(no subject)

[theatokos]

I keep meaning to write actual paragraphs about stuff that have meaning. Things I want to post about:
*things I'll miss about the Bay Area when I move
*things I'm looking forward to living in Lampeter
*thoughts on "what if there is no god? what if magic is real? what if it's not?" etc
*post some pictures of Bennett - he's huge and amazing and growing up and it makes the difficulty of the last year so worth it

I am making fiery thai noodles. I am going to a ritual tonight. I am going to dress up and wear my fabulous faux fur coat. I'm working on being grounded, present, and eating my fear.

I hope you have a great Friday night!

Comments

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

What about Feri makes you flee? I am not surprised. It has that effect on many! I think we will have much to talk about over tea!

[readthisandweep.livejournal.com]

My main objection is that it's hierarchical, secretive & initiatory. I'm not really into Neo-paganism to be honest. As I've already said, I'm a simple soul whose life work has been in service to an eco-feminist, Goddess-centric Path.

I hold the Earth sacred & believe that how we live on the Land, how lightly we tread & our response to a planet in crisis is what marks us as authentic pagans. Creation myths, the trappings of ceremonial magic & ritual practice have their place of course (& I've been a coven guardian for many years & therefore I'm an experienced Circle worker) but essentially, they play a very small part in the work of a priestess.

[ewigweibliche.livejournal.com]

Hm, I wonder what links you saw? Feri is not well organized and there are many who are big into the ceremonial side of things and others who are less so. My teacher, T Thorn Coyle, is BIG on personal responsibility, ethics (as self-defined) and doing a lot of work on self - not in a self-absorbed way, but more like getting one's shit together in order to be aligned with the Divine and an effective instrument in the world.

I wouldn't say Feri is hierarchical *at all*. It is initiatory, but once initiated everyone is a preist/ess. One of the things that I really like about Feri is its strong emphasis on all beings having the light of the Divine in them, therefore all persons are gods. The tradition is highly ecstatic, which I am still making my peace with, as I tend to be more contemplative and quiet in my beliefs and faith. Which I suppose makes me a good fit for being a theologian. As for secretive, well, my prediction is that in the coming years it will become a lot less secretive.

I am guessing that you are more of a monotheist then? By that I mean, not God-the-father monotheism, but mono as in One Goddess. Is there are particular face of the Goddess that you work with?

[readthisandweep.livejournal.com]

There's a plethora of stuff online. I looked at several sites & they were much of a muchness to be honest. And I'd read about Victor Anderson & Gwydion Pendderwen years ago in Margot Adler's marvellous work, Drawing Down the Moon.

I'm not heavily into teachers either! Although I mentor & have run workshops & my coven; shared knowledge, essentially I see myself as someone who open doors. I believe knowledge is a priviledge & we have a responsibility to share it. But to do so without setting ourselves up as somehow superior, which I fear happens a great deal in the Craft. And is my personal bete noir.

And since Anderson 'created' the Feri tradition with initiation as a big part of the path, surely that constitutes a hierarchy? Initiation, by definition, suggests a hierarchy. Goddess spirituality states that women are priestesses (or Witches) by virtue of their sex. Unless one actively seeks it, there's no 'training' or initiation involved other than one's personal commitment to the Divine Mother.

Yes, Goddess is One in my world although She may manifest through archetypes & I 'work' sometimes with diffrent aspects & faces. Since my practice is private, I tend not to talk about specifics.

Just as a point of interest, feminist spirituality doesn't dismiss the Male Principle (nature proves the foolishness of such a stance) but I agree with Starhawk who wrote that the Goddess contains the male.

Edited for typos...