The Children of Ra Temple is a non-denominational ritual circle open to followers of all Earth-oriented spiritual paths. While our tools and techniques are primarily Wiccan and Native American and our pantheon is Khemetic (Ancient Egyptian), we incorporate kindred methods from a variety of beliefs, including Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as the personal philosophies of our circle siblings. Our only animosity toward other religions is to the extent that their institutions have claimed to be "the only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief. Earth-based spirituality values diversity, imposes no dogma, no single name for the sacred, no one path to the center. "Love for life in all its forms" is our driving ethic. "Do what you will, harming none" is our only law. "True spirituality does not discriminate" is our heretical message.

The three core principles of Earth-based spirituality are immanence, interconnection, and community. Immanence means that Deity -- whether you call it He, She, It or They -- is embodied; that we are each a manifestation of the living being of the earth; that nature, culture, and life in all their diversity are sacred. Immanence calls us to live our spirituality here in the world, to take action to preserve the life of the earth, to live with integrity and responsibility.

Interconnection is the understanding that all being is interrelated, that we are linked with all of the cosmos as parts of one living organism. What affects one of us affects us all. Interconnection demands from us compassion, the ability to feel with others so strongly that our passion for justice is itself aroused.

Ultimately, Earth-based religions are lived in community. Their primary focus is not individual salvation or enlightenment or enrichment, but the growth and transformation that comes through intimate interactions and common struggles. Community includes not only people but also the animals, plants, soil, air and water and energy systems that support our lives.

Nature spirituality is a religion of poetry, not just theology. The myths, legends, and teachings are recognized as metaphors for "That-Which-Cannot-Be-Told," the absolute reality our limited minds can never completely know. The mysteries of the absolute can never be explained -- only felt or intuited. Symbols and ritual acts are used to trigger altered states of awareness, in which insights that go beyond words are revealed. When we speak of "the secrets that cannot be told," we do not mean that rules prevent us from speaking freely; we mean that the inner knowledge literally cannot be expressed in words. It can only be conveyed by experience, and no one can dictate what insight another person may draw from any given experience.

A primary symbol for "That-Which-Cannot-Be-Told" is the Goddess. The symbolism of the Goddess is not a parallel structure to the tradition Judeo-Christian symbolism of God the Father. The Goddess does not rule the world; She is the world. Manifest in each of us, She can be know internally by every individual in all her magnificent diversity. For women, the Goddess is the symbol of the innermost self, and the beneficent, nurturing, liberating power within women. For men, the Goddess is his own hidden female self. She embodies all the qualities society teaches him not to recognize in himself. She is that which is constant.