Ponderings about Columbia, and Rosie the Riveter.

I'm half asleep as I write this.  So who knows what or how this is going to come out of my head.  You have been warned....

John Halstead blog, that he linked on Google plus(Devotional practice with the world at it's center) and the comments on google plus, got me to pondering about Columbia.  She is America's Patron Goddess.  It also helps that I am running Scion, and Columbia is one of the Gods in it.  You can read about Columbias history here:http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/liberty/origins.html

I was pondering last night, that I do feel that Rosie and Columbia do qualify for Deity status.  I am more comfy with them as gods then I am of Aines Otherfaith, or the Pop culture stuff.  Columbia has a history(very recent as compared to other Gods) and granted she's seen more of an inspiration then full on devotional, but there is a definite presence.

Rosie also has a presence.  A bad ass, go ahead and try to mess with me one.  She knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it.  She was forged in war.  She's less ethereal and mental than Columbia is, and more earthy, passionate and lusty.  Though I guess Columbia was also forged in war.  I guess it's her Greek ancestry that makes her feel so distant.

Now I know it can be argued that these are thought forms.  But I think there is more to it.  There is more oomph to these, then just art and the meaningful feelings that come with it.

Dunno, would I consider these two Gods, Yes.  I also feel there is more authenticity to them being Gods then the other arguments I've heard in pop culture Paganism debate.

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?

Communication and how to approach fellow practioners

So things on another blog got me thinking.  It got me thinking on how we treat other practitioners.  I've been trying to do do some self reflection, but every time I try, my mind goes to nap time, so hopefully this post is cogent.(kid up really effing early due to feeling icky)  Inputs caffeine into my blood stream

Some of the dusts ups recently are due to many factors.  Thin skin and the inability to take a cogent critique on one end.  Pedantic overinflated ego's on the other end.

The only thing I got for the thin skin thing is working on feeling more secure in your religious practice.  That in itself is a long detailed post, so I'm gonna work on over inflated ego's.  Everyones guilty at one point or another.  Humble pie is not a very tasty treat, let me tell ya.

It starts with assumptions I believe.  The assumption that someone is not capable in their own right of figuring shit out.  It starts out with someone who is usually right about stuff, thinking they know everything, without doing some time to listen.

Hey smart peeps, you don't got all the answers.  Shut up and ask questions some time.  Figure out if the person is a fresh young thang with no experience, or someone who knows what the hell they are doing.  IF they are a fresh young thang, ask to see if they want your advice, mayhaps the Gods may have it well in hand.

Before you start advising, take some time to get to know the person.  Hell, make a friggen list of questions that discern what level the person is on.  It will help keep you from looking like a know it all ass, some of the time.

What am I talking about.  When meeting new people, don't assume that you are their elder.  Treat them as equal peers.  Soften your language with questions before hardening with the voice of authority and cane waving elder shooing off the idiot kids, off their lawn.  AKA try to not have your head up your own ass, and think it smells like roses.  AKA, questions help in not being a dick.  You may be an annoying twit, but at least you aren't being a dick.

Ok gonna lay down now

Butter and drink recipe

I think these would make great things to give out in group rituals or feasts.  I think it's also something the Gods would love to try, even if it is out of their local cuisine fare.  Try it.

Tea steamer

Steam a cup of milk(or however much) try using organic, as it is creamier.  Add in a tea bag of formossan oohlong and some turbinado sugar or sugar in the raw as it is called, or you can use honey.  Steep and sip and enjoy.

Also had this yummy butter at an Irish pub.

You take whipped cream butter(I think they used unsalted) add honey and brandy.  OMG it was orgamsic.

God Phone and sensitivity

I hear a lot, on how special people are that are psychic.  I hear the term muggles used and other non Harry Potter stuff used, to distinguish between us Pagan sensitives and those that aren't.  I call bullshit.

We aren't special, every human has it.  Some of us just have more practice.  Then others are just more delusional and believe our own bullshit.

Humans are animals.  We have our 5 senses.  We also have our instinct, especially if we don't kill it off with self doubt, coated in logic.  That sense is called intuition and "gut".  Those uh oh feelings.  That person is creepy feeling, but you can't put your finger on it.  Don't go out today, and you find out why.  Or you can "feel" that a dangerous storm is brewing.  Or that inner voice that tells you to call someone you love, but you can't figure out why, but you find out later they needed someone.

None of these are special.  They are tools that we have available to us.  Psychics and those with God phones aren't special, they just have more practice at trusting the crazy shit that comes to us, and understanding we will get the why's later.  We are no more special than the potter who can make bowls and mugs, and other amazing stuff.  We are no more special than the person who can do engineering.  These are all tools and skills.

God phones, is intuition done with more time and more trust in yourself.  I learned by talking initially with the trees.  I learned how to do that by starting free writing.  The key to God phone is your subconscious and your imagination.  You need to learn to discern from your imagination, and from the oomph stuff that is given to you.

One of the things that I learned to discern from that is how much color and noise is given to me.  My imagination gives me color, but not full Technicolor.  The voices are richer.  The Gods have voices like the trees, only deeper.  I can feel the long view in what they give me.  My voice is like a ferret in response and more high pitched.

I figured this out by reading Laurie Cabots Power of the witch.  I adapted her 5 steps to getting to the alpha state.  One of the things in there says you get to it by day dreaming, and reading.  So I used my little man on the shoulder I got from my owies in my childhood to analyze when I entered that state.  Then I practiced going there at will.

A con though.  You can be too sensitive.  I found that out in MS.  I would get panic attacks and see blue lights flashing.  Later on, I saw a cop car.  I was too sensitive.  Yahweh stuck a filter on the back of my head and shook his head at me.  Steps on the ground aren't always an incoming earthquake, so you may need to shield and center and ground more, if you are getting that way.

Trying to find the pattern in what didn't work in communication

I'm trying to analyze stuff in my past life, that didn't work, in regards to communication.  Maybe by posting this, it may help some of you, or not....

I have found, that while I am passionate, I am not someone who is, an activist personality.  I am Pagan, that is not how I define my life.  I do not live my life, just for my religious beliefs.  Ergo, I find I do not get along with activist types, because their politics or whatever is what drives them.  They can't see beyond their own issues.

I can't get along with those, who can't be disagreed with.  This is usually ego or insecurity on their end.  I'm a Lokean, telling me I can't disagree with you or argue with you, doesn't work so well.  Frankly I don't find it healthy on an emotional or mental level.

Most liberal Pagans I have encountered of are of the you can't argue with me level.  Their politics are so ingrained, that if you argue from the opposite side, you are the enemy.  It takes the form, usually of employing belittling techniques(mostly in grammar or spelling, to flat out calling you stupid or saying that you are morally repugnant, for voting for a candidate they disagree with).  Ironically they are the ones who argue the most about tolerance but can't display it or walk the walk.  What they really want is acceptance, but you can't force that on others, and they vehemently refuse to see that.

I have many liberal Pagans on my personal facebook.  However, they usually have enough of a healthy ego, that it's ok for us to disagree.  More to the point, they will argue back with me, just as passionately and mostly do so in a manner that is respectful.  Keeps the personal brain cells going and I enjoy it.

I have learned, that sometimes I just need to let people be wrong(on the Internet or otherwise).  I'm not really good in putting that theory in practice though.  So sometimes loosing people is my fault.

There is more to this, but that's all I got for now, so I will write more later.

Communication

Tess latest blog post and reply, has brought me to think on the deeper issues to be addressed in our communities.  Ironic, with mercury retrograde going on and how it effects communication.  But the issue is communication.

I have encountered in my life, that people speak differently.  I can understand and get along with and argue in a healthy manner with Conservatives.  Depending on the liberal, that may also be true.  I can talk and be understood by various Recons.  That is not the case with the less hard polytheistic or liberal minded Pagans. It is like we are on a different planet.  All the communication techniques I learned in college are not helpful, when I address them.  Somehow I am always at fault.  Which quite honestly has led me to give up.

I am going to take the time today, to put out links, for people who may be interested, in learning more about communication and hopefully this may improve the situation.

Here is another more Pagan flavored link, showing the different communication styles between Recon and Wiccans.  http://www.ravenkindred.com/wicatru.html  I think it has only gotten worse.

Here is a pdf link that shows the different types of communication styles.  http://resources.css.edu/DiversityServices/docs/comminicationstyles.pdf
http://www.drbackman.com/communication-styles.htm

You can open this with open office or microsoft office.  This is a power point presentation.  It looks simplistic and may read condescending but for those that are more visually oriented it is useful.  https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=18&cad=rja&ved=0CGwQFjAHOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiana.edu%2F~jobtalk%2Fppt%2FDiscussionSessions%2FCommunication%2520Styles.ppt&ei=Rh8GU-HDMsP7yAHXjIGgDw&usg=AFQjCNHfQT90DKPw4fqLFvILivD1nLLXOQ&sig2=l4Xptc-OPQV7puZmSTCMLg  I am direct, and I have found that in the liberal Pagan land, they are more Passive, and somehow I read as dominating using that pdf.  I can't fathom why.

Here is a funny that George Takei posted, that also shows communication.  I thought it would be useful.  http://mentalfloss.com/article/55140/10-japanese-travel-tips-visiting-america

I am posting these links, because in order to improve communication, it is necessary to know what type you do.  It helps in then doing conflict resolution.  Think of it, to use a fluffy analogy, of figuring out your communication power animal:P

Please, I encourage people to comment here, so that others can learn from your wisdom.  When I figure out more, I will do follow up posts.