What Makes Grass Grow Up Instead of Down?

In keeping with my fear of questionnaires, I grow very uncomfortable when people ask me about my spirituality, or to which faith group I belong.  Being asked whether or not I believe in God is no big deal, I do, but as for specifics, I find it hard to articulate just what it is I believe beyond the existence of a higher power.  I read quite a bit on the occult and on modern Paganism as well as older texts on world mythology and sacred writings from various groups and for the past few months I have had a really hard time focusing on anything in particular.  I'm not sure at what point I turned my back on a God that helps you out when you need it, but despite the trials of the past few years, I rarely prayed and instead sought strength from other sources.  It occurred to me some time ago that perhaps I might become a minister of some kind.  I eulogized both of my parents and felt I did a respectable job of it, but saying that I want to be a minister is a lot like saying I want to be an athlete and still being unsure of what sport I want to play.  In short, I felt an urge to help people and to talk to them.  To offer whatever comfort I could when the going got rough and to celebrate their good fortune.  As I've said, Humility has been my hallmark of late, and if this minister idea never comes into being it will be because I don't feel that I could ever be expert enough in the tenets of a particular faith to become a proponent of them, and I don't feel morally strong enough to live any kind of a completely circumspect life.  If it's one thing I don't want to be it's a hypocrite.  I don't want to be a hellion, either, but I wouldn't want to give someone substance abuse counseling while I had a hangover.  The following are bits and pieces on the common theme of the magic and mundane in daily life.

Gluttony

A woman came into the store looking for raspberry ketone.  We were sold out, as some television doctor had recommended it on his program, and I told her so, adding that we received new stock daily and should have more very soon.  She went on about what a wonderful thing the television doctor said this ketone was, and how much life her life would improve once she had it.  She said that one would have to eat several pounds of raspberries to get the amount of ketone they would get from one dosage of this miracle supplement.  "I couldn't eat that many raspberries." she said.  I was bored with her and her story at this point.  I said "I don't know, have you ever tried to eat that many raspberries?"  She straightened right up at this comment, turned her nose up into the air and said "Young man, that would be gluttony.  A sin." and she turned and walked away.  Later that afternoon I decided to have lunch at the chinese buffet and who should I see there but this woman, sinning her fool head off.

Tending the Fire

I was sitting around a nice warm fire on a cold night with good friends.  The fire was dying a little, but our desire to stay outside, enjoying one anothers company and conversation hadn't diminished a bit.  One friend told another to see about maybe raising a little wind to keep the fire going.  Being the obliging sort, the friend of whom the request was made stood and walked back a bit from the fire.  He took a knife from his belt and stood with his arms raised.  He was speaking, but I couldn't hear what he was saying.  He rocked back and forth and his eyes closed.  He threw the knife into the ground just at the outside of the fire pit.  In a moment a wind picked up, the fire grew, and we sat there lit by it's warmth long into the night.    

Cat-whispering

I'm not a cat person, but I imagine this is okay with most cats, as I've always felt that they have an inherent prejudice against me as well.  I doubt that when cats gather for midnight reveries that any of them look at one another and say, "You know, I'm really a person cat.  I just love people."  I've been living with two cats for a few weeks and for a while they were just something to trip over.  I'd pet them and their owners would hold them and tell them how cute they were but, really, it did nothing for me.  Last night, however, I made peace with one of my new housemates.  She sat looking at me through the window and for the first time I stopped and looked at her.  You know how a cats eyes can look at night when the light catches them just so?  How they can glow in an otherworldly fashion?  It's unnerving but her eyes looked like that for a while.  It thought it looked really pretty and when I came inside I petted the cat and told her so.  She said "Thank you".

Passage into Froghood

If you'll notice, on stormy nights on certain back roads, frogs will begin to congregate in the roadway.  I'm sure a biologist could explain just why  this happens, but I have my own theory.  I believe that this is a rite of passage for the young frogs of the frog tribe.  When the storm begins, the frog elders gather together the initiates and off they go to the road and in order to become fully accepted into frog society, the initiates must cross the road and return.  It is a test of courage, as frogs probably know all too well the danger of being smeared onto the pavement by passing cars and trucks.  At the end of the ceremony, the newly initiated frogs are welcomed fully into the frog tribe and gain all the privileges of adult froghood, for example, they can now choose a bride, own property, and vote.  Each initiation ceremony is ended with a celebration of the honored dead.  They shall not be forgotten.  

Courage

While a student in community college, I had a professor pose a question to the class for which I devised a very bright answer.  He asked what the difference was between folklore, mythology, and religion.  My answer was this:  "If your priest or pastor tells you the story, it's religion, if your grandparents tell you, it's folklore, and if your teacher or professor tells you, it's mythology."  I attributed this thought to Joseph Campbell, and for all I know he may have said something like it at some point, but the fact is I lacked the courage and confidence to submit this as my own idea.  I thought by attributing it to someone so much smarter than myself it would be more readily accepted.  I don't know why I do that sometimes.