Many people these days say: "I don't really feel 'religious'!" "It's never worked for me." "I don't really need religion." What? !?! News items: "North American's have never been more discontent with life." "Clinical depression at highest levels ever in N.A." "Mainstream religious belief on the decline in Canada."

the Semantics of "religion"... simplest form: Divine: a. Supremely good, beautiful, magnificent; b. Extremely pleasant, delightful; c. perfect Revere: To regard with awe Sacred: Worthy of respect; venerable. Worship: regard with ardent & adoring esteem & devotion. Goddess/God: A fe/male entity believed to be the source of life.

Part A In it's simplest form, life is easy to understand. There appears to be no mystical "divine" intervention: 1. Pure celestial (solar radiation) energy (hydrogen generated heat & light) penetrates and feeds mother earth and from this, all life as we know it exists. The earth is the single cauldron in which all hydrocarbon based life is formed. 2. Beyond this there is a need for "magick". It is the mother who gives birth, and it is the Divine Mother who gives birth to all earthly life. All life is born from Her Womb, pours forth out of the terrestrial cauldron? In this cycle there must be a male "other"- her equal. She is Above, transcending all, existing beyond and outside all things; He is Below, existing in, with, and through all things. In a sense, He, and we and the Universe, are all still within Her Womb, are all still in gestation and development. 3. All things on the planet ARE sacred. When we feel connected to life, it is easy to accept that plants and animals are living entities. We see them spawned, live and die. We see their life-cycle. Streams, rivers and oceans are living ecosystems as well. We have seen them get sick and die. Even rock "solid" mountains are living sacred things. They are birthed at the juncture of tectonic plates, they rise to their prime over millions of years, harbour, protect and nourish life in their bosom and then they erode back into Mother Earth's embrace.

Part B It is human nature to take care of that and those which we revere and feel connected to. Unless we put time aside regularly to appreciate and get close to nature and planet earth, we will continue to neglect and abuse her and all she has birthed. We need not practice the formalities of paganism or wicca in order to do so. In it's simplest form, naturistic panthesim is the practice of maintaining a close relationship within nature. It is holding all life and creation sacred. It is the belief that every plant, animal, stream, acorn, stone and pile of rich dark compost is sacred. One need only take a daily sentient walk, rain or shine, through a garden or along streets lined with plants & trees to maintain this important connection to the energy of life. Dynamic Energy