Does anyone think about the fall of the Berlin Wall? The city of West Berlin existed as an enclave within the country of East Germany (and an exclave of West Germany), and twenty years ago today, after a period of social unrest, the Eastern German government relaxed travel restrictions into West Germany, resulting in the eventual destruction of the wall. This occurred amid a spate of insurrections, most of them peaceful, some less so, sweeping across Eastern Europe, and was the beginning of the end for the Eastern Bloc, and subsequently the Cold War, and leading further to reforms across the world.

Nowadays, with most of Europe organized into the European Union, there is a different sort of picture. Unity, but not the unity of the people organized to overthrow an oppressive regime, but unity across borders in cooperation. How will this cooperation continue? It certainly appears successful. Uprisings still occur here and there, but all in all, Europe has never been as peaceful as it is now. From the outside looking in, though, at least, the EU appears almost monolithic. Will the individual nations of the Union lose their identity as such? Perhaps this may not matter as much as it appears, as cultures blend into a kind of synergy. It's food for thought, and I invite any comments, especially (but by no means exclusively) from Europeans.

I think of this because my country is at war, and will likely remain at war for some time to come, despite promises to the contrary. It seems ironic that President Obama has actually won a Nobel Prize before actually achieving anything. I sincerely hope the Obama administration can get its act together. The Eastern Bloc rose to power in the aftermath of world war, and collapsed under the power of the oppressed. If the current American regime is sincere in its ostensible plan to bring about peace and freedom, then any failure to do so, and any failure to do so as peacefully as promised, would be a slap in the face of the Nobel Committee.

I hope I have not digressed to far in these comments. The bottom line is that people want freedom, but people also want peace, and it is possible to have both.

Current mood: still pensive
Current weather: Cool (12°C), clear

Ah, Samhain. It's that time of year. The veil is thin, and yes, the dead are afoot. In this time when the light is dwindling, and the winter encroaches, it seems natural to turn one's thoughts to one's own mortality. As life recedes with the bite of winter taking hold, so does the spirit of death come to the fore--from this comes the tradition of honoring the deceased.

The winter is coming in this hemisphere, though, and reminds us that nothing lasts. Old things are swept away, in order to make way for the new, and so the world renews itself, and in so doing, continues to grow and evolve. Thoughts of this nature come to me naturally as the winter encroaches, as I pointed out in my last blog entry.

The Southern hemisphere is coming into spring and summer of course, and in some parts of the Southern realm the wheel is turned a half-cycle to fit the southern seasons, and thus it is time for Beltane, the time of life and the promise of abundance and bounty, but in any seasonal climate the rebirth of spring comes about from the death of the previous winter. All that rises must fall, and even literal death is to the enlighened mind merely a transition, a passing--whatever you hold to be beyond death in your belief.

Light and dark blessings to all.

--Dreamlight

Current mood: pensive
Current weather: Cool 15?C, clear
Current listening: Inkubus Sukkubus

Autumn seems to have hit rather abruptly here. We went from summerlike heat (late heatwave) to an early chill in the space of about a week. A couple days ago in particular was an unexpected chill. In fact, we have a freeze warning in effect tonight and early tomorrow--unusually early for the local climate; in fact it's near record cold for this time of year. We're expecting some warming in a few days, but the cold will no doubt return.

I don't get spring fever, like most people. I get autumn fever. My whole mood starts to pick up when the cool weather sets in. It just feels more natural to me, and so I just feel freer to be natural. It makes me wonder how many significant past lives I've spent in colder climates.

Maybe it's just some other part of my mind reminding me that the coming winter is a time of withdrawal. The carefree time of summer is over, and it is time to withdraw, and reflect on life. I've always been a very pensive, philosophically inclined person, and though I do not necessarily become more introverted during the winter (in fact, I become more gregarious), I do become more meditative on the meaning of life. In the cold season we deepen; it is natural to reflect and ponder the meaning of life as we dig around the closet for the extra blanket, or put on that extra layer of heavy clothes, or brew some extra-strong coffee. It is natural, also, to have a desire to share our wisdom as well when we gather on the street or the local cafe, or wherever. We huddle for warmth, even if only symbolically.

--Dreamlight

Ah, Columbus Day. The 517th anniversary of the arrival of a genocidal tyrant.

Celebrating half a millennium of genocide, plunder, theft, swindling and oppression.

Yes, it is a sick thought, but it is true. This is one American who will not be celebrating.

Current mood: pensive
Current weather: clear, warm
Current listening: Spiral Dance

The equinox has come--the September Equinox, which is Mabon or the autumnal equinox in this hemisphere. The second harvest is in, and it is a time of thanksgiving, as the light dwindles and winter approaches. The light and the dark are in balance right now, but the darkness is growing, and life will dwindle and recede, and we acknowledge that all things must die, even as we give thanks to the Mother for the bounty of spring and summer.

Things grow, things mature, things age, things die. This will be emphasized all the more on Samhain, the next sabbat, with the cycle of life, death and rebirth having its alignment along the Samhain-Beltane axis. Still, the Dark Mother will come more to the fore, as the Goddess shows her Crone aspect, She of the wisdom of age, and She who reaps what has been sown as the earth begins to die. The dark cycle of the year is, to me at least, a time when much wisdom can be shared as we shelter together by the hearth.

Opposite autumn is spring, and the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Ostara, also a time of balance, but their world is coming into the light. Light, dark, death, life. It is the Yin and Yang of the balance of Nature.

Light and dark blessings wherever you are in the world.

-DL

Since time immemorial, humans have dreamed of going to the stars. Now, with the space age, one might think that that might become a literal reality. We are not ready.

For one thing, we who have trashed our own planet of origin do not have any right going out in search of expansion, or relocation, or whatever, only to trash another world (and another, and another, and so on). I have always harboured a belief, or perhaps not so much a belief as a hope, that there is some law of nature that prevents any race that cannot respect its own planet from going out and wreaking havoc in the universe.

For another thing, and as something that has been on my mind a lot lately, humanity has insufficient respect for its own kind to deserve leaving home at all. Humans seem to have a penchant, a talent even, for turning ploughshares into swords. There is always another way, and another reason, to commit atrocities. It has been suggested, sometimes sardonically, sometimes satirically, that the human race has so many cultures, ideologies, religions and languages as it does as a conspiracy, an experiment in conflict, as a study, and as entertainment, as whoever or whatever engineered it watches the atrocities that are committed. My belief is that it is a test of worth. It is only when we of Earth learn to live with each other that we will have earned a place in any cosmic community. If there is intelligent, civilized life elsewhere, then they will have their own cultures and their own paradigms, and we of Earth must be ready to meet them with respect rather than loathing simply because of cultural differences. They will most certainly be more enlightened than we are, both scientifically and spiritually, and we must be ready to learn from them. Even so, perhaps we of Earth can teach as well as learn, as there is always something to teach as well as something to learn.

First, however, we must learn to live in peace among ourselves, and to live in harmony with life.

--DL

Current mood: pessimistic
Current weather: hot, cloudy; chance of rain
Current listening: Inkubus Sukkubus


Most of the world reeled in shock and surprise at the attacks
perpetrated eight years ago. No one expected terroristic assults on American monuments on American land. We had become so blasé in our faith in our own superpowerdom that we had begun to believe that we were invincible, inviolate, and so, it appears, did much of the rest of the world. We and the others were wrong. It was a rude awakening. I myself was surprised, but not really shocked. I had so little faith in humanity that I had already become shockproof.

We had the world's sympathy, but lost it, slowly at first and then more quickly, as then President George Walker Bush went completely berserk. The wars that ensued, and the attitudes of powers that should not be, only encouraged and even justified the stereotype of US-Americans as a bunch of rabid fanatics. My faith in humanity went from minimal to zero.

In a perhaps darker part of my mind or soul, I am beginning to believe that the violence and wars of the last century or so are really Nature's desperate effort to cull the burgeoning human population from within. Not particularly good stewards of the planet we turned out to be, but this is best saved for a different entry.

Now, under a new president, some of us are hoping to see a move toward peace. President Obama has done some good things, but I am seeing no progress in the military situation. He actually increased rather than reduced the occupation of Afghanistan. He did, however, promise to have us out of Iraq by August 31, 2010. I for one hope that he adheres to this promise.

Hey, my hit counter just pased 20,000 views. Thanks, everyone, for your support, whether it is to read my blog, listen to my stations, or whatever. I appreciate your appreciation.
- DL

Lughnasadh (Lúnasa, Lammas, Lunasdal, Gwl Awst, however you call it) markest he beginning of the end of summer. The light has begun to dwindle, and preparations for the coming winter begin. The grain and fruit are ripe for harvest, and Lughnasadh celebrates the first harvest of the summer-autumn havest season (sometimes second harvest in colder climes).

The God is aging, and knows that he will die; the Goddess knows this as well, but takes comfort that he will be reborn through her.

The modern world has caused most of humanity to lose its connection with Life and Nature. Seasons pass, and time marches on. The summer is coming to an end (and none too soon, from a subjective view; it's hot as hell here). The gathering of the harvest is in preparation for the dark cycle to come, and there is work to be done, but we can take comfort, and even celebrate that we have taken in the bounty of Mother Earth, so that we may provide for ourselves in the time to come.

Opposite Lughnasadh is of course Imbolc, marking the passing of winter into spring, when the light is waxing and life is returning. To my friends in the Southern realm, I acknowledge this.

Light and dark blessings to all my relations, wherever you are. Peace.

-DL

Current mood: content
Current weather: intermittent light rain
Current listening: Michelle Mays


It looks like the summer rain has arrived. I love the rain; it changes the whole outlook, the whole feel of the land around here, especially after the weeks of drought that preceed it. It's just another part of Nature's beauty.

Current mood: Pensive
Current weather: Hot 38°C, chance of rain later
Current listening: various Soundclick musicians


Today, (June 28) is the ruby (40th) anniversary of the Stonewall riots. On June 28, 1969, it all started with another incident of police harassment at a New York gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. Unlike at previous occasions, though, this time the detainees resisted; the resistance escalated into an outright rebellion, and yes, the rebellion in turn escalated into a riot, or a series of riots.

Violent though it was, the Stonewall uprising was the start of the gay pride movement, and the seed of the reform of sexual laws across the country, and in many other countries. "Out of the closet and into the streets", the movement spread, to address human rights issues for the LGBT and Q community--and, for the most part, progress has been made.

This goes to show how things can crystallize in the moment of one incident, and set actions rolling like a snowball, gathering momentum as it gathers mass.

Though I do consider the event to be a blessing arising out of a violent incident, I am constrained to assert that it was only the breaking point of a tradition of oppression. So--let your freak flag fly, and know that you have rights, regardless of who you are. Above all, you have a right to your dignity. Stonewall led to a peaceful social movement; so can you demand your dignity with dignity.

-DL

Current mood: Questioning
Current weather: Cloudy, warm, isolated light rain here and there
Current listening: various Soundclick musicians

Okay, some of you atheists and other skeptics might find it interesting that I, a polytheist, find myself 'questioning' anything. (On the other hand I know that there are atheists who belive in this or that, so who am I to second-guess the consensus?)

On the one hand, for as long as I can remember, I have been haunted by memories of past lives both glorious and ignominious. I have always been certain that I have existed for ages, and will continue to exist.

On the other hand, I am also a science nerd, and an on again and off again interest in modern cosmology (as relates to the origin and fate of the universe), I like to think of myself as a rational person. (On the third hand this does not, in my opinion, necessarily preclude a belief in anything intangible or evasive; after all, many if not all things now established in scientific canon were established in pursuit of an obscurity.) If the Big Bang theory holds true, then the universe itself as we know it will end in some way or another, albeit eons in the future. It was, however, ironically my stumbling across the Anthropic Principle, and its relavance to the idea of the inevitability of the rise of beings capable of pondering it and defining it, (Strong Anthropic Principle) that planted seeds of doubt in my mind. If the Anthropic Principle in any form or shape holds true, then the sentient, sapient beings will end--unless there is some intangible or as yet elusive thing that can survive beyond the end of the universe.

On the foot, if the commonly held belief that the goal of a sentient soul is to achieve some sort of transcendence holds true, then the fate of the universe may not be as relevant as it looks.

I invite input from anyone who has thoughts on this matter, from believers and disbelievers alike. Feel free to invoke your religious beliefs, but by the same token please don't proselytize. Thank you.

--Dreamlight the quester

Current mood: Meditative
Current weather: Clear, hot
Current listening: Inkubus Sukkubus

I have commented previously in this blog that I seem to be the opposite of most people, being more depressed in the summer, and more cheerful durning the winter. More recently, I have commented, especially in entries directly relevant to the sabbats, that the change of season seems to get me down all the time lately. It is only in the last few days, though, that I have come to realize the reasons for the latter. It is about the change of season itself; the eight festivals themselves are about marking the passage of time, each one being, as it were, a spoke on the wheel, and so each one reminds me that I am a finite, limited creature, each in its way, even the current one, marking the height of the cycle, the longest day of the year, the summer station of the life-giving sun.

The longest day, the greatest light. Now the light will wane, as the Northern Hemisphere progresses toward winter at the opposite end of the cycle, but Litha also means the start of the harvest season, with even some of the harvest already inned, especially in the colder places, where the life will recede more quickly with the dwindling light. This is much of what is on my mind this Midsummer. Just as anyone in the temperate climes looks forward to the harvest even knowing that the light and life will be declining, so perhaps someone in the part of my brain responsible for introspection (which seems to be most of it of late), is reminding me that I have some sort of reward coming, sometime well past my prime; or on the other hand reminding me to lay up some sort of store.

Somewhat interestingly, this Solstice comes close to the new moon--maximum and minimum light close together. Mayhap some sort of synergy is or will be afoot? Before anyone asks, no it will not be an eclipse. The next eclipses will occur July 7 and July 22, lunar and solar respectively.

Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, which is experiencing the Winter Solstice, there is the double whammy of the dark points of the two cycles.

Happy Solstice to all, whichever solstice you're experiencing in your part of the world.

-- Dreamlight the Pensive

Current mood: sour
Current weather: clear and hot 34°C
Current listening: Pisces Projekt

Okay, so I sent an e-mail to Soundclick staff (quite tactful, thank you) regarding the recent glitches. It was answered by Ally with a note pointing me to the recent forum post. I read this post, written by Tolgar, and then searched back for a relevant posting dating from the time of the last incident, and found it, this one also written by Tolgar.

Frankly, I don't know whether I owe an apology or want to call bullschidt. There was the pattern previously described, which still to me looks like too much coincidence; songs are sorted by genre and subgenre, not by content, and it still does not account for an inexplicably deleted blog entry, nor the repeated disappearance of at least one subscription to my blog. Please understand that I am usually a very sweet person, but I can be a bit of a bi*** when my goat is gotten. Please understand that even as much as I dislike coming across as the kind of paranoical pagan who goes off the deep end at any indication of trouble, I have in the past received enough harassment, up to and including direct, open, unveiled death-threats, that things like this trigger a reflex.

I have noticed that my friendship network is one person smaller than it was previously. I may have offended someone. I do not yet know who left, or why. For all I know someone closed their account.

I do have much respect for Soundclick; that is to say, I have much respect for the concept. A social network of musicians and fans of music, unlike most other media, offers obscure but worthy people a chance at some fair exposure. Soundclick is, however, at least by appearance, an apolitical, irreligous company, and I hope that it stays that way.

Thanks for letting me pitch my rant.

-- Dreamlight, your friendly neighborhood pinko lefty Pagan

Actually, a better title could be "'Test' explained". Two or three days ago, nearly all the Pagan music here at Soundclick suddenly became unavailable. The links were still there, but they did not function. Also, many of the album cover thumbnails were replaced by the '404', which itself becomes uglily stretched in station playlists. In addition to this, most of the protest songs suffered a similar mishap. Almost everything else seemed to work normally. There were a few failures elsewhere, but very few, quite few enough to rule out coincidence. Today I find these items restored, but as yet no explanation, no apology has yet been issued by Soundclick on this. This has happened before, and the previous incident included also the inexplicable disappearance of a recent entry in my blog. When I took the issue to Soundclick staff, they denied that anything had gone amiss. This suggests four possibilites:
• There is a hacker afoot here, one who can achieve at least occasional success, which in turn means that Soundclick needs to reinforce its security
• Soundclick may be susceptible to database corruption, which in turn means that it needs to implement more frequent checks, in addition to reinforcing security
• Someone with legitimate access to the root account is screwing around
• Someone is interfering somewhere between the server and me (least likely)

So, I made that entry, to see what would happen. It's still there as of press time for this entry.

So, with that, I should like to conduct an investigation of sorts:
• Have any Soundclick musicians or bands found their music temporarily deleted?
• Have any other people, Soundclick members or otherwise, found an inordinate number of links not working in the last few days?

Let's see what's up.

-DL

This is a test. If this entry disappears, I will know that something is up. Even if it does not disappear, I will still suspect that something is up.

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna.

Pan, Poseidon, Dionysus, Cernunnos, Mithras, Loki, Apollo.

Lugh, Loki, Mars, Osiris, Shiva, Hermes, Dionysus
(Sky, earth, death, birth, rune, sword, dancing lord)
Freya, Shakti, Hathor, Rhiannon, Rhea, Maat, the Morrighan
(High, rasing up the goddess / Oh, fill my soul)

Aphrodite, Iris, Artemis, Persephone, Danu, Demeter, Hera, Isis, Selu, Hecate, Cerridwen, Kali-Ma

Hecate, Cerridwyn, Dark Mother take us in
Hecate, Cerridwyn, let us be reborn

We all come from the Goddess and to her we shall return

Earth, my body, soil and sand,
Make me strong, heart and hand;
Water, my blood, flowing strong,
Lead me with your healing song;
Air, my breath, flowing true,
Let my life take flight in you;
Fire, my spirit, burning bright,
Lead from darkness into light


-DL

Current weather: hot, unsettled
Current mood: surprised

Yeah, I said I was hoping for one last rain before the drought season sets in. We had some rain a few days ago, some rain in the vicinity yesterday, and it looks like there's going to be more rain here. Very abnormal for this time of the year. I'm sure it's a straggler of the winter rain, rather than a harbinger of the summer rain, even as odd as it may seem to call it a 'winter rain' in May, when it has been unseasonably hot. So be it. We need the rain, as we have had a shortage of it so far this year.
Mama can be so full of suprises sometimes.
-- Dreamlight

Current mood: pensive
Current weather: Clear and hot

While April may run cold, or more often, intermittently cold, May brings the summer heat here. It also brings the dry season after the winter rain ends in April. I was actually hoping for one last rain here--we've had a shortage of it this year, but it is not going to happen. I have commented often on my tendency toward moodiness in the spring and summer, but like a good Pagan, I let the seasons go by, and just let myself appreciate the beauty of Mother Earth.
Maybe I'll be feeling chipperer in July, when the summer rain starts. I love the summer storms.

- Dreamlight

Current weather: cloudy and hot
Current mood: pensive
Current music: Soundclick's own Deanna L. Schultz

Into the light--Bealtaine has arrived and hot summer months lie ahead. I have mentioned on various occasions in this blog that I'm actually at my best in the winter, and tend to become more depressed turning the spring and summer. I feel more alive, and moreover, actually younger during the dark cycle then during the light cycle. It's the return of life in the spring that reminds me of the fragility of life, and by extension, that I am a limited creature myself.

Opposite Beltaine is Samhain, when the light gives in to the darkness, and life is dwindling, and thus is associated with death and mortality--maybe some part of me has this whole thing backward.

Beltaine itself celebrates life and fertility, and the beginning of the sumemer cycle. Life has renewed itself and is in full swing, and the Goddess presides. It also represents the union of the Goddess and the God, thus the relevance of fertility and life.

Perhaps I should take a note from my own beliefs in meditating on these things. Life is in its abundance now, as it always renews itself, and all will be well.

As I said, opposite Beltaine is Samhain, and as usual I acknowledge that most European Pagans in the Southern Hemisphere adjust the system to fit with the Southern Seasons, which are opposed. Most Northerners seem to need to be reminded of this.

Happy Beltaine to all.

-Dreamlight

I hope everyone is doing their part for this beautiful planet that we call home. It's the only one we have, after all.