Laughing Thunder Circle

A disorganized spiritual group

Welcome to the Circle of Laughing Thunder! The Circle is a Neopagan non-dogmatic spiritual group using meditation and shamanistic ritual to help us understand and relate to ourselves and the Universe around us.

What the heck does that mean?

Neopagan

Neopagan refers to the group of modern spiritual and religious practices that seek to revive the best and most useful ancient mythological and shamanistic ideas and practices. The term "Neopagan" is used to distinguish these modern practices from the paganism of ancient cultures or of cultures outside the modern mainstream civilization (such as Australian aboriginal tribes). In the context of modern practice, "Pagan" usually means Neopagan, and we will so use it here. (Mostly because I'm tired of typing "Neopagan".) Pagans draw from such sources as Celtic, Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology, medieval magical practices, American Indian shamanism, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, and any other useful source they can find. Some of the larger Neopagan groups are Wicca, Druidism, and Discordianism.

Ask one hundred people who identify themselves as Neopagans or Pagans what it's all about and you'll get one hundred different answers. (Possibly more). But a few basic concepts are common:

• Paganism includes deep respect for the earth and nature. Worship or veneration of nature deities is common. If Pagans believe in "sin", surely littering and polluting is near the top of the list. Rituals are often held outdoors, and coincide with lunar or seasonal cycles.
• Pagans are opposed to dogma and authoritarian approaches to spiritual and personal matters. There is little or no separation of clergy or laity. The Discordians proclaim that every man, woman, and child on Earth is a genuine and authorized pope.
• Pagans respect the female principle as much as the male one; goddesses are invoked as often (or more often) than gods.
• Paganism centers on experience, rather than on belief. One can be a Christian, Jew, Buddhist, agnostic, or atheist, and still be a Pagan.
• Music, art, and humor are valued. Especially humor. ("The human race will begin solving its problems on the day that it ceases taking itself so seriously." - Principia Discordia)

An excellent brief overview of Neopaganism is Eric S. Raymond's "Frequently Asked Questions about Neopaganism", which can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/paganism.txt.

Non-dogmatic

While Paganism in general is opposed to authoritarian dogma, and focuses more on experience than on belief, some Pagan groups are partially defined by questions of metaphysical belief. Outside of the core Pagan values described above, the Circle of Laughing Thunder doesn't require any belief or disbelief in any metaphysical dogma.

Spiritual

By "spiritual", we do not refer to any non-physical soul or other entity. Your spirit is your emotional and psychological center. Spirituality is about how you relate to yourself and the rest of the Universe; our purpose in the Circle is to enhance those relationships.

Meditation and Ritual

Some the spiritual tools we use are:

• Welcoming the directions helps keep us connected to the world around us.
• Mindfulness meditation comes from the Zen Buddhist tradition.
• Guided meditation is an exercise in mental visualization, towards a specific end.
• The ritual use of drumming and music circles is common to many cultures.
• Talking circles and pipe rituals create a sacred space in which we can share our thoughts and feelings.

Many, many other rituals are used for specific purposes. Anyone in the Circle can lead a ritual or mediation; we all take turns acting as leader, priest or priestess, or shaman.