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Do You Really Think a God Like Kali Would Care?

Do You Really Think a God Like Kali Would Care?

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

I was reading how this beer with Kali’s image on the can has offended Rajan Zed, an American and president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. Basically, he considers putting a pretty cool image of Kali on a beer can to trivialize the goddess. Okay, maybe that’s so. But honestly, assuming Kali was paying attention to our silly little lives at all, I’d think she’d probably be amused, if anything. Let me explain.

The Gods are Way Above Us, or a Colony of Ants

Image by cp17 from Pixabay

If you believe in the gods, chances are you believe that they are very powerful entities. Why else wouldn’t they be, if they were gods? Someone on Reddit likened our relationship to the gods as ants to humans. They proceeded with a fairly amusing anecdote about ants drawing a containment circle around a person and demanding that the human give them sugar, or kill another ant, or whatever. Now, if that were to happen to you, would you be angry, annoyed, amused, or simply ignore them? If you found the whole idea of ants containing a human with crystals ludicrous, think what the gods might think if we humans were to try that. Yep. That’s the message you need to keep in your head for the time being.

With this idea in mind, let’s take the whole ant/human thing one step further. Now let’s say the ant colony now has a sugar water drink and they put your photo on it. Or maybe an ant artist’s rendition of you. Of course, you’d look like an ant, but damn, they swear it is your likeness. Are you offended? They swear it’s the best sugar water available. Or maybe you might think it’s pretty damn funny that ants have created you in their image, and named a drink after you.

Now Let’s Look at the Gods

While I don’t believe that our relationship with our gods is quite as extreme as ants to humans, you can see the point. With the exception of Yahweh, most gods go about doing their godly things with as much consideration to us as we do with ants. If the gods take any notice in what we’re doing, it’s because we’re doing something to get their attention. But trivial stuff? They probably don’t even bother.

That’s why I found Christianity to be stupid. What kind of god gives a shit about whether you attended church on Sundays? Or if you had sex before marriage? Or if you swore using his name?

Humanizing a God

Too often, I think pagans–and even us Heathens–tend to bring the gods down to our level. It’s a natural tendency, given that we really don’t know the god’s true form. Chances are that our gods’ forms are so beyond being human, we couldn’t conceive of, much less relate to, them.

I’m reminded of the Greek story about Zeus and Semele, the mother of Dionysus. Zeus loved Semele so much that he promised her anything swearing by the River Styx. Hera, Zeus’s wife, who is insanely jealous, told Semele to ask to see Zeus in all his glory as a god. This, of course, would kill her. But he made an oath he couldn’t back out of, and so she died. But Zeus rescued his son, Dionysus, whom Semele was pregnant with, and sewn him into his thigh to finish gestating.

Are We Ants to Our Gods?

You may be wondering if I think we really are like ants to our gods. Probably not, but we are certainly less evolved than they are. Perhaps they look at us more like favorite species, or–and I’m hesitant to use the word–pets.

Our gods basically keep out of our lives unless they choose to interact with us. In recent times, it has been my experience that they have been calling to us again. Possibly because Christianity is waning, and they see an opportunity to communicate to us their desires and intentions. Although I have only a cursory knowledge of the Hindu pantheon, I’d argue that Kali probably isn’t too worried about her image on a beer can. Just like our gods aren’t overly wrapped up about Marvel and Thor.

My TL;DR point is that the gods have much more important things to do than getting wrapped up over their mug on a beer can.

Except maybe Yahweh. He’s an asshat.

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Where Other Pagans Have it Wrong

Where Other Pagans Have it Wrong

Today I’m throwing mud at another pagan religion, which probably will put me on their curse list.  So be it.  I don’t believe in that shit anyway, so cursing me won’t work.

I’m a full-on Heathen, regardless of the names the recons love to sling at me.  Although I do think that most pagan gods are simply other manifestations of our gods, there are some gods that Wiccans and other pagans flirt with that I think are just not a good idea.  I look at their veneration and maybe even worship of these gods and wonder how they could put a positive spin on what is considered demons and devils in Christianity.

Are You Really Pagan, or Are You Just Taking Crap from Judaeo-Christian Lore?

I’ve been reading about different pagan beliefs, especially Wiccan, and if I’m reading things right, a lot of current foundation of Wicca is from Gardner, who was heavily influenced by the book, Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches.   The tl;dr version of Aradia is about the female messiah who is the daughter of Diana and Lucifer. All of which are supposedly wonderful and nice.

Does anyone see a problem with this?  One writer on Patheos talks about who exactly the daughter of Cain is in this book.  There are a number of issues with Aradia, the least of which is the racism and antisemitism in the book, itself.  I’m willing to pass on it only because the book was written in 1899 and antisemitism and racism was strong then.  I’m not, however, giving those modern day witches a pass on using this book, but that isn’t my point at the moment.  My point is that Aradia is taking Judaeo-Christian beliefs and fitting them into its own narrative. It is treating the Bible and Christian lore as being factual or real.

Why this is a Big Deal

Okay, so why do I have my panties in a wad over this?  Well, it’s derivative, for one thing.  And it’s derivative not from pagan belief, but from a monotheistic belief.  The exact monotheistic belief pagans are purportedly not believing in.  It’s like saying, “I don’t believe in your god, but hey, we’re going to take the trappings and lore from your religion and use it however the hell it suits us.”

And you wonder why the Christians burned these people at the stake?  Seriously?

Now again, burning people at the stake not something I’m even advocating, but when you start taking villains of a religion and make them your heroes, you’re bound to get some push back by the dominant religion.  Yeah, you might say that your version came first, but really?  Really?  From where I’m sitting, I’m not seeing it.  It looks like an offshoot of Christianity and even smacks of satanism.  (Not the atheist satanism, but the image satanism conjures up for most Christians.)  Aradia was published some 1899 years after the supposed birth of Christ.  Claim all you want to that it comes from older texts, but there’s no proof in that.  You just have one author/translator who is spouting some ugly antisemitic words that was pretty much the attitude at that time.

You Either Believe in it, or You Don’t

I don’t believe in the Jewish and Christian god.  I think it is a construct that came from one sect of the Canaanites that eventually became Jewish.  They put their patron god Yahweh above all the other gods and came up with monotheism.

Given that other religions have come up with monotheism seems to indicate that the idea isn’t that new.  It’s just a way to say that your tribe and your god is better than anyone else’s to the point where you discount other people’s gods.

If you’re taking pieces from the Judaeo-Christian religions and putting them together in ways that are insulting to those who actually believe the stuff, you’re really just perpetuating the myth that all pagans are Satan worshipers and evil.  Come to think about it, you’re perpetuating the belief that witches worship Satan.

Try Something Different

I get that the Wiccans may take some of their beliefs from other Middle Eastern religions like Zoroastrian, but honestly, aren’t you being a little narrow in your world views?  I’ve heard that there were somewhere around 5000 different religions.  Instead, you’re mixing Christianity, Zoroastrian, and Roman religions to come up with something you like?

Yeah, I’m a Heathen and I follow the Northern pantheon. But I don’t say Lucifer and Diana bore Odin, or some such nonsense.  No, I have a celestial cow who licks the rime off a god who has children that slay a frost giant and build the world from his body. Totally logical.

Okay, maybe not.

But many Heathens, myself included, get that the stories we read are just stories.  They may be metaphors for the actual universe coming into being, or they just might be good stories people told.  Those who follow the tenets in Aradia may believe that as well, I don’t know.

My point is that of all the religions it could take from, it took from Christianity. And not even the good parts.  Cain and Lucifer and Lilith?  Seriously?  Certainly there are other religions with better beliefs and magic systems.  While I, myself, don’t believe in magic, I can appreciate wanting to learn something like magic.  Heathen magic is pretty minimal in comparison to Wicca and other systems, so I don’t recommend it for those who want to learn magic.  But there are somewhere close to 5000 other belief systems to explore for that.

Just some thoughts.

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Thanksgiving or Harvest?

Thanksgiving or Harvest?

Thanks to Magickal Graphics.

Thanksgiving is often touted as a truly traditional American holiday. As Heathens, we should be quick to note the overall similarities between Thanksgiving and harvest celebrations, but is Thanksgiving truly a harvest celebration, or is it mired in Christian beliefs to the point where we should just ignore it for something else like Freyfaxi?  Here are some of my thoughts.

A Brief History of Thanksgiving

Unless you’re from a country outside of the United States, you’ve heard the story of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims, so I won’t bother repeating what is common knowledge. For those who either live under a rock, or in another country, (or maybe both) here is a nice piece by The History Channel.

Thanks to Magickal Graphics.

But thanksgiving celebrations were common in the New World even before the Mayflower showed up at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Jamestown had thanksgiving celebrations as early as 1607.  Before that, the French and the Spaniards had thanksgiving celebrations in the 1500s.  So, the Pilgrims were not exclusive when it came to thanking the Christian god for harvest, victory over enemies, or any time someone wanted a party. The pilgrims had a thanksgiving celebration in 1621 and again in 1623. The second thanksgiving probably  sparked the observances.

Okay, Maybe Not So Brief…

People in different states, particularly in New England, had thanksgiving celebrations after that time. George Washington requested a thanksgiving celebration in 1777 in December after the colonial army’s victory against the British at Saratoga. There were national proclamations for thanksgiving in 1782, but it was more a day of prayer.  In 1789, Washington declared November 26th to be a day of thanksgiving. But this was a one-time shot which he declared again in 1795. Later presidents also declared days of thanksgiving.

It wasn’t until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln fixed the national holiday of Thanksgiving as the last Thursday of the November. Franklin D. Roosevelt tinkered with the holiday date as making it the fourth Thursday of the month because November occasionally had five Thursdays.

So Where Does Harvest Fit In?

Thanks to Magickal Graphics.

Originally, the pilgrims probably held thanksgiving in September or October to coincide with harvest and to give thanks to the Christian god for their food. The British harvest festival, celebrated around the equinox since pagan times, no doubt inspired the pilgrims’ day of thanks. So, is our celebration Harvest or Thanksgiving?

Well, the answer depends. If you take it purely from the American historical perspective, then yeah, we can say that the holiday is Christian. All the Christian trappings pretty much tie into Thanksgiving nicely. But if we look at the original harvest traditions that inspired Thanksgiving, we can accept it as a pagan holiday, even if the celebration is during a month when the fields are already fallow for the winter. There are certainly great harvest traditions that we can add to Thanksgiving to give it more meaning besides eating turkey and pumpkin pie. Giving thanks to our gods and goddesses for making the food possible is never a bad thing.