The Long Break Has Ended

I have been away for quite some time now and was taking care of serious business. I was on a leave of absence and now I am ready to continue my journey. In the coming days I will continue what I was originally pursuing. Thank you for your patience. I have triumphed over a huge bump in the road. Take care will share reflections next time.

Spiritual Stages of Development & The Wiccan Rede Part 2

            It has been a while since I picked up the pen to write the next segment of the blog.  Today I will continue the discussion on the Wiccan Rede, by focusing on how I practice it in my life.  Then in the next posting, I will expand the exploration of thoughts surround how religion influences our ability for spiritual fulfillment based on religion’s capacity to recognize and honor all aspects of an individual’s humanity.

          Looking at the Wiccan Rede and its usage in my life, I can see that my interpretation of the Rede has changed through time.  Therefore, the expression and modality of the Reade has also evolved over the course of my spiritual and religious growth.  In the next few paragraphs, I will walk you through this evolution of thought and action.

            During my initial phase in spiritual and religious development as a Pagan and Wiccan, I associated the Rede only with the application of spell work.  Therefore, I designed my workings around the principle of “Not to Harm.”  During this stage of development, I focused on workings geared towards self-growth and near the end of the phase, protection spells.  Because “Harm None” was the guiding principle I took extra time and care researching and writing my workings.  This was done in order to remain within these guidelines.  However, as I moved into performing protection spells I realized that pure intentions might cause harm.  The idea that I unknowingly might be the cause of someone’s pain shook me to the core of my being.  Due to this inner upheaval, I reflected on the meaning of the Wiccan Rede, which led to a new interpretation.

            With a new interpretation of the Wiccan Rede, I entered the next phase of spiritual development as a Pagan and Wiccan.  Throughout the duration of this developmental stage, I interpreted the Rede as an extension of The Golden Rule.  Therefore, the focus was on physical actions.  With this type of focus, I continually asked two questions of myself before acting or reacting to situations.  I asked, “Would I want this done to me?” or “Would I want someone to treat me in this manner?”  These are good questions to ask before reacting or acting on a specific situation(s), but there is a flaw in the fabric.  The flaw is more like a hole in clothing.  Although clothing is still usable with a hole or multiple holes, the functionality of the material to keep an individual warm or dry is reduced.  Just like a hole in an article of clothing my practice although functional was incomplete.  The reason for the incompleteness is that my interpretation of the Wiccan Rede focused only on behaviors.  Therefore, the interpretation left out other methods of communication such as words and additional activities that affect the quality of energy such as thoughts.  The Golden Rule phase of my spiritual development lasted for a long time.  It was not until I started attending the meditation class and Dharma talks offered by the Chan Buddhist meditation center in Houston, TX that I noticed the hole in my practice.

            Through the Dharma talks at the center, I started reconsidering what the Wiccan Rede is teaching us about life and living our spiritual practice.  I began to think about my actions holistically.  I started to go beyond behaviors and considered all manners of communication.  I considered and implemented the words of the Shifu at the center.  Shifu said that in order to live an honorable life we not only perform actions respectfully but we only engage in speech that is meaningful.  The portion of Shifu’s message that influenced me the most was “to engage in meaningful speech.”  To me this means that we do not engage in activities that send negative energy vibrating through the world we live in.  The most obvious forms of communication that we engage in on a regular basis that is not meaningful is gossip.  Before I go further, I want to say that, the topic of talk vs. gossip is important but I will not explore debate at this moment. 

Instead, I want to focus on the idea that talk without purpose can be harmful and/or a waste of precious time creating something meaningful.  Having a talk over a cup of coffee or tea with a friend is not idol chitchat if you are connecting with them.  When chitchat becomes idol, the connection to your friend is weakened and both parties become unengaged in the conversation.  The best way to know when the conversation is meaningful is when an hour or more of time passes without either party noticing.  However, when talk is without meaning there is not a purpose, the people become board, and the chitchat may venture into gossip territory.  When meaningless conversation becomes gossip, the words send out negative energy into our community and one could say the talk has become harmful to the environment we occupy.  Of course, gossip can hurt in more than one way and it can lead to harmful actions.  These lines of thinking lead me to reinterpret the Wiccan Rede to include thoughts and words.  It also led me to include the lessons I had learned from previous spiritual and religious development stages.

The current interpretation of the Wiccan Rede that leads my life is to act in an ethical manner.  On a regular basis, I think about how my actions, words, and even thoughts will affect the environment around me.  I believe that the energy behind what we do is important.  That the time put into considering how the action will affect others will determine if the energy is positive or negative.  From each spiritual and religious stage I have learned valuable lessons.  I have learned that it is important to reflect on each thought, word, and action.  Through the reflection, we can see if our pure intentions are ethical.  Just because an intention is pure does not mean that it is ethical.  Only through reflecting on the thought, word, and/or action can we see the harm that even good intentions can put forth.  This leads me to the next phase in my growth that I am currently in the process of moving towards in my spiritual and religious growth. 

In conclusion, I am starting to move towards a line of thinking that is adapting the thoughts behind the Unitarian Universalist’s first principle, which is based on some principles of Humanism.  I am starting to formulate the belief that it is important to honor and respect that even the principle of “Harm None” can take a form of harming in order to act in ethical ways.  The key to living by the “Harm None” in the Wiccan Rede is that we heed, honor, and respect through reflection and that we are truly performing in an ethical manner.  This line of thinking is preparing us for the further discussion of how religion influences our ability for spiritual fulfillment based on religion’s capacity to recognize and honor all aspects of an individual’s humanity.  Until next time walk in beauty.

By Hano Tawodi

         

Announcing Wonderful News!!!

This posting is going to be short and is not going to be an extension of the last post.  Sorry, I have not been back to continue the previous post. I have been very busy with school. I have a busy summer semester at both my current graduate school and the seminary.  This reason I am posting is to announce that I am no longer a prospective student but an admitted student at Meadville Theological School in Chicago.  I am very excited and looking forward to being at the seminary. I will be back soon to finish that other post. Hang in there and keep watching for the next installment of "The Chalice in the Grove."

By Hano Tawodi

UU First Principle & Wiccan Rede

Part 1

            This evening I was supposed to be working on some schoolwork but I got side tracked.  Tonight when I sat down to start my readings for the Humanism course at the seminary; I thought it would be a good idea to research Humanism first.  What began as a short investigation to better understand Humanism as a religion, developed into an interesting search leading to deep contemplation.  I started to think about the first principle of Unitarian Universalist and then decided to relate it to my Wiccan Spirituality.

            The Unitarian Universalist’s first principle is “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.”  From my research and reflection on those readings the first principle means that we are to recognize and honor the inherent worth and dignity of every person.  Some may say that this means that everyone is good and in a sense, it does because we are born innocent.  We are born into families, cultures, and communities that influence our development.  The experience a person has in life shapes many aspects of their character and personality.  Due to life’s experiences, an individual’s beliefs develop and change through time.  Those beliefs influence a person’s actions.  However, it is important to recognize that everyone has the capacity to commit wrongful acts. 

             Although some may argue that, this recognition is not a part of the first principle, I think it is.  I think that if we are to recognize “the inherent worth and dignity of every person” then it is important to recognize each individual holistically.  This means that we recognize and honor all the various parts of an individual including the good and the bad.  The reading that prompted further exploration of the idea that people need to recognize both their capacity to create good as well as bad actions is the written account of a sermon delivered by David M. Sargent (2007).

            According to Sargent’s (2007), sermon it is important to be in a religion and spiritual practice, that recognizes “the sins of man” as well as the good deeds.  For a religion that turns away from accepting humanity’s capability of producing acts of horror as well as virtuous, then we will not be fulfilled spiritually leading to disappointment with the religion.  This raises several questions regarding religion and spirituality.  One question that comes to mind is can we be spiritual without religion or is religion important to developing and maintaining our spirituality.  This is an important question and is one of the big questions I have had for a while.  Therefore, it will appear several times in later writings.  

          Now let us go back to the idea that a religion that does not honor all the capabilities of an individual leads to eventual disappointment and lack of spiritual fulfillment.  To me this makes sense because every person’s experiences are unique.  Although many people experience abuse, oppression, acts of kindness, and any number of different events, we interpret those events differently.  We develop emotions and feelings based on our personal background and view the world through those lenses.  Because an individual’s experiences are unique then reactions to various situations will vary and if we as human beings recognize all our capabilities then we may realize that the quality of our actions are relative to our unique life experience as well as other’s unique life experiences.  I know this last sentence might sound vague but the story David Sargent (2007) tells in his sermon about an Aikido expert that almost used his skills to protect a mother and child against a drunken man would have turned into an act of horror.  The act of protecting a mother and child from being harmed by a drunken individual is noble.  However, if one act of violence is returned by another without considering the other individual’s humanity then the noble act may turn into a brutality.  In this story, the Aikido expert was unable to act because an old man intervened (Sargent).  Because the old man considered the drunkard’s humanity all participates in the event learn the man is drowning in sorrow from his spouse’s death (Sargent).  In this moment, the Aikido expert realizes his noble act of protection would have been a brutality on the drunken man because he did not consider this man’s humanity (Sargent).  This story leads me to reflect on my Pagan/Wiccan beliefs and see how the Unitarian Universalist first principle appears in my religion and spirituality.

            My first thoughts turned to the Wiccan Rede, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.”  I have done a lot of thinking on the Rede through my years of being Wiccan.  The way that I interpret the Rede is that I should not commit any actions with the intention to harm.  However, I believe that there are circumstances that call for us to act in ways that may harm someone.  There is a reason I believe this due to my unique experiences in life.  I also realize that we do not live in a Utopian world and that as much as we try not to act in ways that could harm others, we may inadvertently cause someone harm.  However, there are circumstances that call for harmful actions but it is the intent behind the action that is important.  What the Wiccan Rede teaches us is to think and consider the other person’s humanity before we act.  If we consider their humanity and honor their personal worth and dignity then we commit good or bad acts with caution.  Because good and bad actions can cause other individuals harm, so we should always consider other people’s humanity when committing any actions.

            This is a good place to close this post for today.  Tomorrow I will further the discussion and express I how implement the teachings of the Wiccan Rede in my daily life and practices.  I will also further the discussion on how a Religion that does or does not recognize all aspects of a person’s humanity may influence our ability to be spiritually fulfilled. 

             The picture on top was taken by me in Chicago, IL. I think it gives a good introduction into the idea of perspective.

By Hano Tawodi

Reference

Sargent, D. M., (2007). Our Inherently Difficult First Principle. Retrieved from

http://www.uvcommons.org/uvuu/sermons/inherentlydifficultfirstprinciple.pdf

UU First Principle retrieved from http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/index.shtml

The Beginning 

Hi Everyone,

            In the Pagan/Wiccan community, I go by Hano or Hano Tawodi.  This is the first time that I am attempting to blog, so I apologize for the lengthy introduction.  I tend to talk a lot but I think it is important that I introduce myself to any potential readers and the reason for starting this blog. 

            I have been a practicing Pagan/Wiccan for 13 years.  However, that is only the official count from when I made the decision to practice and distinguish myself from the religious roots of my childhood.  I am a Green Craft Traditional Wiccan (Green Craft originates from Belgium) and a member of a Unitarian Universalist Church.  For right now, I will leave out my particular journey leading up to and through my spiritual and religious exploration of Paganism and Wicca.  However, as this blog unfolds those stories and connections will be told.  This leads me to the reason I am starting this blog.

            Last year, I decided after searching deep within myself and talking with friends that I need to explore the path of religious/spiritual leadership.  I have explored this idea before but never seriously.  For years, good friends have told me to think about becoming a Chaplain, specifically in the military.  During that time, I lightly thought about the idea then shrugged off as I pursued other endeavors.  This all changed in 2012 and I began to think about this calling a little more seriously.  I started listening to the signs and messages from the Gods telling me my next journey in life is to follow the path of religious/spiritual leader.  Therefore, this blog is going to serve several purposes.

            The main purpose of my writings is to write and talk about my journey of attending the UU seminary.  I will be discussing topics raised by the courses I study and my spiritual/religious practices.  There will be explorations into what it means to be a UU Pagan and combining it with my Wiccan tradition.  Therefore, I will be sharing experiences related to Pagan/Wiccan rituals and practices along with sharing experiences in the Unitarian Universalist faith. 

            Although I am attending classes at the seminary currently, I am also waiting for official admittance into the school.  I am hoping to be an official seminarian soon.  In addition to this, I am working on getting into shape so that I can become a Military Chaplain.  On a side note, it is a good idea to pursue getting more fit and trim anyway. 

            I will close for now. I hope you enjoy the picture I have included. I took this picture outside of Phoenix, AZ about three years ago during an eight-hour horseback ride.  I will try to include a different picture each time I write, but sometimes I might fall short of this. Until next time, may you walk in peace.

Take care,

By Hano Tawodi