9 Jul 06

The Effect of Violence


If the result of seeing a film in which there is a lot of violence is that the viewer’s compassion is aroused, then perhaps that depiction of violence would be justified. But if the accumulation of violent images leads to indifference, than I think it is not.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Ethics for the New Millennium

There is so much talk today about how violence on TV, in movies, and in video games effects children. Every time a child commits a crime, the news launches another attack on media in general, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they also broadcast a lot of violent images themselves. HH The Dalai Lama’s quote above got me thinking about what effects violence really has on us.

Take Natural Born Killers (NBK), for example. Several people have admitted that watching that movie inspired them to go on their own killing sprees. I haven’t seen NBK, mostly because I don’t find violent movies entertaining. (Okay, I thought Fight Club was really good, but there was more to it then just violence. The ending was certainly unexpected.)

But what about movies like Schindler’s List? There is no doubt that it was a violent movie. Years later, there are some scenes I still cannot get out of my head, like the pile of bodies with the girl in the red coat. But I think the violence in Schindler’s List had a much different effect on people then the violence in NBK. Both movies show how casual murder can be, but Schindler’s List arouses compassion, both for the victims and the perpetrators, while the reaction of many people to the violence in NBK is either indifference or excitement.

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8 Jul 06

The Need for Kindness

In his book Ethics for the New Millennium, His Holiness The Dalai Lama says “…alongside our natural ability to empathize with others, we also have a need for others’ kindness…” The Dalai Lama also says that the combination of empathy and practicality go a long way towards bring us happiness.

Life is smoother with we have people around us who are kind and care about our wellbeing. They have good intentions towards us, and we have good intentions towards them.

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7 Jul 06

My Happiness, and Your's

If you ask most people, they would likely say that the happiness of others is important to them. Speaking personally, it is important to me that others are happy, and it is important to me that I am happy. Sometimes these desires come into conflict though. For example, sometimes I just want to sit down when I get on the subway car. Maybe I’m tired because I had a long day, or my laptop has just gotten too darn heavy. Whatever the reason, I just really want to sit. But, since I care about other people, I let the old man or the pregnant lady have the seat I would have taken.

The real conflict comes, though, when the seat I want is taken by a young girl who sits down for two stops just to chat with her friends. Does her happiness at being able to talk to her friends outweigh the happiness I would feel being able to sit down and rest my tired feet. The pragmatic among you would want to know why I am even thinking about these other people at all–it is simply because only by caring about other people can we make the world a tolerable place to live.

To expand on the previous example, I was once on a very crowded bus and was lucky enough to have gotten a seat next to a girl slightly younger then me. A few seconds later, a young guy asks me if I would give up my seat so he can sit next to his girlfriend. In my shock, I actually gave up the seat and ended up standing nearly the entire way home. Obviously it was their happiness that was fulfilled in this situation. But, could we not have all been happy had the young man stood near this girl friend, allowing me to remain sitting? (This, also, would have been the more chivalrous solution.)

I’m really not sure how to go about balancing my happiness with the happiness of others. If I become too concerned with my own happiness, then I become selfish and conceited. If I become too concerned with the happiness of others, then I forget myself and become open to harm. Is it possible, in all situations, to make yourself and others happy?

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6 Jul 06

Adopt-a-Deity – The Norns

Norse mythology has never been a great interest of mine. I will freely admit to first discovering Verdandi in the guise of Belldandy, in the manga Ah, My Goddess!. There she is a lovely goddess who, with her two sisters, has come to earth to help a collage student named Keiichi Morisato. In the anime and manga, she is an exceptional kind person who goes out of her way to help people. How I could I not help but like her, and maybe wish I was a little bit like her.Belldandy from Ah, My Goddess

Verdandi, though, is a bit different than Belldandy. She too has two sisters, Urd and Skuld. Together they make up the Norns, the Norse version of the Fates. Verdandi is the middle sister, and the goddess who handles necessity. Urd is the goddess of fate, and Skuld the goddess of being. The goddess The goddess are also tasked with keeping the World Tree Yggdrasil from decaying by pouring water from the Well of Fate over its branches.

The goddess Verdandi is also know as “that which is becoming”, or the goddess of the present. Urd is “that which has become” (the past), and Skuld is the goddess of the future, “that which should become.” The goddess weave a giant tapestry, on which everyone, including the gods, have a thread.

Sources:
Encyclopdia Mythica – Norns
Wikipedia – Norns
The Ancient and Shining Ones by DJ Conway

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7 Jun 06

Christianity Today and the Headstone Campaign

I have to admit that I haven’t really being following the Pagan Headstone Campaign that is going on down in the U.S. I do know the very basic facts, which that Wiccan Sgt. Patrick Stewart was killed in Afghanistan on September 25, 2005. He has been buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but his family’s request to have the symbol of his faith (the pentagram) placed on his headstone was deigned. Pagans in the States have being fighting for months to have the pentagram become the official recognized religious symbol of Wicca so that it can be added to Sgt. Patrick’s headstone. So far, as of May 31st, 2006, they have been unsuccessful.

It turns out that the Pagan Headstone Campaign has been taken up as a cause by more than just Pagans. This week a very intelligent and supportive article was posted on Christianity Today. You can read it here: Stand Up, Stand Up for Wicca. I was very heartened to see such a positive article published on a Christian website.

If you would like to know more about the campaign, Kestra of UEW (who is also a lawyer) has written an article you can read here: Almost Ten Years of Waiting – The Pagan Headstone Campaign.

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30 May 06

Wicca on TV

I’ve noticed that whenever a Wiccan is interviewed on television, she (it is usually a she) tends to be wearing a black robe, a lot of jewelry, and far too much eye makeup. Laurie Cabot, the “Official Witch of Salem”, is a prime example. These Wiccans will often talk at length about what goes on at a ritual, or how they think spells work, but rarely do they speak about the spiritual aspects of Wicca.

I guess it comes down to what makes good TV. Who really wants to listen to Sally Normal talk about the ethics and spiritual fulfillment found in Wicca when they can watch a genuine witch perform a real ritual, complete with swords and nekked people. To be fair, many religious representatives on TV tend to be flamboyant. Who provides more interesting TV, Pat Robertson or your childhood preacher?

What the public needs to keep in mind, and this goes for Wiccans too, is that the people on television are there because of their personalities and their willingness to provide entertainment. Generally speaking, they aren’t representatives of the average practitioner. My devoutly Christian grandfather was no more like Pat Robertson then I am like Laurie Cabot.

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17 May 06

Helping Yourself

Do not ask God to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet. ~ Unknown

I received this quote through my email on Monday. Just like the author of the newsletter it was sent in, I wish I could post this everywhere on the planet in giant neon letters. I can’t count the number of times I have heard people say that they weren’t going to work hard to make something happen because it was obvious that god/the divine/whatever didn’t want it to happen. How awful!

The biggest and most prevalent example of this is the saying “Let go and let God”. That saying annoys me to no end. It is fine to ask for guidance from the divine, but to expect them/him/her to do everything for you is ridiculous.

This is also true when it comes to rituals and spell work. Any book about magic worth its salt will tell you that you must do everything mundane possible to obtain you desired result before you cast you spell/perform your ritual, and you must continue to do everything mundane in your power afterwards. Remember, the Goddess helps those who help themselves.

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27 Apr 06

Serenity for All

I’ve just started reading Louise Huebner’s Witchcraft for All. It is an older book, written sometime in the 1970’s, I believe. The feminist feel of that time is clearly evident. For example, when writing about the Salem witch trials, Ms. Huebner says: “They were impostors who left Salem rich in history, and the real witches, if there were any, left that city long before history started. A witch is not an ugly old hag. A witch is a winner. No self-respecting, energetic, goodlooking witch would have been caught dead in Salem!”

That kind of makes me want to laugh, since it seems so silly and 70’s. But at the same time I find it sort of inspiring. I mean, it is nice to think that one is part of something that make them a “winner.”

Ms. Huebner also says that a witch must be intense, emotional, self-motivated and capable of obsession. She also says that witches go places and do things because they want to, not because they have to. Again, how very inspiring! Being a witch (and I would also like to add being Wiccan) means that you are your own person.

Now that I am slowing becoming part of the business world, I am finding myself more and more doing things because I think they should be done. I mean, here I am working away during lunch time… okay, I’m writing a blog entry, but I’ve got a bunch of things I’m in the middle of. ~quanta and I leave the office quite late many evenings, mostly, again, because I feel I need to get things done to please other people. Where has my desire to please myself gone? How do I balance the needs of work, of ~quanta, of my parents, of my studies, etc. against my need to stay sane? Shouldn’t I know how to do this since I am (hopefully) a spiritual person?

I really don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that right now I’m going to go get myself some lunch.

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17 Apr 06

Spirituality or the World

On Sunday night I watched the first of two episodes of A&E’s new series God or the Girl. For those who haven’t heard about it, it is a docu-drama that follows four men trying to decide whether to join the Catholic Church as priests. I watched it hoping to get a little insight into what draws people to the priesthood, but I have to say that I was more than a little disappointed.

One young man, Steve, seems fairly certain that he wants to be a priest, yet he is terrified about telling his former fraternity mates about his decision. After he tells them, and no one bats an eyelash, he admits that if they hadn’t supported him he might of reconsidered his decision. Joe seems more concerned about hooking up with a girl named Anna at World Youth Day in German then making a decision about the priesthood. And Mike is obviously in love with his girlfriend Aly, which seems to annoy his mentor, Father Pauselli. Only Dan seems to have his mind made up about becoming a priest, but I can’t help but wonder if his motive to perpetuate the Church’s agenda rather than to further his spiritual life.

Sometimes I wish that there was some sort of Pagan/Wiccan priesthood, where those who were called to walk the path could find a way of life where they are totally immersed in the spiritual life and are available to counsel and teach others. I envision something like the Catholic priesthood/monastery/nunnery, but without the restriction on woman, marriage, etc. But by watching these young men, I have become aware that becoming a Catholic priest isn’t necessarily about spirituality. I have to admit that I am very surprised and more than a little disappointed.

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12 Apr 06

Lost Gospel's Lessons

The Jewish holiday of Passover began tonight at sunset. Today also marks the day when Jesus and his disciples had what came to be called “The Last Supper”. It is also the day that Judas betrayed Jesus.

Why am I posting about this on a Wiccan blog, you may be asking. Well, spirituality in general is important to me, and the Christian Holy Week is a very spiritual time. I think that the proximity of the full moon has heightened my feeling that there is something special about this week. (And, not to be too irreverent, but a long weekend helps too!)

Anyway, back to Judas and Jesus. As you may or may not know, there has been some brouhaha lately about the “Lost Gospel of Judas.” The National Geographic channel has been playing a documentary about it, and there has been discussions about on news programs, message boards, and, well, just about everywhere. After reading over it (A pdf version of the English translation is available here), I’m not really sure what the fuss is about. So, Jesus talked to Judas about the betrayal before it happened. That isn’t surprise if you believe that God is omnipotent, which I believe Christians do. Maybe people are wondering why Jesus didn’t talk him out of it, or run away, or whatever they may have done if they were in the same situation. I believe, if Jesus existed as Christians believe, that he knew what was going to happen and went into with open eyes and an open heart, hoping that his death would mean something. Even if he wasn’t the son of God, and was actually just a really smart guy, I think he would have went into it the same way.

I think that there are parts of Jesus’s teachings that are helpful to Wiccans and other non-Christians. He’s serenity when faced with an unthinkable situation, i.e. his death, is one of those lessons. Perhaps we can all learn to be more serene when faced with our own little crises.

BTW, this gospel really wasn’t that lost. It has been know about since at least 1983.

National Geographic’s website: The Lost Gospel of Judas
Wikipedia entry: Gospel of Judas

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