Morning Musings

[bookofmirrors]

First things first - for technomom and shadowkatt



You don't have toe fuzz, you have cat fur!
*scritches the kitty's ears* Yay! A fellow
kitty!


What kind of toe fuzz should you have?
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So, I woke up this morning with Linda Rondstadt's "Love is a Rose" running through my head. What's up with that???

Anyway.....



Was talking with elorie briefly yesterday (had to go somewhere) about viewpoints on gods and such. It has occurred to me that I have a vastly different view of deities in general that most other pagans I've encountered. I think I always knew this - it's just that it became suddenly so very OBVIOUS.

Here's the deal.

I don't believe in deity transcendant. I just don't. If I've ever given anyone the impression that I do, I apologize. It was sheer laziness on my part. Sometimes it's easier for me to remove Deity from Self in order to have a clearer picture of it. Of course, there's also the issue of being afraid of my own power. If deity is self, and you don't consider yourself to be powerful, then deity, by definition, isn't going to be that powerful, either. This is a temporary flaw in my beliefs. Not a dogmatic flaw (for lack of a better word), 'cause I think this idea is just as valid as any other, but an inconvenient flaw that keeps deity from being particularly helpful to me. Unless I buy into the self-created illusion that deity is separate (and therefore better, more powerful, etc.) than myself. Which isn't as scary, but doesn't feel true to me.

Keep in mind, of course, I'm not knocking the idea that some people view deity as outside themselves. I'm not knocking that. Believe and do whatever works for you.

So, here's how this creates a potential rift.

With this in mind, that deity is self, and I can create self in whatever image I desire, I can turn "conventional" definitions of deity on their ass, if I so choose. If I want Quan Yin to have the aspects generally attributed to Shiva, and I want (throwing bulwerk a bone) Odin to have the attributes of Loki, I can do that. By definition.

By extension of that definition, I can worship each deity however I like. If I decide that Yemanja suddenly has a taste for dog and feel like sacrificing one to her (all thoughts on sacrifice aside), then I can do that, and it will be right.

So, then, does that make the more conventional views of deity wrong? Just because I say so, should everyone start offering red palm oil to Obatala and invoking Bacchus at AA meetings?

Of course not. The more established images of gods have power. They have power because countless generations have been giving them power, in the prescribed ways. Even if you subscribe more to the idea of archetypes than actual deities (Aphrodite/Osun/Freya/Hathor all being the same basic goddess, for instance), they are universal symbols, and all have power. But they have power because we've given it to them. In fact, I would say that these deities DO exist, in their conventionally-accepted forms. They exist because we've said they do. They exist how we say they do. And, in that light, invoking Bacchus at an AA meeting will bring either tragic or hilarious results, depending on your point of view, and offering dog to Yemanja is gonna get your ass kicked.

OK, so how can I believe these apparently contradictory things? To some extent, I'm gonna have to just chalk it up to being a Libra. **insert subliminal message here** my birthday is Thursday, lavish all good things upon me! **insert subliminal message here**

Seriously, though, in my little world, these apparent paradoxes live happily side by side. (Actually, lots of happy little paradoxes exist in my head... This probably explains much to some of you...)

For one thing, I'm certainly not going to go out of my way to completely turn established shit on its ear. For one thing, it's just too much work. Why fuck with what's worked, for the most part? Why reinvent the wheel? And if you don't like the wheel, what's the purpose of pissing the wheel people off, when you can just invent the boat instead? Archetypes and even stereotypes certainly have their place in society. Of course, this place isn't always a good one, and often it needs to be challenged, especially in the case of stereotypes. But the point is, conventionality, even in an unconventional belief system, isn't always a bad thing. The spirit of Odin that's been created by the mental and emotional energy of millions of people through long periods of time will certainly respond better, no doubt, to the usual invocations and rituals. He's been programmed to do so. The Oracle at Delphi isn't going to grant wisdom to someone not willing to make the prescribed arduous journey to the top.

And yet, to me, it's still a matter of choice. I (or anyone else) can choose to believe that Baron Samedi is a prude, and treat him as such. There's a trick to this, though. A couple of tricks, actually. First of all, I think it would be unwise to just go against established norms because you can. Sure, I can invoke the spirit of a rapist at a Dianic ritual, but why would I want to? What would be the purpose? (Well, actually, I can think of a few appropriate ones, but that's another subject...) The point being, I see no reason to fuck with archetypes just 'case one CAN. If you have a vision where Aphrodite comes to you as a hag and says she wants to be honored by you rolling in garbage... well... I'd seriously evaluate that. But, if after careful evaluation, you truly feel your vision to be right for you, then, by all means, go out and roll in some garbage.

I guess the key here is to look closely into your heart. If you truly don't see a problem with seeing any particular deity in a certain way, or worshipping them in a certain way, even if it's against what's established, then there shouldn't be a problem with that. But, don't go telling an Asatru that Thor's decided to be the patron saint of bunny rabbits and neopagans. Even if your version of Thor is doing exactly that.

It's a matter of two things. Respect for self and respect for others.

Respect yourself enough to not dismiss your own personal views of deity, no matter now far from the norm they may be. Respect yourself enough to examine your motives if an unconventional interpretation comes along. Some stuff is fear talking, or old issues. Make sure that it truly speaks to you, and isn't just something to keep you from looking further. Make sure you're not being rebellious for rebellion's sake.

Respect others enough to know what it is you're seeing differently. If Sekhmet comes to you in a vision, and you know very little about her, go look it up. Compare and contrast how your vision differs from the conventional one, if it does at all. If you choose to disagree with the usual vision of her, know what you're disagreeing with. Know why. Know how that ties in, and take some guesses as to why your vision differs from what's out there, and how that serves you. And most of all, don't set yourself up as the newly enlightened guru of what's suddenly right about God/dess XYZ, and why the rest of the world is wrong. Just 'cause it's right for you doesn't make it right for anyone else, nor does it make either of you better than the other.

And don't do it half-assed. If you have any doubts that serving Athena by getting a labotomy is a great idea, then it's probably not. KNOW what you're doing is right. Guessing is just plain dangerous. If you don't have a truly established and confident view that human sacrifice is a great way to worship Jehovah, you're probably in for a world of hurt. If you don't have a fully-self-established god-form to replace the Jehovah that's not into that sort of thing, you're gonna be left dealing with the one who has a Big Problem with that. Not likely to be pretty.



OK, rant over. I've thrown myself to the wolves. Start biting. *wicked leer*