April +-+ 1994 +-+ The Gaia Hypothesis, named for the Greek Earth goddess Gaea, holds that

April +------------------------------+ 1994 -----------------------| What is The Gaia Hypothesis? |---------------------- +------------------------------+ The Gaia Hypothesis, named for the Greek Earth goddess Gaea, holds that the Earth should be regarded as a living organism. According to this view, the biosphere, or totality of life on the planet, influences Earth processes so as to sustain and advance life. British biologist James Lovelock first advanced the theory in 1969. The Gaia Hypothesis BBS, a computer bulletin board service on-line since June 1990, features thirteen conferences promoting the positive life- sustaining and life-advancing values common to both Wicca, a nature-based goddess-oriented religion, and Neo-Pagan philosophy and traditions. Each conference (shown below) on The Gaia Hypothesis BBS focuses on a separate aspect of the Wiccan/Neo-Pagan life-path and contains its own separate news, e-mail, and library files. If you have access to a computer and a modem, dial 904-383-0907 and subscribe to The Gaia Hypothesis BBS. There are NO FEES unless your telephone company charges you long distance tolls. (We're only a $.25 toll call from over fifty exchanges in the north Orlando/Central Florida 407 area code). +-------------------------+ -------------------------| Conference Descriptions |-------------------------- +-------------------------+ * = * The Path of Looking * = * (These conferences are open to the public) Main Message Board (0) -- Use this area for user-to-user electronic mail of general nature. Read on-line or download the library files from all conferences here. Access on-line Door programs here such as the Darwin US BBS list, Business Cards, Top-Gun Trivia, and the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. New Realities (1) -- A better world is possible, and in fact for the majority of human existence there was a time when partnership, creativity, and caring prevailed, when tools were more important than weapons, when men and women were equals, and people lived with more cooperation than aggression. Join New Realities to discuss returning to the original values of the human race, a positive alternative to the current social structure perpetuated by senseless fear and violence. Based on the rethinking of history described in Riane Eisler's "The Chalice and the Blade". * = * The Path of Learning * = * (Answer Script Questionnaire #1 to gain access to these conferences) Journey of the Goddess (2) -- Though we live with modern conveniences and high technology, there is something in all of us, men and women alike, that makes us feel deeply connected to the past. Sometimes the lines of sunlight suddenly piercing through the leaves of a darkened grove of tall trees will awaken from the hidden recesses of our minds the distant echoes of a remote and ancient time. In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven. At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman. Do you remember? The Pagan Passage (3) -- If you go far enough back, all our ancestors practiced religions that had neither creeds nor dogmas, neither prophets nor holy books. Pagan religions were based on the experiences and celebrations of the seasonal cycles of nature. They were based on what people did, as opposed to what people believed. The rebirth of these ancient religions provides in its essence a nature based path, worshipping the powers of this world, beautiful or terrible, but all in a circle under the turning sky. Weaving Webs (4) -- When Margot Adler published Drawing_Down_the_Moon on Samhain 1979, the primary mode of communication for Neo-Pagans and Wiccans was through newsletters. It might still seem to be difficult to find an appropriate group, and attend rituals, festivals, and workshops. Join this conference to enter the Wiccan/Neo-Pagan community and encounter an extraordinary number of different Pagan traditions. * = * The Path of Loving * = * (Answer Script Questionnaire #2 to gain access to these conferences) Garden & Grove (5) -- From glorious kitchen gardens stuffed full of herbs, edible flowers, and decorative posies, to the solemn and majestic splendor of old-growth trees, plants provide magic, muse, beauty, and utility. Rediscover what our ancestors knew all along, the delightful rewards of working the earth, feeling the sun and wind on our face, and generally finding simple pleasures and lessons in our back yard. New Moon (6) -- Our community includes Pagan children, from newborn to adolescents. This conference offers children, parents, and teachers child- oriented ritual and magickal instruction, as well as some history and festival instruction. New Moon will guide children to experience more of themselves and to direct their energy into creative self-expression. Participation benefits not just children, parents, and teachers, but anyone who is young at heart. PetPourri (7) -- Throughout history and in every culture, we see an adoration of animals. Today, people often form a kinship and a link with another living creature, who then becomes a magical partner and guide through life. Pets seem to improve our lives, not only emotionally, but physically. Return the favor in PetPourri, where you can learn natural pet care & magic, animal totems and symbolism, or even to deal with the loss of a familiar pet. Home & Hearth (8) -- Reclaim the warmth, comfort, sweetness, and beauty we associate with the word "home" and transport it to the place we live, be it an apartment, rented room, or actual house. This conference explores practical ways for kitchen witches to focus on our homes and to use their contents as part of our daily magical practices. * = * The Path of Living * = * (Answer Script Questionnarie #3 to gain access to these conferences) Market Magick (9) -- From receptionist to CEO and everyone in between, what person wouldn't want to improve something about the hectic seven-day work week? Learn Wiccan and Neo-Pagan ways for the workplace where down-to-earth tips and traditional magic help you employ powers to get a raise, increase productivity, repel sexual harassment, protect computer data, and much more. Health & Healing (10) -- Nurture the body, mind, & soul through education, meditation, and visualization. Inside this conference, you experience rejuvenation as you learn about morning rituals of dedication, advice on exercise and nutrition, and herbal recipes for personal care. From creating an atmosphere around yourself through dedications and decorations to working within your spirit via meditation, each corner of your reality becomes an attempt to reflect the beauty of the God/dess. Holy Chao (11) -- Do people think you're strange? Do you? Then the Holy Chao is just for you! Dedicated to Eris, Goddess of Chaos, Discord, & Confusion, the Holy Chao could save your sanity. Learn about the Church of the SubGenius and the Principia Discordia (or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her). Regain your lost yeti powers. Stay teenaged or younger while mastering the 'appearance' of adulthood (not illegal in most states). Contains all answers to everything, plus profuse illustrations and diagrams. Hieros Gamos (12) -- Since love is the most powerful force on earth, our romance and sex can be incredibly magical in nature. Because of this and the deep feelings that come into play during the courtship ritual, we naturally encourage prudence. Our bodies are holy. They have been given to us as carriers of our soul, to learn with, grow with, and eventually share in the ancient sacred rite of sexual union, the Hieros Gamos. The Tree of Knowledge (13) -- Over the last decade, many Wiccans and Pagans have attempted to merge their practices and traditions with the methods of shamanism. Shamans enter an altered state of consciousness to go on a journey to gather knowledge from a different reality. This knowledge depends on a deep connection with the forces of nature, with the spirits of plants and animals. Most people who have gone on any shamanic journey return with a deeper respect for all nature, a more profound understanding of the unity of all things and a more urgent sense of the need to heal the planet. +----------------+ -----------------------------| Bibliography |-------------------------------- +----------------+ Adler, Margot, Drawing_Down_The_Moon, Boston, Beacon Press, 1986 Baring, Anne and Cashford, Jules, The_Myth_of_the_Goddess, London, Penguin Books, 1991 Budapest, Zsuzsanna E., The_Goddess_in_the_Office, San Francisco, Harper, 1993 Campbell, Joseph, The_Power_of_Myth, New York, Doubleday, 1988 Campbell, Joseph, Myths_to_Live_By, New York, Bantam Books, 1988 Eisler, Riane, The_Chalice_and_the_Blade:_Our_History,_Our_Future, San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1987 Gimbutas, Marija, The_Civilization_of_the_Goddess:_The_World_of_Old_Europe, San Francisco, Harper, 1991 Goodrich, Norma L., Priestesses, New York, Harper Perennial, 1990 Graves, Robert, The_White_Goddess:_A_Historical_Grammar_of_Poetic_Myth, New York, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1972 Lovelock, James, The_Ages_of_Gaia, 1988 McKenna, Terence, Food_of_the_Gods, New York, Bantam Books, 1992 RavenWolf, Silver, To_Ride_a_Silver_Broomstick:_New_Generation_Witchcraft, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications, 1993 Shepsut, Asia, Journey_of_the_Priestess, London, Aquarian Press, 1993 Starhawk, The_Spiral_Dance:_A_Rebirth_of_the_Ancient_Religion_of_the_Great_ Goddess, San Francisco, Harper, 1989 Stone, Merlin, When_God_Was_A_Woman, Harvest/HBJ, New York, 1976 Telesco, Patricia, A_Victorian_Grimoire:_Enchantment,_Romance,_Magic, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Llewellyn Publications, 1992 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Gaia Hypothesis BBS, Mount Plymouth FL, 904-383-0907 | | On-line 24 hours, 300-14400 bps | | Voice-line (for connection assistance only) 904-365-7302 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+