Forums > Social Chat > Horoscopes and Religion Question

Posted: 16th Aug 2001
Im Cancer.

Posted: 16th Aug 2001
taurus/gemini sunaries moongemini ascendantmercury in geminivenus in ariesmars in librajupiter in scorpiosaturn in librauranus in sagitariusneptune in sagitariuspluto in libraI am not wiccan or "pegan".I personally believe there is a god but haven't followed up on it yet.Eric

Its about talent, not make up or costumes.

Posted: 16th Aug 2001
https://www.homeofpoi.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000139.htmlHey
there,we actually have quite a big star sign thread out there, so if anyone would like to add their details please do so on the link I have provided.

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Posted: 16th Aug 2001
Well, Flash Fire is just bumpin away tonite isn't she? Anyway, for my stars, the other linked thread covers that...for my beliefsI was raised a spiritualist pagan...a thing that goes back in my family for several generations. I am not Wiccan, nor am I neo-pagan. I say spiritualist pagan because most people do that big suck in of air when I say I am a witch (oh, you know that "Ahhh, oh my god!" thing). Now, for me this is not the spells and such of popular media, nor do I follow the "LLewelyn Bibles" (in fact most of those books really irritate me). It is more of a life style of balance with myself, the world around me and the energies that exists with in those areas. Without tinking off a huge theological debate (which somehow started in the thread where I asked if anyone competed with themselves ), I believe in higher powers, I respect everyones right to identify their own beliefs as they will and worship as they see fit, and that what each person believes will happen to them in the end, the whole theory of absolute conviction at play so to speak. I believe that everyone believes what is right for them but that no one in their faith is absolutely right for all. I believe that to have faith you don't have to have religion. I believe that the Earth, the elements and all living things (flora and fauna) are akin to one another and none is better than another. I believe in sixth sense. I also believe in reincarnation and such levels.If I had to peg a specific pantheon that I am close to I think I am much closer to the tradition of the bardic druids than anything yet since they were male it is referred to as Akashic for women. That is just me. I know there are several who are on the "pagan" path though and I hope to hear from them as well. ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com[This message has been edited by Pele (edited 17 August 2001).]

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
Pele, *bowing to her elegant words*First, I have to applaud your strength of character for not choosing the easy path to enlightenment. For true enlightenment is never easy or without it's own share of problems. What I was wondering about was it seems that most of the people that post to this message board are of like mind. Meaning that being an individual is almost as important as skill in what we have all grown to love doing (spinning). I guess I was questioning why we all seem to gravitate to something that is both an attention grabber and a beautiful art form. Is it something to do with how we grew up as kids or is it our spiritual beliefs? Possibly it’s just that it’s something that is more primal like having control over fire. As a relative “newbie” to twirling in general it was just a question as to why this took hold of me so quickly. It was very much like having an epiphany. The clarity of mind that comes with finding something that both flows with the mind and the spirit is a wonderful thing and what I was wonder was did this have the same reaction on others.Ok that’s my rant and I’m sticking to it…. I would also like to apologize now for it being so ADD/ADHDD now. ------------------Blessings to all, Peter "There is a rhythm that unites us with the natural world. The more we learnto feel that rhythm and get it into the mainstream of our lives, thestronger can be our spirit."--- Robert Rodale

Blessings to all,
Peter
When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon ...you just have to outrun the halfling.

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
Hmmmm....my 1,000th post and it gets to be very empassioned. Thank you for that opportunity.As for like minds drawn to this art,hmmmmmm.Spinning itself is a meditation. It causes us to blend breathing, physical motion, and mindfulness without really having to concentrate on any of those things. We are able to control our swing to be gentle like a caressing breeze or forceful as a rushing wave. Our bodies can be steady and strong like a rock or we can dance about like a flickering flame. We ourselves then embody the elements in ourselves. When we are done swinging our skin glistens with sweat, our heart quickens, our muscles have that quiver of exertion to them, our breath is fast and while the body may be tired our spirit is uplifted because we just created, whether or not anyone has witnessed it. We created a dance. We created a physical extention of our spiritual and/or emotional selves. We exposed ourselves, opened ourselves up and were able to flow freely without judgement on our character. And truly, technical critisism means nothing in view of the rest.For those who venture to spin fire it is amplified. We feel the heat of the flame against our dew covered bodies, we hear the rush as the fire hungrily gobbles the air and the ground is our stability, the one constant while inside this everchanging dome of fire we construct around ourselves. There is a unity of spirit and energy here. The fire spinners I think also involve themselves much more in the concentration=meditation aspect, so as not to feel the stinging bite of our chosen medium. It can be a power trip to create the illusion of control over the fire but in the end we know that it really is respect and not control that we have. A pit in the ground, a gust of air, a water soaked body part, a flare of the fire can all be detrimental and very much beyond our immediate control. Still it is a nice illusion.Am I saying that every spin is a minful spiritual one? Not really. I bonk myself when learning a move and cuss a bit like everyone. I get frustrated. I get lazy and/or very driven periodically. But I walk away from every time I spin, whether for practice, performance or pleasure, with a feeling fulfillment and accomplishment, even when "techincially" I accomplished nothing more than spinning in simple circles. I think those who chose this art not for the attention but for the expression have a bit of all this in them, either conciously or subconciously. At least this is all my humble opinion.------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
wahey,thought i'd add my bit up on this thread...anyway, i'm an aries, but i really just find horoscopes amusing. i'm also a scientist, which probably explains that. and as far as religion goes, i'm a (liberal) christian. have to be liberal as i'm also a bit of a goth... *waves*dott, juggler.

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
1000 posts?? damn Pele, you have less to do than i do..I was raised in a pretty hard nosed religious household. My entire family are Jehovah's Witnesses. It was hard. I think this is the first time i have openly ever told anyone what religion i was. Well, not anymore. Not since i was about 17. It wasnt too big of a deal growing up. I was always made fun of because i didnt celebrate any of the holidays, and i didnt do the pledge of alegence at school. I was always a good kid, but when i got to Jr High school, problems came up. I was getting into heavy metal, thrash metal music. My mom trashed my cd's & concert shirts on a regular basis. If i wanted to go to a prty, i had to sneek out. i wasnt allowed to date, so i had to sneek around to do that too. Wehn i hit high school, i was in full rebelious mode. The tighter my mom pulled the reigns, the harder i pulled. Finally, i met this girl (now my wife) when i was 15. We started dating. A person from my church (who at the time was my best friend) decided to tell his father (who was "spiritial leader") that i was seeing a "worldly girl". This happened when i was 17. It was dumbfounding cause he was usually the person i was with when we did some questionable things. Out of the blue he goes "Hollier than thou". So here i am bieng interigated by four "elders" from my church about the "worldy" girl i was seeing. They made me feel like i was doing something so very wrong, and that i was too young for dating. I didnt know what i wanted because i was still a child. i fianlly decided it wasnt for me. I didnt owe them shit. I wasnt a child. I decided i had heard enough bullshit, i stood up I clued some of them in on what some of their kids were doing, and walked out. i was "disassociated". Meaning i wasnt allowed to participate in any of the services, or any of the activites. (whoopedy shit) The next step is "disfellowshipped" When that happens you are pretty much disowned. You have to prove that you want to reinstated. Your "brothers & sisters" are not allowed to associate with you. I dont know if that happedned to me, becaus ei never went back after that day. That whole chain of eventshad an effect on my mom's and step dad's marriage. Our relationship really fell apart. I moved out immediatley after highschool 2months later.So religion can suck my ass. I believe what i want to believe. Im my own religion. I still believe in God, not in man made buildings though. i know i went probly way off topic, but that was sort of a cleansing for me. I have never went through that story with anyone. Ive thought about studying some-type of earthy peagan tradition. But i dont know. I do know that spinning Poi would have been forbidden when i was 15, because of its ties to Peaganism...crock of shit...Ill never go back. By the way:Im a taurus, i was born in the year of the RABBIT, i like long walks on the beach, and fuzzy house slippers..thanks for the ears peepsSuper'------------------"When a Man Lies He Murders Some Part of the World These Are the PaleDeaths Which Men Miscall Their Lives All this I Cannot Bear to Witness Any Longer Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation Take Me Home"

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear.


- Mark Twain

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
Supe,My spirits are lifted after hearing your tale. As unpoetic as this sounds, you fuckin rock. Cheers, good on ya', dont let the bastards get you down, so on and so forth.My best brother,Code128

------------------
A.N.T.H.E.L.I.O.N

Posted: 17th Aug 2001
thanks Dude..The way i see it, my wife is a gift from God & Earth, not something they condemned. Plus shes a hottie.Ive known a few people that were into witchcraft or wicca. You would have thought i would have picked up on some of that. Im all about dancing naked in the woods, especially with a bunch of chics..hee hee [image]https://www.homeofpoi.com/ubb/images/icons/grin.gif">"S"------------------[/image]He Murders Some Part of the World These Are the PaleDeaths Which Men Miscall Their Lives All this I Cannot Bear to Witness Any Longer Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation Take Me Home"

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear.


- Mark Twain

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Super,If you think that dancing in the woods with a bunch of naked pagans would be kewl you should think about going to a BIG pagan festival like Starwood.Imagine spinning around a HUGE bonfire with at least 3 other spinners, while 15 to 20 hand drummers play with a lot of naked pagans dancing around! It ROCKS.One of the reasons that I have begun to learn poi was from going to these festivals. There is nothing like being around a group of fire people while an 80+ foot bonfire rages in the background. If you want to see what the fire looks like check this out.https://www.rosencomet.com/sw20/photos20.html------------------Blessings to all, Peter "There is a rhythm that unites us with the natural world. The more we learnto feel that rhythm and get it into the mainstream of our lives, thestronger can be our spirit."--- Robert Rodale

Blessings to all,
Peter
When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon ...you just have to outrun the halfling.

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Woouahh Super !!!I just read 2 of your post this one is very good, One must have a lot of courage to do what you've done... You're the best !!!And congratulations to your wife for her new job what a lovely story...Respect...

o]-[DasK]-[o

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Supe, I don't really know what to say but I thank you for sharing that. In a way , though definitely not as extreme, I can relate to some of what you say with my very christian family history. (doesn't that sound like some AA reunion ???? )I don't know what I beleive in, but I know I have very little respect for church as a political power. I am stunned to witness any intrusion of "religion representatives" (who are supposed to deal with spiritual matters, not private, everyday ones...) into private lives such as some famous half senile dude forbidding women raped and tortured in war to get abortion... excuse me ??? what does he know of rape ? women ? abortion ? Oups, now I get carried away big time. Sorry. And I know how this is controversial... but it is only my opinion.And many people I hear talking about their "faith" are actually just trying to run away from their fear of death and I am not sure that ist is the beast way to deal with it.Now if I were god anyway, I would not be very happy of what's going on in my churches and temples and for sure I'd be resting somewhere in nature ... fire dancing maybe ?Am I off topic ? probably, yes. Sorry Steelwings ...mmmm... got me thinking...shine onCassandra

"I want brown bread... no, that is diesel oil..."
"So I was raised in Europe, where History comes from ..."
"NON !!! La Plume de mon oncle n est pas Bingibangibungi !!!"

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
I'm a virgo agnostic physicist (with atheistic tendencies). That tends to make me pretty intense when I get into religious/philosophical conversations, which I'll avoid now for lack of time. -v-

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Cassandra, Honestly, I have no problem with personal religion (individual religion usually leads to inner reflection) it's when you mix large groups and religion is usually when your going to have problems. Now the BIG problems are when you mix politics and religion together.I live in a two family house and I rent my upstairs to a family that is Jehovah’s Witnesses. Now you want to talk about a cultural difference. J They don’t understand what I do in the backyard (spinning poi) and they defiantly don’t understand my religion (pagan), but we have decided to treat each other with respect and not talk about religion in each other’s presence. As to the original topic, what I was wondering was how many people here have like-minded views about religion. I mean seriously has anyone here ever come into contact with a religious conservative that spun poi? Some how I doubt it. It seems that most people that have taken up this art/sport tend to be very open minded and very free spirited. As to the woman’s body issues…. I think that my opinion doesn’t matter. Because I’m a guy and whatever a woman chooses is her business. So the fact that a bunch of men have made laws concerning a woman’s ANYTHYING is just plain stupid. Just my opinion….------------------Blessings to all, Peter "There is a rhythm that unites us with the natural world. The more we learnto feel that rhythm and get it into the mainstream of our lives, thestronger can be our spirit."--- Robert Rodale

Blessings to all,
Peter
When you find yourself in the company of a halfling and an ill-tempered Dragon, remember, you do not have to outrun the Dragon ...you just have to outrun the halfling.

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
Hey there..Im a gemini too!im also a born and raised wiccan..

Teach tolerance, not competition.
Send food, not bombs.

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
capricorn. yah.as far as beliefs go, i belive in the interconnectedness of energy. i believe the earth in a living organism, likey with a form of consciousness so different from our own, we can;t even conceive of it. i believe life exists in many levels of scale. just as the amoeba is unaware of our existance and our effects on its life, so too are we unaware of life beyond our reckoning and it's effects on our existance.whew. ------------------Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit

Posted: 22nd Aug 2001
DB - can't wait to party with you and indulge in those beautifully intense and emphatic all-night conversations."I totally understand what you're saying, man" ------------------"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug"

HoP Posting Guidelines
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
If you can answer YES to these 4 questions then you may post a reply.

Posted: 23rd Aug 2001
Pagan 'ere... seem to be more interested in the magick aspect than the spiritual, but for the moment just playing around with all/any systems I can get my hands on.Dangerboy,Your amoeba example reminds me of the book Flatland, where Mr. Square, living in a seemingly 2D world, encounters a Sphere.Fun stuff.

Posted: 23rd Aug 2001
Man, I have never ever found anyone else who's read "Flatland". Hooray! Everyone else... if you can't get your head round the idea of further dimensions than 3... check that book out. You'll prob. find it around Maths/Physics sections in a good library. Even if it doesn't help with understanding (it *can't* really, i suppose) it'll expand your mind for sure .p_g x

Shonagh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'tralala, said the happy little pixygoth'

Posted: 23rd Aug 2001
You peeps are definitely cool. "Flatland!" What a great story to remind us of how egocentric we can all be. Vanize, this should be right up your alley. Reading that when I was younger made me realize for the 1st time that our subjective perceptions of this universe would most likely prevent us from experiencing beyond 3 dimensions. Good call emthren!

Fear the evil monkey!

Posted: 23rd Aug 2001
I'm a capricorn. As to the rest of it; I dont know. I usually say "I believe in God, but not necessarily your God"------------------C@ntus

Meh

Posted: 24th Aug 2001
Hello all!Well, I hate to be the odd-one out, but I'm am totally Chrisian and love to fire spin...Sorry, to dissapoint everyone, but the two can be combined!

Posted: 24th Aug 2001
I normally get looks whenever whenever religion surfaces as scientists have often been portrayed as "God slayers" and such. One of my chemistry students told me during the first week of class that he believed that science was the tool of the devil to breathe doubt of the existance of God into humans. He was actually one of my favorette students. Fortunately, long ago, I realized that people will have just as many differing views of the origins and creators of the universe as they will any other opinion or preference (all the way down to what flavor ice cream they like, Me: Anything with chocolate).Though I won't preach my true religious beliefs, or lack of them, I do want to applaud those that have voiced theirs and those that have stood up to religious pressure. As a HS teacher, I often see kids right in the middle of what Superman has described. (I know you're not a kid Sup', in fact I think we're about the same age. Unfortunately, most of my interactions on a daily basis are with kids so it's all I got ) In most cases, people who have found their own beliefs rather than have followed what they have been told have become stronger people.All the more reason to allow our children to make their own, protected and guided, observations and decisions. (Then again, I'm the LAST person to be preaching for LESS parental influence. I know that religion has saved many of my kids, too.)

PK is a god.. i love the Peeekster.

.:PK:. [poiinthepark founder member]


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!