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While this conversation over all must of course be about degrees of authority, I am going to talk about more absolute basics. I've had a great many conversations of people who say this author or that is authoritarian says "this is the way things are done", but that they prefer this other author. Which is fine as far as it goes and is a surprisingly authoritarian perspective to have. Stay with me a moment.
First, an author or lecturer or teacher of any kind must start with the most basic premise; there are either rules or there are not, if not, the conversation is already finished. There is nothing more to say at that point. If there are rules, well first you have to make sure you and the person you are communicating with are talking about the same thing. There is Traditional Wicca, eclectic Wicca, NeoPaganism, Asatru, and so many, many other versions and ideas. So this is actually trickier than you would think at first. many people use the same words, but actually mean very different things. This is also a step that many people have problems with not only writing, but understanding in reading. Scholarly books more often use this technique, but are not nearly as popular with readers. Second, something I have found fascinating about the countless conversations I have had about this, is the simple fact that what people are really saying, without realizing it is "this author is good because they say what I agree with, but this other author is authoritarian because the way they say things is not what I agree with." Why do I say that? Simple. Every Pagan author I have ever heard of has been described by one person as not authoritarian, but authoritarian by another. They all say this is the way, very few say this is the only way, unless they are saying this is the only way to do what I do, and that is entirely correct. There are individuals who DO take things to extremes, but usually they loose followers on a regular basis. That is hard to maintain over people in the long run. Third, any time you say "this herb (or stone or what have you) does this" you are speaking from an authoritarian point of view. You are claiming that there are in fact rules and they are this particular way. Hopefully I will revisit this topic in the future and deal with the more dangerous sort of authoritarianism that crops up with some sorts of individuals. We have three, count them three entertainers this year.
1) Ginger Ackley http://www.gingerackley.com/ 2) Mama Gina https://www.mamaginamusic.com/tour 3) Burning Sage https://www.reverbnation.com/burningsagemusic Morgantown Pagan Pride Day will be held Sunday July 30, 2017.
It will be held at Mason Dixon Park in Core WV. Location info can be found at their website http://masondixonhistoricalpark.com/index.html Vendor form can be found on the Pagan Pride Page of this site. http://manypathsoneforest.weebly.com/pagan-pride-day.html This year we have added several ways to get rewards for supporting Morgantown Pagan Pride Day.
On our gofundme you can earn paintings, bat houses, butterfly houses, and more to come. It can be found at www.gofundme.com/WVPaganPride2017 On our zazzle page you can get t-shirts, buttons, coffee cups, more to come. It can be found at www.zazzle.com/paganpridemorgantown We are restarting the blog and will have many posts coming soon. A gift from the Gods (this happened just before 2000)
The universe gave me a wonderful gift a few years back. Way back while I was on my four month camping trip. I was sleeping on morning in my tent, which was WAY down the bottom of this valley, not far from the nearest road. I dreamed that the gods had stopped by to give me a gift, when suddenly there was a blast of thunder & I awoke. But there was no thunder, nor lighting, nor a cloud in the sky. Perplexed, I sat & though for a minute. Deciding that surely this strange noise must have come from the road above, though what it could have been I did not know. I hiked back up the hillside & a few minutes later I stood beside the road. I looked around, but saw nothing that could have made the noise. Curious I decided to look around, thinking perhaps someone had pulled off & hit something. I checked the near by areas where cars sometimes pull over. But saw nothing of interest. No banged trees, no sign that there had been an accident. Then I noticed that across the road there was a little place going into the woods where a car could pull into, though why one would I did not know. I went over. It became obvious that some people had over time stopped there many times. There were little piles of garbage. It made me sad. But still nothing that would have made any noise, especially one like had awoken me. I notice there is a low branch in the back. Hmm, perhaps that had scraped the car, but wait... What is that lying on a low ridge in the back. I approach. It's a small box, but wait. behind the ridge there are MORE small boxes. What are they. Oh my goodness. A Farberware pot, not one... not two... not even five No there are FOURTEEN!!!!! All brand new, all in the box. Some marked at over a hundred dollars EACH!!!! I blinked. I looked around. How? Where? Best I could figure is someone backed their truck in slightly past the branch & right up to the ridge & spent the night. Then when they pulled out in the morning the branch pushed them off. This was the summer of 1999, so I figure it was someone paranoid about the millenium. But hey, if the racket woke me up & I hiked all the way up the hill & spent awhile trying to figure out what had happend & nobody had noticed when they drove off. Their loss & my gain. I had after all lusted after just this quality of cookware for years. I had mainly used cheap dollar store cookware for most of my life. Had used some good stuff at work, bt could not have bought it for myself. Would not even have it now but for this twist of fate that brought them to me. Some ask if I believe the Gods are real? Do I believe that God or Goddess or great spirit takes action in our lives. For me it is not even a question. It is a certainty. I have no doubt. I may not always understand, may question Why this? Why now? To what purpose? But doubt in the reality or that there IS a purpose? Never. Some have argued that Pagans worship the creation and not the creator. While that may be true in a sense, I think it is more akin to looking someone in the eye when you talk to them. You may only be looking at the face, but in the back of your mind you know there is a whole person beyond just that face. There is more to the body and a mind hidden behind that which is obviously present.
So yes, we may gather in a forest glade and honor the spirit of the woods, the stream, the air and that which is within ourselves. However that local focus is also honoring distant lands, distant stars, an entire universe beyond that seen by the eye and the very spirit of the entire universe. I was asked today to describe Paganism. So I gave them a short description. What I said was "Take a large canvas of philosophy, paint on the myths look at it with the outer eyes of anthropology and psychology and the inner eye of mysticism, frame it all with basic rituals and a reverence for nature."
I had wanted something simple and yet spoke to the different traditions without getting bogged down in those differences. That can all come out in future conversation. So I am wondering what people think of that description. Is it fair and effective for the most basic intro? I would hope that it would be sufficient for those who aren't really interested, yet also inspire questions in those who really want to know more. Things I believe about God
by Rev. Marc Roney 7/29/2010 1) The full nature of God is beyond the comprehension of the limited human mind. Whatever God is then that is what God is and no preference of humans can change that nature, no matter how good our arguments or desires or faith. 2) God has loved and cherished all life that ever was and ever will be. 3) God wants us to learn, grow and become the best individuals we can. 4) God is more loving and understanding then any human can be, therefore God will not condemn us for mistakes made of honest ignorance of things we do not or can not know. 5) Mankind’s perception of reality does not define the true nature of reality. Humans must continually redefine their perceptions as new information of reality come to be known. 6) God speaks to different people in different way, just as we speak differently to our parents, children, lovers, coworkers and customers. 7) No single path to God is suited to all people, the same as no single job is suited for all people. 8) In the eye of God all people are equal regardless of heritage, race, sex, sexual orientation, even religion. 9) The spirit needs different things to nurture it and different people have slightly different nutritional needs for the spirit, just like the body. 10) just as there are many cycles in physical reality; from the cycles of the sun, moon and stars to cycles of plant and animal life to the cycles that change minerals and rock into other forms... so does the inner life of mind and spirit go through cycles. These cycles interact on personal, group and cultural levels. 11) Different people having different visions of the divine and their sacred quests is no different then an architect giving a metal worker, a carpenter, an electrician, a plumber, etc different jobs and sets of instructions toward the goal of creating an amazing building. Their jobs are very different because each is directed according to their skills and gifts. 12) The nature of God and ultimate reality can be discussed through symbols and metaphor, but this should not get confused as the nature of reality since two people using the same language of symbols and metaphor can actually mean very different thing and two people arguing over different symbols and metaphors may ultimately find they are both intending to say the same thing. 13) All other specifics are open to healthy debate and investigation. I'm sure God is amused by our human rumors of the ultimate reality. God may be male, female, neither or both; singular, dualist, polyistic or animistic; or any of the other possible ways humans try to define God. |
Rev. Marc RoneyArchives
April 2024
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