Photo
taken 11/9/04 Photo
taken 05/21/05 Photo
taken 07/05/05
Greetings from Kardia
My full screen or pen name is Kardia Zoe, which means “heart of life” in Greek. This reminds me to speak from my heart, when I write about life! I'm a native of Oregon, and for the last 20 years I've been living on 9 acres outside a small rural community. The top center photo is my cat greeting a visitor in our front yard. This visitor happens to be the father of the cute little guy on the right.
I turned 50 last year, and am married to a wonderful man who has a brilliant mind and a heart of gold.
I have two children, a 21 year old daughter and a 24 year old son,
who own and manage the Jewelry
and Magickal
Stores on this site, and I currently manage the online Book
Store.
As for my personal beliefs and goals, my spiritual background is in
Christianity. I’ve been on that path for over 4 decades now, and
the teachings of Jesus make up the foundation of my beliefs.
However, I do not blindly accept certain doctrine taught in many of today's
Churches. As a child, I knew some of the Christian teachings didn’t
make much sense, but I accepted all Church doctrine as truth, because it came
from my elders whom I respected. As I became an adult myself, I
realized there was a great deal we didn't know about God... and I began to
look at certain teachings simply as mankind's feeble attempt to explain the
Divine's unknowable mysteries. I held this view until I was nearly forty.
At that point in time, I became like a child again, and my desire to explore
these so called “mysteries” overwhelmed me. However, instead of turning to
my elders or peers for guidance, I decided to go straight to God for answers!
It was during this time that I learned to listen to my inner
voice, (known to some as the Holy Spirit) and let it guide me. What a
difference!!! One mystery after another began to solve itself.
No question, when asked in earnest, went unanswered.
For the next two years I journeyed with my inner-spirit through mounds of
books and manuscripts... even venturing into the original languages of the
Bible. I logged well over 1,000 hours of research during these
months... exploring everything from Christianity and the Dead Sea scrolls, to
Gnosis teachings in the Egyptian Nag Hammadi Library. It was then I began
to realize how much common ground there was between the early Christians and
many other ancient religions. I began to do further research into the teachings
of Druids, Wiccans, Shamans and any nature based religion I could find
information on.
Out of all that I read, the ancient Essene writings touched me the most.
It became clear to me that the Essenes were the very same group we
now refer to as the first Christians, and early manuscripts tell us they were a community whose lives were closely bound to nature. A great deal of their scriptures focused on
our connection with Mother Earth.
What I found most interesting, was that for them, their connection
with mother nature, or our Earthly Mother as they called her, was directly linked to their connection with God. This meant that at
one time, Christians actually respected and followed the guidance of this feminine
aspect of the Divine too! I discovered answers to many of my questions in
these ancient Essene writings.
The works I often refer to, exist in the form of old
Aramaic manuscripts (from the 3rd century after Christ) which are tucked away
in the Secret Archives of the Vatican, and in an old Slavonic manuscript from
the Royal Library of the Habsburgs (now the property of the Austrian
government). These manuscripts were translated by Edmond Bordeaux
Szekely in 1928 and over 10 million have read the Essene
Gospels since then.
In the past, my beliefs never fit well into a neatly wrapped religious package. But after discovering the teachings of Jesus, as they were
recorded in these early Essene writings, I was finally comfortable giving a name to my path. My beliefs are in close alignment with those of
the Essenes or early Christians and in 2003, I became a legally ordained minister of the Essene faith. I think of myself simply as one of God’s children... and
unlike many who follow today's Christian teachings, I consider ALL who follow
the Ways of the Divine to be my brothers and sisters, regardless of what
they call their path!
My mission in life, is to share my discoveries with those who are seeking
answers or explanations to the “mysterious” Christian doctrine.
I hope and pray, that by revealing the common ground found between the
original Christian faith and other nature based paths, some of the fear and
intolerance that surrounds the peaceful earth religions today can be
eliminated.
I’d like to add that the most important thing I’ve learned from all my
studies so far, is how little I actually know. My desire for
knowledge of the Divine is stronger than ever, and I hope to continue learning
and sharing my insights for the rest of my life! If you'd like to stay
informed about what I uncover in my research and studies, you can register
for the free electronic newsletter from Nature's Inner
Circle, with articles that
focus on exploring nature's ancient wisdom.
Again, it's my sincere hope that these writings will help
eliminate many of the misunderstandings that are still associated with the
ancient earth religions today.
Finally, I'm currently trying to increase my knowledge of herbs and their healing benefits, as well as improve my understanding of how animals can play a role
in our spiritual lives. I welcome all questions and comments,
so please free to
e-mail me anytime.
I’ll reply to as many as I possibly can. :o)
Peace and health be with you,
Kardia
Favorite saying: If you have true beauty, it will reflect itself in others!
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