fizzles.

The question is therefore really whether or not you want him along as a companion on your own quest for growth and fulfillment. Does the relationship support you in becoming all you desire to be? Does it comfort you and sustain you when you are down? Does it inspire you and fill your life with passion? Does it feel like an exciting adventure or like a wet, itchy, shrunken wool sweater?

Since you’re motivated by personal growth, have you considered that you may be avoiding it by staying IN the relationship? Perhaps your lesson here is to let go of what you think you “should” do, and bravely honor your heart.

This is not easy, I know. The hardest decision I’ve ever had to make was whether or not to end my first marriage. I was totally miserable. My husband was miserable too, but not to the degree I was. (He was a workaholic, so he was too busy to deal with emotions). I silenced all the initial messages from my inner being that this relationship had become “bad” for me. What about my children? I answered back. What about the promises I’d made? How selfish could I allow myself to be? It was only when I became ill with severe chronic sinus infections that I realized that I was not buckling down to spiritual lessons by staying: I was ignoring my own inner guidance out of fear of what would happen if I honored the truth in my heart. When I left, I experienced profound relief. I could breathe again. It was only in actually doing what I both desired and feared to do that I finally knew what was really “right” for me.

Spirit’s advice in such situations is often to simply lighten up and take a break. Experiment. Take some time for yourself. (Take a bite of what it’s like to be free of this situation, and see if you like how it tastes.) Because this is such an individual matter, you need to give yourself permission to take some time and space to figure it out.

If your husband balks and ends the relationship because he’s upset that you would be so bold and “selfish” as to take some time alone (as mine did), then I think the Universe has made things patently clear for you (and kindly taken the decision off your shoulders.) If he supports you in trying to “find” yourself, then he is at least a true friend. No matter what happens, getting some distance from the relationship will lead you to new clarity about what really works for you and what you really want.

Take some time for yourself, Linda. Do whatever your resources allow you to do: rent a place of your own for three months or stay with a friend. If you get some distance from this relationship, your energy will separate from his, and you’ll be able to sort out what is what. You may even discover that you’ve been projecting some of your own inner conflicts onto the relationship, that it has no more power over the quality of your inner experience than you give to it, that your learning is not dependent on him or anything else outside of you.

By the way, no one can subtly emotionally abuse you unless you let them. Perhaps when you take some time and space away from him, he’ll be motivated to examine his own issues, too. Just remember: you are not responsible for his learning.

I’m confident that if you take some time away from the relationship, you’ll find new clarity. May your inner being direct you to the right path for you with unmistakable feelings of true well-being.

– Soul Arcanum

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