PERSONAL JOURNEYS - Calendar

There are many dates and holidays on the modern calendar that many people celebrate, whether in a worshipful way or just as a day to be with family and friends in enjoyable companionship. We now offer a list of days that we as a body celebrate. Since we are based in the United States and originate in the Christian religion, there are holidays on this calendar that will be specific to that country and religion. Others in other countries who join with us online will celebrate other holidays that are specific to their own countries or the belief systems that they originate from. This is a list that is simply for reference and guidance. Celebrations may be done at personal altars on or near these dates, as well as other days that may be sacred to the worshiper.

                        January

1^st        New Year’s Day

February

1^st        Candlemas

14^th      St Valentine’s Day

                  March

17^th      St Patrick’s Day

21^st      Spring Equinox

                        April

30^th      Beltane

(Easter Sunday will be celebrated sometime in late March or during the month of April, depending on the moon cycle)

                        June

21^st      Midsummer (Summer Solstice)

                        July

4^th        Independence Day (United States only)

                        August

1^st        Lammas

                        September

22^nd      Harvestide (Autumn Equinox)

                        October

31^st      Halloween (Samhain)

                        November

4^th Thursday (date varies)       Thanksgiving Day (United States only)

                        December

21^st      Winter Solstice

25^th      Christmas

PERSONAL JOURNEYS - Communion

Communion is a sacrament that most Christian followers try to make sure they do at least once in a while. Different churches can do communion at different intervals. Some, like the Catholic and Mormon churches, perform this sacrament once a week. Others, like many Baptist or Lutheran congregations, once a month. And, still others do not perform it but twice a year, usually at the times of Easter and Christmas. The Catholic Church is adamant in teaching that only priests can perform this sacrament, while many Protestant churches believe only their ministers can perform it. There are others, however, that teach that anyone may perform the sacrament of communion, as long as their hearts are repentant and their minds open to the blessings.

            As a body of believers, we at Children of Father God and Mother Earth hold to the last position, that anyone may perform the sacrament of communion. However, we recommend that, if our fellow followers feel somewhat awkward doing it, there are many places where they may go online to have themselves legally ordained as ministers, and then they can rest assured that they have every legal right to administer this sacrament. The online site we usually guide our followers to is the Universal Life Church, or Universal Life Seminary. This organization will ordain anyone a minister, no matter what belief system they follow, complete with ordination credentials. This ordination also provides the legal ability in many states to officiate at weddings, baptisms, and funerals. There is no cost for this service, and it will provide reassurance in the ability of the follower to administer the sacrament of communion. (Please make sure you find the Universal Life Church that is based in Modesto, California, as there is another place called The Monastery that sometimes masquerades as this church for profit.)

            We have a communion prayer and ritual that we have found extremely helpful to the newer follower who wishes to administer communion to themselves and those in their household. It is based heavily on the Catholic Eucharist service that is conducted in Catholic churches all over the world once a week, but, once the follower becomes comfortable with their new role, they may make changes to fit their own preferences.

            For this sacrament, you will need the food and drink that will fulfill the requirement of the body and blood of Christ. Pieces of crackers and some fruit juice is usually used for this purpose, and will allow small children the opportunity to participate fully, where a glass of wine might prohibit their participation. However, any kind of food and drink that is readily available will be acceptable, as the ritual symbolically changes both of these items into the body and blood of Christ. These items should be placed on the altar.

The presenter will stand before the altar with any others arranged behind him/her in a semi-circle. The candles are lit with the dedications mentioned in the previous post titled “Personal Altars.” The presenter then conducts the following ritual (all words that are in italics should be said by all participants).

Blessed are you, Lord God of all Creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you, fruit of the Earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.

Blessed be God forever.

Blessed are you, Lord God of all Creation, for through your goodness we have received the drink we offer you, fruit of the Earth and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.

Blessed be God forever.

With humble spirit and contrite heart, may we be accepted by you. O Lord, and may our sacrifice in your sight this day be pleasing to you, Lord God. We now pray that this sacrifice may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

May the Lord accept this sacrifice for the praise and glory of His name, for our good, and for the good of all His holy Church.

The Lord be with us. We lift up our hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere, to give you thanks, Father most holy, through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, your Word, through whom you made all things, whom you sent as our Savior and Redeemer, incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin. Fulfilling your will and gaining for you a holy people, He stretched out his hands as He endured His Passion, so as to break the bonds of death and manifest the resurrection. And so, with the angels and all the saints, we declare your glory. You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This is the mystery of faith:

We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again.

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of His death and resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of Life and the Chalice of Salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that, partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity. Remember, also, our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy. Welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all, we pray, that, with the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the blessed apostles, and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him, with Him, in Him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, forever and ever. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles, “Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,” look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, bring eternal life of all who receive it.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, your take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, by the will of the Father, and the work of the Holy Spirit, through your death gave life to the world, free us by this, your most holy body and blood, from all our sins, and from every evil. Keep us always faithful to your commandments, and never let us be parted from you. Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.

Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

At the time He was betrayed and entered willingly into His Passion, He took the bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.”

(The body of Christ is then shared with all participants.)

In a similar way, when supper was ended, He gook the chalice, and, once more giving thanks, He gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

(The blood of Christ is then shared with all participants.)

            A hymn may then be sung, and the benediction mentioned in the previous post “Personal Altars” said to end the ritual.

We at Children of Father God and Mother Earth encourage those of our group to perform the sacrament of communion at least once a month, and also at Christmas and Easter. However, communion may be performed as much or as little as the individual requires. The important thing to remember is that this (along with prayer) is a way of becoming closer to the Creator, and that the mind and heart must be open to this blessing to receive its full benefits.

PERSONAL JOURNEYS - Personal Altars

One of the things that accomplishes spiritual growth more than anything else is to have a personal altar in your home that allows you to pray, worship, and celebrate your own personal rituals in private. Many people prefer to have these sacred spaces in an unused bedroom or shed, where they can also retire to read, write, meditate, or listen to music; in other words, to have some “me time.” However, not all living arrangements allow for this. There are those who live either with others or in very small accommodations, and this means that their altar must be situated in an area that is used for other activities on a daily basis. Where the altar is set up is not a matter of importance, as long as it is used for the purpose for which it is intended.

            On a personal altar there should be at least three candles, a burner for incense, and a goblet or small cauldron that can hold liquid. There should also be a receptacle for spent matches from lighting the candles, as this is more convenient than having to leave the altar to run to the garbage can at the beginning of each ritual or prayer. My altar has three votive candles, an old ashtray that serves as an incense burner, and a colored glass goblet that serves to hold liquid when needed. I live in a small place, so my altar is situated on top of a small bookcase with a picture of the Virgin Mary in the guise of the Mother Goddess above it.

                                    

 

            Of course, this is the bare minimum for an altar. There can be more candles of larger sizes, crosses, statues of various gods or goddesses, stones and crystals, anything that is of personal relevance to the worshipper. In addition, there may be items that can be added and removed from the altar as deemed necessary. For holidays, items that are appropriate for that season may be there, as well as a plate and cup that can hold food and drink for rituals that may require them. Being of the Christian persuasion, I include a plate and cup for communion, a cross for Easter, a picture of the Madonna and Child for the Christmas season, and an American flag for the celebration of our Independence Day. Also, it is not necessary to have real candles if this presents a danger to your living conditions. I have a small battery operated votive candle that I leave lit all night on Christmas Eve, allowing me to have this tradition and not be afraid that a lit candle may be knocked over by my cat in the middle of the night.

 

            When a prayer or ritual is begun, you should light each candle with a dedication to the spirits or deities that it is being lit in honor of. For instance:

            Light the first candle while saying, “I light this candle in honor of Father God, Creator of the universe, and Mother Earth, she who stands in unity with the Creator.”

            Light the second candle while saying, “I light this candle in honor of the angels of Heaven and Earth, who stand by the right hand of the Creator.”

            Light the third candle while saying, “I light this candle in honor of my own Guardian Angels, whom the Creator has sent to guide, protect, and comfort me.”

            If you do not wish to use sulfur matches for this, you may use a butane lighter, however, I prefer lighting the consequential matches from the flame of the first candle and carrying it over to the others, thereby taking the flame that has been consecrated in honor of the Creator to the others also.

            At the conclusion of each prayer or ritual, a benediction should be said, such as, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, so mote it be,” before the candles are blown out. I also enjoy lighting a candle on my altar each day, dedicating it to the Creator, and letting it burn for at least 15 minutes. This keeps the altar “warm” with spiritual energy, adds reverence to the day, and, since my altar is in a public area, creates nice ambiance due to the scented candles I use. In addition, I try to make a habit of lighting a stick of incense and letting it burn until it goes out at least once a week. I believe that this carries my prayers and intentions up to Heaven with the smoke, and also scents my home.

            Of course, having a personal altar is not a requirement for spiritual growth, and the dedications and benediction mentioned here are only suggestions. The rituals, prayers, and words used should be up to the individual, and should reflect their own personal belief system. However, a personal altar gives additional meaning and beauty to any sacred act, and we highly recommend having one in your home.

PERSONAL JOURNEYS - Daily Readings, Devotions, Prayers, and Affirmations

This section of our efforts is going to be devoted to the ways and means by which we have such an ardent and fulfilling spiritual life within our body of believers. As has been stated before, we do not have any concrete and glass structure that we all travel to in order to share and worship. Our community is an exclusively online fellowship, and, therefore, involves followers from all over the country, and, indeed, the world. Therefore, how we worship is strictly of personal preference, and carried out in private spaces.

            We accept all who come to us with open hearts and minds, and we do not condemn any belief system, except those that preach or teach hatred and violence. However, we have found, through sharing with one another, that we have some common practices that we have all found to be immensely helpful in our spiritual walks. In this section, we will be sharing these practices so that others may profit from them as we have. We do not contend that anyone must follow these practices, as worship should be as individual as those performing it. But, we do hope that this section will help those who feel they want to take their own private worship to the next level.

Daily Readings, Devotions, Prayers, and Affirmations

            The most important thing about worship is that it should not be something that is done only once a week or on special holidays. Worship should be something that is as much a part of life as breathing. The daily habit of reading, praying, and affirming ourselves and our beliefs is very important, in that it brings us back to the reasons of why we live and believe as we do on a daily basis, thereby affirming our inner strengths and giving us peace.

            Many people prefer to do these things in the mornings, when they first rise and as part of their morning routines, however there is no set time or place that they need to be done. To do them in the middle of the day, before going to bed, or on a lunch break, will in no way demean them or make them of less importance. The important thing is that they be done, every day, regularly and faithfully.

            The first of these things is a daily reading of whatever Holy Scriptures that you hold dear. These may be from the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Rig Veda, the Koran, the I Ching, or any of the other numerous volumes of holy writings that have come into being throughout the ages. If your belief system has no holy writings, then a selection from a book of poetry that speaks to you of your beliefs may be appropriate. The reading should be of fairly short duration, 5-10 minutes, and should be of spiritual and personal quality to the individual.

            The second thing should be some sort of devotion. A devotion is a short lesson based upon a premise presented in the form of a verse or section of sacred writings. There are devotional books from all the different religious beliefs of the world, many of them for little or no cost, available in book stores and online. Our suggestion is that you pick one and try it. If you do not feel that it is correct for you, you will not need to get anything else from that particular belief system again. This is also a great way of finding out what other belief systems are and what they believe in. A good devotion should take you about 10-15 minutes to get through.

            Now is the time for the third part of our daily exercises, the prayer. Prayers can take many shapes, and the shape of the individual’s prayer should be exclusively up to them. We, at Children of Father God and Mother Earth, are rooted in the Christian belief system, and so we have many things that adhere to that particular way of worship. We have a prayer for this time that is an eclectic mix of certain prayers found in the Holy Bible, but is helpful in focusing the mind of the person reciting it. It goes like this:

            Our Father who art in Heaven

            Hallowed be Thy name

            Thy kingdom come

            Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven

            Give us this day our daily bread

            And forgive us our trespasses

            As we forgive those who trespass against us

            Lead us not into temptation

            But deliver us from evil

            Dear Lord, I pray that you will bless me indeed

            Give me the resources to keep a roof over me and mine

            And food on our table

            As I continue to walk the road that you have placed me on

            Dear Lord, I pray that you will enhance my domain

            Give me new things to do and to learn

            To stretch me as an individual

            As I continue in the work that you have given me to accomplish

            Dear Lord, I pray that you will keep your hand ever upon me to keep me from evil

            Clothe me in your armor

            To protect me from the fiery darts of the enemy

            But give me my own sword of courage and wisdom

            So that I may, through your strength, fight the darkness wherever it may be found

            Even if it is within myself

            Dear Lord, I thank you for yesterday, today, and tomorrow

            I thank you for all that you have done, are doing, and will do in my life

            I turn my family, my friends, and all that I hold dear

            Over to your guidance, your protection, and your peace

            And, giving you all the praise, and the honor, and the glory

            I pray all these things in the name of your Son and my Savior

            Jesus Christ.

            Amen.

This prayer has been very helpful to many of our followers, and we offer it to you here in hopes that it will also be helpful to you along your spiritual journey.

            The last part of daily exercises should be affirmations. Affirmations are small sentences that usually begin with “I am,” or “I will.” These are meant to be self-affirming to the individual, in that they are a way to speak positivity to our own subconscious, and therefore into our lives. There are many affirmations that can be said to ourselves. Some of them may be like this:

            I am a beautiful person and God loves me.

            I do not need to be concerned with what anyone but God thinks of me.

            I am blessed and all is well.

            I am getting better every day and it will only continue.

Affirmations are ways to confirm our specialness to God and the rest of the world we live in. These can be very useful to those who are perhaps a little overwhelmed with the cares and worries of life. Affirmations can be as few or as many as the individual wishes, but should only take about five minutes to recite.

            Daily readings, devotions, prayers, and affirmations should usually take only about 20-30 minutes to accomplish on a daily basis. This duration may be lengthened if the individual wishes to add meditation or a longer prayer time. However, making time for these things in one’s daily routine can add immeasurable depth and spiritual meaning to anyone looking for those things in their lives.

OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Environmentalism

In the Bible, it tells how Father God gave the world He created to man to rule over and care for. Man has taken the first part of that commandment very seriously, for he has attempted to rule over and use every part of this planet. However, with that commandment of rule, there was also another part. That of caring for the place that is ruled over. This is something that man has done a very poor job of. In attempting to force his will on the planet, man has literally destroyed many parts of this beautiful, perfect gift that Father God gave him, and, in doing so, he has managed to destroy that part of the Divine Being that his own physical body derives from.

            Since we, as Children of Father God and Mother Earth, believe that the Earth is a part of the Divine Being that created us and all the universe, we believe in and support the preservation of all life on our planet. We, therefore, support the environmental movements that have become so prevalent in our society in recent years. If we are to honor the Creator correctly, then we must learn to protect and care for, as well as rule over, the place we live.

OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Support for Israel and the Situation in the Middle East

The evolutionary history of Earth shows that every species has its members that use violence to defend their young, their territory, or a herd of prospective mates. Unfortunately, mankind has taken this inherent violence to stunning and shocking extremes. Stemming from a need to protect their home territories, politicians have taken this psychological nature and turned it into a need to expand those territories. Every war that has ever been over the eons of mankind’s history has started as a need to expand someone’s home territory, which inevitably ends up intruding into someone else’s territory, and, thus, starting the violence that is so typical of man’s nature. With the inherited biological need that not only we, but every species on Earth, shares, it would be virtually impossible to totally erase violence and war on Earth. As much as we may try, there will always be those times when, whether for defense or retribution for lives taken senselessly and thoughtlessly, violence is the only way to make a difference that matters. However, one can try to make that difference before it becomes necessary to resort to the violence that we all abhor. Unfortunately, there are situations and places where every attempt to avoid violence has been met with, not only defiance, but outright rage.

            The situation in the Middle East is a perfect example. The ongoing warring between Israel and its neighbors is a fight that has been raging for generations. Looking at the history of the place, it becomes clear why. Both the Christian and Muslim traditions tell the story of Abraham and his two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was the firstborn, and would have been his father’s heir, if it had not been for the fact that Isaac was the favored one of God. Because of this, Abraham abandoned Ishmael and his mother to die in the desert, and Isaac became Abraham’s heir. Defying the odds, Ishmael survived to become the ancestor of the peoples who, in the 1^st century after Christ was born, were converted to the Muslim faith. The descendants of Isaac, on the other hand, after many trials, founded the land of Israel and continued to worship in the way of Abraham, what we now call the Jewish faith. So, in reality, the war in the Middle East is simply a family feud, which, in today’s world, now involves, not only the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, but also all their friends and business partners. Or, in other words, the entire world. Every attempt at peace has ended with a poorly attempted, and soon broken, cease fire agreement. And, over the centuries, the hatred has grown to where, today, it is not only a war for territory, but actually a way of life.

            We do not believe in war, especially when it is egged on by the promptings of so-called religious leaders, who are obviously more interested in their own power base than the lives of their followers. While we respect Israel as the place where Jesus, who we believe to be the Son of God, lived and taught, we also know that the support that the government of our country has shown Israel in the past is part of the reason why we are now known as the most hated country in the world. The Jewish people claim they are only attempting to regain their homeland, the borders of which are set forth in the Old Testament. Their neighbors claim they are interlopers in a land that they lost centuries ago, and that they need to accept this. Whichever side you choose to believe, the fact is that the Jewish people were forced out of this land in the 7^th century, over 2,000 years ago. Was it fair? No. Did they deserve what they got? Probably not. But, they did lose it, and they would not be the first people in the world to have to live with that. Launching rockets at the people living in that land now is not going to change history, nor is it going to win them any friends on the international scene. Israel needs to learn to live in the present, not try to regain the past. And their neighbors need to learn to accept that, while they may have a different belief system, they are Father God’s Children too, and deserve to live just as much as anyone else. So, we, as fellow Children, must take the stand that we do not believe that our government must support Israel, or any other country in that part of the world, at least until they have shown that they can make, and stick with, a peace agreement.

OUR STANCE ON TODAY'S ISSUES - Immigration

Immigration

            While immigration may seem to be an unusual thing for a religious group to take a stance on, the truth is that immigration affects religious groups just as much as it does education, health care, and employers. For instance, not so long ago in New York City, a 39-year-old woman was given probation for illegally importing monkey meat. Claiming that the meat was being used for religious rituals, she tried to get the charges against her dropped under the freedom of religion clause in the US constitution. The fact is, many indigenous religions in places like Africa still incorporate special foods, such as monkey meat, into their rituals and rites, in spite of the fact that it is known to carry diseases such as Ebola and tuberculosis. And, when these people move to the US to live, they bring their religious inclinations with them. So, if we want to be open to accepting their beliefs, we have to be at least sensitive to the fact that they may practice some things that we may find unpalatable.

            Today, the process for becoming a US citizen may be a long and arduous procedure. It requires at least five years of continual presence in the country (three if already married to a US citizen), a background check, and passing tests that show a working knowledge of the English language, knowledge of how the government works (presumably in preparation for voting), and a knowledge of US history. All of this incorporates not only time, but also expense when it comes to taking classes that are aimed at, not only teaching the language, but also the government workings and history requirements. The present presidential administration has tried to pass laws making this process a little less strenuous, but has met with resistance from those who believe that these things are necessary to make “good citizens.” The result has been a complete lack of cohesive regulations in place across the country governing handling of illegal aliens who might be arrested for breaking the law. On the one hand, if the illegal has the bad luck to be someplace like Arizona, they may be detained simply for the color of their skin, while, on the other hand, a few hundred miles west in California, there are entire cities designated as “safe zones,” where illegals will find law enforcement agencies who are reluctant to cooperate wholly with federal immigration officials, if at all.

            We would like to make a few recommendations here. We realize that this is only our opinion, and that it is unlikely that anyone will actually listen, but someone has to start somewhere, so we will exercise our right to have our say.

1.      Continual presence in the country is a good idea, as it shows a willingness to stay put and be a part of the community. How long this continued presence should be would be decided by the government.

2.      Background checks are a must, not only in this country but in their native ones as well. We cannot have criminals coming into our country at will.

3.      A working knowledge of English is a good thing, especially since it actually entails safety. Street and traffic signs are not posted in any other language than English throughout the majority of the country. However, the other requirements for knowledge of how the government works and US history seems a little over the top. There are children graduating high school in this country that do not know who the first president was or when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Can we really expect naturalized citizens to learn things we are no longer teaching even to our own kids? As far as how the government works, an overview of that would be sufficient, and could be added into English classes that prepare for the test.

4.      There must be regulations put into place on the federal level, regulations that every police agency in the country would have to follow, in the handling of illegals that are arrested. The lack of regulations of this kind is what allowed a known illegal criminal to recently be let go, only to end up gunning down an innocent young woman as she was walking with her family on a pier in San Francisco.

5.      The classes that are required for passing the tests involved in citizenship must be made available to all who wish them, free of charge. These are people, illegal or not, who have come to this country looking for a better life, usually with nothing to their name but the clothes on their backs. They end up working minimum wage jobs, usually holding down more than one, and are still barely able to keep food in their families’ mouths. It is unreasonable to expect them to have to pay the cost of taking English as a Second Language classes at their local community colleges, which range in the neighborhood of $120 and up per class, and usually require more than one class to prepare for the citizenship tests. Also, we should provide a provisional green card for any aliens who are taking these classes, getting passing grades, and pass a background check. We should not be deporting honest people who really show an interest in becoming citizens.

6.      The most important thing is that each of these cases should be handled on an individual basis. There are illegals in this country right now who have been here for over a decade, have held down jobs for years, and have raised their families in a decent way, but always with the fear hanging over their heads of something happening that they will be discovered and deported, separating them from the ones they love. We should not be victimizing these good people because of a few bad apples in the barrel. Deport the criminals, certainly. But, leave the decent, honest, hard-working people and allow them to become citizens in a way that is easy and free. If anything, we should want more of them.