Goddess and God

[D. M.]

~Goddess~
The Goddess reveals herself to all in the way they understand best.
The Pagan Temple does not seek to redefine the face of the Goddess.
However, The Pagan Temple does want to preserve one aspect that is
known. The "Mother Earth" "Mother Nature" and "Nature" aspect of the
lady is not receiving the respect she deserves. As such, The Pagan
Temple and Pagan Naturalists have this aspect of the Goddess as their
prime female deity. The whole religion is based on this aspect of the
Goddess. We believe that all things that are natural are from either
the goddess (Mother Earth or Mother Nature) or the God (The Sun or
Universe). We further believe everything in nature has its good side
and bad side, everything is dual. For example: You know a virus
causes the nasty common cold, but did you also know that some viruses
eat the terrible bacteria that cause dysentery. There are many such
examples of duality in nature. You need only look with in to see not
only the good qualities, but also the less than positive qualities to
prove it to yourself. It is your job later on during the degrees to
find a way to use those less flattering qualities as a positive force
in life.
Our vision of the Goddess if that of the mother. We believe the
earth, whether the spirit of the Earth or the physical dirt you stand
on, is divine. We believe being on the dirt or in the natural places
supported by that dirt is the only way to reach the divine. We do not
believe one can advance spiritually very far without contact with the
natural world also known as the goddess and god. Because of this we
insist all members have a connection to the earth via rituals,
community gardens, community live stock, Special Holiday rituals, and/
or more.
Just as there is duality in Nature, we believe there is duality in
the Goddess herself. That she has both female and male traits and
appears as both, depending on whom and her purposes for the visit.
Therefore it is wise to not assume that the goddess has domain over
strictly female areas. One need only look to the ancient goddesses to
see that this thought is foolish.
We believe the Mother asks us to keep her ways and to pass them onto
our children. In keeping her ways, it means all of her ways, even the
idea of coven which is why The Pagan Temple maintains a Degree System
and Mentors. The Mother asks us to remain close to her, to explore
what she has given us, to use those gifts wisely, and to trust she has
provided all we need with the help of our God. It is clear that if we
do not follow hers and our Father's wishes we will suffer. It is the
aim of The Pagan Temple to bring her message to all of her children so
they may not suffer.
So how does a Pagan Naturalist remain close to the Mother? Here is a
basic rule, Never place anything Un-Natural (Un-Natural=Things not
found in Nature or not given by nature EX: Synthetic Fibers) in or
around your body unnecessarily. Again, never place anything in or on
your body that is Un-Natural unless you must in order to survive. If
it is Un-Natural and necessary for survival, you must try diligently
to find a Pure Natural Equivalent (Pure Natural Equivalent = Things
found in Nature that are created by Nature exclusively and are not
treated by Un-Natural elements EX: Organic Non-GMO Food) . If a Pure
Natural Equivalent can be found, that is indeed equal, you must use it
only.
But there is a catch, Mother also wants us to use her gifts wisely.
This means if you have the choice between buying a new $100.00 pair of
hemp pants or buying a pair of $5.00 used wind breakers made with
nylon and cotton, it would probably be best to go with the wind
breakers since it saves on resources (yours and mother earths). In
this specific scenario you save a useful piece of clothing form going
to trash, which would only further fill the land fills, and cause more
trash. If you could find a pair of all cotton denim blue jeans you
would be doing twice as good and adhering to both wishes.
However, suppose you can not find anything Pure and Natural for
yourself at the second hand store or in your favorite shop. (Just
suppose) Then it is your duty to Explore what Mother has given to make
what you need from her gifts, like learning to grow flax, make linen
from flax, and then sew yourself whatever you need. This is a very
basic idea of how things should be viewed. As a note, a lot of what
you will need to adhere to these wishes will be found at The Pagan
Temple grown or made to exact specifications. If not, or If you
aren't very close to a temple, you can adhere to these wishes easy
enough with a little study and hard work. It must be noted that even
as a consumer of goods, you must be very diligent in making sure your
products are in accordance with the wishes stated above. Companies
and government officials come up with new definitions of organic and
natural everyday. Here is a brief list of Natural products we
consider healthy, safe, and from the mother:
Organic whole wheat bread, Organic cage free/free range anti-biotic
free grain fed eggs or chicken, Organic Anti-biotic free grassland
grazed milk (no beef unless YOU raise it to specifications laid out by
the temple), Wool raised on pasture, Organic Hemp clothes or oils or
rope or herb or paper or anything, Organic linen, Organic Alfalfa for
Rabbits or fertilizer, ...you get the idea. If it is Organic, Treated
with respect while alive, Not genetically engineered, not medicated,
or not sprayed with harsh chemicals discovered in labs ... it is
generally safe. However, we encourage all Pagan Naturalists to
engage in the production of every facet of need in life in order to
protect these skills and crafts, become closer with the goddess and
god, to appreciate the gifts the divine has given, be self sufficient
with faith in the mother's gifts to you, and to foster a sense of
community with in The Pagan Temple.
It is expected over time you will feel an affinity for the Mother and
Father so much so you will wish to protect them. This is Natural. In
fact it is part of your duty as a Pagan Naturalist to do all you can
to protect them. The Pagan Temple encourages using the Earth
Friendliest practices for whatever you do. This only makes sense as
the Earth is our Mother, the Goddess that we are blessed enough to be
in the presence of everyday. Even after life your body should be
carefully taken care of not to disturb the mother's natural balance.
The Pagan Temple has viewings of dead members in their family's homes
or in the temple but not funeral homes. The family or a priestess
must prepare the body. No chemicals to preserve the body may be used,
only natural herbs, oils, and such. The body may be cremated, planted
beneath a long lived seedling in linen, cotton, hemp, wool, or in a
pine box without nails, or placed in a stone "coffin" above ground.
The latter being the least desirable. Every aspect of the Pagan
Naturalist's life must take into account Mother Nature and her many
other children.
~God~
Just like the Goddess, God reveals himself in many different ways to
different peoples. Although there are those that would like you to
think they have a monopoly on God's word, it isn't true. God is with
us everyday, looking down on us, as his rays reach out to warm us. We
believe the sun, physically or the spirit of it, is God. Some members
seek to include the whole Universe instead of narrowing it down to
just the Sun and/or its spirit. Either way is fine. The Pagan Temple
will not interfere with your vision of God, we will only promote our
own understanding of God.
We believe God is as essential to life as the Mother. While she
grows life from seed, he keeps it warm, safe, and stable. With out
The Father's rays and immense strength we would spin out of control or
freeze to death. As such we view God as the Co-sponsor to life.
Neither God nor Goddess is more important than the other. Without
one, the other could not perform their job as beautifully. God is
there for us like an eternal flash light in the dark space. We
believe everyone who can, ought to spend some time basking in God's
love everyday. That means spending ten minutes outside while taking
an afternoon walk. That is how one basks in the love of God...and
Goddess if the walk happens to be in a park.
We also believe Pagan Naturalist should celebrate the Solar
Holidays. These are the holidays which mark the passing of our Mother
around our Father. There are 8 Sabbats or Solar Holidays. All 8 are
essential to understanding, marking, and bringing God and Goddess into
your life.
God is an eternal force which will live throughout the ages, long
after your great grandchildren have passed on, God will still be in
our sky. God is not a person, God is the Sun, a star that gives us
light and energy to live. Many Pagans through out history have
personified the Sun in different ways. The Pagan Temple will not. To
personify God is to confuse the truth with legend. That is why the
Earth is so lost today, because in seeking to make the truth
digestible to the common public they (past religious leaders)
personified God and there by distorted his name and image to an
unrecognizable form. God is always around. The Sun rises and sets
every day. When the sun is set ... most nights the Goddess of the
moon watches over us or the stars, which are other Gods, in the sky.
It does little good to argue about gods and their names. It does
little good to argue which is the correct name. Who can argue that
without a sun or an Earth we could survive? Who can argue this
sanely? If you can not survive, because they give you life, they are
your heavenly parents. Is the Universe not known also as the
heavens? Your heavenly father and mother are the sun and the earth.
You now know. This is who The Pagan Temple seeks to love, adore,
worship, honor, respect, use the resources of wisely, etc...
God will be here. His light passes over the globe 24 hours a day.
You should greet him in the morning with happiness and love, because
with out his warmth , you would not be alive. So tireless is the Sun
that is does not rest for a moment. So powerful is the Sun that it
holds planets in line. Are you tireless and able to hold heavenly
bodies in line? That is what makes the Sun God, the miracles he
performs.
God is the essence of power. Sometimes his power is strong, as in
summer, and sometimes weak, as in winter. The Sun's power is what
keeps us alive, his warmth, his light, his tirelessness, his
eternity. The Sun's power does all of this good for us children, but
if you were to stare right at the sun long enough you would go blind.
So strong is his power that one can not look at it for too long with
suffering blindness.
Remember this the next time you hear about God. You can prove your
god is great. You can prove your god is real. You can prove your god
is good. You can prove your god is strong. Don't ever feel inferior
because you don't need faith in your god. He doesn't ask you to
believe in tales, only to believe your senses, and the natural world
around you. In the end "Gods" may come and go by name, but the Sun
and Earth will remain.