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In case you missed it...
I am honestly answering questions this week. You can make up to two inquires about absolutely anything and I'll post honest answers.
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groovesinorbit asked me about my scar. What scar? you ask? Why this one:
As this unusually happy pic of me indicates, I have a forehead scar. It's the way in which I am most like Harry Potter, though it is not lightening shaped. It's placement is the same as that dot people have that allows all the light and love in the universe to enter their bodies. Hopefully, my scar works the same way.
I got that scar in a car accident when I was two. Nobody put me in a car seat, I guess they didn't do a lot of that in the 70's, and I whanged my head on the door handle in the backseat. Boom. Scar. It was the first of many head injuries for your old pal
wednes
She also asked what it was that first drew me to witchcraft. When I was a kid I was always very jealous of kids who got to go to church. I was sure they were all in on some huge secret and I didn't get to know what it was. It was one of many ways I felt like an outsider in my neighborhood as a kid. The story about God and Jesus and everything made sense to me as a kid, and it never occurred to me to doubt whether or not it was true. Everybody said it was, even my parents though they didn't go to church or practice any faith.
When I was in 7th grade, my mom decided that we (my bros and I) were going to go to Catholic school because there was one down the street from us. So at age twelve I was baptized had communion (symbolically eating the flesh of Christ--in case anybody wonders why I have zombie freak outs) and was confirmed in the space of about 8 months. It was crazy to go from no religion to Catholicism in such a short time. Suddenly all these things we did were wrong, and we started going to church every week. It was long and boring with some pretty good songs and nice incense mixed in. And of course it was social, and as a kid I would go absolutely anywhere if it meant being away from my mother.
I joined the choir and the altar servers (they let girls by altar boys, basically). I really tried to be into it, but something kept me from believing that God actually cared what people did in bed at night, or that Jesus wanted us to dislike gays and jews (which I realize is not the official Catholic line, but that's how it was presented to me as a kid).
Around age 16 my family moved to a better city with better schools. All trace of our newfound Catholicism was forgotten and so far as I know, no one in my family ever went to church again except me. I was trying to find something that fit. I tried the Lutherans, thinking they were a logical step from the Catholics. Then the Baptists, who were right out. I even read up on Judaism but realized that it was not for me either.
One daykissdbyagnome took me to a place called the Theosophical Society where people treated us like intelligent adults even though we were still in high school. They had talks, more about philosophy than religion and I suddenly began to question everything I'd ever been taught. I should also mention that at this time I was living in a house full of crazy people and feeling powerless to do anything about it.
We started buying crystals and books and tarot cards, the way young kids do that. At first I did readings by looking up each card in the little book and reading what it said aloud. Then the symbolism really started to make sense to me, and I started reading any book on tarot or paganism I could get my hands on (which, come to think of it, was not that many). I started with the usual stuff: Spiral Dance, Wicca for Solitaries, Buckland, Lewwllyn and all that there. I met other, poseury pagans in college, they did not suit me and I decided that a solitary path made the most sense to me. Spirituality, IMHO, is far too personal to share with just any old person.
About the time I was finishing college, I discovered that Wicca was far and away not the only magical religion out there. That I didn't have to be looked down on for not being initiated into a coven, for not being vegan, for being straight or any of the other malarchy I'd encountered among wiccans. At this point I'll say that like any religion, there are some wonderful, devout wiccans out there, and there are some dick heads who happen to share the faith.
I'm still reading and rereading Crowley in an effort to figure out if he's a crazy genius, or just plain crazy. I still do a lot of pagan study and I don't practice the principle of "harm none" simply because I find it impractical. I'm sure I'm forgetting some important aspects of this topic, but I think that's enough for now.
Alright, keep those questions coming.
I won't be this unflinchingly honest forever--
--actually, maybe I will.
groovesinorbit asked me about my scar. What scar? you ask? Why this one: As this unusually happy pic of me indicates, I have a forehead scar. It's the way in which I am most like Harry Potter, though it is not lightening shaped. It's placement is the same as that dot people have that allows all the light and love in the universe to enter their bodies. Hopefully, my scar works the same way.I got that scar in a car accident when I was two. Nobody put me in a car seat, I guess they didn't do a lot of that in the 70's, and I whanged my head on the door handle in the backseat. Boom. Scar. It was the first of many head injuries for your old pal
wednesShe also asked what it was that first drew me to witchcraft. When I was a kid I was always very jealous of kids who got to go to church. I was sure they were all in on some huge secret and I didn't get to know what it was. It was one of many ways I felt like an outsider in my neighborhood as a kid. The story about God and Jesus and everything made sense to me as a kid, and it never occurred to me to doubt whether or not it was true. Everybody said it was, even my parents though they didn't go to church or practice any faith.
When I was in 7th grade, my mom decided that we (my bros and I) were going to go to Catholic school because there was one down the street from us. So at age twelve I was baptized had communion (symbolically eating the flesh of Christ--in case anybody wonders why I have zombie freak outs) and was confirmed in the space of about 8 months. It was crazy to go from no religion to Catholicism in such a short time. Suddenly all these things we did were wrong, and we started going to church every week. It was long and boring with some pretty good songs and nice incense mixed in. And of course it was social, and as a kid I would go absolutely anywhere if it meant being away from my mother.
I joined the choir and the altar servers (they let girls by altar boys, basically). I really tried to be into it, but something kept me from believing that God actually cared what people did in bed at night, or that Jesus wanted us to dislike gays and jews (which I realize is not the official Catholic line, but that's how it was presented to me as a kid).
Around age 16 my family moved to a better city with better schools. All trace of our newfound Catholicism was forgotten and so far as I know, no one in my family ever went to church again except me. I was trying to find something that fit. I tried the Lutherans, thinking they were a logical step from the Catholics. Then the Baptists, who were right out. I even read up on Judaism but realized that it was not for me either.
One day
kissdbyagnome took me to a place called the Theosophical Society where people treated us like intelligent adults even though we were still in high school. They had talks, more about philosophy than religion and I suddenly began to question everything I'd ever been taught. I should also mention that at this time I was living in a house full of crazy people and feeling powerless to do anything about it.We started buying crystals and books and tarot cards, the way young kids do that. At first I did readings by looking up each card in the little book and reading what it said aloud. Then the symbolism really started to make sense to me, and I started reading any book on tarot or paganism I could get my hands on (which, come to think of it, was not that many). I started with the usual stuff: Spiral Dance, Wicca for Solitaries, Buckland, Lewwllyn and all that there. I met other, poseury pagans in college, they did not suit me and I decided that a solitary path made the most sense to me. Spirituality, IMHO, is far too personal to share with just any old person.
About the time I was finishing college, I discovered that Wicca was far and away not the only magical religion out there. That I didn't have to be looked down on for not being initiated into a coven, for not being vegan, for being straight or any of the other malarchy I'd encountered among wiccans. At this point I'll say that like any religion, there are some wonderful, devout wiccans out there, and there are some dick heads who happen to share the faith.
I'm still reading and rereading Crowley in an effort to figure out if he's a crazy genius, or just plain crazy. I still do a lot of pagan study and I don't practice the principle of "harm none" simply because I find it impractical. I'm sure I'm forgetting some important aspects of this topic, but I think that's enough for now.
Alright, keep those questions coming.
I won't be this unflinchingly honest forever--
--actually, maybe I will.
Off topic
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/18/america/NA-GEN-US-Shark-Bite.php
Re: Off topic
Re: Off topic
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007380376,00.html
Re: Off topic
They seem to imply that it was a GW shark, when it's far more likely that it's a bull shark.
Re: Off topic
....but it's more DRAMATIC when it is a Great White!
More drama = more $$$
Re: Off topic
You yell BARACUDA, everybody says "Huh, what?"
You yell SHARK! and we've got a panic on our hands on the fourth of July.
no subject
symbolically eating the flesh of Christ--in case anybody wonders why I have zombie freak outs BWAHAHAHA!
It was long and boring with some pretty good songs and nice incense mixed in.
this is pretty much exactly how I felt growing up Catholic and being forced to go to church and CCD every week...most of it was just plain boring, and I would just kind of tune out during the readings and the homily and the whole ritual before communion...but I didn't mind the people-watching and the music...I'm glad I was introduced to a UU church, because now most of the time the entire darn service is interesting and something I feel I can actually participate in...
I don't understand how Christian churches can teach people to hate Jews when Jesus was one...Jesus certainly wasn't a Christian...
my church had girl altar boys at times too...but it was only maybe ten years ago that the Pope finally said it was okay...
and you're right about Wicca not being exempt from having asshole or fascist practitioners...I think it can be like that with just about everything...it's all a matter of finding your niche, which it sounds like you have...
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I didn't really mention this but paganism is the first religion I found that really helps one to feel empowered rather than at the mercy of some supreme being.
I still like the stained glass and music and stuff, and do drop by churches occasionally. I would go with H if he wanted, but he never goes to church.
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very good point...this is how I tend to feel about Unitarian Universalism...and not just being empowered instead of at the mercy of a supreme being, but being empowered instead of at the mercy of some church and all its rules...
my dad never went to church except for those family events that are important enough to require your attendance...I have no idea what his actual beliefs are, but I wonder if they fall into the agnostic/atheist type category...I just found out that my grandpa never really went to church either...I guess I sort of knew that, from the times that I would go with grandma and just grandma, but I guess I assumed that he would have gone at least while the kids were being raised or something...
I had an interesting conversation with my mom the other day...she said that sometimes the only thing that keeps her going to the church she goes to (Catholic church, ever week) is the music...she also said that she'd consider going to a Lutheran church (that's how my dad was raised) if Dad would go too...I told her that I doubt that would ever happen...but I was surprised to hear my mom say those things...
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It's cool that you can discuss such things with your mom.
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when I was at the visitation for my aunt who passed away on Sunday, two of my other aunts asked me about Unitarian Universalism...I wish I would have had the chance to talk more in depth with them, but I thought it was a good discussion...the daughter of one of them is a UU too, but I haven't had a chance to discuss it with her yet (she's the one who had the lesbian commitment ceremony a couple years ago, and actually lives in the same state as me, though three hours away)...
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I used to read tarot pretty regularly for a while and contemplated getting more serious about a pagan/witch spirituality. I lost touch with it somewhere along the line.
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Truth be told, my Rider-Waite is still my fave. I'm on my third identical deck because I wear them out. The Thoth deck is pretty but rather overwhelming in terms of symbolism and connections to other mediums. According to Crowley, virtually all magical systems correspond to eachother. It blows the mind.
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I've seen the Thoth deck. It is pretty. Crowley's someone I need to learn more about. He's an interesting character.
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I had no idea going to the Theo society made that type of an impact on you. Do you remember psychically speaking with Marcello? Someone told me he passed away recently. Remember I took that astrology class with him for my 16th birthday. Sigh.
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