7 Comments

1. Best of luck with your book Carl.

   • “THE ESSENCE OF GOD”
     Out of curiosity has the desire to know about the “essence” of God?
     “THE ESSENCE OF GOD” is composed of all the “PHYSICAL SPACE OF THE UNIVERSE” occupied by a “INTELLIGENCE” of the highest degree of perfection, to give the origin in time and space, all forms of “ENERGY “, which move, since the atom, with its structures tiny dimensions, until all the celestial bodies, which composes the cosmos in perfect harmony and balance in their movements, and the purity of their feelings of “LOVE” composed of “Piety”, “Justice” and “Mercy”, gives us, the existence of life.
     What is your “opinion” on this character, known to everyone, but its composition is rarely talked about among the laity and religious?
     I await your response, if you “really” believe in him.

     • Your question strikes me as rather aggressive. If you are sad that the qualities of God which matter to you are “rarely talked about,” then isn’t that a nudge for you to speak up? Perhaps you need to start your own blog, or write a book, and share with the world your vision of the Divine and why it is so important to you. Meanwhile, I would encourage you to avoid challenging other people about whether they “really” believe or not. It makes you come across as suspicious and maybe even self-righteous — not exactly the best qualities to express if you are seeking a friendly dialogue. And if you are motivated by something other than a desire for friendly conversation, then perhaps you need to inquire within.

       The older I get, the less impressed I am with how much (or how well) people speak of God, and the more I become interested in how people embody God (i.e., Divine Love) in their lives. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

2. Congrats, Carl.
   Lil Lewis

3. Just bought your 2 latest, and was shocked into wild happiness when I realized I also have your book on Celtic gods and goddesses. I thought, “Ah, so that’s who you are!” LOL. Can’t wait to read more, your path and mine are startlingly similar: ex-catholic, then neopagan for 15+ years, and then lead back to Christ by Christ (again, lol. He goes toe to toe with me and it drives me crazy, I finally had to give in and give up!). So happy I’m not the only one whose crazy. Thank you for being there.

   • At the time I followed my heart’s desire away from neopaganism back into the Body of Christ, I thought I was pretty much alone. I have in the ensuing 8 years discovered that so many of us are on similar journeys. When I was in RCIA, my priest was so positive, honoring my explorations of neopaganism as part of a larger search: for truth, for love, for the Divine Mystery. I still feel that way. Honor every aspect of the search, and then be faithful to where it leads us. “Take delight in YHWH and you will be given the desire of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). May we all take delight in the search.

     • I so wish I could find a more accepting Catholic community. I’m in western NY, just north of Buffalo, and Catholicism is hard core here. I’m a yoga therapist, teaching yoga to people who are ill, injured, or recovering from illness or injury; I’ve worked with cancer patients and people with MS, etc. and I’ve STILL had Catholics tell me that yoga is of the devil and that I’m going to hell. It’s horribly discouraging, so I am now going to services in the Episcopal Church, which welcomes all. I would love nothing more than going back to Catholicism, but all the LGBT stuff is another reason I keep away. I have 7 close friends or relatives who are gay. I SO wish things were different!!!

       I was wondering how you deal with such issues? I don’t know how to stay in the Catholic Church with all this swirling around me. I miss the mass, I miss my little local shrine, but I feel like I’m condoning persecution of other humans by going back. Please, please tell me how you deal with such things. If you prefer to keep this off your blog, please email me at ebonykawai@gmail.com (if you have the time and inclination, of course, I know you must be very busy!), and just delete this response.

       Thank you so much for any help, I’ve been in this quandry for quite a while and would love to get another ex-pagan’s opinion. My leanings are more liberal, I voted for Obama (though I don’t agree totally with what he’s doing; still, I can’t vote republican because of their views of the poor, immigrants, women, etc). With local bishops actually writing letters and telling people which way to vote, I ran in the other direction and have been torn in two ever since. I just don’t know if the Catholic Church will ever be compatible with my social beliefs ever again. But I miss it!!

       all the best,
       Lisa