As of late I, and many others, have noticed a growing trend in the pagan community. While my experiences have mostly been online, reading the words of those who have spent much time offline has shown me that my experience is not a unique one, sadly.
To read the rest, please follow the link above.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veteran's Day
Hail to the fallen,
Hail to the living,
Hail to those that fight.
This day is yours, in all the Nine Realms.
May the feast be sound, the meadhorn be raised,
Children told of your mighty deeds.
To the Soldier, the Warrior, the Merc!
Hail to the heroes of our lands!
Hail to the living,
Hail to those that fight.
This day is yours, in all the Nine Realms.
May the feast be sound, the meadhorn be raised,
Children told of your mighty deeds.
To the Soldier, the Warrior, the Merc!
Hail to the heroes of our lands!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
9/11 Ten Years On
It has now been ten years since Islamic Terrorists flew planes into US buildings, killing both military and civilian people. In ten years, a lot has changed. Often, not in the ways we would have expected.
We went to war, which was expected, and it has been one in which we have lost the least lives of all our conflicts. Yet it is treated as if it was one of the highest.
We caught the man behind it all. He atomized thousands of people. We gave him a proper burial.
People were killed in the name of a religion: Islam. But it has been treated as if there was no religious motivations, and many have gone far out of their way to appease the followers of that religion, including letting them build a giant Mosque two blocks from where thousands were killed in the name of religion used as the motive for killing them.
We were going to build a memorial on the site. It still hasn't been built. And when it is, I've heard rumors that it will be smaller and shorter than the towers that fell, so as not to offend...certain peoples.
We've given up a lot of freedoms. Many people screamed at the lost of these Freedoms under Bush. Many of those same have stayed silent about the expansion of that loss under Obama. But they are freedoms still lost.
We are now paranoid. Paranoid of the Muslims around us. Paranoid of being called racist, hatemongers, and Islamophobes for voicing that fear. I see news reports all over the place, where one would think it was Muslims being attacked, and were the true victims of 9/11.
Ten year later, and what have we? A population that cried for vengeance now bows and scrapes, tired of fighting, broken in spirit by those inside it who hate our ways of life as much as those that flew planes into building.
I have seen little justice, and less vengeance. Sometimes I wonder if our slaughtered innocent dead can rest, knowing that we have failed to stand up in their names.
May the Gods and Goddesses have mercy, for I think there is little left in men and spirits.
We went to war, which was expected, and it has been one in which we have lost the least lives of all our conflicts. Yet it is treated as if it was one of the highest.
We caught the man behind it all. He atomized thousands of people. We gave him a proper burial.
People were killed in the name of a religion: Islam. But it has been treated as if there was no religious motivations, and many have gone far out of their way to appease the followers of that religion, including letting them build a giant Mosque two blocks from where thousands were killed in the name of religion used as the motive for killing them.
We were going to build a memorial on the site. It still hasn't been built. And when it is, I've heard rumors that it will be smaller and shorter than the towers that fell, so as not to offend...certain peoples.
We've given up a lot of freedoms. Many people screamed at the lost of these Freedoms under Bush. Many of those same have stayed silent about the expansion of that loss under Obama. But they are freedoms still lost.
We are now paranoid. Paranoid of the Muslims around us. Paranoid of being called racist, hatemongers, and Islamophobes for voicing that fear. I see news reports all over the place, where one would think it was Muslims being attacked, and were the true victims of 9/11.
Ten year later, and what have we? A population that cried for vengeance now bows and scrapes, tired of fighting, broken in spirit by those inside it who hate our ways of life as much as those that flew planes into building.
I have seen little justice, and less vengeance. Sometimes I wonder if our slaughtered innocent dead can rest, knowing that we have failed to stand up in their names.
May the Gods and Goddesses have mercy, for I think there is little left in men and spirits.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Hope
Posting to let people know of my new blog and the article just posted there: Hope
Hope is one of those emotions that can't really be quantified. One cannot describe the feeling of hope, because like so many other feelings, it has to be felt.
Hope is one of those emotions that can't really be quantified. One cannot describe the feeling of hope, because like so many other feelings, it has to be felt.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Obama and Islam: An Interesting Pattern, If True
Reading up on some of the Libyan stuff and noticed a bit of a patter of Pres. Obama
Afghanistan: Muslim fighters are fighting against non-Muslims. Obama wants to pull out. (He hasn't, yet, but he's working for it).
Iraq: Secular government deposed under Bush. Current government might be heading in the direction of a Muslim theocracy, depending on the situation. Obama is supportive.
Iran: "Secular" populace rises up in protest against a Theocratic government of Extremist Muslims and demand Democratic government. Obama does nothing to aid the protesters, merely gives a few non-committal statements and waits. Protesters are then crushed.
Egypt: Protesters, who are generally either Muslim or backed by Muslim groups, rise against a "Secular" government and demand the right to democratically chose their own government. Obama is supportive and acts moderately to help. Incidents that might paint the protesters in a bad light are covered up. (Except for the female report who was sexually assaulted and likely raped, confirmation on the last is sketchy).
Libya: Muslim Rebels (backed by our friends under Bin Laden and his little group, no joke) rise up against "Secular" government. Obama not only supports, but sends military units to aid.
I think I'm starting to see a pattern here, and it's not one this Heathen is exactly comfortable with. Should a few more of these happen, we will know for sure.
Afghanistan: Muslim fighters are fighting against non-Muslims. Obama wants to pull out. (He hasn't, yet, but he's working for it).
Iraq: Secular government deposed under Bush. Current government might be heading in the direction of a Muslim theocracy, depending on the situation. Obama is supportive.
Iran: "Secular" populace rises up in protest against a Theocratic government of Extremist Muslims and demand Democratic government. Obama does nothing to aid the protesters, merely gives a few non-committal statements and waits. Protesters are then crushed.
Egypt: Protesters, who are generally either Muslim or backed by Muslim groups, rise against a "Secular" government and demand the right to democratically chose their own government. Obama is supportive and acts moderately to help. Incidents that might paint the protesters in a bad light are covered up. (Except for the female report who was sexually assaulted and likely raped, confirmation on the last is sketchy).
Libya: Muslim Rebels (backed by our friends under Bin Laden and his little group, no joke) rise up against "Secular" government. Obama not only supports, but sends military units to aid.
I think I'm starting to see a pattern here, and it's not one this Heathen is exactly comfortable with. Should a few more of these happen, we will know for sure.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Japan's Tsunami: Gods and Giants, Old and New
For the last week or so, a lot of the news has been on the earthquakes and tsunami that hit Japan. Footage of entire villages and even cities that were washed out to sea have plastered tv screens. People ask how it happened, and others have answered, with the belief that it was plate tectonics, or the wrath of god, or any number of things.
Over on patheos, there's an article talking about why bad things happen to good people/pagan/etc. After all, if sacrifices and prayers are given, why would the gods and goddesses bring destruction? Why such death and destruction when we have done nothing to provoke?
Some reply that the gods are distant and do not care about us humans. I cannot speak for everyone, but in the Norse path, our gods do care deeply for us, though they do become angry with the children of Midgard at times. Yet, we must remember that our gods and goddesses are not like the Abrahamic god. They are not all powerful and do not control everything that happens. There are other forces out there.
Two of these forces are the Norse Giants and the Greek Titans. Primal, elemental, chaotic forces that exist often at odds with those of Asgard and Olympus. The avalanche, the earthquake, the tsunami, the hurricane, the floods, are they the work of Gods, Giants, Titans, or other spirits? Do they come the interactions of these forces when they come together?
Was the Japanese tsunami the work of an angry kami? A youkai? Was the work of the ash cloud from tiny Iceland that shut down air traffic over the US, Canada, and Europe the work of an angry God or Goddess, a slumbering giant roused for some reason, or an act of protection given. Planes have been used as weapons before, yet they could not fly then, perhaps someone was watching out for somebody, somewhere.
The simple fact is that we don't have the answers to these questions, and those that do are not likely to be believed. It is no secret that the earth has certainly started acting up more and in weirder ways.Perhaps the tsunami was the angry act of YHVH striking back at a world that is turning away from him and his power, as the Christians say. Perhaps the Green people are right and the planet is angry with us for squandering what we have taken. Perhaps with the rise of Paganism and Heathenism, the old gods, goddesses, giants, and other spirits are waking up and we are now seeing them walk the earth again after being suppressed for the last fifteen hundred years. Perhaps under the Christ, YHVH, Allah the world was tamed and enslaved to man, and now that the old ways are coming back, breaking free even as most of the world turn secular and atheist, those natural forces are stretching their limbs and moving again.
Perhaps we are seeing a return to the days when a man or woman's success was wrought by the sweat of their brow, the strength of their back, and the will of their heart. Perhaps, like Barbosa, we have freed Calypso and the other forces of primal past, and shall see a return to olden days, fair and terrible.
Over on patheos, there's an article talking about why bad things happen to good people/pagan/etc. After all, if sacrifices and prayers are given, why would the gods and goddesses bring destruction? Why such death and destruction when we have done nothing to provoke?
Some reply that the gods are distant and do not care about us humans. I cannot speak for everyone, but in the Norse path, our gods do care deeply for us, though they do become angry with the children of Midgard at times. Yet, we must remember that our gods and goddesses are not like the Abrahamic god. They are not all powerful and do not control everything that happens. There are other forces out there.
Two of these forces are the Norse Giants and the Greek Titans. Primal, elemental, chaotic forces that exist often at odds with those of Asgard and Olympus. The avalanche, the earthquake, the tsunami, the hurricane, the floods, are they the work of Gods, Giants, Titans, or other spirits? Do they come the interactions of these forces when they come together?
Was the Japanese tsunami the work of an angry kami? A youkai? Was the work of the ash cloud from tiny Iceland that shut down air traffic over the US, Canada, and Europe the work of an angry God or Goddess, a slumbering giant roused for some reason, or an act of protection given. Planes have been used as weapons before, yet they could not fly then, perhaps someone was watching out for somebody, somewhere.
The simple fact is that we don't have the answers to these questions, and those that do are not likely to be believed. It is no secret that the earth has certainly started acting up more and in weirder ways.Perhaps the tsunami was the angry act of YHVH striking back at a world that is turning away from him and his power, as the Christians say. Perhaps the Green people are right and the planet is angry with us for squandering what we have taken. Perhaps with the rise of Paganism and Heathenism, the old gods, goddesses, giants, and other spirits are waking up and we are now seeing them walk the earth again after being suppressed for the last fifteen hundred years. Perhaps under the Christ, YHVH, Allah the world was tamed and enslaved to man, and now that the old ways are coming back, breaking free even as most of the world turn secular and atheist, those natural forces are stretching their limbs and moving again.
Perhaps we are seeing a return to the days when a man or woman's success was wrought by the sweat of their brow, the strength of their back, and the will of their heart. Perhaps, like Barbosa, we have freed Calypso and the other forces of primal past, and shall see a return to olden days, fair and terrible.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Matter of Rights and Religions.
Okay, I'm gonna throw my helm into this ring about Dianic vs Transgender
First of, I don't know Dianic anything. I'm an Asatruar and an Alchemist, and I'm happy to stay in my little sandbox most of the time. Or mead hall, as the case may be. It's what calls to me, and what fits me.
I wasn't there when it happened. Like most of us, I've learned about it second and third hand. Mostly what I've gleaned is that the Dianic path likes to hold their rituals for natural born women, and wouldn't let trans-gender women join in. Trans-women got unhappy about this and felled the ban was prejudiced and discriminatory. What followed has got to be one of the larger blow ups in the Pagan community that I've seen. Even bigger than when you get into the Christianity and Islam battles that occasionally pop up in our Pagan realms.
As it stands, most people seem to be siding on the Dianics are sexist side of the debate. This is probably due to both how it has been portrayed in our Pagan media, as well as the words of Z. who I believe is a Dianic elder. Her words should be easy to find, and are apparently rather sexist/discriminatory. I've read them, or at least part of them, but sense I'm not transgendered and don't know a lot of transgendered people, I'll leave it up to others to decide just how bad her words are.
On the flip side, though, is the fact that very few are coming to the defense of the Dianics. About the only one I've seen on Patheos and The Wild Hunt is Nestis, who I think has done a pretty good job of defending that path. I don't know if everyone agrees though, since again it seems to be hitting a lot on the Dianics are bad from most of the commentators.
I don't know that I really have a place to talk about this issue. To be honest, I probably don't. For me, I'm going to try and take a somewhat neutral stance. This whole debate strikes me at it's core as an issue of rights. Freedom of Religion vs Civil Rights. Do the Dianics have the right to practice their religion as they see fit, regardless of if it's discriminatory, or do the trans-women have the right to join any religious group they please regardless of that group's views on gender and sexuality.
To be honest, I don't know. I've been struggling for years to answer the question of who has the right to dictate for others, unless of course people have voluntarily give that person or group the right to dictate. I know that I don't have the right to dictate what the Dianics teach or practice. I don't think anyone else has that right either. Then again, I don't think I have the right to tell the trans-women they don't have the right to join either. The Dianics might though, since it's their religion. Then again, they might not. But I know I don't have the right to tell them if they can or can't.
I think that before we start jumping up and down and screaming about how terrible the Dianics are for not letting the trans-women join in, we take a step back and consider all sides and the rights of everyone involved. The last thing any of us Pagan and Heathens want is the knowledge that we could be forced to change our beliefs, traditions, and practices, simply because the Majority feel we're being "offensive." We all came to these paths because they didn't dictate what we had to do. Let's keep it that way, and think long and hard before we start down a path that could lead towards such a thing happening.
First of, I don't know Dianic anything. I'm an Asatruar and an Alchemist, and I'm happy to stay in my little sandbox most of the time. Or mead hall, as the case may be. It's what calls to me, and what fits me.
I wasn't there when it happened. Like most of us, I've learned about it second and third hand. Mostly what I've gleaned is that the Dianic path likes to hold their rituals for natural born women, and wouldn't let trans-gender women join in. Trans-women got unhappy about this and felled the ban was prejudiced and discriminatory. What followed has got to be one of the larger blow ups in the Pagan community that I've seen. Even bigger than when you get into the Christianity and Islam battles that occasionally pop up in our Pagan realms.
As it stands, most people seem to be siding on the Dianics are sexist side of the debate. This is probably due to both how it has been portrayed in our Pagan media, as well as the words of Z. who I believe is a Dianic elder. Her words should be easy to find, and are apparently rather sexist/discriminatory. I've read them, or at least part of them, but sense I'm not transgendered and don't know a lot of transgendered people, I'll leave it up to others to decide just how bad her words are.
On the flip side, though, is the fact that very few are coming to the defense of the Dianics. About the only one I've seen on Patheos and The Wild Hunt is Nestis, who I think has done a pretty good job of defending that path. I don't know if everyone agrees though, since again it seems to be hitting a lot on the Dianics are bad from most of the commentators.
I don't know that I really have a place to talk about this issue. To be honest, I probably don't. For me, I'm going to try and take a somewhat neutral stance. This whole debate strikes me at it's core as an issue of rights. Freedom of Religion vs Civil Rights. Do the Dianics have the right to practice their religion as they see fit, regardless of if it's discriminatory, or do the trans-women have the right to join any religious group they please regardless of that group's views on gender and sexuality.
To be honest, I don't know. I've been struggling for years to answer the question of who has the right to dictate for others, unless of course people have voluntarily give that person or group the right to dictate. I know that I don't have the right to dictate what the Dianics teach or practice. I don't think anyone else has that right either. Then again, I don't think I have the right to tell the trans-women they don't have the right to join either. The Dianics might though, since it's their religion. Then again, they might not. But I know I don't have the right to tell them if they can or can't.
I think that before we start jumping up and down and screaming about how terrible the Dianics are for not letting the trans-women join in, we take a step back and consider all sides and the rights of everyone involved. The last thing any of us Pagan and Heathens want is the knowledge that we could be forced to change our beliefs, traditions, and practices, simply because the Majority feel we're being "offensive." We all came to these paths because they didn't dictate what we had to do. Let's keep it that way, and think long and hard before we start down a path that could lead towards such a thing happening.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Creating a new Era Part 3 Acceptance and Leadership
Alright, so here is part three of my ongoing series about creating pagan communities.
I've had a couple of people respond on my blog to my previous posts, and I thank them for their input. It's helping to build this series better by pointing out areas that we all need to work on.
First off, I wish to retouch on something I put in my Part 1 post, about Community, and that is acceptance. Part of building a larger community is accepting that the others in the community can be different from us, but that they are still members of the Pagan/Heathen community. This includes those Pagans that some out there feel are not "real" pagans. From the Vampires to the hard core Recons, we need to set aside our insistence about being "real pagans" and accept one another. We left organized religions because they didn't accept those that weren't "real" and if we are to build actual communities, then we Must learn to accept our members, left or right, hard or soft polytheists, whatever. We have to accept and respect each other.
The next step in building communities, is Leadership. This is a tricky one, as many pagans and heathens are rather anti-authoritarian. I myself am highly anti-authoritarian. One problem I've heard many groups run into is that one person will rise to prominence and become almost a cult leader at times, often attacking those that disagree with them and driving them off. This is indeed a grave problem, and one that has sunk many groups and proto-communities. Another is that those groups that do actually end up having good leaders run into the anti-authoritarian nature of most pagans, and the group falls apart because people are unwilling to work with that leader. Then there are those who believe that because they own the location they should be given the power in the group.
I will attempt to give some solutions to this problem, starting with the last one I mentioned first. Those who feel that because they own the location they should have the power.
Now by all rights, they own the property (be it the home people meet in or actual property people rent) and this does entitle them to certain rights and power. However, many chafe at this "unelected" nature of power being lorded over them. That is why in my first post, I said that each individual or family should own their property themselves. In creating a larger physical community, this would prevent people from having "Lordship" based on owning the home of another. The last thing we need to do creating communities is start working with Feudalism. That's not to say we can't have Pagans renting from Pagans later on, but in the initial stage, the more equality we have the better. If each person owns their own property, then they are equals, even if the value and quantity of property isn't. They would all be "Freemen."
Now, as for the other two kinds of leaders, the "cultish" who insist that all bow to their ways or go, and the "Honorable" leaders that often get cast aside, and then any other types of leader out there, I have a solution that I've drawn from my own path of Asatru that splits the difference between the need for leadership and anti-authoritarian nature that makes us so uniquely pagan/heathen.
My people, the Norse (along with pretty much all Germanic and Celtic tribes) where very, very anti-authoritarian. We didn't even have a king until the Christians came, and most of the population didn't even have "lords." But they new that there was a need for all the people to come together to discuss matters of law, relations with other peoples, and to settle disputes. This was called the Thing, or Althing.
I recommend we do something like this. Once a month we come together for a few days as a community and we elect official leaders or "Keepers of Law" for the few days that the Althing happens. There should be an odd number of leaders, and each person gets one vote. The top three "winners" of the election are the Keepers. No keeper can be elected more than twice in a row. This would give a wider range of people both access to power, and limit the amount of power any one person could gain. During the time of the Althing everyone would accept the leadership of those elected, and any choices made by the leaders and the people would be recorded and acted upon until the next Althing, at which time changes could be made or kept as the people felt was needed. Once the Althing was concluded, the leaders would resign and the people would be free to lead themselves as they saw fit.
The Althing would also provide a place for grievances to be aired amongst the people. Perhaps a modified "Holmgang" or "Duel" could be developed for those people that needed it, in order to guide the violence of humans into something safer, more honorable, and productive, as well as easing tensions. I have no illusions that there will be peace and no fights in these communities, and we can look to our ancestors for ways to deal with this.
Still, I am hopeful that by accepting each others different paths we can release most of the tensions. For when that is not the case, we can take it to the Althing and hash it out there. Members of the community should be trained in mediation so that we can work things out, and if that fails, we work up some way for the individuals to fight it out amongst themselves so it doesn't tear the community apart. Lastly, we limit the amount of power of our leaders by making everyone as equal as we can, while still accepting the power we place in them and letting them help guide us.
I've had a couple of people respond on my blog to my previous posts, and I thank them for their input. It's helping to build this series better by pointing out areas that we all need to work on.
First off, I wish to retouch on something I put in my Part 1 post, about Community, and that is acceptance. Part of building a larger community is accepting that the others in the community can be different from us, but that they are still members of the Pagan/Heathen community. This includes those Pagans that some out there feel are not "real" pagans. From the Vampires to the hard core Recons, we need to set aside our insistence about being "real pagans" and accept one another. We left organized religions because they didn't accept those that weren't "real" and if we are to build actual communities, then we Must learn to accept our members, left or right, hard or soft polytheists, whatever. We have to accept and respect each other.
The next step in building communities, is Leadership. This is a tricky one, as many pagans and heathens are rather anti-authoritarian. I myself am highly anti-authoritarian. One problem I've heard many groups run into is that one person will rise to prominence and become almost a cult leader at times, often attacking those that disagree with them and driving them off. This is indeed a grave problem, and one that has sunk many groups and proto-communities. Another is that those groups that do actually end up having good leaders run into the anti-authoritarian nature of most pagans, and the group falls apart because people are unwilling to work with that leader. Then there are those who believe that because they own the location they should be given the power in the group.
I will attempt to give some solutions to this problem, starting with the last one I mentioned first. Those who feel that because they own the location they should have the power.
Now by all rights, they own the property (be it the home people meet in or actual property people rent) and this does entitle them to certain rights and power. However, many chafe at this "unelected" nature of power being lorded over them. That is why in my first post, I said that each individual or family should own their property themselves. In creating a larger physical community, this would prevent people from having "Lordship" based on owning the home of another. The last thing we need to do creating communities is start working with Feudalism. That's not to say we can't have Pagans renting from Pagans later on, but in the initial stage, the more equality we have the better. If each person owns their own property, then they are equals, even if the value and quantity of property isn't. They would all be "Freemen."
Now, as for the other two kinds of leaders, the "cultish" who insist that all bow to their ways or go, and the "Honorable" leaders that often get cast aside, and then any other types of leader out there, I have a solution that I've drawn from my own path of Asatru that splits the difference between the need for leadership and anti-authoritarian nature that makes us so uniquely pagan/heathen.
My people, the Norse (along with pretty much all Germanic and Celtic tribes) where very, very anti-authoritarian. We didn't even have a king until the Christians came, and most of the population didn't even have "lords." But they new that there was a need for all the people to come together to discuss matters of law, relations with other peoples, and to settle disputes. This was called the Thing, or Althing.
I recommend we do something like this. Once a month we come together for a few days as a community and we elect official leaders or "Keepers of Law" for the few days that the Althing happens. There should be an odd number of leaders, and each person gets one vote. The top three "winners" of the election are the Keepers. No keeper can be elected more than twice in a row. This would give a wider range of people both access to power, and limit the amount of power any one person could gain. During the time of the Althing everyone would accept the leadership of those elected, and any choices made by the leaders and the people would be recorded and acted upon until the next Althing, at which time changes could be made or kept as the people felt was needed. Once the Althing was concluded, the leaders would resign and the people would be free to lead themselves as they saw fit.
The Althing would also provide a place for grievances to be aired amongst the people. Perhaps a modified "Holmgang" or "Duel" could be developed for those people that needed it, in order to guide the violence of humans into something safer, more honorable, and productive, as well as easing tensions. I have no illusions that there will be peace and no fights in these communities, and we can look to our ancestors for ways to deal with this.
Still, I am hopeful that by accepting each others different paths we can release most of the tensions. For when that is not the case, we can take it to the Althing and hash it out there. Members of the community should be trained in mediation so that we can work things out, and if that fails, we work up some way for the individuals to fight it out amongst themselves so it doesn't tear the community apart. Lastly, we limit the amount of power of our leaders by making everyone as equal as we can, while still accepting the power we place in them and letting them help guide us.
Friday, January 21, 2011
A Response to Politics.
This comment is a re-post from one I made at The Wild Hunt, in regards to claims of slandering a political branch of Pagans.
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Dreamstalker, I can see where you would consider my statements to be "boilerplate." I must, however, point out that I heard you speaking no such words about those on the right turning this into a Christian nation. I wonder why?
Perhaps making the nation Publicly Atheistic (in terms of government and such) is not turning the nation atheistic. However, my statements about how the political Left (if not the totally of its members) view all religion still stand. This is not boiler plate, this is things I have observed on my own from sources that view the Left in high regard.
You say my political slander against a wing of the Pagan population will not bring unity. You are right, except that I do not slander the Pagans, but merely point out that it would be best if we forgo our "political" identity in favor of our "religious" identity. It is perhaps true that I do not attack the right as often as the left, but I do attack it. If I attack the left, it is because too often I see it held up as the paragon of virtue and dogmatically held as the only way to go. I feel this is not so. WE are Pagans and Heathens, Why should we stick to either one path or the others. We do not work in a dualistic system, we can take a third option, or a fourth, or a fifth. Why should we be Right or Left? Why must we so dogmatically hold to political ideologies that have no respect for us? Who see us only as votes to be counted, numbers to be manipulated and twisted till we give to one side and bash the other with the fervor of monotheistic zealots? When did politics become our Gods and Goddesses, rather than the divine beings themselves. When did Democrats and Republicans become our people, over Wiccans, Asatruar, Satanists, Odinists, Druids, etc?
When did it become that Pagan would threaten Pagan with death, simply because they held a different political viewpoint? Is this what we are? Is this what we all began walking this path to become? I became a heathen because the gods of my people called to me, bid me welcome, and said I was kin. That it didn't matter if i was right or left, republican or democrat, capitalist or socialist. That I was something beyond the petty, venality of politics, that I had family and spirituality that transcended time and space. And that it wasn't just me, it was every other person, from the solo practitioner to the coven, from the Scandinavian to the Greek to the Roman to the Celt to the Slav and Baltic. That we were taking back and rebuilding something that had been stolen away by fire and blood and a selfish, petty god that thought he alone could rule everything. That we didn't have to act petty and childish. That we could be the start of something old made new again.
But all to often I see none of that. I see people being petty when they should be honorable. I see people bashing the right, bashing those who defend the right, and bashing people like me who don't bash the right or defenders of the right as much as they think I should. I see people getting death threats and told that they aren't "really pagans" because they don't believe the same as everyone else and jump on the "correct" political bandwagon.
Do we want to survive? Do we want our ways to be passed on for generations to come? To honor the gods and goddesses until the sun goes nova and then some as we spread beyond this little world? Then we have to put aside the politics. Call against those politicians if you will, but do it against everyone. No playing favorites. Respect our kin on all sides of the political spectrum and remember that We are Pagan and Heathens, Children of the Gods and Goddess, before we are anything political!
It's time we stopped frothing at the mouth like berserks without a lick of sense in their head other than killing the "enemy" and remember that it wasn't politics that brought us to our paths! It was our need to step away from the petty and the venal ways of the other religions, like Christianity, which have so infected this nation, this world, and its politics. It's time we became more, not less.
The Goddesses don't care who you vote for.
The Gods don't give a s*** what your political orientation is.
So why should we? We are people, they are people, they are no better or worse than we are. Move past the politics and remember what is important. Our people and our paths, Not our politics.
`````````````````````
Dreamstalker, I can see where you would consider my statements to be "boilerplate." I must, however, point out that I heard you speaking no such words about those on the right turning this into a Christian nation. I wonder why?
Perhaps making the nation Publicly Atheistic (in terms of government and such) is not turning the nation atheistic. However, my statements about how the political Left (if not the totally of its members) view all religion still stand. This is not boiler plate, this is things I have observed on my own from sources that view the Left in high regard.
You say my political slander against a wing of the Pagan population will not bring unity. You are right, except that I do not slander the Pagans, but merely point out that it would be best if we forgo our "political" identity in favor of our "religious" identity. It is perhaps true that I do not attack the right as often as the left, but I do attack it. If I attack the left, it is because too often I see it held up as the paragon of virtue and dogmatically held as the only way to go. I feel this is not so. WE are Pagans and Heathens, Why should we stick to either one path or the others. We do not work in a dualistic system, we can take a third option, or a fourth, or a fifth. Why should we be Right or Left? Why must we so dogmatically hold to political ideologies that have no respect for us? Who see us only as votes to be counted, numbers to be manipulated and twisted till we give to one side and bash the other with the fervor of monotheistic zealots? When did politics become our Gods and Goddesses, rather than the divine beings themselves. When did Democrats and Republicans become our people, over Wiccans, Asatruar, Satanists, Odinists, Druids, etc?
When did it become that Pagan would threaten Pagan with death, simply because they held a different political viewpoint? Is this what we are? Is this what we all began walking this path to become? I became a heathen because the gods of my people called to me, bid me welcome, and said I was kin. That it didn't matter if i was right or left, republican or democrat, capitalist or socialist. That I was something beyond the petty, venality of politics, that I had family and spirituality that transcended time and space. And that it wasn't just me, it was every other person, from the solo practitioner to the coven, from the Scandinavian to the Greek to the Roman to the Celt to the Slav and Baltic. That we were taking back and rebuilding something that had been stolen away by fire and blood and a selfish, petty god that thought he alone could rule everything. That we didn't have to act petty and childish. That we could be the start of something old made new again.
But all to often I see none of that. I see people being petty when they should be honorable. I see people bashing the right, bashing those who defend the right, and bashing people like me who don't bash the right or defenders of the right as much as they think I should. I see people getting death threats and told that they aren't "really pagans" because they don't believe the same as everyone else and jump on the "correct" political bandwagon.
Do we want to survive? Do we want our ways to be passed on for generations to come? To honor the gods and goddesses until the sun goes nova and then some as we spread beyond this little world? Then we have to put aside the politics. Call against those politicians if you will, but do it against everyone. No playing favorites. Respect our kin on all sides of the political spectrum and remember that We are Pagan and Heathens, Children of the Gods and Goddess, before we are anything political!
It's time we stopped frothing at the mouth like berserks without a lick of sense in their head other than killing the "enemy" and remember that it wasn't politics that brought us to our paths! It was our need to step away from the petty and the venal ways of the other religions, like Christianity, which have so infected this nation, this world, and its politics. It's time we became more, not less.
The Goddesses don't care who you vote for.
The Gods don't give a s*** what your political orientation is.
So why should we? We are people, they are people, they are no better or worse than we are. Move past the politics and remember what is important. Our people and our paths, Not our politics.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Creating a New Era Part 2 Skills
In my last post, I put forth what I feel must be the first step in building pagan and heathen communities. A sense of tribalism, nationalism, whatever you wanna call it, where we move past and set aside what makes us all different, and remember what makes us the same.
Here in Part 2, is the next thing I think we will need to build and sustain a community or communities.
Skills.
Think about it, sure carrying on the traditions of our paths is important, but if we're building a community it's going to be known, and different kinds of communities will require different kinds of skills.
If one is part of a community that is building from scratch on land they've bought in the country, well you're gonna need to know how to build buildings, do wiring, plumbing, farming, and hundreds of other little things we don't normally think about.
Why? Because you would be doing something that hasn't really been done lately. But we do have keys to this. There are trade schools and apprenticeships for most of the basic skills. There are communities like the Amish that we can learn how to work together from, as well as many a good skill to get, as most of us will not be wealthy and so the shiny toys of modernity won't be as available to us as older methods will be.
In the instance of moving into a neighborhood and building a community there, many of the above skills could also be useful as well. In truth all the skills that I can come up with would be needed for both community types.
Diplomacy would be key, both internally and externally. Keeping a bunch of pagans and heathens together, focused, and getting along when the former tend to act like wild cats and the latter like wolves is both a hard task and the most important. As I said in my previous post, without Community, there is no community. Also in dealing with the larger population outside of the Community itself. Getting schools to recognize our views and rights, getting City councils to do the same. Getting the local religions to either back off and play nice, ignore us, or not attack us.
Skill at Arms. This is probably the most controversial skill needed, but by building a community we are painting a target on ourselves and we need to be ready for those that come against us. This means both the ability to use violence on behalf of our communities and the knowledge of how we can use this violence. In the olden days, everyone in pagan societies, especially the Celt, Norse, and Germanic, learned to fight. Martial arts classes are a good idea, the more realistic the training the better. Gun classes, learning to use the weapons of our people, etc, are also good, maybe even a must. Because there are attacks on minority communities, and ours will be no different. Harm none is good, but when they're at the door, remember it's yours or theirs.
Why do I say skills like carpentry, electrical wiring, and plumbing are key and we need members that know these skills? Because there will be those that refuse to serve those needs if they know who we are, or will actively sabotage us. Not only do we need people certified in those skills, we need them to be the best of the best, because there will likely be those who will use any excuse to shut us down.
We will need those who know the law. It's already pretty clear that "lawfare" is a tactic many are willing to use. I've heard tales of children services removing children from pagan homes. There will be lawsuits. We need warriors of the law to guard us and fight back for their communities without the devastation that other law firms will charge.
Farmers, who know how to bring forth food. Gardens are good, and we should each have one, but for the communities in the country, larger food supplies will be needed, for both sustainability and added income into the community.
Capitalism, even though it is much maligned will aid us and we should use it responsibly. Each person must own their own home/land. It should not be communal property. This will invest each person into their own part more fully, and in the case something goes wrong for one, it will not destroy the entire community. We help each other through the hard times, but we own what we own as individuals. That is the Western Way.
Teachers will be a must shortly there after. If needed, homeschooling is an option, but the ability to create a private pagan/heathen school where the community has the direct control of what our next generation learns will be a boon. There are many educational programs out there we can learn from and implement so that our children are the best and brightest, because they will need to be. We cannot let the dogmas of religion and politics influence our children away from their heritage, nor poison their minds against their fellows.
Medical professionals will also be needed, both alternative and modern. The former because it is our way and healthier, the latter because it gives us options and protects us from attacks.
We need to amass the skills needed to protect, sustain, and grow our communities, and more importantly our children. The community's survival is based on its children surviving and thriving to carry on the way of that community. Lose them and all our building and planning is for naught. And we can be sure that there are those who would like to see us fail and will target the next generation. We need to be able to stand up and protect ourselves.
Here in Part 2, is the next thing I think we will need to build and sustain a community or communities.
Skills.
Think about it, sure carrying on the traditions of our paths is important, but if we're building a community it's going to be known, and different kinds of communities will require different kinds of skills.
If one is part of a community that is building from scratch on land they've bought in the country, well you're gonna need to know how to build buildings, do wiring, plumbing, farming, and hundreds of other little things we don't normally think about.
Why? Because you would be doing something that hasn't really been done lately. But we do have keys to this. There are trade schools and apprenticeships for most of the basic skills. There are communities like the Amish that we can learn how to work together from, as well as many a good skill to get, as most of us will not be wealthy and so the shiny toys of modernity won't be as available to us as older methods will be.
In the instance of moving into a neighborhood and building a community there, many of the above skills could also be useful as well. In truth all the skills that I can come up with would be needed for both community types.
Diplomacy would be key, both internally and externally. Keeping a bunch of pagans and heathens together, focused, and getting along when the former tend to act like wild cats and the latter like wolves is both a hard task and the most important. As I said in my previous post, without Community, there is no community. Also in dealing with the larger population outside of the Community itself. Getting schools to recognize our views and rights, getting City councils to do the same. Getting the local religions to either back off and play nice, ignore us, or not attack us.
Skill at Arms. This is probably the most controversial skill needed, but by building a community we are painting a target on ourselves and we need to be ready for those that come against us. This means both the ability to use violence on behalf of our communities and the knowledge of how we can use this violence. In the olden days, everyone in pagan societies, especially the Celt, Norse, and Germanic, learned to fight. Martial arts classes are a good idea, the more realistic the training the better. Gun classes, learning to use the weapons of our people, etc, are also good, maybe even a must. Because there are attacks on minority communities, and ours will be no different. Harm none is good, but when they're at the door, remember it's yours or theirs.
Why do I say skills like carpentry, electrical wiring, and plumbing are key and we need members that know these skills? Because there will be those that refuse to serve those needs if they know who we are, or will actively sabotage us. Not only do we need people certified in those skills, we need them to be the best of the best, because there will likely be those who will use any excuse to shut us down.
We will need those who know the law. It's already pretty clear that "lawfare" is a tactic many are willing to use. I've heard tales of children services removing children from pagan homes. There will be lawsuits. We need warriors of the law to guard us and fight back for their communities without the devastation that other law firms will charge.
Farmers, who know how to bring forth food. Gardens are good, and we should each have one, but for the communities in the country, larger food supplies will be needed, for both sustainability and added income into the community.
Capitalism, even though it is much maligned will aid us and we should use it responsibly. Each person must own their own home/land. It should not be communal property. This will invest each person into their own part more fully, and in the case something goes wrong for one, it will not destroy the entire community. We help each other through the hard times, but we own what we own as individuals. That is the Western Way.
Teachers will be a must shortly there after. If needed, homeschooling is an option, but the ability to create a private pagan/heathen school where the community has the direct control of what our next generation learns will be a boon. There are many educational programs out there we can learn from and implement so that our children are the best and brightest, because they will need to be. We cannot let the dogmas of religion and politics influence our children away from their heritage, nor poison their minds against their fellows.
Medical professionals will also be needed, both alternative and modern. The former because it is our way and healthier, the latter because it gives us options and protects us from attacks.
We need to amass the skills needed to protect, sustain, and grow our communities, and more importantly our children. The community's survival is based on its children surviving and thriving to carry on the way of that community. Lose them and all our building and planning is for naught. And we can be sure that there are those who would like to see us fail and will target the next generation. We need to be able to stand up and protect ourselves.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Creating a New Era Part 1 Community
I have noticed, in my travels around the net, that there is a growing movement to begin building pagan and heathen communities. This is not a completely new movement, truth be told, but I believe it is a movement whose time is finally coming about.
Why has it not really happened yet, at least on a large scale? Because we haven't had the people to do it. Much of the history of modern pagan/heathenism has been one of solitary practitioners, small covens or groups, the former of which could be anywhere and the latter of which generally could only be found in larger cities until more recent times, where increased numbers and lowered fears.
So what's changed in the fifty odd years or so since people started reclaiming the paths of the gods and goddesses? What makes now different from then?
Well first of, its a numbers game. Paganism is one of the fastest growing religious affiliations. We're getting more and more people into this little polytheistic party. Also, it's the type of people we're getting in. One of the fastest growing subsections to is "Reconstructinism," at least to my knowledge. One of the big things most of the reconstructionists have is bringing back the way things were done, which requires a community. It's all well and good to live like our ancestors, but trying to make your way thought the world with the values of a 7th century Scandinavian in a 21st century post modern society isn't easy. There's a lot of cross over, true, but there's a lot of values dissonance. The other is that such paths put a strong emphasis on kinship, at least the "folkish" ones do. Building a community, building family who live and practice as you do.
And we are getting the numbers for that now.
Another thing that's changed is that as we've stepped out of the shadow, the broom closet, and the history books, we've drawn a lot more attention to ourselves. Where once cries of occult ritual murders and such would have meant a lot of hysteria, but now they are real attacks against our ways of life. In California, there is still a battle over freedom of religion, where paganism is not counted in the "Big Five" (three of which are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and thus "may not have the same rights and protections" as the "big five."
People are looking at us now, and not all of it is friendly. Now, instead of protecting us, our solitary natures are acting as a hindrance. Where once we could hide in ones or twos, now we are open and that means that those who disapprove can attack. People hide who they are because they fear losing their jobs, their children, their families, and much more.
But what if we could change all that? What if we could come together? I think that's what's pushing people more and more into a desire to build communities. I've heard everything from getting run down properties that are going for cheap and making pagan neighborhoods to buying land and making communities from scratch. These are good ideas, they are a start, and its one we need to look at seriously.
So what do we need to do this?
Well, the first thing that we must do to build a community is just that, build community amongst ourselves. Too often I see the pagan and heathen communities online fractured into different factions, while in person, well they're almost as volatile as the Christians as far as keeping groups together. You end up with a bunch of very small, very ideological groups that can't stand each other because of drama and such. Maybe we need to wait until these fractured communities grow large enough to sustain themselves. I don't think we do.
What we have to do is realize that we are pagans/heathens above all else, that for our different patterns of belief, we are that if nothing else. We have to take that and use it to do something that has been bashed, vilified, "discredited," and all together "mad."
We have to build a "Nation," we have to invest ourselves with "Nationalism." "Right," "Left," "Progressive," "Conservative," etc, must become as meaningless words to us. Politics has divided us, kept us separated and hindered us from reaching the true potential we could reach. We must reject the dogma of modern political theory and delve deep into our pagan and heathen ways. There are pagans who have inserted their progressive and leftist views into their teachings, seeking to undo the harm Christianity has done without bothering to learn what is actually Christian in origin and what is originally pagan. Too often, heathens have imparted ways of the right, though not as bad as they could have. Still, we have let politics keep us at each others throats, when we should have been reaching for hands in kinship. We have to move past this, to stop calling the other sides ignorant and shallow. It is our diversity which will help us to move forwards and deal with problems, but not unless we can realize we have more in common with each other than against each other.
There are already plenty enough people out there trying to get rid of us. From the rabid Christians who preach no witch shall live to the Muslims who teach that all must worship Allah or die to the Atheist scientists who insist that there are no gods or that the gods were aliens who pulled a con job on our primitive and stupid ancestors. I don't care if you're a polytheist who believes all the goddesses are representatives of a single being or a hard polytheist like myself who believes each individual god and goddess was their own person. We need to stop bickering, about are the gods and goddesses few or many, about if straight men are as capable as bi-men and all manner of women, about if the recons are racist bastards or the Wiccans are feminists misandric harpies. We need to stop the infighting and bloody well remember that we chose these paths because they accepted us, and its bloody time we put our money were our mouths are and start accepting our Pagan and Heathen Brothers and Sisters.
We need to build community.
Why has it not really happened yet, at least on a large scale? Because we haven't had the people to do it. Much of the history of modern pagan/heathenism has been one of solitary practitioners, small covens or groups, the former of which could be anywhere and the latter of which generally could only be found in larger cities until more recent times, where increased numbers and lowered fears.
So what's changed in the fifty odd years or so since people started reclaiming the paths of the gods and goddesses? What makes now different from then?
Well first of, its a numbers game. Paganism is one of the fastest growing religious affiliations. We're getting more and more people into this little polytheistic party. Also, it's the type of people we're getting in. One of the fastest growing subsections to is "Reconstructinism," at least to my knowledge. One of the big things most of the reconstructionists have is bringing back the way things were done, which requires a community. It's all well and good to live like our ancestors, but trying to make your way thought the world with the values of a 7th century Scandinavian in a 21st century post modern society isn't easy. There's a lot of cross over, true, but there's a lot of values dissonance. The other is that such paths put a strong emphasis on kinship, at least the "folkish" ones do. Building a community, building family who live and practice as you do.
And we are getting the numbers for that now.
Another thing that's changed is that as we've stepped out of the shadow, the broom closet, and the history books, we've drawn a lot more attention to ourselves. Where once cries of occult ritual murders and such would have meant a lot of hysteria, but now they are real attacks against our ways of life. In California, there is still a battle over freedom of religion, where paganism is not counted in the "Big Five" (three of which are Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and thus "may not have the same rights and protections" as the "big five."
People are looking at us now, and not all of it is friendly. Now, instead of protecting us, our solitary natures are acting as a hindrance. Where once we could hide in ones or twos, now we are open and that means that those who disapprove can attack. People hide who they are because they fear losing their jobs, their children, their families, and much more.
But what if we could change all that? What if we could come together? I think that's what's pushing people more and more into a desire to build communities. I've heard everything from getting run down properties that are going for cheap and making pagan neighborhoods to buying land and making communities from scratch. These are good ideas, they are a start, and its one we need to look at seriously.
So what do we need to do this?
Well, the first thing that we must do to build a community is just that, build community amongst ourselves. Too often I see the pagan and heathen communities online fractured into different factions, while in person, well they're almost as volatile as the Christians as far as keeping groups together. You end up with a bunch of very small, very ideological groups that can't stand each other because of drama and such. Maybe we need to wait until these fractured communities grow large enough to sustain themselves. I don't think we do.
What we have to do is realize that we are pagans/heathens above all else, that for our different patterns of belief, we are that if nothing else. We have to take that and use it to do something that has been bashed, vilified, "discredited," and all together "mad."
We have to build a "Nation," we have to invest ourselves with "Nationalism." "Right," "Left," "Progressive," "Conservative," etc, must become as meaningless words to us. Politics has divided us, kept us separated and hindered us from reaching the true potential we could reach. We must reject the dogma of modern political theory and delve deep into our pagan and heathen ways. There are pagans who have inserted their progressive and leftist views into their teachings, seeking to undo the harm Christianity has done without bothering to learn what is actually Christian in origin and what is originally pagan. Too often, heathens have imparted ways of the right, though not as bad as they could have. Still, we have let politics keep us at each others throats, when we should have been reaching for hands in kinship. We have to move past this, to stop calling the other sides ignorant and shallow. It is our diversity which will help us to move forwards and deal with problems, but not unless we can realize we have more in common with each other than against each other.
There are already plenty enough people out there trying to get rid of us. From the rabid Christians who preach no witch shall live to the Muslims who teach that all must worship Allah or die to the Atheist scientists who insist that there are no gods or that the gods were aliens who pulled a con job on our primitive and stupid ancestors. I don't care if you're a polytheist who believes all the goddesses are representatives of a single being or a hard polytheist like myself who believes each individual god and goddess was their own person. We need to stop bickering, about are the gods and goddesses few or many, about if straight men are as capable as bi-men and all manner of women, about if the recons are racist bastards or the Wiccans are feminists misandric harpies. We need to stop the infighting and bloody well remember that we chose these paths because they accepted us, and its bloody time we put our money were our mouths are and start accepting our Pagan and Heathen Brothers and Sisters.
We need to build community.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Danger of Political Thinking
Political thinking is dangerous. Often people give into holding that pundits and political voices are preaching that certain actions must be taken, and believing that these words are right and true.
So too has it been with the shooting in Arizona, with six people dead and another dozen wounded.
Yet when I speak of the danger of political thinking, I am not talking about the shooter. Indeed, from what I can tell, if there was a political motivation it is from politics all over the board that cannot be place on any particular space in the political spectrum. A supposed "shrine," a video of himself burning the American flag, and I believe various political comments that no one can really place, except those who insist it is "right wing" in nature. Those on the right can't seem to figure out where to place them. And then there's the supposed mental illness.
Rather the danger I speak of is allowing one's political thinking to get in the way of seeking the truth. In the pagan blogs I visit, there is a sad number of people who are insisting that this is the fault of right wing rhetoric, Palin and Beck and that sort, target maps and the bullet box. I don't know if that's the case. There are many reasons out there why this tragedy happened. We may never know the truth. But I don't think we should let party lines insist that this tragedy is the fault of a certain point of view in politics. Especially by people who seem to feel their side can do no wrong and has never done wrong.
Thinking that way, well only get in the way of figuring out what really happened. Just as the fact that far too often, the fact that Democratic Congress woman was shot, has gotten in the way that six people died, including a little girl.
That is the danger of political thinking.
So too has it been with the shooting in Arizona, with six people dead and another dozen wounded.
Yet when I speak of the danger of political thinking, I am not talking about the shooter. Indeed, from what I can tell, if there was a political motivation it is from politics all over the board that cannot be place on any particular space in the political spectrum. A supposed "shrine," a video of himself burning the American flag, and I believe various political comments that no one can really place, except those who insist it is "right wing" in nature. Those on the right can't seem to figure out where to place them. And then there's the supposed mental illness.
Rather the danger I speak of is allowing one's political thinking to get in the way of seeking the truth. In the pagan blogs I visit, there is a sad number of people who are insisting that this is the fault of right wing rhetoric, Palin and Beck and that sort, target maps and the bullet box. I don't know if that's the case. There are many reasons out there why this tragedy happened. We may never know the truth. But I don't think we should let party lines insist that this tragedy is the fault of a certain point of view in politics. Especially by people who seem to feel their side can do no wrong and has never done wrong.
Thinking that way, well only get in the way of figuring out what really happened. Just as the fact that far too often, the fact that Democratic Congress woman was shot, has gotten in the way that six people died, including a little girl.
That is the danger of political thinking.
Monday, January 10, 2011
A Return of Honor
So, I'm very aware I've been away. Life happens and I just haven't had the energy to put up stuff. Combined with a distinct lack of knowing what I should write about contributed. Still, I figured I'd throw my two cents in on something that happened lately.
A couple days ago, a congresswoman of Arizona was shot, along with about twelve fellow victims that survived and about six which did not. No doubt a political motive will be found, even if I haven't heard of it yet, and within a few short hours of the occurrence already the killer and would be assassin was being labeled as insane. I'm not here to say he wasn't.
The reason for my post is due to another post on Pantheon, a religious blog. Namely, a pagan's response to the attack. And it got me thinking.
Pagan and Heathen societies of old didn't fear violence. It was very much a part of normal society, and regulated by rules and customs. But here in modern society, we have almost the opposite. Sure, we have violent video games and sports, but gone are the days when one could challenge another to a duel or holmgang.
Now, it is known that most people don't resort to violence to solve their problems unless they feel it is their only option, at least in Western societies. Here in America, most people will write letters, or try and see the person they feel has wronged them. Yet, our leaders are often farther and farther away. It is easy to see the City Council in comparison to seeing one's senator. Try and get an audience with the president, and unless you're out of luck unless you are an admired figure, political powerhouse, or something along those lines. Joe of the street is not gonna get in to talk politics with the president, even at a town hall. This distance often leaves people feeling distant from their leaders, and without a voice. Our election system is great, but if you're on the losing side, you still get ignored. More and more people feel their votes don't count.
And when you feel you have no voice, well, that's often the time you most want to be heard.
The key problem to me is not that this young man shot so many people. It is a problem, yes, and the loss of life is to be mourned. Arguably, it is because this young man may have felt he had no voice. Such is a tragedy, especially if it led to what happened. I wonder, what would have happened had this young man been given an option, even one of violence like he brought. At least, if he had something like a duel to challenge the congresswoman too, it is possible that she would be no worse off, and near twenty people would not have been injured or killed.
We will never eliminate the violence in this world, but perhaps it is time we look at a way to guide that violence so that the innocent do not die, and that once again violence is given a path of honor
A couple days ago, a congresswoman of Arizona was shot, along with about twelve fellow victims that survived and about six which did not. No doubt a political motive will be found, even if I haven't heard of it yet, and within a few short hours of the occurrence already the killer and would be assassin was being labeled as insane. I'm not here to say he wasn't.
The reason for my post is due to another post on Pantheon, a religious blog. Namely, a pagan's response to the attack. And it got me thinking.
Pagan and Heathen societies of old didn't fear violence. It was very much a part of normal society, and regulated by rules and customs. But here in modern society, we have almost the opposite. Sure, we have violent video games and sports, but gone are the days when one could challenge another to a duel or holmgang.
Now, it is known that most people don't resort to violence to solve their problems unless they feel it is their only option, at least in Western societies. Here in America, most people will write letters, or try and see the person they feel has wronged them. Yet, our leaders are often farther and farther away. It is easy to see the City Council in comparison to seeing one's senator. Try and get an audience with the president, and unless you're out of luck unless you are an admired figure, political powerhouse, or something along those lines. Joe of the street is not gonna get in to talk politics with the president, even at a town hall. This distance often leaves people feeling distant from their leaders, and without a voice. Our election system is great, but if you're on the losing side, you still get ignored. More and more people feel their votes don't count.
And when you feel you have no voice, well, that's often the time you most want to be heard.
The key problem to me is not that this young man shot so many people. It is a problem, yes, and the loss of life is to be mourned. Arguably, it is because this young man may have felt he had no voice. Such is a tragedy, especially if it led to what happened. I wonder, what would have happened had this young man been given an option, even one of violence like he brought. At least, if he had something like a duel to challenge the congresswoman too, it is possible that she would be no worse off, and near twenty people would not have been injured or killed.
We will never eliminate the violence in this world, but perhaps it is time we look at a way to guide that violence so that the innocent do not die, and that once again violence is given a path of honor
Monday, October 4, 2010
No Pressure, Really (Really??)
So, I just found out about this thanks to Glenn Beck. I don't want to hear any Beck bashing now, because this isn't about him.
Rather this is about something that goes Way Too Far, in my opinion. And for people who know me, that's pretty damn far to start with. Honestly, to hear my solution to some of the world's problems, people might be surprised that I would take offense to what I'm to show you. But then, even my worst, most violent, planet bombing, Death Star worthy ideas, are nothing in comparison to this video from the UK for the 10:10 Carbon Emissions reduction project.
It is, as the TVTropes website I like to visit would put it, High Octane Nightmare Fuel. I've watched it one time. I don't want to watch it again. It is so horrible, that the people that produced it are trying to wipe it from the Internet. (Though that might be because of just how badly it reflects on them, because they had no problem making it.)
In case the video disappears (which is likely) the basics is that it starts out with a teacher talking to her students about helping the environment. Two students don't look thrilled and basically show they won't do anything to help the environment. Teacher says that's okay, let me just press this button on my desk.
The two non-active students explode in a shower of blood (fake, fortunately) and splatter all over their horrified class mates (who are at most in their early teens). Teacher then cheerfully tells the class to read for their next assignment, excluding the two exploded ones.
By now, you should feel sick. If you're not, please tell me your secret. That is where the video stopped on Glen Beck. Thanks to TheBlaze.com and Youtube I got to watch the rest.
It consists of a Boss talking to his employees (and killing four of them to much shock and horror, I think). A small soccer/football club who kills one of there mates (to know discernible horror). The last one is in a recording studio with the lady doing the voice over at the end.
All through out the video, just before being exploded, the person with the button says "No Pressure." Yep, nice, calm words of reassurance. Right before the kill you like a suicide bomber. They even say it when they're giving the "Facts" about who all is joining and that you should to, (no pressure, by the way).
So yeah, this is what it's come down to. Save the environment. No Pressure.
Rather this is about something that goes Way Too Far, in my opinion. And for people who know me, that's pretty damn far to start with. Honestly, to hear my solution to some of the world's problems, people might be surprised that I would take offense to what I'm to show you. But then, even my worst, most violent, planet bombing, Death Star worthy ideas, are nothing in comparison to this video from the UK for the 10:10 Carbon Emissions reduction project.
It is, as the TVTropes website I like to visit would put it, High Octane Nightmare Fuel. I've watched it one time. I don't want to watch it again. It is so horrible, that the people that produced it are trying to wipe it from the Internet. (Though that might be because of just how badly it reflects on them, because they had no problem making it.)
In case the video disappears (which is likely) the basics is that it starts out with a teacher talking to her students about helping the environment. Two students don't look thrilled and basically show they won't do anything to help the environment. Teacher says that's okay, let me just press this button on my desk.
The two non-active students explode in a shower of blood (fake, fortunately) and splatter all over their horrified class mates (who are at most in their early teens). Teacher then cheerfully tells the class to read for their next assignment, excluding the two exploded ones.
By now, you should feel sick. If you're not, please tell me your secret. That is where the video stopped on Glen Beck. Thanks to TheBlaze.com and Youtube I got to watch the rest.
It consists of a Boss talking to his employees (and killing four of them to much shock and horror, I think). A small soccer/football club who kills one of there mates (to know discernible horror). The last one is in a recording studio with the lady doing the voice over at the end.
All through out the video, just before being exploded, the person with the button says "No Pressure." Yep, nice, calm words of reassurance. Right before the kill you like a suicide bomber. They even say it when they're giving the "Facts" about who all is joining and that you should to, (no pressure, by the way).
So yeah, this is what it's come down to. Save the environment. No Pressure.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
They Left it to Beaver
What I am about to post is probably one of the most important ideas of our time. In fact, it is probably worthy of many hours of historical research and publication.
In short, people's entire perception of history is based on the 1950's, especially in the instance of social dynamics.
The reason for this is many fold. For one, the advent of Atomic weaponry left a deep scar on the "Civilized" world, and the knowledge that everything and everyone a person knew could be wiped away in a second drove people to tighten down on society and provide a Strict Order to hold off the fear of Nuclear Chaos. This was true all over the world, but I would focus our gaze on America.
Now, we all have a mental image of the 1950's. This is largely due to rise in Television. Shows like "Leave it to Beaver" showed us the ideal home and life of people. It was a world of strict hierarchies and enforced roles. Father was in charge, Mother stayed home, children obeyed, and if a minority was ever shown on TV, well, we can all guess what their roles were.
Then we come to the sixties, possibly the second more important decade in the last hundred years. I say second most, because without the fifties, it would never had happened. The Sixties were a decade of rebellion against a strict society's oppression. Almost every social movement we have today can be traced back to the Sixties. Civil Rights, Homosexual rights, etc. Everything can be traced back to the Sixties and the often violent reaction against the enforce order of "The Past." A Past which was considered to be all of history. Or at least, Western History.
However, and this is something no one talks about, is that the "Past" we have is a lie. The past, especially for America is typically painted as having existed like the Fifties did. The racism, sexism, oppression, etc. Often, historical realities are ignored to maintain the illusion that historical society was run the same as 1950's America.
In reality, however, history was much different. In fact, as recently as the 1940's, the worlds was radically different. Women and Minorities stood on a more equal footing than they did in the 1950's. In fact, one could make the argument that they were well on the road to full equality. Certainly, the 1920's in America there was even more equality between everyone. There were women and minorities in Government offices (though you will pretty much never hear about them). People tend to forget that in America, a majority of white men didn't have the right to vote. Or that there have been people who were openly gay in the past, that while receiving the usual Christian ire, were fairly well accepted. That Minorities, such as Blacks, while facing oppression in parts of the South, were largely free and accepted in the rest of the country, and even in the South there were areas of acceptance.
So, why is it that we fail to have the correct image of history? In many ways it is because of Television. For much of TV's start, there were very few channels and those in charge of those channels picked what was seen. First, they painted us a picture of "The Perfect Life." Later, they would paint us the pictures of a world that rebelled against that "Perfect Life." They painted everything with that brush, ignoring the realities of the past in favor of comforting order at first, and then later a complete rebellion against the order they painted, which in truth barely existed in reality for more than a decade.
In the end, history was Left to Beaver, and like a good little boy, he tried to learn a "swell" lesson and teach it to everyone else, ignoring the fact that it wasn't real in the least. And so we are left with a legacy of Hatred and Bigotry, rather than the reality that while there has always been inequality, there has also been equality.
In short, people's entire perception of history is based on the 1950's, especially in the instance of social dynamics.
The reason for this is many fold. For one, the advent of Atomic weaponry left a deep scar on the "Civilized" world, and the knowledge that everything and everyone a person knew could be wiped away in a second drove people to tighten down on society and provide a Strict Order to hold off the fear of Nuclear Chaos. This was true all over the world, but I would focus our gaze on America.
Now, we all have a mental image of the 1950's. This is largely due to rise in Television. Shows like "Leave it to Beaver" showed us the ideal home and life of people. It was a world of strict hierarchies and enforced roles. Father was in charge, Mother stayed home, children obeyed, and if a minority was ever shown on TV, well, we can all guess what their roles were.
Then we come to the sixties, possibly the second more important decade in the last hundred years. I say second most, because without the fifties, it would never had happened. The Sixties were a decade of rebellion against a strict society's oppression. Almost every social movement we have today can be traced back to the Sixties. Civil Rights, Homosexual rights, etc. Everything can be traced back to the Sixties and the often violent reaction against the enforce order of "The Past." A Past which was considered to be all of history. Or at least, Western History.
However, and this is something no one talks about, is that the "Past" we have is a lie. The past, especially for America is typically painted as having existed like the Fifties did. The racism, sexism, oppression, etc. Often, historical realities are ignored to maintain the illusion that historical society was run the same as 1950's America.
In reality, however, history was much different. In fact, as recently as the 1940's, the worlds was radically different. Women and Minorities stood on a more equal footing than they did in the 1950's. In fact, one could make the argument that they were well on the road to full equality. Certainly, the 1920's in America there was even more equality between everyone. There were women and minorities in Government offices (though you will pretty much never hear about them). People tend to forget that in America, a majority of white men didn't have the right to vote. Or that there have been people who were openly gay in the past, that while receiving the usual Christian ire, were fairly well accepted. That Minorities, such as Blacks, while facing oppression in parts of the South, were largely free and accepted in the rest of the country, and even in the South there were areas of acceptance.
So, why is it that we fail to have the correct image of history? In many ways it is because of Television. For much of TV's start, there were very few channels and those in charge of those channels picked what was seen. First, they painted us a picture of "The Perfect Life." Later, they would paint us the pictures of a world that rebelled against that "Perfect Life." They painted everything with that brush, ignoring the realities of the past in favor of comforting order at first, and then later a complete rebellion against the order they painted, which in truth barely existed in reality for more than a decade.
In the end, history was Left to Beaver, and like a good little boy, he tried to learn a "swell" lesson and teach it to everyone else, ignoring the fact that it wasn't real in the least. And so we are left with a legacy of Hatred and Bigotry, rather than the reality that while there has always been inequality, there has also been equality.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
World Peace Day?
So, if I am reading things correctly, today is World Peace day. I'm sure people are out there now, holding shindigs and such in order to celebrate and try and invoke the spirit of World Peace.
Personally, I can't say I'm a fan.
Don't get me wrong, I like peace, to an extent. I admit I like not constantly having to fight (at least not physically, mentally on the other hand). But my biggest problem with World Peace is that it isn't natural. It is, to me, a Monotheistic Ideal, where the world exists at "peace" (this peace normally being a state of being where everyone worships the same god and in the same method). Yet as a Asatruar, or even a Heathen/Pagan in general, I find it abhorrent. There are things worth fighting for. There are things worth fighting wars for. World Peace, to me, speaks or a world in which these things no longer exist, because as long as they exist, there will be battle done because of them. I worship gods and goddesses of war as much as I do the gods and goddesses of love and fertility. Often, at least in the European pantheons, these gods and goddesses cross over. Tyr and Ares were gods of war, but they also brought justice. Aphrodite, Freyja, Freyr, and Thor were gods and goddess of fertility who showed great zeal in battle. Odin and Athena were gods of wisdom and warfare. Each aspect was considered just as important as the other.
So I say keep your World Peace.
Personally, I can't say I'm a fan.
Don't get me wrong, I like peace, to an extent. I admit I like not constantly having to fight (at least not physically, mentally on the other hand). But my biggest problem with World Peace is that it isn't natural. It is, to me, a Monotheistic Ideal, where the world exists at "peace" (this peace normally being a state of being where everyone worships the same god and in the same method). Yet as a Asatruar, or even a Heathen/Pagan in general, I find it abhorrent. There are things worth fighting for. There are things worth fighting wars for. World Peace, to me, speaks or a world in which these things no longer exist, because as long as they exist, there will be battle done because of them. I worship gods and goddesses of war as much as I do the gods and goddesses of love and fertility. Often, at least in the European pantheons, these gods and goddesses cross over. Tyr and Ares were gods of war, but they also brought justice. Aphrodite, Freyja, Freyr, and Thor were gods and goddess of fertility who showed great zeal in battle. Odin and Athena were gods of wisdom and warfare. Each aspect was considered just as important as the other.
So I say keep your World Peace.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Talk Like A Pirate Day!
Yar, it be time again to pillage and plunder! So find some booty and beer and hit the YouTube for ye old Pirate ballads and heave to and let loose the cannon!
Now don't let me catch you being lilly livered scalawags! The term wokking the plank ain't just for cooking salmon on a wok! You scurvy bilgrats!
Now don't let me catch you being lilly livered scalawags! The term wokking the plank ain't just for cooking salmon on a wok! You scurvy bilgrats!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A few further words
Again in respost to a wonderful article by Cara: The Missing Call for Divine Justice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara, thank you so much for writing this. I left a comment on your other article in similar vein. I agree with you, too much do I see people in the pagan/heathen community seeking the peace and understanding above the other aspects of our ancient ways. Too much of the Christian do I see in the Pagans of this day.
Though on occasion I see people speak about the ancient attitudes, I rarely see them practiced. I realize there is a reason for this, because in the past there was much anti-pagan sentiment and frankly embracing the "darker" side of Paganism wouldn't have helped us become accepted in mainstream society. Yet it seems this early realization has been lost and most of those today seem to adhere to the "Noble Savage" idea of ancient paganism, where it's all about honor and hospitality. They embrace the "noble" but seem to have forgotten the "savage."
Paganism/heathenism is, in a way, very savage. It is Primal, the essence of the Animal as much as it is the Man. It is emotion and reason fused into a single entity. It is the ancient world, with its savage beasts and darkness and violence, as much as it is the ages of reason and enlightenment. It is Sparta, as much as it is Athens. It is Germanic, as much as it is Rome.
For Asatru, Odin is both a god of wisdom and war. Few today would feel that those two things have anything in common. War is seen as foolish and needless, a waste of time and people. Wisdom is seen as a thing of utmost value, to be embraced at all times. Yet, Odin is both, because our "modern" view of war is one that I think is very misinformed (though understandable for reasons beyond the scope of this comment).
In Wicca, there is the Green Man, the masculine spirit of the world. He is a father, loving provider to his children. But he is also a monster, the sounds of the dark forest at midnight, when all manner of beast and spirit wander just out of sight, ready to rend and tear and kill.
I've come to wonder if, in response to the supposedly "patriarchal" nature of Monotheism, that Paganism went to far in the other direction. If, in re-embracing the feminine, the masculine came to be undesirable. I know in many parts of Wicca, and other Pagan traditions as well, men are placed in positions lower than women. Places where, instead of the male priest/leader standing in equal measure with the female priestess/leader, he must stand subservient to her. I see a pattern in modern paganism of viewing traditionally masculine virtues as things to be avoided. Power, rage, violence, and many others are viewed as terrible things that should be avoided at all costs, when in the ancient pagan world they were viewed as noble emotions and energies of the same value as acceptance, love, and peace. I think this is something we pagans/heathens need to examine in ourselves.
Just how much of the Monotheist do we have in ourselves, with its insistence on pacifism, tolerance, concession, and acceptance.
Just as we are reawakening the ancient gods and goddesses of fertility, love, reason, and art, so too must we reawaken the gods and goddesses of war. We must remember that Thor's hammer brought more than thunder, it slew giants. We must remember that while the Athenians hated Aries, the Spartans loved him and the Romans viewed Mars as one of their greatest and strongest deities. WE must remember that Odin and Freyja were as well loved for being god and goddess of warriors as they were for wisdom or fertility.
So I say these final words, in response for Cara's call, though I know many will come to despise me for them.
I call upon Aries, God of War, to turn his weapons upon those who would see us dead!
I call upon Thor, to bring Mighty Mjolnir down upon their God!
I call upon Odin, to cast his mighty spear to slay those responsible for the deaths on that dread day of 9/11!
I call upon all the Gods and Goddesses, from Scandinavia to Egypt, from Ireland to Greece and beyond! I call upon them to rise once more in war and bring vengeance and justice on those who terrorists who kill in the name of Allah!
And I say unto that Allah, that should he not wished to be judged as condoning those who abuse his name, if they are truly not of his religion and betray his teachings, that he smite them as well. For otherwise I shall judge him complicit in their actions and in equal measure of bearing their guilt, from now until Ragnarok and beyond!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara, thank you so much for writing this. I left a comment on your other article in similar vein. I agree with you, too much do I see people in the pagan/heathen community seeking the peace and understanding above the other aspects of our ancient ways. Too much of the Christian do I see in the Pagans of this day.
Though on occasion I see people speak about the ancient attitudes, I rarely see them practiced. I realize there is a reason for this, because in the past there was much anti-pagan sentiment and frankly embracing the "darker" side of Paganism wouldn't have helped us become accepted in mainstream society. Yet it seems this early realization has been lost and most of those today seem to adhere to the "Noble Savage" idea of ancient paganism, where it's all about honor and hospitality. They embrace the "noble" but seem to have forgotten the "savage."
Paganism/heathenism is, in a way, very savage. It is Primal, the essence of the Animal as much as it is the Man. It is emotion and reason fused into a single entity. It is the ancient world, with its savage beasts and darkness and violence, as much as it is the ages of reason and enlightenment. It is Sparta, as much as it is Athens. It is Germanic, as much as it is Rome.
For Asatru, Odin is both a god of wisdom and war. Few today would feel that those two things have anything in common. War is seen as foolish and needless, a waste of time and people. Wisdom is seen as a thing of utmost value, to be embraced at all times. Yet, Odin is both, because our "modern" view of war is one that I think is very misinformed (though understandable for reasons beyond the scope of this comment).
In Wicca, there is the Green Man, the masculine spirit of the world. He is a father, loving provider to his children. But he is also a monster, the sounds of the dark forest at midnight, when all manner of beast and spirit wander just out of sight, ready to rend and tear and kill.
I've come to wonder if, in response to the supposedly "patriarchal" nature of Monotheism, that Paganism went to far in the other direction. If, in re-embracing the feminine, the masculine came to be undesirable. I know in many parts of Wicca, and other Pagan traditions as well, men are placed in positions lower than women. Places where, instead of the male priest/leader standing in equal measure with the female priestess/leader, he must stand subservient to her. I see a pattern in modern paganism of viewing traditionally masculine virtues as things to be avoided. Power, rage, violence, and many others are viewed as terrible things that should be avoided at all costs, when in the ancient pagan world they were viewed as noble emotions and energies of the same value as acceptance, love, and peace. I think this is something we pagans/heathens need to examine in ourselves.
Just how much of the Monotheist do we have in ourselves, with its insistence on pacifism, tolerance, concession, and acceptance.
Just as we are reawakening the ancient gods and goddesses of fertility, love, reason, and art, so too must we reawaken the gods and goddesses of war. We must remember that Thor's hammer brought more than thunder, it slew giants. We must remember that while the Athenians hated Aries, the Spartans loved him and the Romans viewed Mars as one of their greatest and strongest deities. WE must remember that Odin and Freyja were as well loved for being god and goddess of warriors as they were for wisdom or fertility.
So I say these final words, in response for Cara's call, though I know many will come to despise me for them.
I call upon Aries, God of War, to turn his weapons upon those who would see us dead!
I call upon Thor, to bring Mighty Mjolnir down upon their God!
I call upon Odin, to cast his mighty spear to slay those responsible for the deaths on that dread day of 9/11!
I call upon all the Gods and Goddesses, from Scandinavia to Egypt, from Ireland to Greece and beyond! I call upon them to rise once more in war and bring vengeance and justice on those who terrorists who kill in the name of Allah!
And I say unto that Allah, that should he not wished to be judged as condoning those who abuse his name, if they are truly not of his religion and betray his teachings, that he smite them as well. For otherwise I shall judge him complicit in their actions and in equal measure of bearing their guilt, from now until Ragnarok and beyond!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Some Words in the Days After
This is a re-post of my comment from here I can’t get there from here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara, I am deeply sorry and saddened by your loss. No words, by man or god, could give comfort to it.
I too, noticed that much of the Pagan blogs were very much "move on, release your grief, find coexistence and peace" in their treatment.I am sorry to say I was little better in my short post, but I felt the day needed silence, not words of war.
Yet, it seems for all the pretty words, nothing has really changed.
I am sure that if I have a reputation in the Pagan blogs by now, it is not a pretty one. I am often outspoken against Islam and am not one for pulling metaphorical punches. Ali here I am sure isn't to fond of me, and I'm still trying to figure out if Ali is Pagan or Muslim, because honestly it is hard to tell so deeply does Ali defend Islam and hold it high. Yet, it matters little to me which Gods, if any Ali worships.
I think the reason many people from all walks of life and religions, myself included, are against Islam is because even if it wasn't "Islam attacking America" it was still done in the name of Islam. Just as the Crusades and Witchhunts were done in the name of Christianity, I believe there is a desire to see Islam weakened to the point where it can no longer offer that violence, just as Christianity can no longer offer totalitarian violence agianst those who do not worship Christ. I am sure there are some who will disagree, who will say that those opposed to Islam are "Islamophobic" and "racist bigots" but I think that is disrespectful to all sides.
Linda says the mosque *needs* to go up now so that we can heal. But I fail to see how it is healing. There are those who say it is a symbol of Islam's victory, and there are Muslims who no doubt see it as such. Indeed, the very size of the community center does seem rather much. Were it four stories, I doubt we'd see much protest. Were it two, few words would be spoken. But to be over ten stories and to stand taller than most buildings around it strikes me as a little much. I have heard rumors that the top floors were the "prayer center" is to be located will have a clear view of the WTC site. I do not doubt that there are misguided individuals on both sides of the fight, but there are those with clear and just reasons for their stances. Linda, your call for tolerance is noble, but your application is intolerant. You suggest the Mosque is a salve to heal a wound, but even to me, one who lost little in comparison on that day, it feels of salt to that wound.
One thing I have noticed about Pagans is the insistence on tolerance and peace. These are noble ideals, to be sure, but I would say to all Pagans and Heathens, that ours is a world of many faces and natures. It is the nature of people to day to desire peace, to want it above all else, and many are willing to give anything so that they do not have to face the ugly side of life. But Paganism/Heathenism to me is as much about the ugly side of life as it is the pretty. It is, in Nietzsche's words "The Dionysian and the Apollonian." It is terror and beauty, emotions and reason, the bestial and the divine, all at once. I think we are missing a key element when it comes to the healing of the 9/11 Tragedy. One which I see at least, being an Asatruar, though I can speak for no others.
There was no were-geld paid to the victims families.
We have fought wars for nine years almost, but we have not gained any vengeance. Those who did the killings died in the same blast. Those who planned the murders have escaped all justice, and those that are "captured" languish in "prisons" that by all accounts are not dens of terror, pain, suffering, and retribution. There has been little accounting done for the deeds of that terrible day. People like to say that vengeance and retribution don't solve anything, that it just begets more of the same, but I disagree.
We Pagans/Heathens have many gods and goddess who exist either as representations, physical beings, or however you choice to view them. Yet we believe they exist and that they each have a purpose or job at which they perform, from which their power is drawn, and that power which they create.
We have gods and goddesses of love and desire, which I often see invoked.
We have gods and goddesses of fertility and the harvest, which I often see called upon.
But we also have gods and goddesses of War and Vengeance. These, I do not see invoked, or called upon.
I see many pagans willing to reach out beyond our pantheons and call upon Shinto and Buddhist deities, desiring peace and serenity. But where are the Pagans/Heathens calling upon our own divinities for righteous vengeance against those who slew kin and friend and hero that day? If I see someone call upon Odin, it is for wisdom in dealing with their hatred and removing it, not invoking him as the Terrible One, God of War. I have seen none call upon Aries, who clothes his bed in the skin of those he's killed, for retribution against those Terrorists who kill in the name of Allah. I see no one crying out to Thor, killer of Giants, to bring might Mjolnir down upon the God of Mohamed.
It is likely that I will have drawn much hate with these words. Perhaps I violate the spirit of this article as badly as I feel Linda and Ali have done. If so, I am sorry.
But looking at it, I see in the Pagan community people who are uncomfortable with who they really are. People who are so eager not to be "intolerant" that they willingly put up with things I would think intolerable. Pagan who look at Muslim women who are so bundled in fabric that their faces barely show and proclaim "Oh, she is so modest, how holy and admirable is that." They never stop to think that the woman is modest because her religion teaches that the mere sight such things as her hair will arouse men so much that they would rape uncontrollably, or that women are second class beings because Eve tempted Adam in the Garden and thus caused him to fall from grace, nor that a woman is counted as worth half a man in the courts of Islam, or that she must prove her innocence in a rape case with either four male witnesses or eight female witnesses. And would likely be charged with worse crimes for having performed sexual acts in front of so many people.
Little concern is given that in the ancient Pagan/Heathen world, the human body, male and female, was a thing to be shown of with pride as a vessel of Sacred Power and divinity, that to show off that form was considered desirable, and that to cover it was to deny and defame that sacred beauty that is the Human Form.
If my words seem angry, it is because I am angry. I am angry because there has been no vengeance for the fallen. I am angry because all I see are platitudes to an Ideology that supports misogyny, homophobia, paganophobia, and speaks of peace while doing nothing to stop the violence of its radicals. I am angry because all I see from those screaming for tolerance is intolerance to those who do not share their views. I see Muslims screaming about oppression and intolerance, yet who show little tolerance towards the victims in this Mosque building.
Yes, there were Muslims who died at the WTC, but too often I see those Muslim victims paraded out as a reason to let Muslims build, pray, and act as they please in regards to 9/11. Yet I rarely see anyone say fair number of those Muslims who died at the WTC were the ones flying the planes. Perhaps my emotions have gotten the best of me. Perhaps pain and fear and anger push me too far for today's world. But I do not live by the standards of "today's world." I live by the standards of my ancestors and my gods and goddesses. Perhaps hearing the GZM Imam say things like "America has more Innocent Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has the blood of Innocent Non-Muslims" has roused my temper. Yet I am caused to remember that just as according to Christians "all are guilty of sin who have not accepted Christ", so to is it for Muslims that "All are guilty of sin who have not submitted to the Will of Allah." That to Muslims there is no such thing as an "innocent non-Muslim" because we are "guilty of sin," while every Muslim is cleansed of there Sins by "Submission to Allah."
Perhaps I am wrong, to call upon the gods and goddesses of war, with a desire to see those who would kill us, be they "radical" or not, driven away at the end of divine wrath. But I am a heathen, and if it was good enough for my ancestors, it is good enough for me.
Cara, again I give my sympathy, and hope that the gods and goddesses of the afterlife, bring peace and comfort to your friend. I am sorry, if my comments have got to far for you. I have no desire to try and hijack your sacred words nor your sacred grief.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cara, I am deeply sorry and saddened by your loss. No words, by man or god, could give comfort to it.
I too, noticed that much of the Pagan blogs were very much "move on, release your grief, find coexistence and peace" in their treatment.I am sorry to say I was little better in my short post, but I felt the day needed silence, not words of war.
Yet, it seems for all the pretty words, nothing has really changed.
I am sure that if I have a reputation in the Pagan blogs by now, it is not a pretty one. I am often outspoken against Islam and am not one for pulling metaphorical punches. Ali here I am sure isn't to fond of me, and I'm still trying to figure out if Ali is Pagan or Muslim, because honestly it is hard to tell so deeply does Ali defend Islam and hold it high. Yet, it matters little to me which Gods, if any Ali worships.
I think the reason many people from all walks of life and religions, myself included, are against Islam is because even if it wasn't "Islam attacking America" it was still done in the name of Islam. Just as the Crusades and Witchhunts were done in the name of Christianity, I believe there is a desire to see Islam weakened to the point where it can no longer offer that violence, just as Christianity can no longer offer totalitarian violence agianst those who do not worship Christ. I am sure there are some who will disagree, who will say that those opposed to Islam are "Islamophobic" and "racist bigots" but I think that is disrespectful to all sides.
Linda says the mosque *needs* to go up now so that we can heal. But I fail to see how it is healing. There are those who say it is a symbol of Islam's victory, and there are Muslims who no doubt see it as such. Indeed, the very size of the community center does seem rather much. Were it four stories, I doubt we'd see much protest. Were it two, few words would be spoken. But to be over ten stories and to stand taller than most buildings around it strikes me as a little much. I have heard rumors that the top floors were the "prayer center" is to be located will have a clear view of the WTC site. I do not doubt that there are misguided individuals on both sides of the fight, but there are those with clear and just reasons for their stances. Linda, your call for tolerance is noble, but your application is intolerant. You suggest the Mosque is a salve to heal a wound, but even to me, one who lost little in comparison on that day, it feels of salt to that wound.
One thing I have noticed about Pagans is the insistence on tolerance and peace. These are noble ideals, to be sure, but I would say to all Pagans and Heathens, that ours is a world of many faces and natures. It is the nature of people to day to desire peace, to want it above all else, and many are willing to give anything so that they do not have to face the ugly side of life. But Paganism/Heathenism to me is as much about the ugly side of life as it is the pretty. It is, in Nietzsche's words "The Dionysian and the Apollonian." It is terror and beauty, emotions and reason, the bestial and the divine, all at once. I think we are missing a key element when it comes to the healing of the 9/11 Tragedy. One which I see at least, being an Asatruar, though I can speak for no others.
There was no were-geld paid to the victims families.
We have fought wars for nine years almost, but we have not gained any vengeance. Those who did the killings died in the same blast. Those who planned the murders have escaped all justice, and those that are "captured" languish in "prisons" that by all accounts are not dens of terror, pain, suffering, and retribution. There has been little accounting done for the deeds of that terrible day. People like to say that vengeance and retribution don't solve anything, that it just begets more of the same, but I disagree.
We Pagans/Heathens have many gods and goddess who exist either as representations, physical beings, or however you choice to view them. Yet we believe they exist and that they each have a purpose or job at which they perform, from which their power is drawn, and that power which they create.
We have gods and goddesses of love and desire, which I often see invoked.
We have gods and goddesses of fertility and the harvest, which I often see called upon.
But we also have gods and goddesses of War and Vengeance. These, I do not see invoked, or called upon.
I see many pagans willing to reach out beyond our pantheons and call upon Shinto and Buddhist deities, desiring peace and serenity. But where are the Pagans/Heathens calling upon our own divinities for righteous vengeance against those who slew kin and friend and hero that day? If I see someone call upon Odin, it is for wisdom in dealing with their hatred and removing it, not invoking him as the Terrible One, God of War. I have seen none call upon Aries, who clothes his bed in the skin of those he's killed, for retribution against those Terrorists who kill in the name of Allah. I see no one crying out to Thor, killer of Giants, to bring might Mjolnir down upon the God of Mohamed.
It is likely that I will have drawn much hate with these words. Perhaps I violate the spirit of this article as badly as I feel Linda and Ali have done. If so, I am sorry.
But looking at it, I see in the Pagan community people who are uncomfortable with who they really are. People who are so eager not to be "intolerant" that they willingly put up with things I would think intolerable. Pagan who look at Muslim women who are so bundled in fabric that their faces barely show and proclaim "Oh, she is so modest, how holy and admirable is that." They never stop to think that the woman is modest because her religion teaches that the mere sight such things as her hair will arouse men so much that they would rape uncontrollably, or that women are second class beings because Eve tempted Adam in the Garden and thus caused him to fall from grace, nor that a woman is counted as worth half a man in the courts of Islam, or that she must prove her innocence in a rape case with either four male witnesses or eight female witnesses. And would likely be charged with worse crimes for having performed sexual acts in front of so many people.
Little concern is given that in the ancient Pagan/Heathen world, the human body, male and female, was a thing to be shown of with pride as a vessel of Sacred Power and divinity, that to show off that form was considered desirable, and that to cover it was to deny and defame that sacred beauty that is the Human Form.
If my words seem angry, it is because I am angry. I am angry because there has been no vengeance for the fallen. I am angry because all I see are platitudes to an Ideology that supports misogyny, homophobia, paganophobia, and speaks of peace while doing nothing to stop the violence of its radicals. I am angry because all I see from those screaming for tolerance is intolerance to those who do not share their views. I see Muslims screaming about oppression and intolerance, yet who show little tolerance towards the victims in this Mosque building.
Yes, there were Muslims who died at the WTC, but too often I see those Muslim victims paraded out as a reason to let Muslims build, pray, and act as they please in regards to 9/11. Yet I rarely see anyone say fair number of those Muslims who died at the WTC were the ones flying the planes. Perhaps my emotions have gotten the best of me. Perhaps pain and fear and anger push me too far for today's world. But I do not live by the standards of "today's world." I live by the standards of my ancestors and my gods and goddesses. Perhaps hearing the GZM Imam say things like "America has more Innocent Muslim blood on its hands than Al Qaeda has the blood of Innocent Non-Muslims" has roused my temper. Yet I am caused to remember that just as according to Christians "all are guilty of sin who have not accepted Christ", so to is it for Muslims that "All are guilty of sin who have not submitted to the Will of Allah." That to Muslims there is no such thing as an "innocent non-Muslim" because we are "guilty of sin," while every Muslim is cleansed of there Sins by "Submission to Allah."
Perhaps I am wrong, to call upon the gods and goddesses of war, with a desire to see those who would kill us, be they "radical" or not, driven away at the end of divine wrath. But I am a heathen, and if it was good enough for my ancestors, it is good enough for me.
Cara, again I give my sympathy, and hope that the gods and goddesses of the afterlife, bring peace and comfort to your friend. I am sorry, if my comments have got to far for you. I have no desire to try and hijack your sacred words nor your sacred grief.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
9/11 Nine Years Later
I have no pretty words,
No Rhymes nor rhythms.
Only a vague memory of shock
and of pain.
Of a world thought safe
Turned into one of chaos.
Never forget.
Never forgive.
No Rhymes nor rhythms.
Only a vague memory of shock
and of pain.
Of a world thought safe
Turned into one of chaos.
Never forget.
Never forgive.
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