Revival

URANUS IN PISCES
Uranus, planet of eccentricity, appears to be going backwards (retrograde) through the sign of illusion and spirituality: Pisces. We may see a revival of faith in a unique way. With faith as such a personal aspect of life, it may not be revealed so overtly, but a chance conversation may open unusual doors.

Speaking of unusual doors, I slipping behind one last night into another world. I was present at what turned into a full gospel revival. For those who have read previous posts, you may be asking yourself, "Why would you attend such an event?" Well, I was actually working the event as a server, so I wasn't quite there as a guest. However, I wish I had had a notebook for the night. There were so many moments that I lost due to lack of note-taking.

Growing up in the Jewish religion, and not incredibly observant, I have had rare religious experiences that approach the level of last night. There was one instance in Indiana where I went with friends to their church. They were so excited about it that I couldn't resist. It was fascinating and somewhat uncomfortable. I have to admit that it felt a little cult-esque.

Last night, however, was a truly new experience. The stage was set for all kinds of performances and they appeared. There was an opening benediction and a few prayers that went with that. Everything was blessed in the name of Jesus and every song was dedicated to the Lord. There were Jesus songs, Jesus poems, Jesus comedy. People everywhere were praying, laughing, dancing, stomping, singing, crying. The entire room was filled with "a joyful noise," a cacophony I had never witnessed. My customers were in various stages of zeal. I saw a man dressed completely in pink pajamas dancing across from a 6'5, 350 lb. man, stomping and clapping.

It was complete immersion into another culture. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, where all of the rules are different, and you're trying to find your way. Everything made sense to those who knew the rules. It was incredible to see the bond people have with each other, almost tangible faith.

Definitely a night to open the mind and take a walk in someone else's shoes...or on water.

Wedded Bliss

SUN IN LEO
The basic planet of warmth is in its ruled sign, Leo, the sign of drama and creativity. This is when the bombasticism of life comes out in spades and people show their more domineering and aggressive sides. This is also when we see the more entertaining elements of life come to the forefront. Additionally, the sun is in the 7th House, the house of partnerships. Creativity and dramatics abound in our relationships such that we might see flare ups and passionate resolutions.

This past weekend, I attended my third wedding of this year. (There are seven in total. Hmmm, seven weddings, 7th house is the house of partnerships...and 2009=2 numerologically. Gotta love synchronicity.) This wedding was slightly different from the others. Well, all weddings are different, of course, but this had an added element of being my first lesbian wedding. Not only that, but an interfaith wedding on top of that - Jewish/Christian. Strangely enough, that seems to be a theme this year. Third wedding, and all three so far have been Jewish/Christian weddings. However, where the first two were Jewish/Italian, this one was Jewish/German.

It was a beautiful ceremony and very much tailored to the interests of the brides. It took place in a synagogue (somewhere I haven't been in forever), under a homemade chuppah. The chuppah was created through the efforts of friends. Each guest was given a square of fabric to design in any way that they saw fit (within reason, of course) and they were sewn together to create the chuppah. The music was chosen by the brides and it was untraditional and very poignant. I don't think I've cried so much at a ceremony in my life. (Yeah, I'm sensitive.) They kept my favorite Jewish tradition: the breaking of the glass at the end. My favorite explanation of this tradition is that love will last as long as it takes to put the myriad of pieces back together.

There was another cup used in the ceremony: the German wedding cup. Here is the tale as written in the program:

Legend says a young noblewoman fell in love with a goldsmith. Her father, who did not approve of the marriage, made the following proposal: "If your goldsmith can make a chalice from which two people can drink at the same time without spilling one single drop, you may marry him." Inspired by love and with skillful hands, the young goldsmith created a masterpiece which owon his beloved's hand in marriage.

The German wedding cup that the brides used was also used for the wedding of the brother of one bride. It was a lovely tradition that connected the family to the ceremony. While the brides were the focus of the wedding, of course, they made sure their friends and family shared a large part of the day. We all felt included in this public declaration of love. It was unique and powerful and I am happy to have been a part of it.

More weddings to come.

True Belief

MOON IN AQUARIUS
Emotions and idealism. A combo that could be wonderful or troublesome. The energy of Aquarius works through the lens of our darker personalities, those secret selves that we keep hidden from the rest of the world. The line between hope and fear is so blurred and interconnected that it becomes difficult to separate the two. We'll see reactions that are rooted in the way we think things should be rather than the way things are.

A friend of mine, who I've always admired for his faith and spirituality, recently wrote a note regarding faith and religion that I found fascinating. He writes:

"Has anyone gotten the feeling of their religion isn't really holding up to what it promised you in life?? I've been like that recently. All of the politics, hierarchy, and bureaucracy within the church is very sickening to me. Plus, another thing, who want to worship in a religion where the priests, pastors, and ministers tell you that you HAVE to do this or you are going to hell, or you won't get to heaven very easily that way.? How can an all-Loving God damn a person to hell?? Its unthinkable-- unfathomable!! Has anyone noticed how God changed from the Old Testament as a wrathful and jealous God, to the New Testament as a peaceful and loving God?? Yet the Bible says that God is neverchanging. I don't know how to take this information... The Bible is almost a book of contradictions... so can you blame me for being confused??"

An excellent point and worthy of an idealistic view of life falling short. Many people look to religion to explain, to relive the confusion, and offer comfort. When the base of a religion is so contradictory, it can be difficult for followers to draw comfort. Often, it's the rigidity of religion, the rules, that enable the loyalty. After all, children seek structure and though the allusion is unflattering, people do turn to religion out of hope and fear.

There are some wonderful things that religions of varying degrees and cultures have to offer. If there weren't, they wouldn't survive as long as they have. Yet faith is a very personal thing. People who share religions may not share exactly the same faith. Life experiences change the views slightly. Life is subjective, and though religion is supposed to be objective, the faith that accompanies it is not. We view religion through our own lens, just as Aquarius is being filtered through the moon, the most intensely personal of all planets. We are each individuals and explore faith in widely varied ways.

My friend goes on to say,

"Variety is the spice of life, and what better way to explore other beliefs than to actually experience them yourself! Besides, Life is about exploring different possibilities. As some of my Christian friends told me, every religion has some truth to it-- its just some believe they have more of the real truth than the other. I am going to do some exploring and find other great truths that I can find."

What a great suggestion. I grew up with Jewish heritage, but do my ideals and beliefs really represent Judaism? I wanted to find out, so I sought out a quiz online. I found one test that would ask questions and based on the answers would show how closely the beliefs aligned with various religions. My answers were as follows:

1.	Neo-Pagan (100%)
2.	New Age (96%)
3.	Unitarian Universalism (93%)
4.	Mahayana Buddhism (88%)
5.	Theravada Buddhism (76%)
6.	Liberal Quakers (73%)
7.	New Thought (72%)
8.	Secular Humanism (69%)
9.	Scientology (69%)
10.	Taoism (66%)
11.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (64%)
12.	Hinduism (55%)
13.	Reform Judaism (55%)
14.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (54%)
15.	Nontheist (49%)
16.	Jainism (46%)
17.	Orthodox Quaker (45%)
18.	Sikhism (43%)
19.	Baha'i Faith (33%)
20.	Orthodox Judaism (30%)
21.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (21%)
22.	Islam (19%)
23.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (16%)
24.	Seventh Day Adventist (15%)
25.	Eastern Orthodox (7%)
26.	Roman Catholic (7%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (4%)

How interesting to find that my own beliefs did not align so easily with the traditions that I grew up with. Out of 27 choices, Judaism show up halfway down the list. While the test is hardly perfect, it certainly shows a fascinating interpretation of ideas. So as my friend suggests, perhaps it's time to look around and see what the world (not just religion) has to offer. We can develop more ideas. As Chris Rock says in Dogma, it's better to have ideas than beliefs.

Religion is widespread, but faith is personal. Go exploring. You never know what you may discover.