Afraid and Ashamed, but not Surprised
I am sure this will make many people angry, but there are people whom I hold dear south of the border. I feel the need to say something:
I invite my American counter parts to come visit other Western countries, to see that there are ways to practice and encourage religious tolerance and multi-culturalism than other than your own. The American style of conflict resolution is often filled with hate, fear and anger; reactionary and aggressive.
When I lived and travelled in the USA I was constantly amazing by the level of violence that is taken for granted within your culture. It permeates everything, even ordinary everyday language. An electric drill was called a screw gun. One does not refill a drink, they reload it.
Seeing my fellow Witches, Pagans and Heathens calling for an eye for an eye makes me sick. It fills me with shame.
Many of the words I read and hear being used by Americans within my religious body these past few days would be considered hate speech in Canada. It sounds no different to my ears than “God hates fags” or “Paganism must be eradicated” or “All Muslims are terrorists”.
As I watch the news… Continue reading
The Hollow Bone is an Asshole
I honestly once had someone tell me quote “I don’t create drama, I serve.” in response to my calling her out for bully and drama creating behaviour.
As if being a servant of her god gives her the right to bully, troll, humiliate and create drama. Which god is going to exempt you from being a decent human being? Does she serve the god of assholes? I really doubt her god was commanding her to troll Facebook.
Just because you are god owned (or a hollow bone or a godslave or whatever you wish to call it) does not mean that everything you do is in their service. Nor does it mean you get a free pass on your words and behaviour.
I don’t justify myself by claiming god slave status.
If I mess up and be a bitch and get called on it, I own it, either by apologizing or being a bigger bitch, depending on the situation. But I don’t lay the blame at the feet of Cernunnos. He’d tear my friggin’ head off for that shit.
Of the gods that I have encountered personally, I cannot think of one who would tolerate their servant being an asshat… Continue reading
Parlez Vous Français? (Part One)
(I’ll stop posting about politics and social studies soon … for a while anyways. This blog reflects the things on my mind and I guess that is what is on my mind. Also, please don’t kill me.)
It’s a funny thing, being a country this big, the second largest in the world land-wise. Being this big means that sometimes the west coast doesn’t know what the east coast is up to and the south almost forgets there’s more to the north than ice, snow and oil.
There is a Canuck tradition to do the Great Canadian Road Trip at least once in your life, traveling from one end of this gigantic country to the other. A trip that can last two weeks or two months depending on how much of a hurry you are in and which route you take. Even still, there’s only so much culture you can soak up staying in Moose Jaw … or Medicine Hat, or Thunder Bay … for a day or two before moving on. It takes a while to get to know a place and its people.
It’s a big country, a young country, still being colonized you might say.… Continue reading
Political Pagans
Recently over at No Unsacred Ground one of my fellow columnists Howling Hill spoke of the lack of Pagans involved in the environmental movement.
A while back I butted heads with Cat Chaplin Bishop after she made a statement that she felt Pagans ought be environmentally friendly, feminist, politically left wing and so forth.
I was part of a panel discussion for a podcast the other day (Pagan Pathfinders Podcast, the episode is still in the editing process) Diana Paxton lamented that Pagans are uncomfortable getting involved in politics. The Canadians on the panel immediately spoke up: “that’s not a problem here!” I think the lady was a little take aback.
(The above are just a few examples)
Having lived and travelled a fair bit I must say that one’s experience with non-political and un-environmentally friendly Pagans is going to differ depending on where one is.
Tangent:
Having lived in the USA I can try to not be insulted here. Not because people wish Pagans were more political, but because what they are really saying is that they wish USA Pagans were more political. Like I said, I’ve lived in the States, so I… Continue reading
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