Some Stuff I Wrote a While Ago
Certain entities have been poking for me to become a flamekeeper, and I find myself wondering if certain things I've written could qualify as additions. I've decided to post theme here for the sake of simplicity. I'm also curious about what some people on my Flist would think of them.

Life, the Role Playing Game
Sometimes I find myself thinking about the meaning of life. Why are we here, for what purpose do we exist? Is there a meaning to life, or is it just some cosmic coincidence?

My current opinion is that life is an incredibly complex role playing game (RPG). Each incarnation is like a different character.

Every character has a player, and each player will, over time, play many characters. Each Soul will have many lives.

In each life the player gets to examine a different set of circumstances. In each life the player gains an understanding of different things.

Given this image God would be the GM (Game Master). In most RPGs the GM allows random die rolls to determine many events, however sometimes the GM will over rule the rolls for the sake of game play.

Miracles are when the GM over rules the dice and decides that something else will happen.

I don't think there are any NonPlayer Characters (NPCs) in the RPG of life.

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Things are not as they should be, things are as they must be.

Honestly, I"m not really sure what the hell that means, it's something that came to me when I was writing things that popped into my head the other day. I think if I could really understand it I'd have a profound realization, or maybe a duh moment. I mean, it could just mean that things are as they are, how things are in this moment can't be changed, so it's how they 'must be'. But that sounds rather dumb doesn't it?

But then, who says messages from 'above' need to have some really incredibly deep and profound meaning? And what's wrong with "This is how things are, deal with them accordingly"? It's an important lesson to learn. You aren't going to change anything by pretending things aren't the way they are. It will just allow things to keep going they way they are, maybe they'll get better, more likely they'll get worse or just not change.

I'm a little out of it right now. Maybe I should try grounding myself (no, not as in sending myself to my room*G*), but I"m in such an 'airhead' state that would prove to be very difficult, possibly not even possible. I wish we had some bread, toast often helps bring me down when my head's floating like this. It's too late to run out to the store. *bah* Well, that's enough rambling for the moment. Have a nice (insert time of day here).

One of the Reasons We Have Gods is They Can See a Bigger Picture and Help Get Us Where We Need to Be.

The statement implies that gods are like navigators, their job is to look at what's around and find a route that gets us where we're meant to go. We are still the drivers in our lives, we can ignore the instructions if we want. I'm not entirely comfortable with that analogy, but like Mom says "If it were perfect it wouldn't be an analogy" and I'm unlikely to come up with one better.

Now, lets have some fun and tie this in with "Things are not as they should be, things are as they must be". Ideally traffic would always flow smoothly, there would be no gridlock, no accidents, no cars breaking down in the middle of the road, and everyone would get where they're going with little fuss. Instead we have all those things and other problems (like drunk drivers). While driving to work you can have your car radio on and maybe avoid some of the inevitable traffic problems.

The gods, like the traffic guy in the helicopter, can see more of what's going on than we can. Not only that, but they are willing to offer specific advice to those who listen. Different gods will offer different advice, and the advice will depend on the person they're talking to. After all, you wouldn't expect somone in an expensive sports car to go off road. We all have different capabilities, although sometimes gods forget our human limitations. (Hey, gods are people too, and nobody's perfect!)

Unfortunately there are some problems with this. We may not have our radios on, or have terrible reception, or just do what we want even if we know better. (Hey, why is everyone looking at me?) There's also no roadmap of the future, just a myriad of possibilities.

The road to heaven is paved with Joy.

Think about it, heaven is supposed to be this wonderful place where everyone is happy. Why would you be expected to follow a set of rules that make you unhappy to prove yourself worthy of living in the home of the one who made those rules? Shouldn't it follow that what makes you happy in this life will make you happy in the next?

There are two mindstates which I would like to spend more time in. One is the state of 'flow', the other is the state of Joy. 'Flow' comes when I am totally in the moment, there is nothing but the activity I'm undertaking, everything just flows beautifully together. Joy, which is what I want to discuss, is a happiness beyond happiness. It is a Mystery which most of us have experienced as children, and some of us as adults.

When I am aligned with my deities and with my purpose I have more frequent moments of Joy, and more moments of Flow. I've also had moments of Joy that were clearly brought about by events in my life- like the first time I held my baby girl. Having noticed more moments of Joy when I listen to my deities and do as they ask with little resistance I've come to the conclusion that Joy is like the cheese in a lab rat's maze. It's a reward for my doing well.

I should probably explain that Joy is not mere happiness, it transcends happiness. I can't explain what Joy is with words, either you've experienced it and know what I'm talking about or you've experienced it and don't realize that's what I'm talking about or you've never experienced it. Like all Mysteries it can't be explained with mere words.

Like many, I might even say most, pagans I went though a stage of looking for a spiritual form that fits with who I am. I looked at several paths, some Christian, some Pagan, some neither. Although many of them held something I wanted, or needed, none of them were entirely right. I still look at other people's paths, I feel there is much to be learned from them. For a long while I accepted the label of 'Eclectic Pagan' because it seemed to fit. I was building my own spirituality based on things I had read and experienced.

Then I started listening. I started to receive teachings directly from my deities. The messages have probably been there all along, I just wasn't ready to accept them. I have begun to build a path for myself, a path based on the messages I receive from my deities. I still use building blocks drawn from many sources, but now I have the foundation of my faith. I don't take a magpie approach to adopting lessons from other paths, I pay attention and if something enhances my path, brings me more moments of Joy, I will find a way to work it in.