True Lies; Snakes in the Garden

 “You will not surely die. For God [ Elohim ] knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God [ Them ], knowing good and evil.” 

Genesis 3:4 & 5

 “Behold, the man has become like one of Us [ Elohim ], to know good and evil. 

Genesis 3:22

 

Knowledge is a GOOD thing, right?! Without knowledge, what hope would we have of surviving this Existence? In fact, the same "God" ( Elohim ) mentioned ( then quoted ) above, laments later ( Hosea 4:6 ), "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Seems a bit counter-productive, does it not? Either that, or this god of the Hebrews only wanted his people to know certain things, mostly about him & ONLY what he wanted them to know ( "Sound familiar?" )! Seems rather petty, if you ask me! But, I digress. Wise men, from Socrates to Epictetus have had some very enlightening things to say about Knowledge. To name a few, Socrates himself said, "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." "Confucius say", "Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." Copernicus said much the same; "To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge." Finally, Epictetus said,  "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."  Most famously maybe, concerning Knowledge, is the ancient Delphic maxim, "Know thyself", inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Simple maybe, but it is in knowing ourselves that we can freely admit that we do not know certain things!

The "Serpent" ( Cunning One ) told A & E, “You will not surely die. For God [ Elohim ] knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God [ Them ], knowing good and evil.” Although he was correct & they did NOT die as they were warned by this jealous god ( Elohim, who told them, "in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die"; this enigmatic phrased has been discussed to DEATH! ), the popular opinion, I believe, is that this "Serpent" ( Satan? ) was/is "the father of lies". The fact that this god ( Elohim ) later acknowledged that A & E had indeed become like him ( them ) is also very telling. As "the Father of Lies", did this 'Serpent' ACTUALLY lie to the ones often called "our first parents", or was he revealing a VERY important Truth to them, one which the god of that world did not want them to know? So, who was the REAL adversary ( Satan/satan ) in the Garden?!

Snakes, thanks in large part, to religion, have played an 'evil' role in civilized society for centuries. I remember, on this note, growing up in a Christian home & hearing about the natural enmity between snakes & women, because of "the Fall". The Irish hero, St. Patrick, ostensibly "drove the Snakes out of Ireland". We know that this is a phrase descriptive of the Christian missionary impact on Ireland, which up to that point, was filled with nothing but a bunch of ( "godless" ) Pagans. "Well, I've got news for YOU, St. Patrick; they never left; they just went underground for awhile!" And, for THAT matter; who are the ones causing all the death & bloodshed over there - especially Northern Ireland; CHRISTIANS, NOT Pagans! The Point here is that snakes are definitely dangerous wild animals - hell, ask any snake-breeder or handler alive today; even the 'tame' ones can very dangerous - they're really no more dangerous than any other wild animal can be - well............................ But, why Snakes?! Read on.................

"Trusssssssssssst in me............."! Both the "Serpent" in the Garden & Kaa from The Jungle Book repeated this phrase to their captive listeners. Both have been vilified for it as well, although it might be said that Kaa was actually trying to do what the Serpent in the Garden is most often accused of ( "Thanks, Walt!" ). "As above, so below"; was the "serpent" trying to HELP A & E, telling them simply that "Knowledge is Power"? For whatever reason, it seems the god of that world ( Elohim ) wished to keep his subordinates as powerless as he ( they ) could! Maybe that's the reason so many so-called 'Christians' today seem to follow the same model their god did; "Do what I say, not what I do!" 

The question was, "Why Snakes?" There is a lot of information - false or otherwise - available ( thanks to Al Gore's creation ) that almost delves into the realm of conspiracy theory, concerning 'Reptilians' a race of aliens that is behind the 'evils' of government, most notably maybe, those who push for the ( *shudder* ) One World Government. This belief is no doubt based on the whole notion of the "Serpent" being the 'evil' entity known as 'Satan', but, returning to the Bible itself, one might recall the words of Jesus, when he told his followers that, "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up". Jesus was referring, of course, to the incident recounted in Numbers 21 where Elohim instructed Moses to "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." Read in context, this command follows an instance of what might be called 'the pettiness of the Hebrew god, or Elohim'. Simply because the children of Israel complained about their circumstances, Elohim sent "fiery [ serpents ] among them". According to the Story, many of the children of Israel died from being bitten by these "serpents"! After they repented of their sin - too late for those who had already died - Elohim then commanded Moses to erect the staff with a fiery serpent on top, that "everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So, the same 'serpent' that seduced A & E into the rebellion of sin, then later was used by Elohim to punish his errant children, has now become a symbol of salvation for them! Interestingly enough, this symbol - the Caduceus - is, to this day, used to denote the healing arts, in particular medicine. Whether this Story is actual, literal history, or just that, a Story, the mythology of the Hebrews, it would seem that it holds a universal truth for all ages, that what can harm you can also heal you; the principle of yin & yang!

Balance is necessary in all of Life! Personally, this blogger can fully attest to this important fact.  In a merely physical sense; I have a balance problem - as in, my equilibrium is not what it should be ( ? ), or even what it used to be. I mean, seriously, although my balance has been off for the overwhelming majority of my life, up until about 30 years ago, I was a hodcarrier! Back though, to the issue of 'Balance', though still in the physical realm; if one is carrying loads in both hands but the load in one hand is even a little bit heavier than that in the other hand, it can really throw your balance off. Carry this principle into the mental and spiritual realms, and you end up with the same problem! Whether you believe in 'Chakras' and all that metaphysical stuff or not; if you are in the least bit out of alignment with yourself ( your true nature, intentions, wants/likes ), you will not only feel 'off', it may even - most likely WILL - affect you physically!

The principle of yin & yang is ALL about 'balance'! As above, so below; "if you are in the least bit out of alignment", whatever you manifest ( do/accomplish ) will end up being at least a bit 'off'! The basic principle, as seen in the famous symbol itself, is that both our "dark" & "light" selves must work together in order to present our most delightful & balanced self. On the other hand, religion, in particular, Christianity, seems instead to teach that we should HIDE ( "from"? ) even stifle/quench our dark side, so that we can be all light & good to please our 'god'! Having been brought up Christian, I'm more than familiar with the concept - being made aware from early on that this "dark" side of us is sinful, even though we were created GOOD. ( A bit of a rabbit trail here - "Okay, so A & E, who were created GOOD, committed the sin of disobedience ( "BAD"?? ), leaving their legacy of sin & death to ALL their progeny, only to be remedied/redeemed by believing that 'God" sacrificed/killed his only son! "But", most Christians would say ( going back to the infamous "Fall" we read about in the Bible ), the snake/Devil made them do it!" Um; wouldn't that make 'the Devil" ( Satan ) more powerful than 'God'?! 

However; I digress................

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge": REALLY??!! Knowledge of oneself, or rather the lack thereof, has been the problem since the beginning of Time. Because the overwhelming majority of human beings, over countless centuries, even millenia, are not aware of who they are, this planet has been raped, has seen endless war, and has been under attack for time immemorial! Humans have been killing other humans because we believe they ARE 'other' than us. We believe we are better than they, because 'they' believe differently, live differently, LOOK differently! I say "WE", but really, it is only those who have forgotten who - and WHAT - they really are. Most, or much of the blame for this belief falls squarely on the shoulders, or should I say, "at the feet of" religion, in particular Christianity!

My readers may well perceive this post as the diatribe against Christianity it was never meant to be, but that is certainly not how it started out ( I will admit freely that I'm still a bit off-kilter )! It started merely as a thought provoker for those who are not afraid to question their 'beliefs', who have begun to remember who the hell they are. If YOU are one of the above; I hope that you will think on these things: "Why DO I believe what I believe concerning 'God' & Humanity?" "Why DOES the god of the Bible act like a human being?" "Who are we, REALLY?!" These are just a few of the questions every honest person out there needs to be asking themselves: "Blessings on your Journey of Self-Discovery!"

Namaste' & Blessed Be!! 

Sage Charles  

 

 

The Infinite Web

"What if 'God' was one of us?" What if the One many call 'The Man Upstairs' actually WAS the man ( or woman ) upstairs?! For many of us, it is comforting to think that we have a Heavenly Father up there ( "out there"? ) that hears our every prayer & carries our burdens - at least, as long as we pray to 'Him' alone & ask 'Him' to carry, or at least ease our burdens! It is comforting to think that 'He' is in total control of our lives - because, "God KNOWS, we sure aren't!" ( more on this later ) It's hard to deny them this small bit of comfort in this seemingly dreary world - especially in the situation we find ourselves in currently! However ( "You HAD to know THIS was coming!" ), Why, do you think, do we find ourselves IN this "situation"? Is there ANYTHING we can do to get out of the situation we're in? ( First of all, "That would depend on the situation you might think we're in ( political, personal, spiritual, physical? )!" No, we sure didn't start the war, but I'll be willing to bet that you voted for the one who did! Unless you're one of those that think our current president IS appointed by 'God' - but then we're back to the question, "What if 'God' was one of us! Yes, I know, "War in Heaven" & all that; then, of course, we can't forget the Hebrew's god, that COMMANDED the Israelites to commit genocide throughout the land of Canaan! Reading all those accounts of the exploits of 'Yahweh', doesn't the 'God' of the Hebrew's sound almost human? ( Petty, vindictive, emotional - "Hell", even JESUS was emotional! ) Maybe a better question would be, "What if 'God' IS us?!"

After a particularly disturbing dream the other night - not a bit of which I remember, of course, or "DO I?" - I randomly got the notion in my head that the Universe - which is NOT expanding, it is simply our UNDERSTANDING of it that is expanding - What if our immaculate, mysterious Universe is like an Infinite Spiderweb?! However, let me back up a bit. Maybe It IS expanding! ( as in, "growing" ) Is It not living? An infinitely large, breathing Organism?! If so, that would explain a lot! It would explain things like 'Intelligent Design' & how everything came to be ( T.O.E. ) in the first place! ( "I think I just blew my OWN mind!" ) "Have we been looking at this all WRONG??!" Rather than 'the man upstairs', or even a petty, vindictive 'God' who is Love ( "What kind of Love would allow part of "His" Creation to suffer the torments of 'Hell' for Eternity?!" ( much less SEND them there for not loving 'Him' back ), maybe it is the Universe Itself that has our back, Who allows us control of our OWN lives & watches as we make the choices that steer OUR Destiny!? 

I mentioned this to a friend -"Christian", by the way - and his comment was something like, "What, so you're saying WE'RE the flies?!" Unfortunately, I don't think he quite understood, but then, I'm not quite sure if I understand either, so here we are! No, we're not the flies in this metaphorical spiderweb & neither, as he half-jokingly mentioned, are the planets. However, in the sense that everything is connected, the Universe could be likened to a spiderweb!  Follow me here, for a minute, because I'm not quite sure where I'm going either! "What if that connection is SO strong that we really aren't separated from ANYONE or ANYTHING - no matter how far apart we might FEEL, in Time & Space?!" Maybe we're all just metaphorical junctions in this Infinite Web! Or actually, would that be the planets? Galaxies ?

Based on my friends question, then, the next question/logical conclusion might be something like, "Is 'God' the Spider at the center of the Web?!" ( Maybe that's how 'He' knows so much/controls everything? ) Just as the fly cannot escape the attention of the spider once it is caught in her web, so we cannot escape 'His' notice once ensnared? Actually, "Yes"; that sounds about right! However, what about the billions of flies who do not become ensnared in 'His' Web; do they escape 'His notice? Are they indeed separated from 'Him'?! These & many other questions could, indeed, probably SHOULD be asked here................but, I digress............

The Universe is not literally a big, giant ( even "Infinite" ) spiderweb! I suggested that It might be likened to one in the sense that, like a spiderweb, everything is connected. Taken literally, as above, it might lead to some rather intricate, if not ultimately uncomfortable questions! Again, let me emphasize the fact that the Universe is NOT a giant spiderweb! What It is, however, is something even better! Like I suggested earlier, the Universe - what we have previously thought of as 'cold, dead Space' ( that's just OUR galaxy ), rather than being just a lot of empty space ( "Dark Matter/Energy" ) with planets & stars filling up the infinitesimal spaces in between, is really an Infinite Being, One without Beginning or End! That said, many so-called attributes of the Christian 'God' - which often don't quite add up when applied to 'him' - all of a sudden make all kinds of sense when you understand that the Hebrew 'god' was simply their perception of the Universe & how it operated. Of course, every 'god' is flavored by the culture they spring from.

IS 'God' us?! As fantastic - not to mention blasphemous - as that may sound, is not far off! Think about it - leaving behind whatever religious 'programming' you received, of course - "'is it such a fantastic notion after all? It can be as simple as choosing what socks or t-shirt to wear today & as complicated as choosing what to believe ( or not )! Do we not make all those choices, as well as every one between? Yes",one might say, "but sometimes, Life happens; where's the Choice in that?" No matter WHAT happens, the Power of Choice remains firmly with us! Not only do we have the choice, in the first place, to lessen or worsen the chances of something happening to us; once ( "if" ) that certain something DOES happen, we have the choice as to how, er even "whether" to respond. In fact, one might say, there is infinite number of ways in which we might respond!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

 

 

 

America's Independence Day; A History of Violence

PLEASE! Before y'all start throwing stones, first of all, remember that you live in a 'glass house', and secondly, just let me make this disclaimer; "I am NOT condemning America for rebelling against the tyranny of England, or Great Britain!" The War for American Independence, more commonly known as 'The Revolutionary War' began simply, to my understanding, as the American Colony's answer to the injustice of the British Empire, in particular, the unjust taxation of said colonies. Was America itself, or more precisely, 'The United States of America', just in waging war on their former countrymen, just because they happened to choose the 'wrong' side? Might there have been a better way to end the conflict? "IS Violence ( sometimes ) a 'necessary evil'?!" As the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence nears, let us see if we can answer these questions...........

In this blog, we have previously explored the notion that, whether we'd like to admit it or not, the American Empire ( for that is very arguably what we are ) is simply an extension of the British Empire, which itself is more or less an extension of the Roman Empire. ( "That may seem a bit of a leap, but bear with me!" ) The Bible - which I was brought up on - among other things, is a Tale of Empires. It seems that, almost from the inception of Israel as a nation, they were under the thumb of one empire or another, lastly, the Roman Empire. Interesting that a thousand or so years later, the land of Palestine - a battleground for the ages - was restored to the Jews ( Israel? ) by the British Empire. ( Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! ) The point IS; empires, no matter how large or small, rise & fall! "Why?" you may ask.................My answer is, "Because ANYTHING founded on Violence is, sooner or later, doomed to fall!"

 "Violence begets Violence", I always say! One of the reasons, if not the main reason that the United States of America ( USA, Inc ), not to mention almost the entire world of individual nations, has been at continuous, almost uninterrupted war for millenia is that one single act of violence can - and usually does - have a ripple effect, like throwing the proverbial pebble in a pond ( kinda like lying )!

On July 4th, 1776, as the official story goes, the 'Declaration of Independence' was signed by representatives of what was to become the United States of America. The actual story might reveal some different facts & supply a few 'missing' details, but for our intended purpose here, we will stick with that explanation. What happened next was a violent uprising later called 'the Revolutionary War'. This violent uprising was in response to, according to the 'official' story, "taxation without representation" ( 'Sound familiar? ). I would imagine that many or most people that might have an opinion on this subject would immediately say that, "yes", this act of violence was necessary, even justifiable. In fact, it would be hard to deny this reasoning, especially since it seems to be as plain as the nose on one's proverbial face that, sometimes, the only reasonable answer to violence is more & usually greater violence.  However, "Violence is NOT the answer": It is undeniably AN answer & while it seems to be the only answer that some people understand, the use of violence, "as above, so below", only begets violence!

It really goes without saying ( in other words, "it just makes sense" ) that when someone ( anyone ) answers violence with violence, sooner or later ( usually "sooner" ), it only engenders more violence, again, usually greater! I almost hate to mention this example, as it is SO controversial, but, even if you subscribe to the 'official' story, that foreign terrorists were behind the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon, these attacks came because........"Why?" The most immediate & glaring answer is "because the US. Inc. has been sticking their nose where it doesn't belong; in essence ( this is a LONG Story ) they have involved themselves ( thus the USA ) in the War that has disrupted the Peace of the Middle East for the afore-mentioned "millenia", some might say, "ever since biblical times". To the credit of certain leaders of the US. Inc, measures have been taken, previously, to withdraw the USA from the Middle East ( or parts of it anyway ), but, for one thing, we have seen how long THAT lasted & the effect it had; for two, it should be obvious that it was just another glaring example of "too little, too late". We should never have involved ourselves, as a nation, in their Conflict, but sadly, this is where the subject of Empire again rears its ugly head!

The British Empire, from which the American Colonies had gained an uneasy 'independence' not even 200 years prior, saw fit to 'liberate' the land of Palestine, in essence, wresting it, yet again, according to biblical history, from its original inhabitants & restoring it to its 'rightful' owners ( ? ). Whether this was right or wrong, a good decision or a bad one, might be left up to the individual, but I would like to be clear that, in my opinion, this was definitely NOT a good decision NOR was it right, for as a former Christian, even I understood that the Jews ( Israel, et al ) gave up their 'right' ( if they indeed had any to begin with ) to exist as a nation. 

The American Empire, which, as I claimed earlier, is "simply an extension of the British Empire" has not, until recently, tried their hand at empire-building beyond "making the world safe for Democracy" ( "whatever the hell that's supposed to mean!" ). I say "till recently", because, with our current president's talk of annexing all or parts of Canada, Greenland, etc., it would seem that we ( US. Inc. ) are following in the footsteps of our predecessor ( "who ain't dead yet!" )!  

"IS there a better Way?!" I'd like to think there is! Could those Colonists, those 'Rebels', have found a way to solve their conflict with their former countrymen that didn't involve the everlasting violence of all-out War? It's difficult to say, especially looking back at the situation from our modern point of view - "We weren't there!" I can only imagine how many peace-loving hippies are still out there, looking back with regret at the many, many armed conflicts that we, as a country, or even individually have taken part in! Not one veteran of any foreign war, I can guarantee you, even though they may have come home physically unscathed, has come home in one piece. You have no doubt heard the many horror stories about husbands, wives, sons & daughters that came home a totally different person, if they actually, truly came home at all. Admittedly, some may have figured how to leave the hellish horrors of War behind and fully return to their loved ones, but, as I've said before; "War is Hell!" It's hard to realize you're in Heaven if your life is one living Hell. 'Hard, but not impossible..................

So, to wrap things up; "No, Violence is NOT the Answer!" ( That much is clear ) But, what then IS the Answer?! The Answer is in YOU, my friend! You have the Power, the ResponsAbility to choose whether or not to fight Fire with Fire, or to simply walk away, to not only seek Peace, but to live, to manifest the Peace that is in you! "What then?" some might ask," should we just allow our rights to be trampled on?!"  Honestly, that sounds pretty Egoic to me ( mea culpa )! Allow me to pose THIS question in return; "Is it better to allow our fragile Ego to be hurt, or to continue the cycle of violence?" Our Ego is not a physical thing; if our feelers get bent, we don't suffer any physical harm, but if we return violence for violence ( "eye for an eye"? ) we may never see and end to the violence & the whole world might end up blind!

As we celebrate this coming weekend, then, please, PLEASE remember; we are NOT our 'Fathers'! Right or wrong, the rebellion they fomented & the violence they fostered have to end somewhere, somehow, sometime; Let it end with YOU ( okay, maybe not the "rebellion" part 1)!

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

  

The Christian Witch

One question that has been on my mind of late is, "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or maybe even better, "Can a Witch be a Christian?" In modern parlance, the answer might be a quick ( shuddering ) "Hell NO", while from the more spiritual ( not-so-religious ), the answer would likely be more affirmative.  Maybe more to the point though, is, "Why CAN'T a Christian be a Witch?" ( Or a Witch a Christian? ) Before we can answer THAT question however, we must definitively answer these; "What IS a Christian?" & "What IS a Witch?" To answer the latter question first, "What is a Witch?", we must first dispel a few errant notions. What might be called 'the Hollywood witch' is probably the most popular ( "familiar"? ) notion. Shows like 'Bewitched' & 'Sabrina, the Teenage Witch', among others are largely to blame for this one. Movies like, 'The Witches of Eastwick' & even Disney's 'Hocus Pocus' have served to promote this same image. From early times, witches have been described as 'wild women flying around on brooms, zapping their enemies with hexes'. These are NOT true Witches! First & foremost, to be a true Witch, One ( male OR female ) MUST possess an intimate knowledge of & relationship with themselves; secondarily, and leading FROM the first, this Person is intimately connected to our Blessed Mother Earth! Some might use the terminology, "Mother Nature", but really, both these monikers refer to the same Divine Being. Even the Christian Bible tells us that the Creator told Her, in Genesis 1:11 & 24, "bring forth"! However, speaking of the Christian Bible, another reason that most religious Christians would say that a Christian cannot be a Witch is that, most infamously, in Exodus 22:18, we read, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". If my readers care to click on the link attached to "witch" in this verse, they will see that, though the foremost ( Strong's ) concordance seems to fall right in line with even 'the Hollywood witch', further in, Gesenius' Hebrew lexicon simply tells us that the word speaks of prayer & worship! This then, brings us to the question, "To Whom do you pray? Who DO you worship?" That, or rather, "those" questions, could open a whole NEW can of worms! Secondly, "What is a Christian?" While admittedly, particularly in this day & age, "Christian" is a bit of an 'umbrella term', biblically speaking, it means 'disciple, or follower of ( the ) Christ'. In fact, the term 'Christian' was at first given as a derogatory term, as it simply means, 'little Christ'. ( among the majority of the religious elite of his day, Jesus was NOT very popular & therefore, neither were his followers ) Put simply, then, a Christian is a follower of Jesus, who was the Christ & One who espouses the principles he gave us!

So, again; "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or vice-versa. We, however, must ask yet another question; "Are we speaking of a spiritual Christian or a religious one?" "What's the difference?" One might ask. This is NOT a one-size-fits-all answer, but "a spiritual Christian is one who believes in God ( ? ), follows the teachings of Jesus, but does NOT feel the need to worship Him ( ? ) in a corporate assembly, or even follow the 'rules' that most religious Christians do". A religious Christian then, is one who follows, or at least aspires to follow, not just the teachings of Jesus, but all ten rules ( Commandments/Laws? ) outlined in Exodus 20, et al. Religious Christians range from simple ( ignorant? ) folk who think they need to follow a set of rules in a religious text that was written to & for an ancient people in an almost ENTIRELY different culture in order to be a good Christian, to one who, like the Pharisees, trusts more in their ability to follow a set of laws, than in the Lawgiver. Personally speaking & coming from a space where I USED to be one of these latter, other than the most obvious ( perceived ) reason that a Christian can't be a Witch ( as outlined in the first paragraph ), I have no issues with a Witch believing in God ( ? ), or a Christian practicing the Craft!

 "Who IS God?" ( Yet another question, I know! ) Again, we must return to the issue of the religious Christian versus the spiritual Christian. As before, I'm not claiming to speak for all, but a religious Christian would most likely immediately point to what the Christian Bible says on the subject. A spiritual Christian, on the other hand, while not necessarily disagreeing with what it says, knows by experience that "God", whatever form that may be, is not limited to, or defined by it, or the ancient Hebrew text on which it is however loosely based. Whether or not the Christian God is the true God, the Source of all Life, or just One of Many different perceptions of that Source, It is what It is! As the saying goes, "A Rose by any other Name smells the same"! Well, in this case, maybe that's not quite true............

I was recently reminded how the monotheistic religions, in particularly the Big Three ( Judaism, Christianity & Islam ) have been responsible, directly or indirectly, for the overwhelming majority of national conflicts, or Wars, around the Globe since the inception of Institutional Religion: this is not to say that every adherent of said monotheistic religions is warlike, just that many or most monotheists seem to be of the notion that, "if you don't recognize MY god, I don't recognize yours ( or YOU, in many cases )!" Pagans, on the other hand, no matter what culture they're from ( Asia to the Americas  ) recognize & worship many gods, all of whom are tangible, visible Powers in Earth & Sky, from the Sun & Moon to Mother Earth Herself!

Again, for a Christian to be a Witch, despite what the Christian bible says, is entirely possible! For a Witch to be a Christian is thus not outside the realm of possibility, though unless the Christian in question is more of a spiritual One & not one who follows the party line without hesitation, there might be a few issues that she or he would need to overcome. The main Issue, I would say that such a questioner would need to overcome is that of placing Ultimate Power in something outside themselves. This is not, of course, to say that there IS no Power outside ourselves, because each Individual has their own Power, of sorts; the point IS, though, that AS Individuals, we ONLY have the Power to direct our own lives: like a famous Bear once said, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" Taken literally, as so many religionists tend to do, one might think it's all up to them, but no; that's not what I am, or "he is" ) saying at all! Individuals, however aware or unaware they may be, have the Ultimate Choice; no matter the impact someone else's choice might have on us, we ALWAYS have a choice as to how we will respond ( if at all )!

Finally, it is difficult to argue with the notion of 'the Hollywood Witch', at least to some extent, because honestly, I would say that some of the things they do are not outside the realm of possibility! I have never done any in-depth study of such phenomena as telekinesis, for instance, but I HAVE heard that the average person uses about 10% of their brains capacity. Movies like 'Lucy" are no doubt very fantasmagorical, but what if there WAS just a bit of Truth there?! "Can people actually move objects with their Mind?" I've heard Stories; I'm sure all my readers have heard stories & whether we believe them or not, again, "It is what It is!" Just like God ( ? ), just like 'witches', just like 'Christians'!

 "THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!"

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles