the pagan circle i practice with (the Order of the Cauldron of the Sage) is starting an exciting new project. we want to build an environmentally friendly, all faiths temple (the Four Corners Goddess Temple). this would be located in an easily accessible spot to anyone who wanted to visit, and would be open to individuals or groups who wanted to have a special place to meditate, for people who feel uncomfortable connecting to a female deity (or any unconventional deity) in the other holy places that are available to them, and of course for our circle to celebrate our own holidays. it is an outdoors location well outside of any towns or cities. our plan is to build it out of mud brick, papercrete, empty wine bottles, etc. the final shape and appearance has not been decided on, but we will be building it ourselves. there will probably be a labyrinth at a later date. we know that the sides will be at least partly open, either as pillars or with a doorway at each of the cardinal directions. we also know that there will be a central fire pit, so the ceiling will have a central opening to let out smoke. our circle includes about 30 people when everyone shows up to a ritual, but really only about 10 dedicated members, who will probably be the ones doing most of the construction on the temple. as a fundraiser, we have made canvas grocery bags and silk screened them with a message that we feel is acceptable to most people no matter what their beliefs may be. we are considering a second round if these begin to sell well that will have a more overtly pagan motif. again, we did all the work for these bags ourselves - the sewing as well as the silk screening. on the left is a picture of one of the bags; they are available only in the natural (off-white) canvas color, but with either red or black ink, and are printed on both sides. the cost is $10 each, plus approximately $5 to cover shipping. the shipping cost will vary depending on how far you live from the four-corners region of the united states, and the weight of the package (in other words, how many bags you purchase). the text reads “saving our mother one bag at a time” and reflects several important concepts: our desire to treat nature as though it were sacred (which, as pagans, most of us believe it is); our responsibility to do whatever we can, no matter how big or small it is; and the fact that it requires the same amount of petroleum to make 12 plastic grocery bags as it does to drive a car 1 mile. the most comprehensive and understandable discussion of why we should stop using plastic grocery bags that I have been able to find is this page: http://www.resourceconservation.mb.ca/news/Policy/bags_jan08.html . it is mainly talking about canada, but overall the content is comparable to use in the united states. if you want to help support the Four Corners Goddess Temple and have a canvas grocery bag that reflects your beliefs (these bags hold the capacity of 3-4 plastic grocery bags and are much sturdier, not to mention washable), please contact me through this webpage or email cerridwenn@archaeologist.com so i can calculate an accurate shipping cost based on your mailing address, and so you can tell me if you want bags printed with red or black ink. i will respond with the mailing address for you to send a check or money order to. Unfortunately our group is too small to have the capacity to use credit cards. we also do not have a paypal account as that would leave one of us vulnerable to any internet mischief that might affect it. we do promise to send your bag(s) as soon as we receive your money order or your check clears, so the turnaround should be fairly quick. thanks in advance for helping us with our project! if anyone has done a similar project, we’d love to hear what you did and how it worked out for you.