I think both can and must heal each other... healing is more effective
when it is a two-way street. I have learned that especially from my
practice of Reiki, a healing art which enlists the aid of "life force
energy" direct from its source.
I too consider myself a pagan... maybe more a neo-pagan, really, since I
live in the "modern world" and was raised a catholic... and my paganism is
largely a response to those two facts.
As far as the dictionary definition of 'pagan' goes, I think a lot of
pagans would scoff at the dictionary itself. It can also be an oppressive
patriarchal tool... in fact the whole of writing and text can be if it is
used that way... and I for one, believe that the writings of the Bible in
particular have and continue to be used that way...
> The Earth was never intended to be dominated by over-
> zealous, disrespectful, power hungry, greedy men or women!
Okay. Here's where we get to the crux of the matter. Angela, who is
doing the "intending" here? If it is the Christian god mentioned in the
Bible, I think you need to do a little more reading there too. I was not
offended by your remarks about paganism because this one remark of yours
shows some ignorance about your own self-identified religion (you did say
you were a Christian, didn't you?) In the Bible, in the first book, right
off the bat, the male sky-God Yahweh gives all the creatures of the Earth
to the MAN to NAME and to USE as he sees fit. This process of NAMING is a
means by which mankind seeks to make sense out of the world, but it also
serves as a means by which to control and oppress and subjegate and
dominate the rest of the world. By MAN placing definitions on WOMAN of
what woman's place/identity/purpose/self is and should be, MAN has
oppressed, subjegated, and dominated woman... all because of imposed
societal/cultural/and yes even and especially LINGUISTIC definitions.
Interestingly enough with all the squabble over who's "right and wrong" in
the Ben Ladin/CIA/terrorist/bombing fiasco and talk about racism and
democracy and spirituality, no one has mentioned that all three of those
religions that are not "pagan" (Jew, Christian, Muslim) all source
themselves from the same text. The OLD TESTAMENT is wrought with
oppression, domination etc... women don't fare well at all... for example,
when LOT gives up his daughter to be raped in the same episode where he is
being extolled for being so loyal to the dominant, male, oppressive SKY
God....
Pagans believe they are connected to the earth. Pagans believe that the
Goddess and the God are equally holy and come together every year through
the changing of the seasons to renew and recreate the earth and provide
for the peoples and the animals of the earth. The Christians KILLED,
MURDERED, TORTURED, RAPED the women and men of the earth. Any woman that
held knowledge of herbs, healing, birthing, natural earthly magic or who
loved other women was considered a "witch" and tortured, burned,
decimated. The definitions of "heretics" and "sodomites" (men who love
men... although that really has nothing to do with the story of Sodom and
was just used as such by the later church) were tied up and drawn and
quartered.... all their limbs were pulled from their bodies, and then
wrapped up in bundles of sticks. Want a dictionary definition that's
really telling? Try: FAGGOT. In the dictionary, it's "a bundle of sticks
used as kindling" which is also what it means in French, but it got used
in reference to HOMOSEXUAL MEN because their drawn and quartered limbs
were bundled up with their torsos and used as kindling to burn the
WITCHES. This is why I firmly say that all oppression and subjegation of
gay men is intricately, intimately linked with the oppression of women and
why we must work together to overturn patriarchy once and for all.
Here's a question for you, Angela. What if one, or two or ALL of your
kids turn out to be GAY? How will you be able to continue to LOVE and
SUPPORT them when Christianity (for the most part except for some recent
splinter groups who are "loving and reaffirming") says they are an
abomination? How will you reconcile that with that "holy book"?
This is a serious question. I commend your effort to find and heal the
feminine face of creation from within christianity. I think it's GREAT...
it's a huge task though... cause if the feminine is truly to be revered
within that structure, the book has got to go. There's no way around it
that I can see... but then again, I'm just a lowly earthen faerie pagan
who lives by the seasons, and not by the invisible dualistic laws of
"heaven and hell, good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust, and male
and female" These are artificial dualities based on a too-simplistic
world-view that also have to go if we're going to save the biosphere for
continued human existence... thus for the future of your three precious
boys.
thanks for inspiring me to respond...
paisain
You need evidence?
> Women were also given hearts and brains and muscle-we are not unequals - time
> to start using them to prove it! The Earth needs equal partners/men and women
> co-defenders and co-creators in true love for each other to help it heal!
> Women and men need to come out of the woodwork here and speak up and out on
> behalf of the feminine face(s) of creation! Let's celebrate the feminine and
> reveal the truth - we ARE spirits in a material world!
>
> Thanks!
> Angela
>
