Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think that perception might drive a lot of that particular number. I would wonder how, for instance, a wiccan or member of other "pagan" religions that may have a loose or unconventional "religious structure" might fit.
I would have ticked "Other" on most such forms 20, 30, 40 years ago. And probably did, back when it was legal to ask. Pretty sure "Spiritual" wouldn't have been offered as a choice. Nor would "Pagan."
I spent most of my life squirming to avoid having to self-label in such a fashion. But a couple of years ago, I became comfortable with self-identifying as an Animist, if I felt such pigeon-holing was required.
As such, I believe spirit resides in all living things and more things live than we might credit.
I should add.... the rise of the "religious right" has been one reason I prefer to use the word spiritual. I'm not crazy about the fact that it's often assumed, these days, that if you're religious you're conservative. I've no desire to be mistaken for a member of that particular group.
Yup. That's why I describe myself as "one who follows the teachings of Christ as he understands them."
A traditional Lakota story as old as time. The tale of the "No Face Woman."
For generations, the Lakota elders would sit and tell the story of the woman with "no face" to their children. The story as passed down, would remember a beautiful woman who was unable to get past her own appearance of good looks.
The woman could be found day after day, looking at her own reflection in a neighboring river that ran along side the camp. Each day, year after year, as she grew more beautiful she would taunt and tease those whom she felt were less attractive, with how gorgeous she was. One day, as she was sitting by the riverside, a spirit appeared to this beautiful woman and warned her that vanity had no place in the camp circle. He told her, if you continue to sit here and admire yourself in the reflection of the water, instead of being a good relative and helping those in the camp circle, the spirits will take what you value the most. The beautiful woman paid no attention to what the spirits told her and continued to taunt and tease the others and returned to her daily ritual of sitting by the riverside admiring her great beauty. This angered the spirits who had warned her, so they appeared to her once again and said, we told you that if you did not listen, we would take what you valued most, so from this day forward you will walk in this world with no face and be a keeper of the children. As promised, the spirits took her face. She was no longer the most beautiful woman in camp and she became humbled.
The once beautiful woman grew very angry, alone and with no beauty to boast, she found herself weary until one day, a child in the camp approached her and asked, why do you not have a face? The woman told the child, it is because I did not listen and because I had a mean heart to those who had less then me. The child then told the woman, you have a lot to teach us. It was then, that the woman decided it was time to forget her once beautiful face and dedicate herself in teaching the children the value of having a good heart and being a good relative.
The moral of the story is to let your inner beauty shape the change you want to be for yourself and those in the world.
Everything the power of the world does is in a circle.
The sky is round and I've heard the earth is round like a ball and so are all the stars. The Wind, in it's greatest power, Whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The Sun comes fourth and goes down again in a circle. The Moon does the same and both are round. Even the Seasons form a great circle in their changing and always coming back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood. So it is in Everything where power moves.
Everything the power of the world does is in a circle.
The sky is round and I've heard the earth is round like a ball and so are all the stars. The Wind, in it's greatest power, Whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The Sun comes fourth and goes down again in a circle. The Moon does the same and both are round. Even the Seasons form a great circle in their changing and always coming back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood. So it is in Everything where power moves.
Black Elk, Olgala Sioux
(1863-1950)
He was a scientist and a philosopher, as I see it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
