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THE RIGHT TO BE HAPPY

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photo art by bugdown

IF YOU HAVE HIDDEN ANGER INSIDE, IT MEANS THAT SOMEONE NEAR IS ATTACKING YOU.  THEY MAY BE HIDDEN FROM VIEW.  SOMETIMES THEY’RE IN PLAIN SIGHT.

DO THE FOLLOWING:

FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE.

THEN, HANDLE THEM SO THEY CAN’T HARM YOU.

OR, GET AWAY FROM THEM.  (OR BOTH)

YOU’LL KNOW WHO WHEN YOU START FEELING HAPPIER WHEN THEY’RE OUT OF YOUR LIFE!

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE HAPPY!

PAN-GOD OF THE WOODS

PAN – GOD OF THE WOODS

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“When Zeus still ruled Olympus, the face of Mother Nature was puerile, the bright blue sea and sky shined brightly in Her eyes.  Life, abundantly renewed, abounded from Her virgin womb. The myriad creatures flourished, safe and suckling on Her verdant breasts while fishes filled the pristine waters of Her world.

In those primal days, gods of ancientSumeria,Egypt,Greece,China,India, and many other civilizations of Earth, commanded extraordinary power over men.  Spirits were conceived to permeate all matter and space in the ancient world. The gods, however, were not much different than each of us as spiritual beings, except to the degree they were immortal, that is, free from having to inhabit a body. Mortals were condemned to repeat the cycle of birth and death and rebirth into carnal form. Release of the spirits of men from the endless cycle of reincarnation remains the ultimate goal of many world religions to this day.

Gods actively intervened in the affairs of Mankind.  Some made their presence known in the form of an animal, as an aura of light or scent, or as an apparition in nature.  More often, the gods pervaded the body and mind of a man or woman, either in a dream or simply by taking over their thoughts to carry out their plans.

Since the gods were seen to cause events, both natural and supernatural, they were intimately personified, widely idolized, and artfully glorified by men.  Aristocracy, citizens and slaves alike, sought the blessing or advice of the gods regarding marriage, travel, war, purchases, planting, harvesting, building, birth and death.  Every village, district and nation had its own retinue of gods.  A discreet traveler was wise to observe the rites accorded to the local deities and religious tolerance was widespread.

A vast number of myths or stories about the exploits of the gods have passed down to us through the generations of Mankind from nearly every society of antiquity.  Culturally, we have inherited tremendous works of art, poetry, literature, and tradition derived from human interaction with the immortals.  The pagan cultural tradition, religious beliefs, and practices associated with the gods still permeate our language, social and religious customs today.

With the advent of the Christian church 2,000 years ago, communication with the pagan gods was very heavily suppressed in Western civilization.  Priests had a vested interest in eliminating religious competition, by any means required, including, but not limited to lying, stealing, cheating, murder, mayhem, extortion, torture and blackmail. This included outlawing all pagan religions and the destruction of all pagan temples and schools throughout theRoman Empireby the decree of Emperor Justinian in the third century AD. As a result, general public attention to the pagan gods disappeared.

Yet, the gods are active, living beings, who may only appear to have disappeared! If any of the ancient gods are still around in the 21st century, what are they doing now?  If they are here now — still watching, still powerful, still immortal — where or how might we contact them? “

___________________________________________________

Excerpt from the Introduction to PAN-GOD OF THE WOODS, by Lawrence R. Spencer

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HOW EMBARRASSING TO BE HUMAN

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Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. — ( November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published 14 novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of non-fiction. He is most famous for his darkly satirical, best-selling novel Slaughterhouse-Five (1969).

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vonnegut attended Cornell University, but dropped out in January 1943 and enlisted in the United States Army. As part of his training, he studied mechanical engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee. He was then deployed to Europe to fight in World War II, and was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge. He was interned in Dresden and survived the Allied bombing of the city by taking refuge in a meat locker of the slaughterhouse where he was imprisoned. After the war, Vonnegut married Jane Marie Cox, with whom he had three children. He later adopted his sister’s three sons, after she died of cancer and her husband died in a train accident.

Vonnegut published his first novel, Player Piano, in 1952. The novel was reviewed positively, but was not commercially successful. In the nearly 20 years that followed, Vonnegut published several novels that were only marginally successful, such as Cat’s Cradle (1963) and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1964). Vonnegut’s magnum opus, however, was his immediately successful sixth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. The book’s antiwar sentiment resonated with its readers amidst the ongoing Vietnam War, and its reviews were generally positive. After its release, Slaughterhouse-Five went to the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, thrusting Vonnegut into fame. He was invited to give speeches, lectures, and commencement addresses around the country and received many awards and honors.

Later in his career, Vonnegut published several autobiographical essays and short-story collections, including Fates Worse Than Death (1991), and A Man Without a Country (2005). After his death, he was hailed as a morbidly comical commentator on the society in which he lived, and as one of the most important contemporary writers. Vonnegut’s son Mark published a compilation of his father’s unpublished compositions, titled Armageddon in Retrospect. Numerous scholarly works have examined Vonnegut’s writing and humor.