Quick thoughts on Pagan Bisexual Polyamory

As a pagan grows in faith and realizes more and more Thou Art God/dess, does it then become easier to develop an affectionate and sexually appreciative relationship with people of all sexes? As the Divine in everyone becomes increasingly apparent, does it become almost an act of revering Deity to experience pleasure with all genders? Judy Harrow states in Jennifer Hunter's Rites of Pleasure, "In my belief, our Pagan path is the path of pleasure, which means that it's the path of gratitude. The essential practice of our spirituality is to appreciate all the good and beautiful things," (page 1.)

As the majority of Pagans are not monotheists, and are usually able to revere a number of Deities, does this translate into being able to fully and respectfully appreciate more than one (human) God/dess at a time? Many Pagans who work with a Patron Deity do not usually work with this Deity exclusively for their entire lives, so how does this affect hand-fasted and other long-term/short-term commitments?

So much to think about...

Oh, the Justice System....

Who remembers the case of the man who was arrested and tried for a 1984 rape, after using his AA program to write a letter of confession and apology to his victim? I remember it well. I loved the bravery of the victim, Liz Seccuro, who shamelessly went public with her story. She refused to accept an apology as a form of justice, and had to watch others both excuse the crime that happened “so long ago” and excuse the “apologetic” rapist.

That man, William Beebe, is now being released on parole after serving only six months in jail.

I sent the preceding The Curvature blog article to my boyfriend, and thought I'd share how the conversation developed:

HIM: lets not forget that this is not only a feminism matter. this is a general breakdown of the justice system. just like you see on law and order, evidence that is collected improperly that will 100% convict the person of murder or something can be thrown out and the guy let free, even if he killed like 2 people. you might just be focused on the feminist perspective but thousands of people get away with just a slap on the wrist everyday. no reason to be scared to leave ny/nj.

ME: I agree 100% this reflects a general breakdown of the justice system, but the problem wasn't in getting this guy convicted and sentenced to a (paltry, in my opinion) 10 years in prison. His sentencing wasn't a slap on the wrist 6 months in jail. I'm appalled that parole was seen as appropriate in this scenario! Because he didn't kill anyone, he "just" raped her? I mean, black men in Jersey City serve the full ten years without parole for walking around with a dime bag of weed!

I just feel so angry and scared that the War on Marijuana, a non-violent substance, routinely exacts far harsher penalties than brutalizing women.......

Btw, on a sort of different topic, can you decriminalize drug use, even to stuff like crack or whatever, but still keep it illegal? What I mean is, the drug, it's sale, use, whatever is not a legally protected action, but when you are pulled over or causing a disturbance, you get sentenced to rehab? Or even a cheap, prison-like, holding cell enovironment but WITHOUT getting a criminal record? Cause really, addicts, people with mental problems are already societal outcasts, do we need to push them further to the margins by making them convicts who will then find it practically impossible to get hired for any meaningful work later on? I mean, what a cycle!

I'm not suggesting a concentration camp for people who get pulled over for being high, incarceration without charges being filed or conviction. But is there any legal way of getting addicts out of harm's way (other's or their own) without making them future ex-cons who cannot find suitable work?

Nature vs. Natural

So, I've been thinking lately about the label for the general spiritual path I follow. To explain my American Eclectic Wiccan path to those completely unfamiliar with Wicca, I've always described it vaguely as a Nature religion... And while I do live in the "Garden State," I live off the infamously smelly and industrial exit 13 off of the NJ Turnpike (that's Route 95 to outta staters.) On the whole, more tar, concrete and brick than anything resembling a garden (unless of course you count that section of Home Depot.)

You can't go long without reading another article in some Pagan publication, discussing the appropriateness of Urbanites labeling their practice Nature Religion. Since we have air conditioned homes and obtain food with our weapon of choice (I use my Bank of America Visa Debit card, thank you very much,) that is no longer sharp and pointy, we have distanced ourselves from Nature and cannot truly profess to have a Nature Religion.

And I say this: Ugh. This is why I've detested Labels since childhood. And for religion? How ridiculous! First of all, words used to describe religion will ALWAYS fall short, as religion takes place in a different realm than language does. Language is very good for science, in an arena that values empirical evidence and the like, as language can act very much at times like quick-dry cement...

But anyway, I think the term "Natural Religion" may be something a little bit closer to what I practice everyday. My Wicca is of the American Eclectic strain, rather than the Traditional, Gardnerian British type. I've never professed to be the follower of An Olde Religion; Wicca is new, and I am part of the generation that has seen it's explosion into popular American culture and the mainstream. Wicca is growing exponentially right now, and I'd like to see it grow in a Natural way.

I'd hate for Wicca to get all caught up in silly empty rules, dogma, rites and institutions that are aritficially structured and less organic. My Wicca comes from the human experience, it doesn't fit it. Sexuality, pleasure, living, dying, pain, grief, humanity is sacred and holy and GOOD, not shameful. Our rites of passage stay true to the human experience and don't try to enforce arbitrary, archaic and despotic shackles.

We celebrate Nature's rhythms because Nature still exists in the city. Spring still happens, Winter still happens, birth and death are celebrated and mourned. People still fall in love, people still create things. Humanity is Nature, and there is plenty of humanity in the New York Metropolitan Area.

So my Nature Religion celebrates that. It holds sacred urban gardening, new nephews and nieces, loved ones who pass on to the Other Side, orgasms, amazing food, green tea, dancing, music, painting and poetry.

Teaching about Energy

In class today, my clique and I were discussing last week's lesson in Energy. I guess you can say that these are the students who are more Traditional, coming to Massage Therapy to learn to work muscles and fascia, as opposed to approaching it from a Spiritual perspective... No prior experience working with, or even consciously exploring someone else's Energy. They complained of feeling foolish after being told to experience their partner's Energy, having no idea what to do, "just standing there" with their arms over another student waiting until the 5 minutes have gone by...

All the while, I sit there smiling and listening, cause I have to say, it's some of my favorite time in class. Admittedly, I am spoiled, growing up in my family; Energy and such metaphysical discourse is as natural as dissecting Anderson Cooper or the weather.

...So how would one go about "teaching" Energy?

My classmates had wanted our instructor to "say something about it," instead of shoving them into an experience. But what would you say? How do you describe Red to someone who's never seen it before? Two individuals who are aware can discuss it for hours and hours and still have so much to say, and never say it all. How could you even begin a discussion with an individual who is then closed to this Energy experience? Can pushing them into experience be effective? Or will it more often than not just discourage and drive away, adding to a negative and/or "flaky" stereotype?

Hmm.... I'll let you know how this develops.

I'm making an official prediction today...

And I figure I should publish it on the Interweb today so that I can prove months later that I made it: In a couple of months, Gore enters the race, which will lead to the Gore/Obama ticket getting elected and Gore will actually be President this time...

My first week at Massage school...

In class last Thursday, we performed exercises exploring Presence, Energy, Tension, Attention, as well as other ideas. When we were exploring Energy in a Client/Therapist exercise, I was the Therapist, and my client was lying supine on a table. We were to walk in and not verbally address our Clients, and we were also not to touch them. At first I felt awkward just walking up to someone and introducing myself so intimately to their Energy field, but I went with it! First I placed my hands about 2-3” above Bridget and quickly scanned her body’s field. I was drawn to her legs and to her 4th chakra, the heart. Her legs had a “heavy” sort of tense feel, so I just concentrated on them, as though I were using an iron to get the wrinkles out of a pair of linen pants. Later, she did mention that the sore body part she had been focused on was her legs, and that at some point during this exercise, they began to relax and feel better. (The Energy at her Heart chakra felt like it was radiating quite strongly, not sure what that means, I haven’t studied this much. It felt positive though.)
We also participated in an exercise in which we entered the classroom, chose a partner, sat down and were to proceed in sharing something that was very important to us. When I sat down, my partner Emmanuelle was reading a book and barely acknowledged my presence. Her energy was very obviously somewhere else and also seemed deliberately closed off to me, so I didn’t even bother attempting to proceed sharing with her as some of my classmates were still trying with their partners. I did try to get her attention by joking around, and while it did work a little, she made a conscious effort to shut me out, so I gave up. We were then to leave the room, return to the same partner and try again. Though this time Emmanuelle was obviously opened to me, at first the rejection of the first time made me wary of trying again, a sort of “once burned, twice shy” situation. However I did, she was very engaging, and soon we were talking about things quite unrelated to my original topic. She engaged me, asked questions, kept wonderful eye contact and opened her Energy towards me, and soon the rejection of the first part of the exercise was forgotten and made up for. I learned soo much about practical Energy! Our instructor for this class is a Reiki Master, so I'm excited about what I can learn from her...

Fear of Change...

St Theresa

About a year and a half ago, I felt as though Someone was trying to give me a message. In the grocery store, I'd be in the Goya section picking up some Sofrito, and the large glass votive candles of either St Theresa or La Virgen de la Candelaria would fall off the shelf. Finally, I bought a candle of La Virgen, and the second I stepped out of RiteAid, the sun dramatically appeared from behind the clouds making the temperature on the street feel much warmer. When I would pass by a certain cemetery, the winds would pick up very suddenly, and with force...


La Virgen de la Candelaria

On a trip to a metaphysical bookstore with a friend, by chance I pick up a book on Santeria and proceeded to flip through it. The book opened up directly to the section describing the orisha Oya, and I felt like I was shocked with static electricity!

I was formally introduced to Santeria in college classes I took, Religions of Latin America, and Puerto Rican Studies 101, but I didn't know much else. I had friends that "had a Saint," and visited Botcanicas, but if they weren't comfortable sharing, I wasn't going to push. So on my own, I did a little research, which simultaneously calmed me and made me nervous...


Oya, by Thalia Took

Oya, the African Goddess of the Niger River, was represented in the Americas using Catholic images of St Theresa and La Virgen de la Candelaria. She is the Spirit of the Wind, and with Her machete She cuts through stagnation and clears the way for new growth. She can represent sudden and drastic change. She is a perfect example of a true Goddess of Rebirth-- As breath is wind, Oya is there at birth and when you die, She calls the wind back to Her.

Her
power sweeps over all injustice, dishonesty, deceit from her path. Although
unpredictable, Oya understands everything, but will only accept the truth.

Warrior queen Oya, the loyal and favorite wife of Sango would
often go into battle by her husband's side and is known to be indispensable to
her husband in every way. She is the strong wind that precedes the thunder. She
can fan any fire set by Sango's thunderbolts into a high blaze and she also has
the ability to use forked lightening, to assist him in his battles. It is said
that without Oya Sango cannot go into battle. She is also known for her
intelligence, independence, fearlessness, gracefulness, sensuality, power,
razor-sharp tongue, and deep intense passion.

I've noticed that since I've been hesitant to truely involve myself with showing reverence to Her, I've developed quite severe allergies. (Oya is supposed to rule the lungs and mucus membranes.) It is one thing to refer to the abstract, and say that fear of change can be detrimental... It is quite another to experience it in the way I have, trying to fight the changes that must come........

Pagan Music Videos on YouTube

Really awesome video on YouTube, it's a (tasteful) music video of that pagan classic, "We All Come From the Goddess."



Enjoy!

Mitt Romney Tortures Animals

From Time magazine:

PETA does not have a position on Romney's candidacy
per se, but Newkirk called the incident "a lesson in cruelty that was ... wrong
for [his children] to witness...Thinking of the wind, the weather, the speed,
the vulnerability, the isolation on the roof, it is commonsense that any dog
who's under extreme stress might show that stress by losing control of his
bowels: that alone should have been sufficient indication that the dog was,
basically, being tortured." Romney, of course, has expressed support for the use
of "enhanced interrogation" techniques when it comes to terrorists; his campaign
refused to comment about the treatment of his dog.

Ok, he's not catching squirrels and lighting their tails on fire, but he straps his dog's animal carrier to the roof of his car for a TWELVE HOUR DRIVE from Boston to Ontario... And jokes about having to clean excrement from the roof and windows! He literally scares the shit out of his dog... Can there be ANY justifiable, spinnable response to this from the Romney camp? The dog is so terrified he loses complete control of his bowels-- cause he's whipping down the highway at speeds of 65+mph, all alone in a little plastic box wobbling on top of a car?? The press jumps all over Britney Spears when she held her child in her lap while driving (which was indeed a careless and dangerous thing to do,) I hope Romney gets the same treatment!

Germany Defense Ministry bars Tom Cruise

No, Tom Cruise is not a terrorist, but I think he is technically a victim of religious discrimination:

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- Germany has barred the
makers of a movie about a plot to kill Adolf Hitler from filming at German
military sites because its star Tom Cruise is a Scientologist, the Defense
Ministry said on Monday.
Cruise, also one of the film's producers, is a
member of the Church of Scientology which the German government does not
recognize as a church. Berlin says it masquerades as a religion to make money, a
charge Scientology leaders reject.
The decision drew a sharp response from
Cruise's film producing partner, Paula Wagner, chief executive of United Artists
Entertainment, who said Cruise's "personal beliefs have absolutely no bearing on
the movie's plot, themes or content."
The U.S. actor will portray Colonel
Claus von Stauffenberg, leader of the unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the
Nazi dictator in July 1944 with a bomb hidden in a briefcase.
Defense
Ministry spokesman Harald Kammerbauer said the film makers "will not be allowed
to film at German military sites if Count Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise,
who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult."

Interesting... Now in my experience reading Scientologist literature and speaking with practicing Scientologists, the money emphasis has given me the feeling that this group is one of the more exploitative Religions... All accounts that I've heard refer to paid Scientology instruction, as opposed to free bible study groups, open pagan potlucks, etc.

Even if he is a part of a "Cult," I have a problem with a country's Defense Ministry barring an individual from working as an actor on site because of their religion... They cite their desire for an accurate portrayal of the film's protagonist, but of course such reasoning wouldn't have been used if Cruise was playing Hitler! (No, only REAL Nazi's can play him!) Both Tom Cruise and Scientology creep me out for many reasons, but I still don't like this....

Why Wiccans Have to Suck It Up and Realize "Harm None" Includes Diet

That's right, I said it!

Yes, I am aware that many in the Wiccan community like to believe that Wicca is a design-your-own mix-and-match hodgepodge spirituality that has no "dogma." Because dogma is of Western Religions and therefore evil. You're Wiccan as long as you believe in the duality of Deity and the Wheel of the Year, blah blah blah.

Sure you are still Wiccan if you eat meat and dairy and all that-- but are you a "good" Wiccan? Are you a Wiccan living your Wiccan path according to what the tenets of what being Wiccan means? Before you start, don't send me emails asking how dare I judge other Wiccans, who I am to say who is a "good" Wiccan, whatever. Please listen first:

Being "religious," having a "spiritual tradition," walking the Wiccan "path" all mean the same thing. People coming out of bad experiences in Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, etc, can be wary of initiating this sort of dialogue into Wicca because it brings up bad memories of Judgement and Hellfire. The difference between what I'm suggesting and what occurs in those religions is that Wiccans should "judge" or evaluate themselves, instead of being judged by their community.

In evaluating themselves and their diet choices, Wiccans must ask themselves if they are truly doing everything they can to reduce Harm. I can absolutely understand how people who work long hours and overtime, or single parents, full time students who work full time and plenty of other situations will make it difficult if not impossible to educate oneself on complete nutrition overhaul.

But what about those that have the time, energy and resources and accuse me of being too dogmatic for Wicca? Or cite gods and goddesses of the hunt and say it's part of the natural cycle to eat meat, as long as it's in moderation? "In moderation" is the most abused prepositional phrase in Inanna's gift of language. Would anyone say that using IV drugs is okay in moderation? Haha, I doubt it. But just like I wouldn't judge someone addicted to IV drug use, I'm not going to say those addicted to meat and dairy are horrible people either, but they are putting themselves at huge personal risk and causing Harm to themselves. But everyone knows that and I'm not here to preach.

Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.
That's part of the longer poem, The Celtic Wiccan Rede. I'm not Celtic, and I think this poem can get silly in parts, there's still great stuff in it. Fairly take and fairly give... If the same plot of land can sustain healthfully TWENTY vegans or ONE omnivore, is that really taking fairly? Or is that willfully contributing to a preventable imbalance of Nature? The argument that "even vegans have to kill, and therefore Harm for food, so just giving up animals is pointless!" is silly against this fact, and it's really grasping at straws. If there was something you could do to lessen inevitable Harm, you have to ask yourself why you wouldn't do it.

So, while Wiccans who won't stop eating animal products are of course, still Wiccan, they are going against the tenets of what Wicca is if they are aware of the implications on humanity and the environment (you know, the body of The Goddess,) and this is one inconsistancy they may choose to work on in the future. Catholics who use birth control are still Catholic and good human beings, but are going against teachings.

It's hard to forego animal products, as it is a physiological addiction, and addictions are terrifying to overcome.

Summer Solstice: The Holiday of Fire & Water

Noc Kupały, Henryk Siemiradzki, 1880's

This evening at sunset kicks off Noc Kupały, the Polish holiday of Fire & Water, also known to Westerners as the Summer Solstice. (Water and Fire/Sun being seen as the fundamental manifestation of the life force, Water being Female, and Fire/Sun being Male.) Since the Catholic Church arrived in Poland in the tenth century, their tireless attempts at eradicating the festivals (changing the name from Kupała's Night, to Noc Swietojanska, Saint John's Night) ultimately failed. It is celebrated in Poland to this day with bonfires, fireworks, music and dancing.



The Goddess Kupała, Wojciech Gerson, 1897


Kupała is the Goddess of herbs, sorcery and sex. Also known as the Water Mother, she is associated with trees, herbs and flowers. During this magickal night, people bathe themselves in lakes and rivers to revitalize their youth, health, and fertility. Men test their strength and courage by jumping through the bonfires, (perhaps after having a good amount of Krupnick, Honey Vodka?) While the men are running around, the women take the time to gather flowers and herbs to make a wianek, wreath, to adorn their heads. Rose and Rue are native plants with ancient and varied meanings, and ancient Mediterranean traders most likely brought the Rosemary that came to symbolize fidelity, remembrance and love. To this day women will wear their flower wreaths, then float them in rivers and lakes (Rzucanie Wiankow), with or without candles affixed to them.

Other traditions include the men's search for the mythical fern Kwiat Paproci. Though usually barren, this fern allegedly flowers on the shortest night of the year. It will of course bring riches and wish fulfillment to whichever man is brave and righteous enough to discover it. While searching for this mythical fern, if he happens to return with the wianek of the unmarried woman of his choice, they would then be officially betrothed. (Perhaps this is where the experience of first sexual intercourse became known as defloration, lol?)

What it means to be a Leftist...

I found this video of Dr. Cornel West addressing a panel at the 2007 Left Forum in New York in March, and I thought this might be a good introduction to a new blog...

"What does it really mean to be a leftist in the early part of the 21st century? What are we really talking about? And I can just be very candid with you. It means to have a certain kind of temperament, to
make certain kinds of political and ethical choices, and to exercise certain analytical focuses in targeting on the catastrophic and the monstrous, the scandalous, the traumatic, that are often hidden and concealed in the deodorized and manicured discourses of the mainstream. That's what it means to be a leftist. So let's just be clear about it.

So that if you are concerned about structural violence, if you’re concerned about exploitation at the workplace, if you're concerned about institutionalized contempt against gay brothers and lesbian
sisters, if you're concerned about organized hatred against peoples of color, if you're concerned about a subordination of women, that's not cheap PC chitchat; that is a calling that you're willing to fight against and try to understand the sources of that social misery at the structural and institutional level and at the existential and the personal level. That's what it means, in part, to be a leftist.

That's why we choose to be certain kinds of human beings. That's why it's a calling, not a career. It's a vocation, not a profession. That's why you see these veterans still here year after year after year, because they are convinced they don't want to live in a world and they don't want to be human in such a way that they don't exercise their intellectual
and political and social and cultural resources in some way to leave the world just a little better than it was when they entered. That's, in part, what it means to be a leftist."

I was so struck by these words, I copied them into my BoS. I've always subscribed to the more Starhawk-flavor of politically active Paganism/Goddess Spirituality, and Dr. West's words help explain why. I choose to be a certain kind of human being, a politically/socially conscious, vegan, Wiccan, Feminist Woman human being, and I certainly cannot be human in a way that ignores my resources.