Archive for Paganism

Absence of right answers

October 15, 2006 / / 3 comments

(The following is some writing I did today for a forthcoming book. I thought it was worth sharing.)

In order to be Pagan, you have to feel comfortable with an absence of right answers. There are many right ways to do things, and there are definitely wrong way to do things, but if you are convinced that there’s one truth that overrides all other truths, and that anything that contradicts truth must be false, well, Paganism is probably not for you.

Pagans have to be comfortable with many gods, many ways, many possibilities. We have to be able to know that Wicca is right, and Asatru is also right, and Christianity is also right (although there are definitely some Christians who are dead wrong, especially when they talk about killing Pagans). We have to be able to say that Thor is the thunder god, and Chango is the thunder god, and not be freaked out by two “the”s that seem to contradict each other.

Some Pagans believe that “all paths lead to the same place.” I don’t happen to feel that way. Many paths lead to very similar places, but I don’t care to mush them all together. What’s necessary to be Pagan is simply to believe that there is more than one true path.

Pentacle Battle Continues

September 21, 2006 / / Comments Off on Pentacle Battle Continues

Also per Cosette, an extremely informative post about what’s going on in the battle for religious grave markers for Pagan veterans, and a list of things you can do to help.

Extortion for Kali

September 21, 2006 / / Comments Off on Extortion for Kali

Per Cosette, we learn that Indian courts have banned “touts” at the Kalighat temple.

(Loyal readers of Property of a Lady will recognize Kalighat as the home of the idol that is the source for my newest tattoo.)

Visitors to the temple report harrassment and extortion by the touts (aka pandaas):

Sanchita Dey, a housewife and frequent visitor to the temple, says it is a harrowing experience to come to the temple.

“Once a pandaa gets hold of you from the road leading to the temple, you are completely under his control. He dictates how much sweets and flowers you have to buy. Once inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the priests force you to give the money they want and if you don’t oblige, they use foul language. And after you leave the temple, you have to pay a hefty fee to the tout,” she says.
…

Some said similar controls should be enforced at other famous Hindu temples across the country, where devotees are similarly harassed.

I think that the Pagans who blame all the problems of the world on Christianity and monotheism should take a long, hard look at this article and consider what it means about the potential for corruption in goddess worship.

You know what’s scary?

September 19, 2006 / / 8 comments

Having a blog and finding yourself with absolutely nothing to say. So, here’s a mini-linkfest:

I am outraged by this.

I found a blog dedicated to what may well become my favorite new show. What did I think of Studio 60 on Sunset Strip? Well, it was a very engaging way to introduce a series, but as an individual episode, it was not an act of genius. Can’t stand next to the pilot for The West Wing. I agree with the Sunset Strip blog; B+ seems about right. Bradley Whitford’s character is intriguing. Very. I wasn’t one of those Josh-crushy girls for West Wing, but Danny Tripp could definitely get crushy.

Jason at Wild Hunt has been knocking them out of the park all week. Four (count ‘em) posts on the complex relationship between Pagans and Unitarian-Universalism (start here) with lively comments, and then a smart look at the religious nature of Halloween, from both Christian and Pagan perspectives.

Spheroid Crocodiles and Non-linear Floor Lamps

September 14, 2006 / / 14 comments

Over at Lover of Strife, Evn made the following aside:

Speaking of perspectives, my personal perception of reincarnation is spherical rather than linear. As such, I sincerely hope [Steve] Irwin comes back as a crocodile in ancient Egypt.

The problem with perceiving reincarnation as linear or spherical is that any perception of reincarnation is de facto a perception of time. If time is an illusion, as physicists and philosophers increasingly agree, then a shape for time, like a line or a sphere, is also an illusion. Or, more accurately, a construct that we use to help us perceive it. And to keep our brains from hurting.

What if time is really simultaneous? What if all of the moments of now are co-existing in a way we can’t perceive?

I like to compare time to space. When you enter a room, you reach the lamp, then the couch, then the table, then the TV. So objects in space can be perceived as linear, occuring one after another, and indeed, if you are born blind, this is how you perceive them. But if you can see it, you can know space is really simultaneous.

I think past and present and future are couches and floor lamps and television sets. Crocodiles in ancient Egypt exist simultaneously with Pagan bloggers and swashbuckling pirates (who are, after all, eternal).

It’s a very informative view of reincarnation, really, because instead of having past lives that influence future lives, we have many simultaneous lives influencing one another. Which is cool.

Salt of the Earth

August 25, 2006 / / 5 comments

Okay, here’s an interesting topic (for Wiccans anyway—the rest of you go read Tom).

Via Pagan Soujourner, I find that Essais wonders what’s up with using salt on the altar to represent Earth.

As a symbol of earth, it hasn’t got a lot going for it, other than just sort of generally being a mineral. Lots of other things do that. It’s a consumable, yes, and associated with hospitality, but the reason for that is also its rarity…

So it’s supposed to represent Earth. In that case, why not use…earth? Dirt’s free. It’s plentiful. And when you don’t need it anymore…there’s an obvious place to put it.

» Read more..

And a happy Lammas to you!

August 1, 2006 / / 5 comments

August Eve, the festival of John Barleycorn, the wheat harvest. Lammas is a joyous time, traditionally celebrated with feasts, games, contests, and gatherings. It is also a profoundly mystical time, when we see the God as embodied in the grain. He is cut down, to rise again as bread, to be eaten by His people, to provide nurturance for them. Life to death to life to death to life. The great cycle.

It is joyous and light, mystical and dark, frightening and playful and kind of filling, actually—lots of bread and all. There’s a sexual component as the Goddess seduces and entices the God to make this sacrifice, but really, it’s His day, as he whispers in our ears of wildness and domesticity, of sacrifice and immortality.

May all your endeavors be reborn with Him.

Good Livin’

July 27, 2006 / / Comments Off on Good Livin’

When I clicked through to the Smartass Witch’s Guide to Good Livin’ in 10 Easy Steps, I assumed it would be, y’know, smartass. It’s not. It’s connected and smart and worth reading and worth bringing into your life.

Educate Yourself. When you know better, you do better. Pagans often get criticised for being fluffy so the best thing to do is educate ourselves. Read books, have actual, real live conversations with fellow pagans. Experiment with magic and spells whether or not they work. It’s just like being a good scientist; practice, educate and observe.

Read the whole thing.

Marking life through Festivals

July 26, 2006 / / 3 comments

I go to quite a lot of festivals. Starwood is an annual event for me, and every June I’m forced to choose between two other favorites: Free Spirit and Wic-Can Fest. Over the years, I’ve attended many others, including Heartland, Rites of Spring, and Pagan Spirit Gathering.

In a very real way, festivals are how I mark my life.

In Bronze Age Ireland, the Pagan Celts gathered annually for a huge festival at Lughnasadh. Over the course of two weeks, contests were held (bardic, athletic, crafts), wares were sold, romances were begun, gossip was traded, and a sense of community was renewed for the coming year. In essence, this is what I feel modern Pagan festivals are. For all the workshops and classes and spiritual experiences, the essence, to me, is the establishment and renewal of community bonds.

I was 21 at my first festival. I got my first tattoo at Starwood. I met Isaac (my ex-husband) at Rites of Spring. I was pregnant at festivals, I nursed at festivals, and now I bring my teenager to festivals. It was at Starwood that I asked Isaac for a divorce. It was at Starwood that I had my first vision, and it was there that I injured my knee (twice).

It isn’t that what happens is good or bad. It’s that what happens is my life. Marked by the passage of seasons, and supported within the arms of my community. That’s festival.

I Don’t Remember My Vacation

July 25, 2006 / / 2 comments

Not “don’t remember” because it wasn’t memorable, or “don’t remember” because of mind-altering substances, but “don’t remember” because I was at peace.

I floated through my vacation. I allowed days to pass into nights and then into days. I left my expectations home. I was One with the experience of festival.

Vacations built on expectations are no fun. Maybe more memorable, but no fun. They are driven by an inner pressure instead of an inner peace. You absolutely wouldn’t guess, knowing me, that I have a clue about inner peace. I get angry, I get snide, I get worked up. But I know about expectation and I know about attachment, and I know how to let go of both.

So I have moments. Hot sun. Parties. Drinking with Kate. Cuddling with Larry. Hugs. Lots of hugs. Cooking the best meal I ever cooked; maybe not the tastiest meal, but the most praiseworthy one. Because I have never cooked for a dozen people before, and they all loved it, even with the restrictions of camp cooking, and I have never felt so delighted.

Since I’m always up first anyway, I had camp coffee ready every morning. By the time the other three coffee drinkers staggered out into the light, My teeth were brushed, my hair was de-scarified, and I was handing them their full cups of fresh hot java. Teh yum. And it felt so good to do that, to be the morning nurturer. Felt balanced, what with Charlie being the evening nurturer.

In the end I came home feeling like I had a wonderful time, but lacking the means to describe that time.

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