My Pagan Church

Sunset as Viewed From the Front Door

There's no doubt in my mind that I was a lucky child...I was born in paradise! This is the view from our front porch deck on the farm at sunset. How can you not feel connected to something higher than yourself when you're surrounded by this every day?

I miss the farm as much as I miss my parents. It's so profound to know that this half section of land is still here, and will remain forever, but they're gone...as are my grandparents before them who broke the land with their own hands. We're so insignificant as human beings. Why is that so hard for us to understand? Our egos are so huge it's sickening...we destroy the beauty of nature every day with a sense of entitlement.

Behind the Bull Pen

I don't like to be openly negative about other faiths, but I believe in my heart that this sense of entitlement originally comes from monotheistic religions such as Christianity. After all, the 'good book' says that man is to have domain over all the animals and plants, right? As a pagan, following the path of the green witch, the plants and animals are my fellow parishioners...and Gaia is my minister and church! I don't put on my Sunday best to show up my neighbours when I worship, I throw on my runners and grab my granddaughter to go for a walk out back...every day, not just on Sunday. Why would I ever feel entitled to destroy that?

My Dad in the Smoky River Valley <3

My father taught us how to work the land to give us crops and vegetables and to ALWAYS respect, honour and appreciate the animals we raised who sacrificed their lives to feed us. Dad taught us the skills needed to farm and ranch, but I always had that innate connection to the land...my pagan church. We never hunted for fun...ever. He always said he preferred to shoot wildlife with a camera. ;D

He passed this land onto us, my sister and me...he said it was our 'birth right'. I often questioned that. What makes us so special to have a 'right' to own a piece of Gaia? She should be everyone's, not just ours. However, I realize now years later, that this little piece of her might just be safest in our hands...we won't destroy her with ego. She'll remain in my family's possession and will be cherished until long after my granddaughter passes on. At least she'll be safe until then.