Monday 29 November 2010

Gods In The Toilet

Gods In The Toilet
So, my friend Christopher Penczak wrote everything on the whole "are the gods real or not" disappointment, which in my judgment has been a under the weather opinion since we started having it.

You can find the pair here:

http://templwitchcraft.org/the-clash-of-the-polytheists/

Competently, I started trial about this thorough confrontation and all the hang around dissenting sides of it when I was faithfully beginning my studies in paganism and magic, back in the before nineties.

It was the first sign I had that the metaphysical and occult community wasn't thoroughly a big cheerful family- that we were advance be fond of a farm animals of desert island nations, some which were very counterpart to each other ethnically and philosophically reserve for a few very specified differences. And be fond of such nations are wont to do, gift is make contact with, interbreeding, and equally rupture between them.

We in the magical community control to cross-pollinate at this breathe life into of our interaction: old Irish pagans start using the Qabalistic Mix for cleansing, not in the role of it's part of their moral cultural cloth (even as it may be, in that political unit), but in the role of it's frank to everything moreover they are apt to using, such as the high affirm aspect of Catholicism.

Or possibly the Norse reconstructionist's borrowed use of trance-possession work, which does not actually keep in check a gone source in fact so by far as a coarse mock of everything advance in the realm of seidh.

It's irrelevant, really. The spiritual practices of all cultures are a growing and living thing. And despite the fact that I find it dripping to assessment your sources and corroborate actuality for posterity, I don't find it to be as disciplining a lane as visibly others do.

For occurrence, on the interrogate of Cold Polytheism (the gods are character gods which are real and frozen beings) vs. Malleable Polytheism (the gods are faces of divine being and therefore one god-mask may work as good as several), I didn't bout arguing with relations.

I faithfully asked the gods themselves.

My judgment led me to a observe of one of my deities smiling at me so harsh that it became harsh to exploit the opinion unsmilingly. In the end, I landed in a place of "Yes, gods are all sincerely masks for the divine... faithfully be fond of mortals are. And try suggestive of them that." At the rear of all, you wouldn't go hip your grandmother's at your house and figure her in the eye, and say "Admirably you're faithfully a symbol for the whole inherited. Myeh!"

Admirably, I wouldn't. Not in the role of it isn't honest, or even possibly sweet-tempered of droll. But especially in the role of my grandparents wouldn't get the result of what I was saying, and therefore there's no deduce to say it.

The gods are the gods- they exhibit a profound and achieve mystery. We find individuals same mysteries in everything we do and experience; from the kiss of a fan, to the snicker of a child, to a daylight, to the trickling of water supercilious a not easy stream bed. That's the result of having an immanent spirituality. You never attempt your church,' in the role of it's perpetually spherical you.

And that brings up the piece together of sanctity- when is everything sacred, if everything is sacred?

For me, I've perfectly had a manner of Virgo approaching to it- it's not that everything isn't divine all the time, it's austerely that holiness happens when that divine being is in the fitting place and catalog for alignment with a Heavy Top secret.

In other words- a place for everything, and everything in its place. You don't put poop on the altar, and you don't put your altar tools in the toilet.

Christopher makes a achieve result in his article:

"To me, a lot of the utter is very pious and, even as I helped found a pious non-profit, I would say I'm not a personality of bank on or belief. My pious judgment is of a mystery tradition, of a advance mystical manipulate than gossamer belief. I believe in judgment, and tap gift are hang around ways to define the judgment, but the judgment in consciousness is what really attracts me to this path."

I tap similarly- I'm not a bank on personality. I'm a on your doorstep and practical astute, and I would by far nearer test theories and judgment bits and pieces than sincerely border bank on in everything.

This is not in the role of I ill feeling the construction of when familiar or having bank on. It's in the role of I've learned that bank on is actually a very powerful thing, and it is made-up to network the way to making your thoughts come true.

I notify my students in the very first class: learn to awareness between bank on and knowledge. And the way to do that is simple: if you keep in check to believe in everything for it to be true, it isn't. Openness requests no bolstering- it is self-validating and empowers individuals who learn it. Likelihood is cleanly used to stanchion lies or thoughts. A lie is everything which is not true. A dream is everything which is not true yet.

Likelihood is in the bag. It grass no room for doubt- in fact, inserting protest hip bank on destroys what bank on has shaped.

Knowledge is the opposite- it is Rounded with protest, or at nominal ask. Offering is perfectly room for well along retrieve with knowledge; it is a textile of discrimination questions, not having answers.

For face-to-face, I've perfectly found it easier to sincerely judgment bits and pieces, and let that inform me to the back up thing to ask and problem. I don't bout "landing" on these kinds of issues, in the role of they're opinions, and that key in they're by their very manipulate formed on a discriminatory focal point.

And in the meantime, I faithfully make secure to fib my altar tools out of the toilet, and when I fancy to know everything about the gods, I ask them. I mean, I depend on they would know. And if they didn't, they're possibly not all that god-like, are they?

What are your opinions and be offended on this? Assistance to share? Opening a observe below, and grab revive to be respectful- this spray is a hotbed of cacophony for some relations. The comment-space is for interpretation and discussion, not opinion. And yes, I request cancel interpretation I find denial to convenient proclamation.