Well rub my butt and call me Carnac!
Mar. 3rd, 2006 01:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trystinnMarch 10th the Wind & Tide will be hosting a tarot reader named Brighid Rowan from 1-5 pm. I've read her pamphlet (a joy onto itself, I assure you) and it mentions she's an initiate of the Chalice Well Tradition. Oddly enough, there's a group by that name from the Berkshires where I studied with the Dianics and I'm wondering if its the same group. The store "Woman of Wands" was owned by their "British Tradition" trained Witch Queen.
But back to our gal -
From her pamphlet:
"I am a High Priestess in the Chalice Well Tradition...My life is dedicated to the Goddess and to serving the community. I am currently studying Shakti Wicca. Shakti Wicca is a tradition of Wicca that draws most of its spiritual inspiration from the Hindu tradition. Bhakti, or loving devotion, is the main form of worship. I will be offering teaching in this tradition in the future."
Now, my first snarky reaction to the last part there is "lucky us", but more interestingly, to the first part "serving the community" my perplexed reaction is "if that's so, where've you been?" I've never seen or heard about this woman on the Island, and as far as I'm aware, I've got the only PNO around. There's a group down south that does incredibly eclectic pagan sabbats that I no longer attend, so possibly she's involved with them. Will ask around soonest.
Justine - Shakti Wicca, any comments? Also, interested in doing a henna session here?
But back to our gal -
From her pamphlet:
"I am a High Priestess in the Chalice Well Tradition...My life is dedicated to the Goddess and to serving the community. I am currently studying Shakti Wicca. Shakti Wicca is a tradition of Wicca that draws most of its spiritual inspiration from the Hindu tradition. Bhakti, or loving devotion, is the main form of worship. I will be offering teaching in this tradition in the future."
Now, my first snarky reaction to the last part there is "lucky us", but more interestingly, to the first part "serving the community" my perplexed reaction is "if that's so, where've you been?" I've never seen or heard about this woman on the Island, and as far as I'm aware, I've got the only PNO around. There's a group down south that does incredibly eclectic pagan sabbats that I no longer attend, so possibly she's involved with them. Will ask around soonest.
Justine - Shakti Wicca, any comments? Also, interested in doing a henna session here?
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the following is my opinions ONLY and very personal
Date: 2006-03-05 12:58 am (UTC)it seems and feels to me, extremely disrespectful to both religions and all involved. I remember having a discussion w/ my HPs about this topic too. We discussed how well...this won't be worded right but...
if centuries of worship to Hindu gods has laid the deep rutted pathways to those gods (meaning specific ways of worship, specific words/language, etc) then driving up a new path w/ new methods/language/etc......... what does that really work?
this shakti wicca seems like feminist hinduism w/ a pent. but tradition is tradition for a reason, no matter what the tradition. there is more behind "doing it this way, or that way" then a freakin whim, or the fact you don't want to learn why, or you don't want to delve deeper into THAT or deeper into YOURSELF.
http://shaktiwicca.tripod.com/id21.html
these parts of the 'purpose' annoy me......
Ok...so if the ritual structure of Wicca is what suits you then why would you now wish to apply apples to oranges?
cough*bullshit*cough
subservient role of women....this is like the easiest feminist way to turn off someone's thinking and just pigeonhole cultures. Subservience, imo, for women is pretty subjective. I'm in no way saying it doesn't happen, but I don't believe it's in any way the stereotypical massive cultural amounts. Loud feminine power that you wear on your sleeve and the world knows about....or quiet, behind the scenes real power where the manipulation of your world happens by your own cause.
I know this may not make sense to people...sorry.
and as for "traditional Hinduism"....see above...why traditional if you are gonna make it something else.
Wonder what Hindus think of this. I really wonder what Pandit/priests/guru/swami thinks of this. Spend a lifetime learning (how many lifetimes actually?) something that is beyond measure......OR.......why bother to learn anything when you can mash bits and bobs together and learn from this white Canadian scholar who's got some learnin from an Alexandrian HPs (doesn't happen to say what trad the Shakti HPs is does it?).
I find it sad. And while I shouldn't be so judgemental this just really hits close to home for me. The extremely painful 'journey' I have been on for the last 5? years has been a mindfuck about this topic. How do I keep my oaths, my sanity, my beliefs in this box while this other box is over here in the corner shaking and screaming "open open open open me". Can I just combine the two religions and make one mashed up lovely thing that is just my own. Well the old school Wiccan living in my head is screaming "wtf...eclectic...combine...pick and choose...fall upon your own sword...bunnydom...you know the answer....you know the answer....you know the answer" and later she says "you must admit it to yourself"...
but that admission is the hardest thing I can do. so I don't.
to be continued...
Re: the following is my opinions ONLY and very personal
Date: 2006-03-05 01:08 am (UTC)to admit that I am one thing but not the other now....just seems so wrong. how can it be wrong tho. If I mix it all up I become what I feel shouldn't be done. So I don't. Could I ever...wiccan ritual done with hindu deities? quarter calls??? wiccan 'ingredients' for hindu puja?
I can't, I couldn't and I can't see a time when I will. But what I have learned thru all this is, I cannot say anything is for sure.
So you can be both? Can you be both? Personal choice of course. Can you be mashed up? I suppose that's personal choice too. But should you.
My Hindu friends say I am Hindu. And I don't have to justify anything to them, about myself.
Everyone is born Hindu....some saying I read somewhere. Reminiscent of 'everyone is pagan' attitude I know some have. good attitudes.
My Wiccan friends still say I'm Wiccan, and for the most part they think that. But I don't spend face time with them, and I will admit it now...I have not considered myself Wiccan for a few years and I've stopped worshiping at the wheel's turns. Only 2 of my coven siblings know this. Being 220 miles away from HPs/HP (who don't call/write/contact me...I'm supposed to contact them)...and having left the ATC long before I actually left it......
I've been alone w/ my wandering for a long time now. Stranger in a strange land because I no longer belong to one or the other. If you know me personally then you probably have already heard me say that I don't fit in anywhere.
Well after a few years of that very thing continuing to cause pain, I am neither an apple or an orange, it was time to make the admittance.
My clouds have parted, and it's felt good to just stop worrying about things. I have my oaths, I have to live with them in a way that lets me sleep instead of worry at night....and...
I am Hindu