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.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Of Heathen and Pagan Matters.
In my short time as a blogger, I have come across many things. I’ve come across other blogs I’ve enjoyed, commented with people of many points of view, and even argued with some. As noted in my previous posts, I’ve even argued with people outside of the internet, namely with the evangelicals that have appeared on my campus. I have enjoyed these things, namely because I find it fun to discuss things, and frankly I love conflict in various forms. It’s one of the reasons I follow my ancestor’s religion, even if not that religiously (pun is recognized and intentional, The Norse have an entire art of making bad puns.)
As mentioned before, the Christians didn’t show up when they were expected, though they did show up Thursday last. I stood out there, holding a sign declaring Pagan Pride and Heathen Heart. I was once more on the field, discussing, questioning, and arguing. I stood up for students when my foe ignored them. I called him on issues. I spared little mercy in my verbal battle with him. I even sent him scrambling for his bible when I pointed out his God had not asked for consent before causing the immaculate conception of his god. When I returned after class to the amphitheater, the Christians had moved to personal discussions rather than preaching. This time, there was a noticeable difference. The first time I came across them, personal discussion time had been quiet. This time, raging groups of students were in the faces of these men, shouting back and howling against the Christians. I have no idea if my bold stance had encouraged this action, but I was happy to see it.
Yet, there was one Christian who sought to speak peacefully. Not allied with the other two that were out there, we briefly spoke. It was a pleasure to engage him, not in grandiose argument, but in simple discussion. Neither of us changed the others mind, but for me that wasn’t the goal, and I think he might have begun to understand my stance. Sadly, the path I follow isn’t as simple as the Christian’s, and I had not time to go into greater detail of my beliefs.
Several times I’ve gotten into arguments at Gates of Vienna in their comments section, defending the ancient ways against Christians who insist that their path is the only way. For those who don’t know, Gates of Vienna is a site that talks about the growing presence of Islam and its historic and modern desire to remove all paths other than its own. I, and others, have held against Christians wanting to do the same thing in the name of fighting Islam. While little is accomplished in changing their minds, I hope to educate others about the ways of myself and our common ancestors, as well as lead to a uniting against those that would see us gone.
Yet, this is not an easy thing to accomplish. I just finished reading Laurie R. King’s “The Language of Bees,” which is part of a series I started when I was younger and enjoyed, as it was about Sherlock Holmes and a young woman who apprentices for him and later marries him. Marry Russell Holmes, the character in question, has a background in Judaism both in education and heritage. In the book she deals with a case involving paganism and I had great hopes for it. Sadly, the book portrays all spirituality outside the monotheistic tradition as superstitious follow at best, and generally the field of murderers, madmen, and the insane. Crowley is mentioned, but never in a good context, which may or may not be justified based on his history. In all, the book had an opportunity to step outside the norm and show a true vision of another path, and instead went for the all too familiar path.
If my tone this post is melancholy, it is because I realize many things. This world is changing, and while we’ve thrown off old oppressions to an extent, too many seem willing to hide under new ones. I am proud of the history of America, and what it sought to accomplish. The Founding Fathers were amazing men, who by all accounts were not truly Christian, and seemed more often than not to embrace Pagan ideals carried over though the centuries. Yet all too often, they are either claimed by the Christians as devout men, or vilified by those who oppose their vision as evil slave holders. Such is the nature of Christian morality that permeates our society, even in the farthest left. One must either be entirely good, or entirely evil. There is no middle ground, which is precisely where we Heathens and Pagans tend to lie. Sadly, it is often the middle ground that is destroyed in the shelling by either side. The results of which can be seen with the Vikings, in a way. Long have they been remembered as murdering barbarians, rather than heroes who sought to preserve the ways of their people.
I have stated many places that the One God leads to One Way. Few things in this world are truer than that statement. According to some statistics, 65% of America identifies itself as Christian, though how religious they are is hard to say. I know that the number of Pagans in America is probably less than that of the Jews, and I doubt we wield as much political and economic power that they do. If our ways are to survive their rebirth, we have to change this. We have to get the kind of power that will allow us to not only share our ways, but protect us should the worst happen again. It is easy to push my words aside as paranoid drivel, but that would be a terrible thing to do. Even as I type, Christians speak of the need to remove the “devil worshipers” in order to shave their country. In the Islamic countries, people who practice the magic arts are still tried and killed. The world, despite its troubles, seems mostly safe to us, but it wouldn’t take much to change that. It never has in the past.
The Wiccan's have the belief of “Do what thou wilt, but harm none.” This is a noble attitude, and it has served well in this initial time of relative peace. But the times are changing, and we may soon have need of a more Heathen attitude of “Do what thou wild, so that none harm your kin.”
The Norse Alchemist.
As mentioned before, the Christians didn’t show up when they were expected, though they did show up Thursday last. I stood out there, holding a sign declaring Pagan Pride and Heathen Heart. I was once more on the field, discussing, questioning, and arguing. I stood up for students when my foe ignored them. I called him on issues. I spared little mercy in my verbal battle with him. I even sent him scrambling for his bible when I pointed out his God had not asked for consent before causing the immaculate conception of his god. When I returned after class to the amphitheater, the Christians had moved to personal discussions rather than preaching. This time, there was a noticeable difference. The first time I came across them, personal discussion time had been quiet. This time, raging groups of students were in the faces of these men, shouting back and howling against the Christians. I have no idea if my bold stance had encouraged this action, but I was happy to see it.
Yet, there was one Christian who sought to speak peacefully. Not allied with the other two that were out there, we briefly spoke. It was a pleasure to engage him, not in grandiose argument, but in simple discussion. Neither of us changed the others mind, but for me that wasn’t the goal, and I think he might have begun to understand my stance. Sadly, the path I follow isn’t as simple as the Christian’s, and I had not time to go into greater detail of my beliefs.
Several times I’ve gotten into arguments at Gates of Vienna in their comments section, defending the ancient ways against Christians who insist that their path is the only way. For those who don’t know, Gates of Vienna is a site that talks about the growing presence of Islam and its historic and modern desire to remove all paths other than its own. I, and others, have held against Christians wanting to do the same thing in the name of fighting Islam. While little is accomplished in changing their minds, I hope to educate others about the ways of myself and our common ancestors, as well as lead to a uniting against those that would see us gone.
Yet, this is not an easy thing to accomplish. I just finished reading Laurie R. King’s “The Language of Bees,” which is part of a series I started when I was younger and enjoyed, as it was about Sherlock Holmes and a young woman who apprentices for him and later marries him. Marry Russell Holmes, the character in question, has a background in Judaism both in education and heritage. In the book she deals with a case involving paganism and I had great hopes for it. Sadly, the book portrays all spirituality outside the monotheistic tradition as superstitious follow at best, and generally the field of murderers, madmen, and the insane. Crowley is mentioned, but never in a good context, which may or may not be justified based on his history. In all, the book had an opportunity to step outside the norm and show a true vision of another path, and instead went for the all too familiar path.
If my tone this post is melancholy, it is because I realize many things. This world is changing, and while we’ve thrown off old oppressions to an extent, too many seem willing to hide under new ones. I am proud of the history of America, and what it sought to accomplish. The Founding Fathers were amazing men, who by all accounts were not truly Christian, and seemed more often than not to embrace Pagan ideals carried over though the centuries. Yet all too often, they are either claimed by the Christians as devout men, or vilified by those who oppose their vision as evil slave holders. Such is the nature of Christian morality that permeates our society, even in the farthest left. One must either be entirely good, or entirely evil. There is no middle ground, which is precisely where we Heathens and Pagans tend to lie. Sadly, it is often the middle ground that is destroyed in the shelling by either side. The results of which can be seen with the Vikings, in a way. Long have they been remembered as murdering barbarians, rather than heroes who sought to preserve the ways of their people.
I have stated many places that the One God leads to One Way. Few things in this world are truer than that statement. According to some statistics, 65% of America identifies itself as Christian, though how religious they are is hard to say. I know that the number of Pagans in America is probably less than that of the Jews, and I doubt we wield as much political and economic power that they do. If our ways are to survive their rebirth, we have to change this. We have to get the kind of power that will allow us to not only share our ways, but protect us should the worst happen again. It is easy to push my words aside as paranoid drivel, but that would be a terrible thing to do. Even as I type, Christians speak of the need to remove the “devil worshipers” in order to shave their country. In the Islamic countries, people who practice the magic arts are still tried and killed. The world, despite its troubles, seems mostly safe to us, but it wouldn’t take much to change that. It never has in the past.
The Wiccan's have the belief of “Do what thou wilt, but harm none.” This is a noble attitude, and it has served well in this initial time of relative peace. But the times are changing, and we may soon have need of a more Heathen attitude of “Do what thou wild, so that none harm your kin.”
The Norse Alchemist.
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