Horoscope for August 15-21

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

Aries (March 21st - April 20th)
You and a partner may share a dream of home, family, and increased financial security this week. If you are single, a dream of finding the perfect partner could drive you to increase your income. The planets are giving you strong creative manifesting power that enables you to imagine what you desire and bring it into reality. For Rams wanting to conceive a child, the first two days of the week are an ideal time to try. An urge for change may be directed toward your career or home, but it may be something new inside you that wants to be expressed. Friends may mean well when giving you advice, but they can also confuse or limit you. Follow your own heart.

Taurus (April 21st - May 20th)
Your world will expand from the comfort of your own home this week, Taurus. Social networking and the Internet could be ways that you meet new people and learn new things. Your personal warmth, charm, and sense of humor are fired up by the glow of the sun, Venus, and Mercury, making you a magnet for attention and increasing your desire to be surrounded by kindred souls. You may also be dreaming of a new home or getting ready to move. Your self-esteem is getting a good boost, as well, because your communication skills are in high demand. A piece of you is happily watching seeds of your future being sown now and, in your quiet moments, you wonder what fruit those seeds will bear. Watch that you don't commit to more work than you can handle at the end of the week.

Gemini (May 21st - June 21st)
"How can I make more money?" may be on your mind this week, Gemini. Creative ideas are going off like fireworks and you are willing to talk and promote yourself now. Trust your own instincts in business rather than the voice of establishment or anyone who tells you something can't be done. You do have a guardian angel, spirit guide, or an inner wisdom that only laughs at "No way" right now. A financial investment in yourself could bring a change in you that shifts your energy and allows you to accept fame, popularity, and greater success. Making money can become a game where you joyfully see your money grow rather than a chore you dread with diminishing returns.



Cancer (June 22nd - July 22nd)
Your energy output is high this week, Cancer, as you push to increase your income. The desire for more money or career growth connects you with more people. The more people you connect with, the more energy you pick up from others. Being a sensitive, emotional water sign, you know that you need to do an occasional boundary check and some energy balancing and clearing work. This is especially important now while you are more socially active or traveling to new environments. Home is always your refuge, so keep it serene and clutter-free to make the most of what little time you spend there this week. A change in your career plans or work schedule, or that of your partner's, may cause a touchy adjustment phase for a few days. Don't fall for an ideal or an image when it comes to an investment of your money. Ask to see facts and figures before making any big purchase or investment.

Leo (July 23rd - August 22nd)
A re-commitment to a business plan, along with some revisions, is possible this week, Leo. You may have lost sight of your goal or what you want to create has changed. In work matters, you may shock co-workers, customers, or the boss with a new mindset or experimental methods. You are willing to try anything wherever you feel discontent or stagnant energy because any change feels better than treading water. There is some fogginess or confusion in the realm of romance. Venus, Mercury, and the sun all in your sign may have you too centered on yourself and your partner may wander or tire of hearing you talk so much about yourself. It is also possible that you just see the things that you want to see in a relationship or have unreal expectations. Whatever the case, look twice and appreciate what you have. Follow the old Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," in all your interactions this week. "Walk a mile in their moccasins," is another apt adage to keep you humble and kind.

Virgo (August 23rd - September 22nd)
Many things are happening for you in the subconscious or dream state, Virgo. You are coming to the end of a yearly cycle and preparing for a new one that is approaching. Periods of rest, retreat, and review blended with creative anticipation of the future are necessary to stay calm and stress-free. Wonderful connection aspects are in place now that can deepen existing relationships or help you find new friends or a lover who shares your same values and tastes. One such meeting may require you to step out of a comfort zone and do something new or make a decision about someone without investigation, thought, or review. Trust your intuition and body signals for correct choices. Trip planning or sales work may also be a big part of your week.

Libra (September 23rd - October 23rd)
A powerful work/money/business/career day happens for you this Monday, Libra. If you are applying for a job, starting a business, making a presentation, or having to make a strong impression in any way, the planets are behind you 100%. I hesitate to say that all this support can ward off the notorious Mercury retrograde effects on new endeavors, but if you can't wait until the end of August, do it Monday. Mercury retrograde can be a good time to renew, rework, or reintroduce something, in which case, Monday may make the second time the charm on an old project or plan. A group or public announcement, popularity, and demand for your product, service, or presence comes on the heels of Monday's launch. A bittersweet aspect may cause confusion if you are feeling like "more than friends" about a friend who just wants to be friends. If you have a mate, you may want more space and time with your friends than one-on-one now. The week ends with a possible major business or career success.

Scorpio (October 24th - November 21st)
The extremes of love can fuel your creativity this week, Scorpio. Your sign already feels the high and low, light and dark, sorrow and joy in everything as part of your perceptive, emotional nature, but the current planets are exaggerating the awareness of polarity. Meditating on the yin-yang symbol may help you feel balanced now. Creative and artistic, Scorpios can make good use of the energy of ardent desire and wistful longing in their charts now. Both in work and in love, there may be something that feels like it falls short of the mark or is not quite how you want it to be. Keep in mind that Scorpio is never happy when something comes too easily. In fact, the more challenging or dangerous something is, the more fascinated Scorpio becomes. Family may not like extra hours you spend on work now, especially if they have become accustomed to having you around most of the time. Parents who are back to a full-time schedule after spending summer vacation with their children may be sad school is resuming.

Sagittarius (November 22nd - December 21st)
Make no big money moves or changes this week, Sagittarius. Keep everything in the planning stage and use this week to get information, ask questions, and get honest testimonials or experienced advice. If you have children, they may require an outlay of more than you anticipated for back-to-school needs. This entire week involves errands, chores, and taking care of the details of daily living. Friends or an organization may be a source of more business or support for you. Instead of thinking something you want is unobtainable, why not be open to creative ways to receive what you want? A neighborhood yard sale, barter, or trade ad may help you manifest what you desire. Keep up an attitude of positive expectancy and gratitude for what you already have to help you receive more and spend less.

Capricorn (December 22nd - January 19th)
Although we may still have some warm weather ahead, there is already a hint of fall in the air, Capricorn. Your sign is partial to crisp air, flannel shirts, wool sweaters, and leather boots. Many business-oriented Capricorns really get into the whole power business suit thing, which looks much snappier in the cooler months than in the hot, humid summer. Just like your sister earth sign, Virgo, is beginning to feel the approach of a new cycle, you are feeling the approach of a season that suits you well. Winter is your season of new beginnings, but fall is a harvest time and mustering of your mental and physical energy for a last great effort before you close out your year. The planets highlight communication and all kinds of relationships now, which help you push your plans forward. Mercury retrograde, Venus, and the sun help you go over business plans and long-term financial goals. If you, your family, or your partner must make adjustments, you can implement changes this week, but not without some fuss, perhaps!

Aquarius (January 20th - February 18th)
Working on yourself, your mind, and your beliefs about yourself and life in general is the true work of your week, Aquarius. There is an episode of the SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon where SpongeBob and Patrick decide to have an opposite day. This week, any time you catch yourself in a negative thought or situation, declare the exact opposite to be the case instead. The power to overwrite old programs in your subconscious and install an effective new mindset is within you, but you must set the intent. A lost-in-space feeling is possible as you tap into the un-you, new-you, or alter-you. Trying to identify who you really are isn't easy now because your mind is building new form and structure at a rapid rate and you are trying to catch up. Home improvement, self-improvement, and a peek into your hidden aspects through interactions with others is what your week is all about.

Pisces (February 19th - March 20th)
If you need to make a stand or a presentation, Pisces, Monday and Tuesday are your best days of the week to make an assertive move and get what you want. A personal makeover, new wardrobe, or a new health regimen can give you the energy and confidence you need to be effective at work, especially if you are self-employed. The only difficulty present for most Pisces now involves friends, groups, or an organization that are non-supportive, outright obstructive, or no longer aligned with your own personal values. If it is money you seek from a bank or other traditional backer, you may find your request is considered too extreme or risky or your plans for the money don't meet with the lender's approval. You may have to find alternative means of raising cash and you have the creative skill to do this. The second pitfall to avoid is feeling too small or inexperienced to do so. Courage to try and faith in your ideas can make all the difference.

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Astrological Trends for August 15-21

Cross-posted from Aloha Astro

A polite and sensitive mood sets the tone for the morning of Monday, August 15th, as the moon in the mutable water sign of Pisces forms a quincunx to Saturn in the cardinal air sign of Libra. This combination of mental refinement and spiritual sensitivity enhances social interaction, romance, and all forms of artistic expression. The moon sextile Jupiter in the fixed earth sign of Taurus helps bring plans into being and creative ideas into material form, as well as improves overall optimism and attitude. Mars, the planet of action, in the cardinal water sign of Cancer sextile Jupiter in Taurus gives the power of material manifestation another boost. With Mars and Jupiter supporting each other, you have the energy to act and the stamina to follow through. Mars in Cancer also opposes Pluto in the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn until noon, indicating there may be some resistance to overcome or difficulties to work out as you move through the morning, but a supportive sextile between Pluto in Capricorn and Chiron in Pisces means that where there is a will, there is a gentle or fruitful way to be found. Unfortunately, the long-term square aspect between volatile Pluto in traditional Capricorn and unstable Uranus in the cardinal fire sign of original Aries is still creating strong resistance and reaction whenever something new attempts to replace the old. The effect of this square aspect may be more noticeable on a global level, but if you would like to know how it affects you personally, you must look to see what houses, or areas of life, Pluto and Uranus are transiting in your own natal chart. Neptune has left the water sign of Pisces and re-entered the fixed air sign of Aquarius while it is retrograde. I feel this may bring spiritual or religious issues to the forefront in the news. Mercury retrograde in the fixed fire sign of Leo is joining Venus and the sun, exactly conjunct in Leo. This creative, energetic, passionate fire can make old things new and bring renewed joy into whatever area of your chart Leo resides. Second chances and trying again are especially likely to be happily successful under this influence. The moon/Saturn quincunx is gone by early evening and a peaceful, unaspected Pisces moon continues to shine on your evening. Pisces loves to dream and escape. Everything takes on a rosy glow or is felt more deeply. Spend the evening rekindling romance with a partner or indulge in your own favorite special treat - a glass of wine, a movie, a good book, a massage?



Imagination meets creativity and romance meets passion on Tuesday, August 16th, when the moon in the sensitive water sign of Pisces forms a dynamic quincunx to the sun, Venus, and Mercury in Leo until mid-afternoon. If it feels good, do it! If you can imagine it, create it! Sometimes too much of a good thing can be great, so let your cup runneth over and worry about other things later. Everyone needs to feel young again sometimes. Early this evening, the Pisces moon forms a mild semi-sextile to its planetary ruler, Neptune, in the fixed air sign of Aquarius, stimulating romantic thoughts or the writing muse. Energy shifts noticeably when the moon enters the cardinal fire sign of Aries later this evening, joining erratic and electric Uranus. After the peaceful vibe of the Pisces moon, a jolt of Aries fire mixed with some electrical tingle feels like a double shot of espresso. You may need to burn off physical energy through exercise before the evening ends or you will toss and turn in bed tonight.

Expect the unexpected the morning of Wednesday, August 17th, when the moon in Aries joins Uranus in Aries and forms a challenging square to both Pluto in the cardinal earth sign of Capricorn and Mars in the cardinal water sign of Cancer. Emotional responses to change or new ideas could be dramatic or extreme. At midday, the Aries moon forms a gentle semi-sextile to Jupiter in Taurus, which brings the Jupiter/Mars sextile into play. I see this aspect as "right makes might" in any potential conflict. The integrity of Jupiter in Taurus cannot allow any negativity or wrongness to win. Early this evening, the moon draws away from unsettling Uranus but enters an opposition to Saturn in Libra, which can put a strain on relationships, especially with the moon/Mars square creating a feeling of neediness or a tendency to quarrel. The Aries moon may lead some couples to have a finger-pointing session full of criticism now. The ornery square between the moon in Aries and Mars in Cancer fades by later this evening, but the moon/Saturn opposition suggests that you still tiptoe cautiously around other people, especially your partner. People may be more polite and less defensive, but they may still need time to cool off if their temper has flared.

Begin your own outstanding tasks and delegate work that needs to be done by others on Thursday, August 18th. The moon in the cardinal fire sign of Aries is free of any major aspects until lunchtime, when the moon forms a favorable trine to Mercury in Leo, which can help you stay on-task and communicate well with others. This is an excellent time to look at projects that have been lingering and get them done with the help of others. As the afternoon progresses, the moon also aspects the sun and Venus in Leo - even more support for creative endeavors and cooperative projects - as long as people follow the leader. This evening may be extremely passionate for lovers, exciting for adventurers, lucky for gamblers, and successful for athletes who compete to win.

The impossible can become very possible, or at least highly probable, on Friday, August 19th, as the moon in the fixed earth sign of materialistic, practical Taurus forms a supportive sextile to inspirational Neptune in futuristic, inventive Aquarius. Believe you can do something and put one foot in front of the other. Keep it up until you get the results you want. Affectionate Venus in ardent Leo opposes distorting Neptune in detached Aquarius now, which can make romance squirrely. Too much ego/too little attention, too many demands/too little independence, misunderstood meanings/hurt feelings are all possible combinations. Now may not be the best time to demand a state of the relationship talk with your mate, nor is it the best time to look for a new partner. At noon today, the productive Taurus moon forms a favorable trine to powerful Pluto in success-oriented Capricorn and a supportive sextile to healing Chiron in Pisces. Practical solutions, profit, and a sense of security and safety prevail. The moon in Taurus joins abundant Jupiter later this evening, making the afternoon and evening an excellent time to shop for major appliances, furniture, or property. You will receive good value, durability, and pleasure with your purchase, but please wait until the end of the Mercury retrograde period at the end of August before buying a vehicle of any kind.

Family activities are favored on Saturday, August 20th, as the moon in the pleasure-loving earth sign of Taurus joins generous Jupiter. Together, the moon and Jupiter form a supportive sextile to Mars in the family-minded, emotional water sign of Cancer. The moon and Jupiter are also quincunx to steady Saturn in the relationship-minded sign of Libra. A picnic or dinner with friends and family is one of the best ways to make use of this energy, which says "food, family, friends." Mars in Cancer does form a challenging square to Saturn in Libra, which means not everyone present at a gathering shares the same opinion about everything (when do they ever?), but Saturn in Libra keeps people polite and the Taurus moon keeps them kind and tolerant. Later this evening, the moon/Saturn quincunx fades and the Taurus moon squares Mercury in Leo. Send your guests home or leave the party before the Taurus moon/Leo Mercury square takes effect tonight. Guests who overstay their welcome or overindulge in food and drink may become belligerent or offensive. Please don't increase the risks of a Mercury retrograde period by drinking and driving this evening.

Sunday, August 21st, may be the most uncomfortable or difficult day of the week due to a T-square aspect pattern that dominates most of the day and a shifting of the planet Venus from the fire sign of playful Leo to the mutable earth sign of "just-so" Virgo. The morning begins quietly with the moon in the late degrees of Taurus making no major aspect to another planet until lunchtime, when it enters a square to the sun in Leo. A T-square is in place for the remainder of the day involving the moon in Taurus, sun and Venus in Leo, and Neptune in Aquarius. You may feel thwarted in any attempt you make to see your ideas manifest on the material plane and you may have too much attachment to things being done your way to even consider any other options while this T-square is in effect. Early in the afternoon, Venus moves from Leo to the mutable earth sign of Virgo while still locked into the T-square. You may develop tunnel vision as you look for loopholes and ways to get what you want or begin to collect detailed reasons why it has to be done your way. This evening, the T-square continues, but the moon leaves the earth sign of Taurus and enters the mutable air sign of Gemini. This is the beginning of the breakdown of the locked horns, stuck situation, or impasse. A Taurus moon is stubborn and unyielding, but a Gemini moon is open to new ideas and creative possibilities. By tomorrow morning, the energy of today will be forgotten as the moon in Gemini brings new ideas and opportunities.

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The Stepford President?

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Days after the incarceration of polygamist Warren Jeffs, the Biblical view of marriage is in the news again. Michele Bachmann has put the issue front and center and not even because of her well-known opposition to gay marriage. During last night's debate in Iowa, columnist Byron York attempted to hold her feet to the fire over anti-feminist views that would seem to disqualify her for the presidency. Bachmann is on record as being a "submissive" wife.

At issue is a speech she gave in 2006 when she explained God's handiwork in her life path.

In a speech at a mega-church in the Minneapolis area back in 2006, Michele Bachmann explained her decision to pursue tax law. It wasn't her choice, exactly. God had already told her to go to law school; God had also told her to marry a fellow named Marcus Bachmann. Now Marcus told her "to go and get a post-doctorate degree in tax law." This was not a particular desire of Michele's ("Tax law? I hate taxes!"), but she was certain God was speaking through her husband.

"Why should I go and do something like that?" she recalled thinking. "But the Lord says, 'Be submissive wives; you are to be submissive to your husbands.'"

The audience booed York's bold act of journalism as he attempted to address the incongruency between being a submissive wife and the leader of the free world.

Bachmann obfuscated.

"Thank you for that question, Byron," Bachmann responded with a wry smile. "Marcus and I will be married for 33 years this September 10. I'm in love with him. I'm so proud of him. What submission means to us, it means respect. I respect my husband. He's a wonderful godly man and great father.

"He respects me as his wife; that's how we operate our marriage," she continued. "We respect each other; we love each other. I've been so grateful we've been able to build a home together. We have wonderful children and 20 foster children. We've built a business and life together, and I'm very proud of him."

And fundamentalist leaders parsed.

"She answered it the most appropriate way in the context it was being asked. She was being asked a deeply theological question in front of millions of Americans," said Gary Marx, the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. "That's why there was such a strong and visceral booing over the very premise of the question."

. . .

"Most evangelicals know it's not easy to teach in a 30-minute sermon on Sunday. It's impossible to answer in a minute sound bite. Her answer about respect is the only one that can be given," he said.

I can think of another reason why the audience may have booed; because it's an incredibly uncomfortable question that forces modern-day fundamentalists to deal with the cognitive dissonance between what scripture actually says and what they'd like it to say.

CNN's interview with Dr. Alduan Tartt is quite telling. He begins by explaining that "all women" have to answer that question because they have to wear "two hats": wife and career woman. He doesn't  mention how many hats working husbands have to wear. Tartt then misstates the relevant scripture as describing mutual submission between husbands and wives. It says nothing of the kind. It says only that husbands must love their wives; not submit to them. From there he battles a straw man argument about the scripture being misinterpreted as meaning wives must submit to abusive husbands who aren't appropriately expressing God-like love.

The scriptural passage in question is one of those that I stumbled on during my born-again phase and said, what the...

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, " ~ Ephesians 5:21-26

The first phrase about submitting to each other is part of a long list of exhortations to all the Ephesians on how to behave in faith. It doesn't pertain to the husband-wife relationship. The rest is fairly clear. The husband is God's representative in the household, the wife should submit to him as she does to God, and husbands should be loving and protective. There is no gender equality in that scenario. It's entirely hierarchical (patriarchal) with God at the top and women at the bottom. To claim otherwise is sad and desperate.

Marcus Bachmann's brother laid it out fairly clearly in a recent Washington Post article.

Dr. Bachmann’s influence on his wife is an article of faith within the family.

“He is her godly husband,” said Peter Bachmann, Dr. Bachmann’s oldest brother, who lives on the family dairy farm across the eastern border in Wisconsin. “The husband is to be the head of the wife, according to God.”

He's right in the sense that if you believe the Bible is the word of God, it's pretty darn clear who's where in the pecking order.

This whole discussion puts me in mind of a discussion I had with my born-again friends in high school as to how there can be female pastors if women have to silent in the church.

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law." ~ 1 Corinthians 14:34

My friends argued that it was one of those scriptures that was appropriate to a particular time but no longer really apply. This always seemed to fly in the face of the literal Biblical reading that fundamentalism calls for. It's either the irrefutable word of God or it isn't.

That scripture also came to mind when I noted that Bachmann had made her speech about being submissive to Marcus in a mega-church. Silent in the church she is not. But that's far from unusual amongst female fundamentalists.

The more frightening thought is that Bachmann wasn't being a hypocrite when she claimed to be submissive to her husband as the Bible demands. Although I sincerely doubt she's in serious contention for the presidency, how would that work? Would Marcus be sitting in on all the meetings with other heads of state or the Joint Chiefs? People won't be voting for her husband. They'll be voting for her. I don't think anyone wants the first First Husband in US history to be the one calling the shots.

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Religious Abuse

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Warren Jeffs was carted off to prison on Tuesday after being sentenced to life plus 20 years. He will not be eligible for parole until he's 100 years old. While I'm gratified that there is some measure of justice and that he will be precluded from directly harming anyone else, what's left of his life will never balance any great scale. He has stolen the childhoods of what is probably an unknown number of children. And, unfortunately, his incarceration is unlikely to stop the cycle of abuse in the church that still considers him a leader and prophet.

Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs, to his followers a prophet who speaks directly with God, is likely to continue to lead his church from behind bars after being sentenced to life in prison on child sex assault charges.

"The vast majority are just not going to leave," Atlanta-based polygamy historian and writer Ken Driggs said. "They've got family ties and marriage ties and a culture deeply rooted in their faith."

. . .

There was no mass exodus in 2007 after Jeffs' conviction on Utah sex assault charges. Most members remained loyal. As he spent almost five years in various jails, Jeffs continued to spiritually direct the faith, counsel followers and lead Sunday services by phone.

Elissa Wall, whose forced marriage at 14 to her 19 year old cousin formed the basis of the Utah case remains hopeful that his conviction and incarceration in Texas will spark some transformation in the church and lifestyle she escaped. But she admits that most are too thoroughly indoctrinated.

For those who have questioned why James Arthur Ray still has passionate defenders even after his conviction for cooking three people to death, witness the ardent followers of Warren Jeffs, a convicted child molester.

I was contemplating some of the similarities between these two men a few days ago when I read this blog post on Warren Jeffs's abuse of religious authority.

But as a religious leader myself, there is another aspect to the Warren Jeffs trial that I find particularly disturbing, one which has not received much media attention, overshadowed as it has been by Jeffs's horrendous sexual exploitations. That issue is the way in which Jeffs manipulated power -- specifically religious power -- in order to harm those entrusted to his care. One might term this kind of mistreatment religious abuse.

Religious abuse, as Jack Watts explains it, is "the mistreatment of a person by someone in a position of spiritual authority, resulting in the diminishing of that person's sense of well-being and growth -- both spiritually and emotionally" (Recovering from Religious Abuse, 2). Religious abuse occurs when individuals in positions of religious authority use their power to manipulate those entrusted to their care. It involves degrading people, harming them, and preventing them from growing into the potential God intended for them.

Much of that could have been written about Ray who also made promises of spiritual attainment to those who did what he told them to do no matter how degrading. Like Jeffs, Ray used his authority as a spiritual teacher to manipulate people for the gratification of his impulses; financial, sexual, and, I dare say, sadistic.

Jeffs, like many Catholic priests, used his religious authority to gratify his sexual compulsions -- largely pedophilic.

Warren Jeffs headed to prison Tuesday to spend life in prison for sexually assaulting two girls he took as his "brides" -- a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old who gave birth to his child. And Jeffs' niece, who has said she was sexually abused by the polygamist sect leader when she was just 7 years old, says she's glad her testimony will help keep him there -- most likely for the rest of his life.

"I feel a lot stronger now that I've put the man that needed to be put in prison in prison," Jerusha Jeffs told ABC News. She provided bombshell testimony during Jeffs' trial when she said her uncle had also abused her, coaxing her into sexual play by telling her she was special and that she would go to heaven if she complied.

I speculate that there were more than we know about because abusers like Jeffs tend to be prolific and to use intimidation tactics to silence their victims. In addition to his niece, his nephew and another woman testified to being abused by him when they were children.

A 28-year-old woman who attended Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints school operated at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon with Jeffs as its principal, began crying on the witness stand as soon as she said Jeffs’ name.

The woman said she was 8 when Jeffs summoned her to his office and asked her to sit on his lap. She did not specify what Jeffs did to her but made it clear it was molestation.

"I didn’t know I was supposed to tell him no," the woman told the jury.

. . .

The jury also heard Saturday from Brent Jeffs, Warren Jeffs’ now 28-year-old nephew. The man was in tears as he told Texas District Court jurors about being raped by his uncle when he was 5.

He said Jeffs pulled him aside at a family meeting, took him into a restroom, ordered him to kneel like he was praying, then raped him.

"He told me this was God’s will, this was God’s work," the nephew said.

Warren Jeffs also warned the boy that, "this is between me and you and God and no one else needs to know about it."

Jeff's appetite for young flesh also purportedly led him to smuggle children across the border from Canada.

In an affidavit filed in B.C. Supreme Court in February, the Ministry of the Attorney-General said it received information from a Texas prosecutor about the alleged child smuggling.

The prosecutor told B.C. officials that two 12-year-old girls from Bountiful were reportedly “celestially married” to Jeffs in 2005.

The prosecutor in Jeffs’s trial told the 10-woman two-man jury this week he “played a sick game of child molestation under the guise of religious ceremony.”

At least five underage girls were secreted from Canada to become part of Jeffs harem of 78 -- 24 of whom were under 17 at the time of their "celestial marriage." Recordings of Jeffs's instructions to his brides included directions on pubic shaving, I would speculate, to make them look more childlike.

It's alarming how many parents, Canadian and otherwise, handed over their young daughters to serve God by satisfying the perverse needs of their prophet. The FLDS devotion to the principle of polygamy served as useful cover for its leader's pedophilia. In my humble opinion, Mormon polygamy has never been anything but an excuse for men to exploit women and girls.

Years ago, I read Orson Scott Card's Saints, not because of any real interest in Mormons but because Card made the story of the church's origins engaging in a way that only he could. As Card tells it, Joseph Smith was a deeply conflicted man struggling to live with God's demands.

Of all the things God demanded of him, celestial marriage was the hardest, for it smacked of adultery even to him. And hiding it from Emma made it feel yet more like a sin. It was a sin, in fact, for celestial marriage was only to be practiced with the consent of the first wife. Hadn't Sarah given Hagar to Abraham of her own free will? Hadn't Leah and Rachel asked their husband Jacob to go to their handmaids and conceive children? But what wife would Emma ever give to him?

He could tell her that God would damn him if he didn't obey the commandment, but he knew that Emma would not be swayed by that. "Then go to hell," she'd say, "but I'll give you no wives but me." So to obey the larger law, he broke a lesser one, and denied his wife the choice that was hers by right. He knew that he could never teach polygamy to the Saints if weren't living it himself; and yet he was also setting an example of deception and faithlessness, because he had not yet taught the law to his own wife. Telling her, though, might well be the end of their marriage, and he could not imagine life without Emma. Yet the longer he waited, the more deceived and betrayed she would feel when she finally learned. Emma, my love, I have already seven wives besides you, and in heaven they will be mine forever.

As discussed, an honest reading of the Bible makes women possessions -- for polygamous Mormons, eternal possessions. In reality, Smith and Brigham Young also took care of that pesky problem of female choice by making it a devil's bargain. Women who did not "choose" to comply with their husbands' wishes were damned and lost their voice entirely.

Despite Card's great writing and impassioned apologia for polygamy, I just didn't buy that Joseph Smith was anything more than a randy husband attempting to justify his philandering. In closing chapters for the book, Card explains at length his own experience with his religion's history of polygamy.

Polygamy is the great smokescreen of Mormonism. For a hundred years whenever people spoke or wrote of Mormonism, it was that peculiar institution that drew their attention. A generation of readers of pulp fiction grew up with a picture of Mormons as dour-faced patriarchs who sent out handsome young missionaries to seduce or kidnap young girls and bring them back to their harems. Those who did not think Mormon polygamy was a moral outrage found it to be a bizarre curiosity.

I, however, never thought of polygamy that way. Even though the Church had forsaken the practice years before I was born, I was aware almost from infancy that my grandparents had grown up in plural families -- my one grandmother even told me stories of the day her father brought home Aunt Velora, the second wife. So the Principle did not seem strange to me, and I knew from the start that most of the most titillating tales of polygamy were nonsense. With rare exceptions, the men and women who practiced the Principle were quite Victorian in their moral attitude. Polygamy was not promiscuity -- all the children of all the wives were loved and cared for by their fathers, and adultery was regarded by the Church as a sin next to murder in seriousness. Women were never physically forced into polygamy, and while some no doubt were pressured into marriages they did not want, I suspect that there were no fewer non-Mormon girls pressured into equally detestable monogamous marriages. And some of my female ancestors, like Dinah Kirkham, were ardent advocates of the Principle. I know of no serious student of Mormon history who has found evidence to justify any other conclusion than this: Whatever other faults they might have had, Mormon men and women were almost never hypocritical about polygamy. It was not an excuse for promiscuity and exploitation. They entered the Principle as a sacrament and lived it as a serious family responsibility.

I think even Card would be hard pressed to describe the actions of Warren Jeffs as anything but exploitation. Jeffs used his status not only to procure a bevy of underage girls but to entertain himself with some live girl-on-girl action. More details of that bit of debauchery were revealed today as Texas prosecutors released the recordings which played such a large part in his his conviction.

Jeffs talks about group sex in one recording he made.

"Many thought the Law of Sarah was simply, 'I agree my husband should have another wife,' " Jeffs said. "Now I reveal to you that the Lord has required of me and this family, that the fullness of the Law of Sarah is for quorums of wives to be with me. To assist me. To be a comfort. Yes, even physically. Where more than one woman is with me at a time."

Much of the recorded material is being withheld by media outlets because it just isn't family friendly. Parts were reportedly so disturbing that jurors were visibly shaken. One was in tears. Such are the horrors that come tumbling out from under religious shrouds of secrecy.

Like so many religious abusers, Jeffs took cover under the blanket of religious sovereignty. He characterized his prosecution as persecution for his protected beliefs. It's an argument that has served polygamous Mormons well... in Canada as well as in the United States.

It seems officials are still stymied by a notion that somehow that might infringe on these pedophiles’ religious rights.

They ought to have been paying close attention to what Texas has done rather than diddling about like officials in Arizona and Utah. (There, at least politicians have the excuse of not wanting to offend their large number of mainstream Mormon voters by resurrecting the issue of polygamy, which they renounced more than 120 years ago.)

In Texas, only Jeffs has tried to make religious freedom an issue. Defending himself after firing his seven lawyers, Jeffs tried repeatedly to stop the trial by claiming it was religious persecution and violated his rights.

James Arthur Ray's defense team also argued that the State was treading on his First Amendment protected rights by exposing, among other things, his god complex. (Ironically, they also mocked the First Amendment protected spiritual beliefs of key witnesses for the prosecution.)

Prosecutors, civil attorneys, victim's rights groups, police, and politicians, in countries all over the world have discovered how hard it is to penetrate of layers of protection sexually abusive priests enjoy. Those who've sought justice from the Vatican have hit a wall of religious bureaucracy so thick that even the very Catholic country of Ireland is rejecting its authority and embracing secularity.

To understand the momentous nature of this event, you need to understand the history of Europe. It is one of a constant struggle against the power of the Church. The power of Rome was not only religious, but also political and economic. As nation states arose, the yoke of the Pope's writ increasingly rankled. Individual empires, then nation states tried to break away. Some, like Italy, eventually limited the power of the Pope to the 44 hectares that make up the sovereign Vatican State, as agreed in the Lateran Treaty of 1929.

Other states, like England, Scandinavia and parts of Germany left Catholicism altogether, under the banner of the Reformation. You could say that the US obsession with the separation of Church and State stems from the fact that the Protestant tradition in the US was born from a struggle with a Church that was once more powerful than any state.

I doubt the framers had Warren Jeffs in mind when they crafted the Bill of Rights. The freedom from state sponsored religion guaranteed by the establishment clause was devised to protect Americans from abuses of power by religious authority. That those protections can be twisted by some religious leaders to conceal their crimes could, I guess, be chalked up to the law of unintended consequences. But the simple fact is that leaders who claim to have a lock on "the truth" will invariably arrogate to themselves god-like powers. That they would abuse such power seems inevitable.

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

The Shamanic Journey and Direct Revelation

The shamanic journey allows the journeyer to receive direct revelation from Spirit. A direct connection with spirit is the birth right of every human and the shamanic journey is one of the most ancient and reliable forms of forging this connection. Once connected with Spirit within the journey state of consciousness the journeyer can find healing, protection, and a continual source of guidance. The shamanic journey is a paradoxical practice, requiring simultaneously a degree of focused discipline and free access to the imagination. At the same time the journey is purely question driven and occurs within the dreamlike landscape of your own symbolic language. There is no ultimate truth there with codified symbols and interpretation. The journeyer must craft the question so that it acts as a key to open the answer. And then the "answer" that may be as inscrutable as last night's dream must be accurately interpreted. Here in lie the greatest challenges in developing a powerful, passionate, and effective journeying practice. Join host and shaman, Christina Pratt, as she explores the common mistakes, misconceptions, and false assumptions made by journeyers and remedies to correct them. Foremost is the reminder that Spirit is a teacher and even our mistakes in journeying and what we learn from them are part of the teaching and the answer.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Warren Jeffs Convicted

Crossposted from Reflections Journal.

Unrepentant polygamist Warren Jeffs was found guilty of the sexual abuse of two underage girls. Jeffs had been previously convicted in Utah but the verdict was overturned due to improper jury instructions. He was then extradited to Texas where he acted as his own attorney in a trial that quickly descended into absurdity.

Jeffs fired seven attorneys, ultimately opting to defend himself by accusing prosecutors of religious persecution. He also used the trial as an opportunity to preach the gospel of polygamy.

While Jeff's defense was risible, the State's case was stomach-turning. Jeffs assisted in his own prosecution by having recorded much of his life -- ostensibly because everything he did and said was prophetic -- including his molestation of these poor children. The jury heard audio recordings of his instruction of his child brides in the art of pleasing a man... and therefore God.

On one of the tapes played at the trial, Jeffs made a reference to "drawing close" or "being close," which authorities testified is how church members refer to sex. Two female voices said "OK."

"A good wife is trained for her husband and follows the spirit of peace," Jeffs was heard saying.

Another audio tape included Jeffs and the younger girl from a recording made in August 2006 at the Texas compound, according to testimony from Nick Hanna, a Texas Ranger involved in the 2008 raid.

Played in court, it was difficult to decipher, but Jeffs' and a female voice are heard. He says, "I perform this service in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen," then mentions the alleged victim by name. When she says something, he responds, "don't talk while praying." Several minutes of heavy breathing followed.

Jeffs claims to be a direct descendant of Joseph Smith, the prophet and founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Smith was also a believer in and practitioner of polygamy. The issue was divisive even in Smith's time and put him afoul of his own developing religion. Blood relation or no, Jeffs is the heir apparent of Smith's struggle to legitimize a doctrine of plural marriage. Ironically, that Smith's numerous "celestial marriages" were kept secret makes tracking his no doubt prolific lineage a little hard to prove.

While today's Mormon church officially denounces polygamy, there are splinter groups that still practice it. Jeffs's Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is among the  largest. And mainstream Mormons have enough fealty to their polygamous roots to look the other way.

Rarely are polygamists charged under bigamy laws, especially in Utah, where many residents are descendants of plural families, and prosecutors are reluctant to file charges against consenting adults in a religious context. Tom Green, who was recently sentenced in Juab County, Utah, to five years to life on a rape charge for impregnating one of his five wives when she was 13, was the first polygamist in 50 years to be prosecuted in Utah.

More often, members of plural families come to the attention of state and local officials through occasional allegations of welfare fraud, tax dodging, domestic violence and child abuse. But cases are difficult to build, said Ric Cantrell, a spokesman for the Utah attorney general's office. Not only are the county prosecutors generally overwhelmed with more serious offenses, he said, but investigators have trouble finding witnesses to testify.

What I find kind of darkly comic about the whole thing is that Smith's and Brigham Young's ideas about plural marriage comport more with the Christian Bible than does the mainstream view. As I discussed here, what passes for the "traditional family values" espoused by fundamentalist Christians has next to nothing to do with the Biblical portrayal of marriage, in which polygamy is common and women are property. Even so, the early Mormons turned to extrabiblical revelation to make the case and bring about official church sanction under Young's leadership.

In the text of the revelation,^[53] Christ commands the practice of polygamy or plural marriage in a "new and an everlasting covenant" and declares that anyone who rejects the new practices will suffer damnation and will not "be permitted to enter into my glory."^[54] The 1843 revelation also states that the first wife's consent should be sought before a man married another wife, but also declares that Christ will "destroy" the first wife if she does not consent to the plural marriage, and that the husband is exempt from asking his wife's consent in the future.^[55]

Well, it's always nice to be given a choice.

Ultimately, of course, the Mormon Church officially banned polygamy again, and brought itself more or less into alignment with the law of the land. In the fiercest of ironies, Mormons have become some of the most outspoken proponents of "traditional family values." They have waged war on gay marriage and were one of the primary funding bases for the battle against Prop 8 in California. This, of course, brings us back to the issue cherry-picking the Bible.

Like Christian rocker Bradlee Dean, Mormons aren't officially calling for gay people to be killed despite the fact that the explicit Biblical references that are used to condemn homosexuality also call for the them to executed. And let's face it, the Mormon Church actually gave up on a genuinely "traditional" view on marriage when it embraced the one man, one woman model.

In yet another rich layer of irony, Warren Jeffs was shown not to have much of a problem with homosexuality.

Jeffs fought hardest to keep out an audio recording, a training session for his wives on "The Ordinance of Heavenly Comfort."

On the tape, Jeffs voice drones on for well over two hours, using Biblical language and sometimes speaking in the voice of God. He promises his wives they will feel the "all-consuming fire of heaven" and, by giving comfort to their husband, they will be touching God.

There are many long minutes in which it's hard to make out exactly what's happening, but it seems to include sounds of fumbling with clothing and zippers, sobbing, and flushing of toilets.

At one point Jeffs tells the girls or women, "You have to know how to be excited sexually. You have to be able to assist each other. You don't just stand around."

Let's see... Compelling women to engage in lesbian sex acts entirely for the purpose of entertaining a man. That's not really gay is it? Well, yeah, it kinda is. But only in an entirely degrading sense that doesn't in any way threaten male supremacy. The sobbing is a nice touch, too.

Hypocrisy is really the least of Jeffs's crimes, though. In the end, he's been shown to be nothing more than a sexual abuser of children and a rapist.  The Bible doesn't exactly prohibit such things. The Book of Mormon is a little conflicted but the Mormon Doctrine and Covenants comes down strongly on the side of getting them young and, you know, not owned by any other man.

"[I]f any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else. And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified." ~ Doctrine and Covenants 132:61-62

What all of this really demonstrates is that our religious values are much more a reflection of contemporaneous cultural norms than scripture -- no matter how fundamentalist we claim to be. Early Mormons didn't rush to embrace polygamy because it formed in America in the 1800s, not in ancient, tribal Israel. And while mainstream Mormons today may be willing to look the other way on the "celestial marriages" at the fringes, they're not going to tolerate sex abuse of barely pubescent girls.

Leaving the courthouse, Jeffs was heckled by a local Texas member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "You're not a prophet! You're the devil!" Liz Jackson shouted.

"Warren Jeffs tried unsuccessfully today to manipulate and to lie about the Mormon doctrine in a way to imply that Mormons believe in abusing children in a sexual way," Jackson told reporters, "and that is not at all the case."

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"Why Shamanism Now?" with Christina Pratt

How do I find my Soul's Purpose?

Our soul's purpose is the cornerstone of well-being, from a shamanic perspective. But how do we find it? Without it we are lost. With it our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health come together as an integrated whole. The gifts that you will give to the world as an expression of your soul's purpose have never been seen before ...and will never be seen again if you do not bring them. This life is the one moment to live that unique genius. But how do you know you are living your soul's purpose? What are the practical, daily things anyone could do to find and live their soul's purpose? This week, shaman and host, Christina Pratt, explores the things we can do to bring our selves in touch with our passion, because our passion-freed from addiction and obsession-is the mainline connection to our soul's purpose. Our purpose does not live in the ethereal realms of spirit, visions, and dreams. It lives in our body, deep within the root of being where we carry our piece of the original spark of life. To touch that origin spark each day we must release the lies we tell ourselves each day. To touch that spark we must accept the truth: the truth that we are One-with-all-things, innately worthy, and destine through our unique soul's purpose to bring greatness to the world.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 11:00 AM Pacific

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Awakenings with Michele Meiche

Spiritual Lessons From A Life in Acting with Dee Wallace

12pm PST --- "One on One with Michele." Host MICHELE MEICHE shares her weekly Soul Insights, Ascension Information; as well as 2012 & beyond updates. She answers your questions, and does channeled readings. What is your Soul's Purpose & how can you actualize this? What is your role, your path, and what are the signs in your life and in the world telling you? How do you acclimate to the New Energies of the New Emerging Consciousness? In addition to calling into the show, you can also email your questions to be covered on air at awakenings@selfinlight.com. In the second portion of the show, Michele Meiche welcomes our Awakened Guest of the week. Michele dialogues with spiritual teachers, healers, conscious experts, visionaries, awakened leaders, authors, conscious beings and people of all walks of life that are focused on living consciously. Dee Wallace - Actress, Healer, Spiritual Teacher & Author of Bright Light: Spiritual Lessons from a Life in Acting. You saw her first in the ET: The Extraterrestrial, and then Cujo, The Howling, recently on Grey's Anatomy; Cold Case; Without a Trace; Ghost Whisperer; My Name is Earl; Criminal Minds, Saving Grace, Law and Order, Los Angeles. Dee comes to our show today as a globally recognized spiritual teacher & healer. Through her unique style of intuitive acting, Dee discovered the spiritual wisdom that allows her to live an inspired and creative life that mirrors her hopes & dreams. In her new book Bright Light: Spiritual Lessons from a Life in Acting, Dee shares the insights she has discovered that with allow you to live a passionate, fully illuminated life…one that allows your Bright Light to shine, and that guides you to your own wisdom. Dee now works with people around the world through speaking engagements, seminars and personal healing sessions--to help them uncover and heal the beliefs, limitations, wounds and other factors that dim their Bright Lights.

Wed, Aug 3, 2011 03:00PM 3:00PM ET

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Awake: Now What?

Joyce Leake, Teacher, Animal Communicator

Joyce Leake is an internationally respected Animal/Interspecies Communicator and specialist in animal-human relationships. She has been featured on all media and appeared for two years on a weekly prime time animal program for Japan’s Nippon TV. She was the headliner for the Tokyo Pet Show, where due to her impressive Japanese fan base, completed the success for all corporate sponsors and promoters. Her story has been featured in national and international magazines. She is also recognized as the Animal Communicator of choice for South Korean pet enthusiasts. Her work includes celebrities of both human and animal kind; from movie stars and musicians to iconic race horses, celebrity dogs and cats and an exceptionally gripping experience, a grieving elephant. From her travels and experiences she has networked with other extraordinary individuals who enthusiastically share their knowledge through her innovative and one-of-a-kind membership website: www.AnimalUniversitycom.

She has co-authored with Dr. Vickie Wickhorst, Phd. two books, Decoding the Mystery of Interspecies Communication and a 104-page workbook, Communicating with Animals – A Twenty-One Day Guide to Success.

She continues to network and promote practitioners, authors, presenters and other extraordinary individuals. Her mission is to share their great works to serve as an exchange and resource of information, practicum and research.

And, Joyce is co-participant on Animal University’s Radio weekly show. It’s great fun to share from how to’s to detailed animal communications for listeners. It’s lots of fun, energetic and completely soul feeding. Tune in!

For more information go to http://animaluniversity.com

Sun, Aug 7, 2011 06:00PM ET

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/awake

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