In addition to being Litha and Yule today, if you live in the US, it’s also Father’s Day. Despite the fact that many modern Pagan paths are focused on the sacred feminine, I think it’s important that we acknowledge the part that males play in our lives. I have a dad, a brother, a husband, and a son. They all matter tremendously to me, and I’ve found that one can honor the feminine and yet still make room for the masculine in one’s life. I love the men in my life and I’m happy to honor them and celebrate them.

So for Father’s Day, maybe it’s time look at the duality of the universe, and celebrate the men we care about, and honor the traits that make us care so much about them. This ritual honors our guys, and welcomes the Horned God and other masculine energies into our lives: Celebrating Fathers

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One is one’s own protector, one is one’s own refuge. Therefore, one should control oneself, even as a trader controls a noble steed. – Buddha…

The Santa Rosa County School District is up to its butt in legal fees, following costs incurred when the American Civil Liberties Union filed a school-prayer lawsuit. The suit was filed in August 2008 on behalf of two high school students who said “school officials regularly promoted personal religious beliefs and led prayers at school events.”

In January, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the school, and in May school officials signed paperwork in which they admitted wrongdoing on the part of the district. They also promised at that time that school staff “would no longer take part in religious activities.” However, the principal and a district clerk were charged with violating the injunction and consent order, so now they’re facing contempt of court fines, in addition to legal fees stemming from the original lawsuit.

So far, the financially strapped school district has racked up almost $200,000 in legal fees of their own, and they could also be ordered to pay over a quarter of a million bucks to cover fees for ACLU attorneys.

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The good news is that lots of people got to visit Stonehenge for the summer solstice this past weekend. The bad news is that they left the place covered in litter. Over 36,000 people came to the sacred site on Salisbury Plain for the annual celebration, and local Druids are not happy about the mess. One said, “It is nice to see a lot of people here because there is no better place to learn about our culture and history… But it is upsetting to see so much litter, and some people can be disrespectful.”

There had been some controversy a few weeks back, regarding increased police presence. However, local authorities say the attendees were well behaved, with only two dozen arrests. Not bad at all for a crowd that size.

Anyway, the article doesn’t indicate whether the trash left behind was due to a shortage of garbage bins, or just people being lazy. My guess would be that it’s a combination of the two. Really, if you’re attending a public festival like this and you have garbage, you should be responsible enough to take it with you when you go home if there aren’t enough trash cans.

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Sheila Schuller Coleman, who has worked in the church for decades, will deliver occasional sermons and be the driving force behind Crystal Cathedral operations, including the ‘Hour of Power’ TV show.

She remembers being about 4 and, as her father worked in his study that doubled as a bedroom, hearing a knock on the front door. She answered and a tearful woman said, “Is the pastor here?”

Made wary by recent events, church leaders are turning to security companies for help and even asking members to carry guns for security reasons.

One Sunday in March, a man strode down the aisle of the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill., pulled out a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired at the pastor.

Former high-ranking executives tell a newspaper that church leader David Miscavige hit staff members and encouraged others to do the same.

The leader of the Church of Scientology struck subordinates numerous times and set an example for physical violence among the tightly controlled religion’s management team, four former high-ranking executives told a newspaper for a story published Sunday.

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance. – Buddha …

We have only to eliminate the ego-notion by succeeding in the difficult task of understanding that it does not exist except as a notion. – Why Lazurus Laughed by Wei Wu Wei…

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. – Buddha …