Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Looking Down from Olympus onto the World: My Perception of Hellenism, The Greek Gods and The Global Culture
Recently on YouTube, I started doing a series of videos about my beliefs in the Greek Gods. Since I rediscovered myself as a Hellenist Witch. It actually wasn't a far leap from Wicca, but I can no longer call myself Wiccan because I don't see all Gods as aspects of a duality. However, there is still aspecting going on within my beliefs and I'll explain.
It's well known that the Greek Gods had to them many aspects. For example, Apollo is the God of the Sun, Prophecy, Music, Poetry, Healing, etc. This is a hefty list which requires many "hats". Each one of these ideas requires a different "persona" within the same God. All of these things fall under one simple word of enlightenment, but enlightenment comes in many different forms and therefore, so does Apollo. One of these aspects is Helios-God of the Sun, obviously, an aspect of Apollo. Some might envision Helios as being "under" Apollo, but I believe that even though the myths indicate they are different, that Helios is in fact an aspect of Apollo. Walter Burkert, a renowned modern Hellenic scholar agrees with me. He suggests that Apollo and other Greek Gods, mainly Olympians, have aspects in lesser Greek Gods.
Another example is Athena. There is the Goddess Nike, to whom some say is an aspect of Athena. She is a winged Goddess of Victory, who may have at one time been thought of as a seperate Goddess, but later realized as an aspect of Athena.
I go one step further in the aspects of the Gods in that I believe that globally, the ancients realized relatively the same things about the universe and discovered the Gods as a result. That just because a God from a different culture isn't exactly like a Greek God, doesn't mean they couldn't be an aspect of that God. After all, Nike had wings, Athena did not, yet the realization of them as one Goddess remains.
I take aspecting a bit further than this. I see aspects of the Greek Gods, namely the Olympians and a few other chief gods in other cultures. I don't think that just becuase one lived in a different time and place that they are actually experiencing a different deity. I simply believe that culture dictates perception and therefore, deities seem different to our mind's eye. For example, Zeus is the King of Heaven in Greek Mythology, but if we look at other cultures, the Sun God is universal. Regardless of how they are seen, the understanding of the Sun God is actually the gnosis that the Sun is part of the larger design of the universe and is directed by divine power. What I interpret as Apollo, another will interpret as Horus, but there can be only one Sun Deity that exists. It wouldn't make sense to have two. As for secondary qualities, like prophecy and music, those can change, but the major qualities seem to reflect each other.
For example, the archetypes of Zeus and Odin are quite similar, not in their secondary qualities, but in their primary qualities and appearances. Both fought against chaos and were responsible for the universe having the order that it does. Both look quite similar even though their secondary qualities are not the same, they reflect each other.
Personal gnosis is waht makes the Gods apparent to us. We might not get everything right, but the similarities between pantheons is something that's always interested me. I believe that the Gods are universal and that we all recognize them in our own way.
It's well known that the Greek Gods had to them many aspects. For example, Apollo is the God of the Sun, Prophecy, Music, Poetry, Healing, etc. This is a hefty list which requires many "hats". Each one of these ideas requires a different "persona" within the same God. All of these things fall under one simple word of enlightenment, but enlightenment comes in many different forms and therefore, so does Apollo. One of these aspects is Helios-God of the Sun, obviously, an aspect of Apollo. Some might envision Helios as being "under" Apollo, but I believe that even though the myths indicate they are different, that Helios is in fact an aspect of Apollo. Walter Burkert, a renowned modern Hellenic scholar agrees with me. He suggests that Apollo and other Greek Gods, mainly Olympians, have aspects in lesser Greek Gods.
Another example is Athena. There is the Goddess Nike, to whom some say is an aspect of Athena. She is a winged Goddess of Victory, who may have at one time been thought of as a seperate Goddess, but later realized as an aspect of Athena.
I go one step further in the aspects of the Gods in that I believe that globally, the ancients realized relatively the same things about the universe and discovered the Gods as a result. That just because a God from a different culture isn't exactly like a Greek God, doesn't mean they couldn't be an aspect of that God. After all, Nike had wings, Athena did not, yet the realization of them as one Goddess remains.
I take aspecting a bit further than this. I see aspects of the Greek Gods, namely the Olympians and a few other chief gods in other cultures. I don't think that just becuase one lived in a different time and place that they are actually experiencing a different deity. I simply believe that culture dictates perception and therefore, deities seem different to our mind's eye. For example, Zeus is the King of Heaven in Greek Mythology, but if we look at other cultures, the Sun God is universal. Regardless of how they are seen, the understanding of the Sun God is actually the gnosis that the Sun is part of the larger design of the universe and is directed by divine power. What I interpret as Apollo, another will interpret as Horus, but there can be only one Sun Deity that exists. It wouldn't make sense to have two. As for secondary qualities, like prophecy and music, those can change, but the major qualities seem to reflect each other.
For example, the archetypes of Zeus and Odin are quite similar, not in their secondary qualities, but in their primary qualities and appearances. Both fought against chaos and were responsible for the universe having the order that it does. Both look quite similar even though their secondary qualities are not the same, they reflect each other.
Personal gnosis is waht makes the Gods apparent to us. We might not get everything right, but the similarities between pantheons is something that's always interested me. I believe that the Gods are universal and that we all recognize them in our own way.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
My New Spiritual Home
I've been Wiccan for about 10 years. Wicca has been the only Pagan spirituality that I have ever formally been a member of. Because of this, I've stayed very close to my roots and defended my path with great strides.
I still love Wicca, but I find that it's constructs, history and reputation differ now from what I think my spiritual path should be.
Recently, I had a series of experiences that have brought me ever so close to the Gods of Greece. The Olympians have proved themselves to me and in doing so have changed my world view on many different levels.
#1. I am no longer a Pantheist. I am a Panentheist. I believe that the Greek Gods are transcendant from this world and the realm of Mt Olympus (Heavenly Realm).
#2. In my own path, I honor the Greek Gods. I may have honored others before, Norse, Egytpian, etc. But now, the only Gods I honor will be the Greek. I still retain beliefs from other cultures, but Gods are exclusive to the Greek.
I will no longer call myself a Wiccan. I'm a Hellestic Witch. I still agree with some of the Wiccan beliefs, but not enough to call myself a Wiccan.
I still defend people's rights to mix pantheons if they choose. I don't think the Gods mind as long as they are given reverence.
Chris and I have decided to dedicate our altar to the Greek Gods and our well on our way to getting statues of all the Olympians. When we get them all, we'll film it and put it on YT.
Chris has a new blog, as his old blog was dedicated to Wicca. It's called the realm of magick. http://www.therealmofmagick.blogspot.com/
The more you comment, the more he'll post. Who knows. I might post on there as well.
Brightest Blessings everyone.
I still love Wicca, but I find that it's constructs, history and reputation differ now from what I think my spiritual path should be.
Recently, I had a series of experiences that have brought me ever so close to the Gods of Greece. The Olympians have proved themselves to me and in doing so have changed my world view on many different levels.
#1. I am no longer a Pantheist. I am a Panentheist. I believe that the Greek Gods are transcendant from this world and the realm of Mt Olympus (Heavenly Realm).
#2. In my own path, I honor the Greek Gods. I may have honored others before, Norse, Egytpian, etc. But now, the only Gods I honor will be the Greek. I still retain beliefs from other cultures, but Gods are exclusive to the Greek.
I will no longer call myself a Wiccan. I'm a Hellestic Witch. I still agree with some of the Wiccan beliefs, but not enough to call myself a Wiccan.
I still defend people's rights to mix pantheons if they choose. I don't think the Gods mind as long as they are given reverence.
Chris and I have decided to dedicate our altar to the Greek Gods and our well on our way to getting statues of all the Olympians. When we get them all, we'll film it and put it on YT.
Chris has a new blog, as his old blog was dedicated to Wicca. It's called the realm of magick. http://www.therealmofmagick.blogspot.com/
The more you comment, the more he'll post. Who knows. I might post on there as well.
Brightest Blessings everyone.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Building a Bridge from Both Sides
There is a problem here in this country especially. I don't see it from my European friends and it probably stems from the level of fundamentalism in religion over here compared to there. Many Wiccans and Pagans have horrible hatred for all Christians. I watched video after video saying things like "Fuck you! Christians" and "Christians hate us!" First of all, those statements are statements of high religious intolerance. No religious group on the face of the earth all believe the exact same way. If they do, they are a cult, not a religion. Religions have free-thinking people who tend to apply logic and personal experience to their beliefs, Christians included. A few points that I'd like to make on the subject.
1) You can't expect things to get better if you are making them worse.
I went through a phase where I did things especially to piss off the Christians. I'd even get angry if someone said "God Bless You," and hiss at people. I used to think I was being edgy or cool by hating Christians. I thought by doing that I was rebelling against the establishment and forging my own path not tainted by the mainstream opinion of how things were supposed to be.
Nearly a decade later, I realize how silly that is. When I did these things purposefully to piss off Christians, I was acting as a representative of my faith and in doing so damaged the reputation of not only me, but all Wiccans. We can't expect anyone, regardless of their religion to be as enlightened as us or hold the same opinions, but what we can do is be a good representative of our faith and show them that what they might have heard, is wrong.
What I realized is that some Christians have the capacity and understanding of normal humans. I was assuming all Christians were judgemental, exclusivist, "my way or the highway," Evangelical jackasses and would never see it my way. In reality, most Christians are spiritual people on their own road as well. They rarely agree with the entire Bible. They rarely try to convert you.
2) Stop the Divisiveness
We, as a minority faith community, tend to creep into our own little corner of the world and stay their with our "own kind." This does us no good. I've seen so called "Pagan Pride Day" celebrations being held in remote dark corners of towns or out in the suburbs simply to refrain from public attention.
One of the best rituals I ever attended was a ritual done by Brotherhood of the Pheonix and the Chicago Reclaiming for Earth Day 2007. Even though I was sick as a dog that day, I had a great and rewarding experience. We did this ritual on public land right on the shore of Lake Michigan on an unusually hot April Day in Chicago. There were hundreds of people on the beach, and a few onlookers to ritual. We did get a few people who shouted Bible verses or other hateful things, but the vast majority complimented us on how beautiful the ritual was and some even asked to join in. These are ordinary everyday people, many were obviously Christian, but regardless were so moved by the spirituality of it, saw a connection between us and them. They chose to break down that barrier.
Give yourself an opportunity to start a dialogue with someone. Perhaps you'll find you have more in common than you think. If you look around, you will find many interfaith opportunities. Seek them out. Be ready to discuss the finer points of your religion without defaming theirs. Be respectful to their point of view while intelligently presenting yours.
3) Act in accordance with your values
Don't be a bad Pagan. Live your values. Whatever those values might be. For Wiccans, we believe in a positive and non violent approach to living and believing. Make sure you are exhibiting that.
You can't expect others to get a good opinion of your faith if you always act like fools. Make sure you know what your values are and are doing something to make sure others do too.
4) Be spiritually and emotionally balanced.
Don't let your past emotions about Christianity or other religions color your judgment. When you have emotional problems or have had trauma caused to you by others, you must let that go. You must realize that there are bad people in the world, but you can not blame all Christians for your problems or past wounds.
There are bigots in every faith. Paganism is included in that. We can encounter Christian bigots who scream to us about Hell. But we also encounter Pagan bigots who would rather spit on a Christian then talk to them. Don't be bigot.
This is a bridge that needs to be built from both sides.
1) You can't expect things to get better if you are making them worse.
I went through a phase where I did things especially to piss off the Christians. I'd even get angry if someone said "God Bless You," and hiss at people. I used to think I was being edgy or cool by hating Christians. I thought by doing that I was rebelling against the establishment and forging my own path not tainted by the mainstream opinion of how things were supposed to be.
Nearly a decade later, I realize how silly that is. When I did these things purposefully to piss off Christians, I was acting as a representative of my faith and in doing so damaged the reputation of not only me, but all Wiccans. We can't expect anyone, regardless of their religion to be as enlightened as us or hold the same opinions, but what we can do is be a good representative of our faith and show them that what they might have heard, is wrong.
What I realized is that some Christians have the capacity and understanding of normal humans. I was assuming all Christians were judgemental, exclusivist, "my way or the highway," Evangelical jackasses and would never see it my way. In reality, most Christians are spiritual people on their own road as well. They rarely agree with the entire Bible. They rarely try to convert you.
2) Stop the Divisiveness
We, as a minority faith community, tend to creep into our own little corner of the world and stay their with our "own kind." This does us no good. I've seen so called "Pagan Pride Day" celebrations being held in remote dark corners of towns or out in the suburbs simply to refrain from public attention.
One of the best rituals I ever attended was a ritual done by Brotherhood of the Pheonix and the Chicago Reclaiming for Earth Day 2007. Even though I was sick as a dog that day, I had a great and rewarding experience. We did this ritual on public land right on the shore of Lake Michigan on an unusually hot April Day in Chicago. There were hundreds of people on the beach, and a few onlookers to ritual. We did get a few people who shouted Bible verses or other hateful things, but the vast majority complimented us on how beautiful the ritual was and some even asked to join in. These are ordinary everyday people, many were obviously Christian, but regardless were so moved by the spirituality of it, saw a connection between us and them. They chose to break down that barrier.
Give yourself an opportunity to start a dialogue with someone. Perhaps you'll find you have more in common than you think. If you look around, you will find many interfaith opportunities. Seek them out. Be ready to discuss the finer points of your religion without defaming theirs. Be respectful to their point of view while intelligently presenting yours.
3) Act in accordance with your values
Don't be a bad Pagan. Live your values. Whatever those values might be. For Wiccans, we believe in a positive and non violent approach to living and believing. Make sure you are exhibiting that.
You can't expect others to get a good opinion of your faith if you always act like fools. Make sure you know what your values are and are doing something to make sure others do too.
4) Be spiritually and emotionally balanced.
Don't let your past emotions about Christianity or other religions color your judgment. When you have emotional problems or have had trauma caused to you by others, you must let that go. You must realize that there are bad people in the world, but you can not blame all Christians for your problems or past wounds.
There are bigots in every faith. Paganism is included in that. We can encounter Christian bigots who scream to us about Hell. But we also encounter Pagan bigots who would rather spit on a Christian then talk to them. Don't be bigot.
This is a bridge that needs to be built from both sides.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
If you're that stupid, you deserve to be fooled
Perhaps people on YouTube are just looking to be led. Or perhaps they just like to be caught up in some trumped up drama. Frankly, if you're that stupid, you deserve to be fooled by people like the BlindDruid and Jack Winters. There is no flagging campaign. Yes, I will flag videos with my personal information in them. But I'm not going to, nor would I flag videos that had opposing viewpoints. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I've never, in my YT career, flagged someone because I disagreed with them. I've flagged for bullying and inappropriate content, but only if those videos actually break TOS.
Now if you have a video with my workplace in it, or some other piece of personal info I don't want broadcasted to the public. You better believe I'd flag it. And if you're not a moron, you would too.
Wake up people, you're being led by drama whores with nothing to really say about religion, so they have to trash those who do speak about religion.
If you believe the hype without asking me. You're a moron. Unsub from me PLEASE.
Now if you have a video with my workplace in it, or some other piece of personal info I don't want broadcasted to the public. You better believe I'd flag it. And if you're not a moron, you would too.
Wake up people, you're being led by drama whores with nothing to really say about religion, so they have to trash those who do speak about religion.
If you believe the hype without asking me. You're a moron. Unsub from me PLEASE.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Taking a Hiatus from Youtube
Recently, I got into a debate about Christian Wicca. Quite frankly though it wasn't much of a debate. Most of those who opposed us couldn't even stick to points. They simply brought up things in my personal life as Ad Hominem attacks. Yes, I may have attacked back a few times, but only on a reactionary level. Never as the instigator. I'm never the instigator.
So these individuals took it upon themselves to dig into my personal life and found out where I worked. I made the mistake of telling one of my friends where I worked. That friend told them. Someone called my work and got me fired. I have another job-a better job-but I can't risk that job. So I am shutting the channel down. I won't show my face anymore.
In further logic, I also want to teach. I don't think it would look good for a teacher to be talking about witchcraft and swearing up a storm on YouTube either, so I've deleted many of my videos with vulgar language.
I stand by my points on every subject that I covered. Just because my videos are privated, doesn't mean that I didn't make my points and make them well.
I'll be blogging about them here. Feel free to comment about them. Blessed Be
So these individuals took it upon themselves to dig into my personal life and found out where I worked. I made the mistake of telling one of my friends where I worked. That friend told them. Someone called my work and got me fired. I have another job-a better job-but I can't risk that job. So I am shutting the channel down. I won't show my face anymore.
In further logic, I also want to teach. I don't think it would look good for a teacher to be talking about witchcraft and swearing up a storm on YouTube either, so I've deleted many of my videos with vulgar language.
I stand by my points on every subject that I covered. Just because my videos are privated, doesn't mean that I didn't make my points and make them well.
I'll be blogging about them here. Feel free to comment about them. Blessed Be
Christian Wicca-Why it's just as valid
There have been many arguments against Christian Wicca. I will outline them here and why they are all wrong.
1) Christian Wicca attempts to combine two religions that have opposing views.
This argument comes from the assumption that Wiccans who use Christian influences in their path bring the entire religion of Christianity into their religion. This is not the case. In fact, when a Wiccan brings elements of any religion into their path, they rarely obey all tenets of that religion because they are first and foremost Wiccans. They simply honor the Gods and perhaps adapt a few practices.
For example. In the Celtic religion of Druidry, we know that there are 3 elements: Land, Sea and Sky. These differ from the 5 Classical Elements used in Wiccan ritual and practice. A Celtic Wiccan, uses elements from Celtic culture and religion such as Gods and ritual practice, but retains the Wiccan cosmology. We do not hear arguments, except from perhaps a few fundie Druids, that these two religions should not be mixed.
The same structure applies to Christian Wicca. Elements of the path, such as prayers, psalms, and Dieties are adapted, but the Wiccan cosmology and belief structure is retained.
2) Wicca is based on God and Goddess. Christianity has no Goddess and therefore cannot be used in Wicca.
This is also wrong. In mainstream Christianity there is no Goddess. But there are over 35000 different denominations of Christianity. Including Gnostic Christianity that has more than one Goddess. Many Christians believe that Goddess worship was a part of the Judeo-Christian structure from it's beginning but was covered up by the church.
A few examples of Christian Goddesses are Asherah-the consort of El. This belief was probably a transfer from the Caanonite belief in the God Il and his consort. Also, Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom is a Gnostic Christian goddess. Many Christians revere The Virgin and Mother Mary as Goddess. It's a little known fact was that the Virgin Mary was also the product of divine conception. Lastly, many believe that Mary Magdeline may have been the wife of Jesus and she is also worshiped as a goddess.
Therefore, there are many Goddesses to chose from in the Christian pantheon. Furthermore, one does not have to stick to just one pantheon to be Wiccan. Many use the traditional Gods of Christianity as masculine deities whilst borrowing from other pantheons for feminine influence. As many Wiccans see Gods and Goddesses as archetypes, we do not need to stick to one specific culture and many do not.
3) Christianity forbids Witchcraft, therefore it cannot work within Wicca-a religion based on Witchcraft.
Few Christian Wiccans honor the Bible. All will tell you that it is a work of man, not of God. Therefore, the writings of man, do not influence the relationship with God. People back in Biblical times understood Witches to be people who poisoned livestock and cursed villiages. It did not equate to the "Harm none" philosophy of Wicca. Therefore, either way you look at it, it is irrelevant.
4) It is disrespectful to bring Christianity, a religion that persecuted Witches, into Wicca.
First, all religions persecute neighboring religions with the exception of a few. Christianity may have burned and persecuted people for Heresy and Witchcraft. Lets remember the Ancient Greeks who condemned Socrates to death for Atheism. Most people don't like opposing ideas. Especially in religion. It offends their entire worldview and threatens their security within it. Nowadays, we live in a more pluralistic society. Today's Christians, for the most part, don't perecute others. So don't dwell on what happened in the past. Ancient Romans watched people being torn apart by lions for fun. Are we like them? I hope not.
If any of you have any further arguments, post them in comments and I will add them to this blog. Blessed Be.
1) Christian Wicca attempts to combine two religions that have opposing views.
This argument comes from the assumption that Wiccans who use Christian influences in their path bring the entire religion of Christianity into their religion. This is not the case. In fact, when a Wiccan brings elements of any religion into their path, they rarely obey all tenets of that religion because they are first and foremost Wiccans. They simply honor the Gods and perhaps adapt a few practices.
For example. In the Celtic religion of Druidry, we know that there are 3 elements: Land, Sea and Sky. These differ from the 5 Classical Elements used in Wiccan ritual and practice. A Celtic Wiccan, uses elements from Celtic culture and religion such as Gods and ritual practice, but retains the Wiccan cosmology. We do not hear arguments, except from perhaps a few fundie Druids, that these two religions should not be mixed.
The same structure applies to Christian Wicca. Elements of the path, such as prayers, psalms, and Dieties are adapted, but the Wiccan cosmology and belief structure is retained.
2) Wicca is based on God and Goddess. Christianity has no Goddess and therefore cannot be used in Wicca.
This is also wrong. In mainstream Christianity there is no Goddess. But there are over 35000 different denominations of Christianity. Including Gnostic Christianity that has more than one Goddess. Many Christians believe that Goddess worship was a part of the Judeo-Christian structure from it's beginning but was covered up by the church.
A few examples of Christian Goddesses are Asherah-the consort of El. This belief was probably a transfer from the Caanonite belief in the God Il and his consort. Also, Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom is a Gnostic Christian goddess. Many Christians revere The Virgin and Mother Mary as Goddess. It's a little known fact was that the Virgin Mary was also the product of divine conception. Lastly, many believe that Mary Magdeline may have been the wife of Jesus and she is also worshiped as a goddess.
Therefore, there are many Goddesses to chose from in the Christian pantheon. Furthermore, one does not have to stick to just one pantheon to be Wiccan. Many use the traditional Gods of Christianity as masculine deities whilst borrowing from other pantheons for feminine influence. As many Wiccans see Gods and Goddesses as archetypes, we do not need to stick to one specific culture and many do not.
3) Christianity forbids Witchcraft, therefore it cannot work within Wicca-a religion based on Witchcraft.
Few Christian Wiccans honor the Bible. All will tell you that it is a work of man, not of God. Therefore, the writings of man, do not influence the relationship with God. People back in Biblical times understood Witches to be people who poisoned livestock and cursed villiages. It did not equate to the "Harm none" philosophy of Wicca. Therefore, either way you look at it, it is irrelevant.
4) It is disrespectful to bring Christianity, a religion that persecuted Witches, into Wicca.
First, all religions persecute neighboring religions with the exception of a few. Christianity may have burned and persecuted people for Heresy and Witchcraft. Lets remember the Ancient Greeks who condemned Socrates to death for Atheism. Most people don't like opposing ideas. Especially in religion. It offends their entire worldview and threatens their security within it. Nowadays, we live in a more pluralistic society. Today's Christians, for the most part, don't perecute others. So don't dwell on what happened in the past. Ancient Romans watched people being torn apart by lions for fun. Are we like them? I hope not.
If any of you have any further arguments, post them in comments and I will add them to this blog. Blessed Be.
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