This Is Why I'm a Minister

There's lots of talk going around the blog-o-sphere about an article written by Deborah Castellano on Witchvox.com addressing Pagan Ministers. Evidently this writer thinks all Pagan clergy are out to make a buck and gain notoriety. Several Pagan clergy such as Lady Caer Morganna from The Wiccan Life have shown that Pagan clergy are not looking out for their own gain. As a matter of fact many Pagan clergy work for free.

I am ordained by the Universal Life Church. I sought ordination because I was doing a lot of spiritual counseling. My ordination protects me legally. I do not, never have, and never will charge for my services. Even if I were to start doing weddings, I would not request a fee. A donation would be nice, but not required.

I use to participate in the ULC.net forum often. I was on there almost all of my free time several years ago. It's where I offered my support, knowledge and love to anyone who needed it. Yesterday I checked the board, something I haven't done in a long time, and I replied to one post with just a link to information someone was looking for. But another long-time member saw my post and commented that they had missed me. I received this lovely email today, and it's certainly brightened my day and shows exactly why I am Pagan clergy. If gratitude is the currency of my ministry, then I suppose I'll gladly admit I'm in it for that payment!

One of my long term friends on the board, Rev. Dave, sent me this message today.

I don't know if I ever told you how much it meant to me when my granddaughter got scalded and you were the first one on these boards to offer, not only your moral support, but herbal advice, and help in knowing what to expect from DHS. You really helped us during a tough time. Thank you so much!

That is why I am Rev. Robin LC. To help others however I can. I don't want money, I don't want to "know it all." I do it because I have a need to help my fellow man.

I hope articles like Ms. Castellano's does not push people away who need help from Pagan clergy. Pagan clergy have a genuine desire to help people. We spend our time learning new things because we wish to be prepared in the event that knowledge would be useful in our ministry. Unlike mainstream religious ministers, we have people from all walks of life come to us. Not being educated on other faiths could be the difference between talking someone off a ledge or not being able to help.    

Reflection Of Me

“When you're a beautiful person on the inside, nothing in the world can change that about you. Jealousy is the result of one's lack of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-acceptance. The Lesson: If you can't accept yourself, then certainly no one else will.” ― Sasha Azevedo

 

  One of the pivotal times in my life is when someone said these words to me. I remember I was sitting in my living room crying over something. I don't remember why I was crying but my husband (At the time we were not even dating) came in and he saw me before I could hide my tears. Of course he asked what was wrong and eventually got me to admit I didn't feel beautiful and had little self-worth. Then he said, "Robin, if you don't love yourself no one else will. You should be the most important person to you." 

Those words really changed my life, because before then I had always measured my self worth by how others treated me. Since most people treated me like a mangy stray dog, needless to say I really had a low opinion of myself. 

Looking back now, I can't believe the person I was back then. I just want to scream at that version of me to hold her head up. Don't apologize so much. Believe in yourself! I want to hug that version of me and tell me it's OK to be different. 

Many Pagan teens go through this. There's a point in their life where its more important to be with the crowd than against it. So I just want to remind those who may be going through something similar to hold your head up and love yourself first. Only when I began to love myself, did I find love in another.  

In Readers La La Land

Sorry I've been so quiet this week. It's not that I haven't had thoughts about writing. Actually I've been thinking about various topics all week. I was listening to one of my favorite book series all week long. Ever get so into a book that the rest of the world just falls away? Well I'm like that when reading or listening to a book. I get irritated when the world encroaches and I have to stop reading for awhile. I'm still not done listening, but the oldest kiddo is here and some of the scenes aren't for tender ears so I'm taking a short break. I'm listening to the Meredeth Gentry series by Laurell K Hamilton. I absolutely love this series. My favorite leading man is Frost. I'd love to have his silver hair cover my naked body!

I've been thinking about my own novel and my hunky men. When I first began the story I called them Gods, and indeed they have some God-like powers. It didn't seem to fit so I began to call them Guardians for a lack of a better term. Eventually I hope I find the right term so I can replace it. But so far nothing better has come to mind. I mean they do Guard humanity from evil. But that's not all they do. Their kind of like the spiritual police. Eventually I'll figure it out. I'm just horrible at writing with any kind of deadline. Thankfully I don't do this for a living! Though it would be awesome if I could.

Speaking of books, have you entered my Blog giveaway yet? NO?! Why not? The book is awesome. Find out the details in my Giveaway post. I have decided that I will sign the book before sending it on to its new owner. I do hope that it can make its rounds in the bogging community. It would be lovely to see how far it goes.

How has your week been? Anything exciting or productive to report?

Blog Giveaway! And The Winner Is....

Welcome to my very first blog party giveaway! Yay!
*Happy dance* 

A few months ago Magaly from Pagan Culture gave away Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I was the happy winner of that giveaway. I've read and loved this awesome book. But I know there are a lot of other readers out there wanting to read more of Ms Kenyon's lovely Dark-Hunter series. So I've decided to pay it forward.

To win this book you can enter by:

1. Blogging about this giveaway. Make sure to leave a message in the reply below with your blog link. 
2. Visit my Review of Retribution and leave me a message.
3. Like my Facebook page and share any of my posts you like on your personal Facebook page or group. 

Make sure you leave me a message on this post letting me know you've completed all three entries!

Giveaway ends in two weeks (April 22nd)

Good luck!

 The winner is...

Sandi! Please Email me your shipping details. :) Congrats and thanks to all who entered.

PBP: Inner Peace

Going simple this week.....

Inner Peace

What is it?

How do you achieve it?

Keep in mind, every one's answers will be different, that's what makes us human after all... So please, visit your fellow bloggers' posts with an open mind and heart.

Well I think the first sentence has it right. Keep it simple to achieve inner peace! Inner peace to me is figuring out what you absolutely need in life and weed out the rest of life's clutter. So I may really have liked that old high school friend, but if she only ever brings drama into my life, she's not worth the friendship to me anymore. I know a lot of people believe you should stick with a person through thick and thin no matter what. But if that person becomes toxic to me, they just have to go. I'm sorry, but this is my life and I love myself enough to know my happiness must come first.

De-stress. If you can't change it, don't worry about it. Give the problem up to the Lord & Lady and let them worry about it. If you can't or won't do that, at least take life one day at a time. Take steps to reduce your stress such as yoga and meditation.

Make one day a week all about pampering yourself. Or if your married, pampering each other! In our lives we get so busy with what we have to do that we forget to make time for what we want to do. I know our finances have a lot to do with this as well. Put aside a fund for entertainment. Don't short change yourself! All that hard work means nothing if you don't get to play once in awhile. Just because your a grown up doesn't mean you have to stop playing like a child. You just have to learn to balance responsibilities with playtime.

Be creative! Well duh! This is like Salem's advice 101. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a project. Find a hobby you enjoy. Even if you know nothing about how its done, take classes, search the Internet for tutorials, find some way to learn!

That brings me to another point, never stop learning! Do research. Even if its just a random word in your Google search bar. I find it fun to search for odd things like Sasquatch or learn about history. You'll be amazed at what you can find out there!

And a good old fashioned walk in the park or woods certainly puts me at peace! :)

Blessings, Love & Light

SWC

Charging for Psychic Readings

Today I came across a negative comment about a psychic charging for her services. I know there is a lot of opinions about whether psychics are real and whether the ability to do psychic readings should be considered a gift or a service. This post is of course just my opinion, so your going to have to decide for yourself. Bottom line is this, no one forces you to get a psychic reading.

When you go to a psychic you should be completely aware that not all psychics are created equal. The "quality" of your reading will depend on several factors such as the psychics personal ability, training, and even what's going on in the readers life at the time. Many psychics find it difficult to do readings if they are ill or there is something distracting going on in their life. A good reader will recognize when they are not up to doing a good reading and refuse to provide this service until the problem is solved.

In regards to charging for a reading, many people when they see psychics charging automatically assume a psychic is just out to get your money and that their a charlatan. Well if they are charging hundreds of dollars this might be true. But let me ask you this, would you like to be charged for a service you provide? I'm sure you would. Psychics spend their time and energy to find the answers for you. They are just the conduit to the spirit world. That energy flow is exhausting, especially when the psychic is doing a psychic fair. Bottom line is its a service. One that you are not forced to buy. So if your against paying for a reading, don't. But don't automatically assume just because someone charges a small fee for a reading that they are frauds. At the very least consider it time spent with a friendly ear who is willing to let you vent your problems and weigh in on what you can do about it. You pay a lot more for a therapist!

Callista & Logan: My Steamy Writing

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