One of my favorite things about autumn (and spring for that matter) is being able to have the windows open. I’m sitting here with a lovely fall breeze freshening the house and dusting off the air-conditioned funk that’s built up over the summer. Lest you think my house smells, it’s not a physical stink. It’s a spiritual stagnation brought about by enforced isolation from nature.

Here in Missouri, air conditioning is a necessity well into September. If it’s not oppressively hot, the allergens are so bad that filtration is a must. We don’t have to turn on the heat until November, typically, but then it stays on until late March or so and brings about the same dampening of spiritual energy.

I have not discussed paganism much in this blog, but it is a large part of my life. I don’t belong to a coven. I don’t call myself the High Priestess of the Concocted Mysteries, Third Degree. I don’t cast spells. I don’t even worship a specific deity. My faith is in nature, the sun, the stars, the moon, and in the great One that is above all the universe. Call it what you will, God, Allah, Buddha, Ceridwen, to me all gods are one and the One is all gods.

So, when I get too cut off from nature, my spirit wilts. No…I’m not a camper or an outdoorswoman. In fact, I’m far from that. My idea of camping is the Motel 6 and a hike is a walk around the block. But I still need to feel the breezes and hear them rustle through the trees. I need to taste the air before a storm and smell the freshness when it’s passed. I need to feel connected in my own small way. When I do, my spirit expands beyond the boundaries of my body and twines with nature in an ecstasy that’s impossible to articulate.

My religion…the church of open windows…

It seems to me that the more loudly a person espouses a particular philosophy of life, the more pressure they’re going to be under to live up to their own credo. This applies not only to the treatment they *accept* from others, but to the treatment they *bestow* upon others. This is why I choose not to have a grand, sweeping, one size fits all philosophy. I try to take things as they come, judge them individually and react accordingly as the situation demands.

I also don’t believe in asking the universe or a higher power to manifest anything in my life. I prefer to ask the powers for guidance on how to manifest those things for myself. A fine distinction, I realize, but one that’s important to me because then if things go wrong I only have myself to blame. I have come to believe that it is only in looking inward, rather than casting outward, that true change can be manifested.

The threefold law, karma, etc. seem to me to involve some sort of expectation. “If I do this, I will get this…” I don’t believe that. I believe it’s incumbent upon each individual to act as their conscience directs and most importantly, accept, internalize and learn from the consequences of their actions. For me, that means striving to treat every individual with decency and respect, offering amends when I fail, speaking the truth both internally and to others, and most importantly, attempting to refrain from expecting the same behavior from others as my values may not be theirs.

Life is all about the journey. About the trying, the striving, the changing and the growing. I can be perfect when I’m dead.

That’s my two cents. As always, I respect that others may walk a path more suitable for them.