Ponderings

Reading Talking to the Spirits, chapter 4, on Legends, Lore and Living Faith, made me start reminiscing, about what doesn't work for me and why.  It made me remember my foray into Gardnerian Wicca(never took the 1st degree initiation).  A lot of that has to do, with what is important to me, culturally.

Side note, it has been my experience, if you like Deborah Lipp over Scott Cunningham, you will find BTW Wicca more to your liking.  If like me, you find Scott Cunninghams techniques a joy to work with, go to kitchen witchery and folk magic, and his way(reading Triumph of the moons first, no need to unlearn bad history).

Anyway... I digress.  Gardnerian Wicca, was to formalized for me.  The rituals, when the Goddess came down, felt like taking High tea with the Queen.  It wasn't the same close, familial relationship I felt to her, even though she was the same Goddess that had spoken to me in my dreams.  That felt wrong to me in my intuition.(btw, this is what Cunningham means by do what feels right, he's talking about an intuition check)

It is also why I am not particularly interested in Tess Dawson way of doing things.  Athirat, is treated more like a Queen.  You take off shoes, and put on ritual apparel.  It's very formal.  Asherah, who may or may not be the same Goddess, feels different.  More Jewish Mother/Grandmother to me.

Culturally, I don't feel drawn to the hierarchal way, because I am American.  I was taught Americans don't bow down to Royalty.  We are what the Statue of Liberty says

Inscription on the Statue of Liberty"

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

It is Anathema to me, to bow my head, and think others are superior to me.  My culture and upbringing teaches different.  I honor and respect the sacrifices that many veterans have made to enable me that freedom.  So I can't, to me, go back to the feudal thought process, or encourage the whole royalty thing.  

I also know that, many of the clerics of history, were born to upper classes, politically it was in their best interest, to keep it that way.  I find our government, despite it's many issues, to be a better way.  To bow my head, is to acknowledge, or put myself in that hierarchal state.

Finally, I'm a Lokean.  He's my Daddy.  I don't believe he bowed his head, nor does he think he's above anyone or anything else, why should I?