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October 28th, 2009
12:58 pm - "Twitter is for old people."
Recently, I have been listening to NPR on my way to and from work. It makes me feel like there's no reason to flip on The News Hour With Jim Lehrer after work. Anyway, I have been enjoying the shot of news and information presented in general, and some things in particular.
One of my favourite stories recently, "Facebook, MySpace Divide Along Social Lines," discussed who uses MySpace versus Facebook. But the best part was the last line of the story, "Twitter is for old people."
I laughed for about an hour when I heard that.
And it's totally true. Twitter really is for people who think they're on the "cutting edge," but it's really a sign (like watching the News Hour or listening to NPR) that one is just getting old. There aren't many kids on it, and the median age of Twitter users is older than me. Twitter seems to be the internet equivalent of yelling, "Hey, you teenagers! Get off my lawn!" Except that it's less effective.
Social networking appears to be a good way to be behind the times, most recently. The days of FaceBook and MySpace are shortening, I imagine, and soon the kids will come up with the next big thing, which they'll abandon as soon as they realize that the old farts have found it.
So says a guy who listens to NPR, watches the News Hour, has MySpace and LinkedIn and FaceBook accounts, and has a TwitStream on Twitter. The best part is, I'm below the median age of everything but MySpace users. . . and I'm "old."
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) amused
Current Music: "Off To See the Lizard", -JB
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July 31st, 2009
01:15 pm - Many updates on life, work, and Summerland
Well, I was going to write about this awesome opportunity I received today to review articles for an honest-to-gods scientific journal, but then I saw the "Confidential Please" notice at the top of it and guess I oughtn't actually discuss it.
Anyway, I've been enjoying some good fortune recently, which is a nice change. Not that I ever had particularly "bad" fortune, but right now I'm feeling good about things, and I have been for a while. I'm even getting close to catching up on old mail that's been sitting in my in-box for a while (I'm up to July 1 or so, so barely a month behind: this is progress!).
I had an excellent performance review here at work, and my boss used words like "leadership," "initiative," and "reliable" when referring to my work. . . none of those words with a synonym of "lacking" modifying them. One of my projects is also referred to as "resulting in a major paradigm shift." I have found myself wondering if it'll make any difference when raises come out (if they do).
I have struggled to figure out an ADF social networking thing, and found that the damn thing is potentially out of my ability to figure out: I still don't know how to update MySpace, though I'm getting better with FaceBook. . . and Twitter is just. . . well, it's Twitter. I think I'm using it wrong, since I haven't Twittered while in the bathroom yet, or even to tell people I was going to go to the bathroom or reported on the results thereof. I'm pretty sure that's what Twitter was designed for. Trying to maintain the ADFDruidry Twit-stream (is that what they're called?) on top of my own has proven highly amusing at times.
I don't mind being socially inept in the real world, and I care even less that I'm socially inept in cyberspace: Web 2.0 seems to be primarily driven by the notion that I am the center of everyone else's universe. It's a silly notion, and it's led me to the conclusion that Web 2.0 is pretty darn silly, too.
I've been spending whatever free time I have (virtually none, admittedly) trying refine an article about the place of clergy within ADF. This riveting and exciting piece is unlikely to interest anyone outside of my own head, but it's in progress (and appears to be coming along nicely, actually). I'm looking forward to finishing this up, actually, though so far it raises more questions than answers.
Related to this, there's talk about ADF Orders going on. For the most part, I'm still hard-pressed on the utility of them: additional structure and such. Still, I'm working with them with a new interest after a discussion with ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) seamus_mcnasty.
The other day, I got to use a healing prayer I once wrote for a friend undergoing surgery, and was a bit surprised to see it taken up by some others. I'd originally written it for someone else, but that's why we write prayers in advance and hang onto them: so that when the need arises, we have words for when there are no words.
And the Summerland presenter schedule is now up! Yeah! I hope to see many folk out at the festival, August 20-23! Oh, and I'll be presenting at the Dublin Irish Festival on Sunday (noon, Irish Traditions stage), the largest Irish Festival in the country (and entrance fees are waived if you arrive on Sunday before 11 AM)!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: happy
Current Music: "Love and Luck", -JB
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July 15th, 2009
11:12 am - Heartbreak and Joy: D025 & the Episcopal Church
Yesterday, the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church here in America passed D025, acknowledging that the Episcopal Church ordains partnered gays and lesbians. The newscycle is caught up in other things right now, so this isn't even a blip on the screen.
Some know that I follow the Episcopal Church pretty regularly recently, ever since the consecration of Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson and election of Right Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as the Presiding Bishop and a Primate catalyzed schism and dissent in the Church. American churches have switched affiliations to join Communions across oceans, and bitter fights have arisen in the American courts about what to do with property owned by those churches. Strange systems of "complementary bishops" have arisen for folk who can't deal with bishops they don't have faith in, the Anglican Primates have failed to come up with good solutions to both gay and women bishops, and the whole thing is seeing some pretty nasty responses.
I watch the Archbishop of Canterbury and wonder what he's thinking of all this.
The measure was able to pass primarily because the more conservative members of the Episcopal Church have affiliated with other parts of the Anglican Communion, and are no longer part of the Episcopal Church in America. In other words, they took their balls and went home, and this freed up the House of Bishops to move on this topic without their votes.
I watch with deep interest, because I look at things like D025 and wonder at the bravery of the Bishops who voted for two-to-one it: they did so knowing full well that it could end in a break from the Anglican Communion. I can imagine the heartbreak and joy that they experience with this vote. . . for all they try to downplay the importance of this vote, saying that it simply affirms that openly gay bishops can be consecrated, and that it does not say that they will ever confirm an openly gay bishop in the future, they know that this is not how the Communion will see it. This heartbreak must temper the joy they feel at embracing the civil rights they feel LGBT persons deserve. It is freedom and fear, all bundled into one great emotion.
I also look at those congregations that left the American Episcopal Church, and I wonder how they feel, knowing that their exit may lead to a break in communion. I imagine that they question the decision, that they feel that they are partially responsible for any break that may occur. I suspect that they also feel the thing we all know is true: they're isolating themselves and becoming part of a great minority that will eventually lose the fight to keep rights away from same-sex couples. I cannot imagine what the feeling is among those congregations: not only have they chosen a losing side in this battle, but they have lost the war by refusing to work with others of differing values. . . and potentially destroyed or seriously disabled the Anglican Communion as a whole.
Only time will tell how things go from here. My conjectures of a break in Communion are just that: conjecture. But I know that it's a real fear among Anglicans. It may yet happen.
Today, the House of Bishops is expected to take up the question of blessing same-sex unions. I wonder how, exactly, that will go, as well.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Door Number Three", -JB
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June 24th, 2009
03:05 pm - Renewing OL
I see that it's coming to be about that time: time to renew my Oak Leaves subscription.
There was a while when I couldn't really afford OL, but man, I missed it terribly. It's a great little Mag, with all sorts of great items in it (and, often, on it), and the various editors we've seen have done a great job adding their own touches to it here and there ever since cortigiana took over the editing years ago. I've also enjoyed writing for it and submitting things: speaking of, I probably ought to look at what more I can scrape together to submit here soon!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Tryin' to Reason with Hurricane Season", - JB
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June 10th, 2009
02:45 pm - Musings on Chaos Magic
Many years ago, I read a certain article about chaos magic, one that struck me as rather poignant. It's called "GO UNDERGROUND and be a CHAOS MAGICIAN" and is form Joel Biroco's The Exorcist of Revolution. While it's generally an aimless meandering through Biroco's brain (though not at all uninteresting), the thrust of it is that Chaotes cannot be a part of the corporate world and really practice their craft to its greatest depths and heights.
It was from this essay that I first got an image of the peddling magician, creating amulets out of discarded aluminum cans and bits of string and held together with old chewed gum, a sort of modern day begging priest, or goes for you Hellenes out there. I have always liked this model, always thought that it was something that we need in this society, and always thought that there might be a place for me to do such a thing. Well, perhaps not the discarded gum part.
Re-reading the essay, though, brought me to think on it a bit more than I had in the past. I would fall into the "nine-to-five magician" category that Biroco holds up: I live in a corporate world, and the thought of quitting right now does, indeed, scare the hell out of me. I'm pleased with my job, where I am, and where I am going. Contentment, which I'm sure would be frowned upon by Biroco, is something I know in this place right now, even if it is sometimes a bit stressful and often a very hard job.
On the other hand, I purposefully did not arrive here through magical means, nor through ritual, nor even through prayer. I did no work other than the work of my own hands to make it here, put on no ceremonial clothes outside of the suit I interviewed in and the clothes I chose to wear daily, spoke no incantations beyond the statements made in my interview, and manipulated the selection process only by submitting a resumé. Biroco's "nine-to-five magicians" ignore their impulses for a more romantic life, and direct their mystical work toward their own career direction.
Suddenly, I fit the one-tracked, stunted "nine-to-five magician" mold a bit less.
In many ways, I find that the focus I have now (and have always had, though sometimes to greater extent than others) on being careful about what I practice magic for and who I practice it for/on has mitigated some of the limitations of the corporate world that could trap a guy like me: I practice neither on nor for myself. I've developed some interesting amulets over the years (the Cthulhu amulet being one of my favourites), done some amazing sigil work, involved myself in healing rituals that went better than I could have imagined, and given offerings for all sorts of people in amazingly sacred spaces (high on Mt. Olympus and beneath the Temple of Apollo at Delphi being the best of them). All this work was done for others, or at the request of others, and there's very little direct benefit to myself. Certainly, none of it is directed at my choice of career path.
Do I agree with Biroco's thesis, that I am not the magician I could be were I free of the shackles of oppression that the 9-5 world has clasped me in? I think that he might be right on that point. The other half of his thesis, though, that exiting society's rules is the only way to go, that it somehow naturally creates the Chaote and brings him/her to a state of deep magics with great heights, is flawed.
Chaotes are self-made: there Biroco and I appear to agree fully. What I don't agree with, though, is that environments themselves are enough to set our fates and overcome the self-making process.
We are who we are because we wish to be ourselves: no more, no less.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "The Great Filling Station Holdup", -JB
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May 9th, 2009
07:56 am - Passing Div2, and a review of my work for a change
 Wow. I got an e-mail about a week and a half ago from ![[info]](http://www.chronarchy.com/images/userinfo.gif) Ian Corrigan saying that my Divination 2 papers were "exemplary" . . . I admit, I had no such thoughts myself. I thought they would be somewhat average.
Among the comments he returned to me were these:
- I should write a booklet on runes based on my answers to Req 5
- A short article such as "Are the Runes a Magical Alphabet?" should be submitted to OL
- The creation of a bind-rune I did for one reading was, and I quote, "good cunning-work." This is an awesome phrase to me
- He and I go in completely opposite directions when it comes to public ritual, though: while you'll rarely hear me offer the names of runes, often giving only an interpretation, Ian only gives the name and translation and lets folks figure out the meanings on their own.
I thought his final comment was best, though, as when speaking about a rune reading that we did in public that had a major affect on ADF (that one truly cold Yule when the Grove was first founded; some of you may recall it), he said:
- Almost like there was something wyrd going on, innit?
Just. . . wow ;)
Over the last year or two, I've become a lot more in-depth with my reviewing, returning positive comments along with negative ones (should they be necessary) and trying to help the student flesh things out if they'd like to. It's nice to get a response like this one, because it helps to verify that the system I've been developing is something worth doing.
I don't really feel that I can just say, "Oh, you passed." I find it important to highlight certain parts of the piece that I really liked, and discuss what I liked about them. By the same token, we can't just say, "Oh, you didn't pass. Re-write it." If something doesn't pass, I always explain why, and offer suggestions for passage if I can.
This sort of reviewing takes a lot more time, though, and sometimes it's downright hard: I've occasionally come across something so bad that I didn't know what to do with it and had to struggle to find some positives to return. Rare as that is (it's probably happened twice in the past several years), I've believed it important enough to ensure that I've done all I can to make it happen.
Attempting to do this little thing is part of what I do to make ADF a bit brighter, and receiving a review back that's along those same lines makes me feel great about what I'm doing with reviews.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: "The Wino and I Know", -JB
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April 28th, 2009
07:15 pm - *speechless*
Holy crap. I just located a copy of an article by Anne Ross called "Esus Et Les Trios <<Grues>>" in Études Celtique 1960. . . Yes, that's "Esus and the Three Cranes." Not only does it contain a photo of the other side of the Esus relief at Trier, but it also includes another set of reliefs and pieces that she thinks are relevant.
Of course, I will have to translate the French before I can figure out what the hell she's talking about, but holy crap. . .
And I was just trying (and failing) to locate a suggested article from Ceisiwr Serith when I stumbled on this!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: shocked
Current Music: "Southern Cross", -JB
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March 3rd, 2009
09:05 am - Lovecraftian Theology and The Fire On Our Hearth
Sometimes, the Onion will run a story so well-written, I must spread the word. Today, that story is "Lovecraftian School Board Member Wants Madness Added To Curriculum". An excerpt:
With the aid of a flip chart, West laid out his six-point plan for increased madness, which included field trips to the medieval metaphysics department at Miskatonic University, instruction in the incantations of Yog-Sothoth, and a walkathon sponsored by local businesses to raise money for the freshman basketball program.
Of course, like most Onion articles, it fades toward the end, but hey: in general it's pretty good. Thanks, brandondedicant, for the heads-up.
One thing that I'd like to ask, though, while I have your attention (if you're not already off reading additional Onion articles): if you picked up a copy of the Grove's book, The Fire on Our Hearth, could you send me an e-mail or drop me a line and let me know what you liked and what you didn't like, and maybe what sorts of formatting changes you'd like to see? We're looking at our second edition, as some of you may know, and we're planning on something much more. . . widely available. This means some stuff goes in, and some stuff comes out. We're hoping to run at about 200-250 pages on the next edition at this point.
If we go the route we're looking, we'll end up with a pretty "frozen" product, so I want as much input as I can get. We've already moved some things around to re-work the organization, but we have a long way to go.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/wink.gif) mischievous
Current Music: "Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)", -JB
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December 31st, 2008
12:12 pm - Time to start planning for festivals!
Some days, I walk arm-in-arm
with a fox dressed in the clothes of a man
and carrying many hidden things |
I was thinking today of the festival circuit, and how it looks these days.
A lot of festivals have the same presenters, over and over again. I mean, how many times have you gone to a festival, looked at the schedule, and said, "Damn, that Michael J Dangler guy is presenting again? Don't they have anyone else?"
There was a real sense of pride when Oak Leaves published several issues without anything written or submitted by me (except a filk I didn't write). . . It was good to see the mag run on its own, without me writing articles or editing the pages on the back-end, a sort of feeling that all the work I did for that rag was worth it in the long run.
I have begun to wonder if the festivals wouldn't be the same way: what would happen if I went a year without presenting at a festival, but just went to the festivals as a participant and hung out?
I already mostly hang out at certain festivals: Wellspring rarely sees me give a presentation, and Summerland hasn't seen a presentation of mine in a few years. But then, at other festivals I have presented nearly every year: Trillium, Desert Magic, and Midnight Flame (where I, along with Skip and druidkirk, was once the entire program).
I do not mind paying to get in to festivals, so the main perk of presenting (free festival admission) isn't so vital to me as it might be for others. Indeed, as a presenter I've paid where I could, and I've never made festival admission a requirement for giving a workshop. When cash has been tight (as it often is), I've occasionally really wished that a festival would pay my way for a workshop, but I've never made a big stink about it.
The kicker to all of this is that I would really, really like to see new people given a chance to give presentations, and to see people who haven't presented in years come back and give presentations on new material. While I am always happy to fill a spot on a program (or, as has happened in the past, headline a festival bill), I really want to see opportunities go to more ADF members, even if it means I get to hear myself speak less (tragic, I know).
Maybe this is the year to do that. Maybe I just need to hang out and be there for other members of ADF: the ones who need a presentation slot in order to attend a festival, the ones who have great ideas that need to be heard, or the ones that are just tired of hearing me ramble on about things.
My festival schedule is currently: Trillium, Desert Magic, Wellspring, Summerland, and Midnight Flame. I hope to sit in the audience at as many of those as I can manage. I'll hang onto some materials and have a presentation ready to go, but I'll offer to present only as a back-up in case they can't fill their schedule or someone doesn't show, rather than snatching a good slot early-on.
I wonder if I can manage to get to a few more festivals, as well? As the Buffett Oracle sang to me this morning, "Only time will tell."
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: working
Current Music: "Richard Frost", -JB
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July 9th, 2008
02:13 pm - "Lambeth" has always sounded like a tasty dish to me
The Church of England has voted to consecrate women as Bishops.
The Vatican responded pretty darn quick:"We have regretfully learned of the Church of England vote to pave the way for the introduction of legislation which will lead to the ordaining of women to the Episcopacy.
The Catholic position on the issue was clearly expressed by Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Such a decision signifies a breaking away from the apostolic tradition maintained by all of the Churches since the first millennium, and therefore is a further obstacle for the reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.
This decision will have consequences on the future of dialogue, which had up until now born fruit, as Cardinal Kasper had clearly explained when he spoke on June 5 2006 to all of the bishops of the Church of England at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Cardinal has been invited once again to express the Catholic position at the next Lambeth Conference at the end of July." To which I say:
We can dress like women because we ordain them. What's your excuse?
(Yeah, that's totally one of my favourite bumper stickers. It pokes good fun at all of us with vestments. . .)
I know that the CoE and the Vatican have been trying for reconciliation for the better part of five hundred years, but really? Do you really think that wagging your finger at them from Rome is going to help?
I think that the thing that particularly interests me is that in affirming that women can become bishops, they also affirmed that some people "as a matter of theological conviction will not be able to receive the ministry of women as bishops or priests," indicating that they're going to make "special arrangements" for people in that position. This interests me most because it shows a deep theological (okay, theologically sexist, but we're being polite, I think) split in the CoE.
Watching the drama from such a distance (I have little or no vested interest in CoE proceedings and the hypocrisy of their dress patterns and ordination standards, admittedly), I often wonder how we in ADF might handle such a deep divide. We always have the "We don't actually care what you believe, just what you do" argument going for us, I suppose (orthopraxy vs. orthodoxy), but it's not a perfect argument.
Of course, if someone feels that women (or LGBT persons, or black people, or veterans, or whomever) cannot be priests or Archdruid or Preceptor of the Fluffy Bunny SIG or whatever, I don't think I want them sacrificing at the same fire as myself anyway. In many ways, I hope that we would not compromise in the way the CoE has.
I have a feeling that a number of the people being threatened with schism in the CoE feel the same way. . .
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Viva Las Vegas", -JB
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11:32 am - Jimmy's around more than usual, it seems
*snickers* Good interview with Jimmy, which has a wonderful quote:
Buffett, describing himself as "an old hippie" and "Southern radical," says now, "I'm an Obama person."
"Everybody knows my politics [he campaigned for Jimmy Carter and Al Gore and has played twice at Bill Clinton birthday parties]. But half my audience is Republicans — and that's OK. People should be communicating, which is the biggest factor to me."
He has been opposed to the war in Iraq since the beginning. "Anybody who makes policy in this country oughta have to walk by the Vietnam memorial on the way to work," Buffett says.
So why not vote for Vietnam vet John McCain? "I respect John McCain, but it's old stuff. John McCain is older than I am!"
"People should be communicating." Yep, that says it all, right there.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "A Pirate Looks at Forty", -JB
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July 3rd, 2008
04:20 pm - Necromancy
 Many of you know by now that Diablo III is coming out. Which means (of course) that I'll have to buy a new computer in order to run the damn thing.
But there's been a lot of talk about what's happening to various character classes. There's speculation that the Witch Doctor class has replaced the Necromancer (and speculation that this speculation is all bunk, of course). The Necromancer is, by far, my favourite character class in Diablo 2.
Anyway, to avoid writing an entire entry about a game that was announced less than a week ago, I'm going to just say what the point of this little post was about, anyway:
I'm thinking about writing an article on necromancy for the Samhain issue of Oak Leaves. I think it would fit nifty-like there.
Besides, I haven't been able to get anything into OL for a very long time. I feel somewhat guilty about that, actually.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: satisfied
Current Music: "Delaney Talks to Statues", -JB
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June 4th, 2008
03:28 pm - Separation, sacrality, and profanity
I've had an interesting article lying on my desk for a while (Oh, about three years, really), entitled "Markedness and Encompassment in Relation to Indo-European Cosmogony"[full citation at the end*]. Silly me, I thought this was about marking off physical space in IE ritual.
Well, you can't judge an article by its title, I suppose.
Instead, this article is about how things are "marked off," not in a physical sense, but in a sense of elevating or lowering their status by stating that one thing is markedly different from another.
This is a damn tough article, and one I don't claim to really "get" yet, but as I was reading it during my lunch hour yesterday, I was interested by the notion that things that are separated from (or that separate themselves from) something that is encompassing are generally given a change in status.
Separation can mean one of four things:
- That which is separated is given higher status
- That which is separated is given lower status
- That which is separated lowers the status of what it is separated from
- That which is separated raises the status of what it is separated from
This, of course, is a very Marxist way of looking at ideas of religious separation, but also a very interesting one.
Also, separation accentuates difference: where once all things were encompassed, now certain things are clearly not. An example might be Greek Ge, who (as the earth) encompassed everything, until she gave birth to Uranus. Once she has done that, and created something that is "not Ge," then she has also become "not Uranus." After separation, there is an opportunity for superiority where no opportunity existed prior to this.
Bringing this all back to sacred space (you know, since that's what I thought this was going to be about, anyway), I think this is why I'm not pleased with boundaries and edges in ritual: I don't like the idea of elevating the Grove in terms of sacrality over the rest of the world. I sometimes feel like I'm stuck on repeat when I talk about the artificial constructions of "sacred and profane" in religion, and how damaging they can be to our simple enjoyment of the world as it exists. There's nothing wrong with attempting to perfect it (indeed, that's what ritual is: an attempt to perfect the cosmos), but there is something wrong with the concept that sacrality is preferable to profanity, at least to me.
* - Lyle, Emily. "Markedness and Encompassment in Relation to Indo-European Cosmogony." Perspectives on Indo-European Language, Culture, and Religion: Studies in Honour of Edgar C. Polome (Vol. 1) McLean, VA: Journal of Indo-European Studies. 1991
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/blah.gif) okay
Current Music: "Today's Message", -JB
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March 24th, 2008
10:55 am - The Grove is in the Paper
For those who don't read the Grove Blog, "Leaves of the Willow" or subscribe to the LJ feed (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif) 3cg_blog), the Grove was in the Columbus Dispatch today, and you can read the article online.
The article is pretty good, though their list of virtues is. . . interesting.
And there's a great picture of seamus_mcnasty in the print version, too. The article is on page B3, with the picture on page B1.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Lucky Stars", -JB
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February 8th, 2008
05:54 pm - Church Crumbling
 I have watched with interest as the UK press has sensationalized comments by Archbishop Rowan Williams recently, particularly with headlines like today's "Archbishop of Canterbury argues for Islamic law in Britain" and the "Archbishop says nativity 'a legend'" (of course, Fox News got in on the fun with that second one, so it's not just the Brits).
What interests me most, though is that something like either of those (which are obviously just completely out of context headlines) would cause some Pagans to leave an organization, if the head of that Org did that.
I imagine that the thought of leaving their church (as an organization) very, very rarely crosses the mind of a Christian, particularly someone born and raised in that faith. Christians seem, in general, far more likely to hold onto their denominational identity than Pagans do. Even in the case of a major break (such as the Anglican Communion has recently experienced, with American churches joining communion with Nigerian churches or the Worldwide Anglican Communion), rarely will they leave their denomination over something so small as a difference in belief, politics, or who gets to be ordained.
Pagans, in general, are an interesting mix of "joiners" and "leavers." We join organizations like they're sweet candy, and we leave them like they're so many wrappers. This may have something to do with the little, tiny ponds we swim in, or it might have more to do with the general protestantism of Neo-Paganism, where every person is their own priest and just as able to contact the divine as the next guy wearing a dress. Whatever it is, it interests me terribly.
If a Pagan church didn't ordain women, the Pagans would leave. If Skip (ADF's Archdruid) said the US should adopt Sharia (or was quoted as saying that), people would get huffy and probably decide ADF wasn't for them (and, of course, probably without asking him about it). I have a feeling, too, that this might also be a percentage sort of thing: 200 people leaving the Anglican Communion is a drop in the bucket compared to 200 people leaving ADF.
It may also be a question of the amount of work someone wants to put into an organization that they feel doesn't match with their path any longer: becoming "unchurched" is a lot harder than not renewing your ADF dues or ceasing to attend coven functions: you actually have to actively work at it (I still get notices from a number of churches I belonged to as a kid, here and there around the Midwest. . . ADF, PSA, and N14 are as easy to stop hearing from as unsubscribing from a mailing list; the Christian churches would take active contact to stop their missives. . . I can't even simply move without them finding me).
Anyway, it's interesting to watch conflict within a church from several angles in several different churches. It could be an interesting spectator sport: "Church Crumbling" is what I imagine it would be called.
I need some popcorn now. . .
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Rancho Deluxe", -JB
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November 30th, 2007
11:43 am - Fighting the War on Christmas, Christian soldiers strap on Amulets!
 This morning, I noticed that World Net Daily is selling magical amulets to Christians. For those unfamiliar with the site, it's an evangelical Christian "news site" (really, "sensationalist news site" would better describe it, or possibly "tabloid") that claims "uncompromising journalism" and to be "a guardian of liberty," while usually just spewing the usual claptrap that comes from the general right edge of sanity.
Those of you who know my reading habits (and my magical interests) know that I'm really into amulets, and devouring any ancient magical literature I can find. Amulets, ancient Christian magic, and connections to the modern world really interest me deeply, so when I read this article, I recognized what WND was doing immediately.
Here's a quote from the article:
There's one more component of your Christmas-defense kit: It's the "Operation: Just Say 'Merry Christmas' Bracelet." They make great stocking stuffers, but why wait! Make your feelings about Christmas known to one and all. Wear them to pick up the kids, when you buy groceries and when you go to work. They're guaranteed to ward off the evil spirits of the ACLU grinches.
If you'd like to purchase one, you can pick up the little bracelets on their site (I've pictured one at the top right for your convenience). Hell, I'd love to find one in my stocking!
The characterizations of the ACLU "grinches" as "evil spirits" caught my eye. I'm reminded of when Christianity was a young religion, and the world was full of demons just waiting in pagan temples to posses some young, nubile and naive Christian. There's an old tale of a pair of Christian night watchmen who would walk past a temple each night, and each morning they required an exorcism, "just in case" the demons had come out of the temple and possessed them.
This isn't any different, really: by wearing this amulet, you can ward off evil spirits. WND has de-humanized the ACLU into something that is dangerous, but they have the answer! They have a nifty little device that you can buy to protect you from these dangerous things, for the power of Christ is best harnessed by a rubber wristband.
Honestly, I'm impressed with the WND's rhetoric here. Just look what they've done to those who carry an ACLU card, and to top that, they've offered a protection scheme to overpower their creation.
On the one hand, I see this as a genuine religious concern for a genuine religious group that has a genuine interest in protecting its congregants from dangerous spirits.
On the other hand, it really sounds like what the Ghostbusters were accused of: "These men are complete snowball artists. They use nerve and sense gases to induce hallucinations. The people think they're seeing ghosts and call these bozos, who conveniently show up to get rid of the problem with a fake electronic light show."
Well, okay: my other hand is sounding reasonable. . .
On a side note, I found out about this little warding kit that they're selling through their article about Alaska Airlines' "discrimination" against heterosexuals. I find it interesting that, in a world where the Religious Right has always sought to keep discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation legal, they're bitching and moaning when they perceive it going the other way (and, of course, it's not discrimination; they can get the same discount just by typing in the code: there're no ticket-counter screenings to determine "fondness for cock," at least, not that I'm aware of. . . But the TSA has been getting a bit more "personal" in searches for years).
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "The Wino and I Know", -JB
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October 2nd, 2007
09:01 am - Newsworthy mention of the Grove
On page 2 of this week's Outlook Weekly paper, you can find a mention of the Grove and our role in Pagan Pride Day:
(View the paper in nifty flash and zoom or .pdf)
Of course, I have also cut out and uploaded the entire mention behind the cut (not a large mention, but I'm extremely pleased with it), but I still recommend going to look at the whole paper. I'm very, very proud of my Grove to have gotten mention in the Outlook Weekly. Very proud.
( Grove goodness behind the cut )
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: "Jolly Mon Sing", -JB
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June 7th, 2007
09:45 am - A letter to my local TV station
After reading the story "Bears Make Themselves at Home", I wonder why NBC4 has chosen to run what amounts to an ad for someone seeking to put out a hit on a black bear. The last two paragraphs in particular are just what this article is:
===
While she can't shoot the bear legally, Wilkins said she wouldn't be opposed to someone else taking care of the situation.
"I would not shoot it because I don't want to go to jail," she said. "But if someone else wants to shoot it, I would not care."
===
From http://www.nbc4i.com/midwest/cmh/news.apx.-content-articles-CMH-2007-06-07-0003.html
According to the Division of Wildlife, there are between 50 and 100 bears in Ohio year round. They are listed as an endangered species in this state, and your willingness to run the above statements indicates that your organization is perfectly at peace with the idea of advertising that there is a bear who is "fair game" to be shot.
Ms. Wilkins' ignorance and disrespect for nature is only surpassed by your willingness to advertise such a reprehensible act for her. I'm honestly shocked that any news organization would run a story like that. Integrity isn't just about reporting what goes on, what people say, and what events occur; there is a strong aspect of social integrity that this particular article shows is lacking in your organization.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) angry
Current Music: "Carnival World", -JB
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February 28th, 2007
11:15 am - Burritos and Oak Leaves
 Well, it's official. I've now gotten more positive comments on the article "The ADF Core Order of Ritual as Mexican Burrito (and Other Things in Your Grocery Store)" that appeared in the last issue of Oak Leaves than anything else I have ever written for that publication.
The main thrust of the article is that I compare ADF ritual to a couple of foods, particularly a Mexican burrito, an Oreo cookie, and a sandwich. The Mexican burrito is the solitary rite, the Oreo is the large public ritual, and the sandwich is the small-group ritual.
I had a teacher back in high school, Stan Czaplak, who was fond of informing the class that "if you stretch a metaphor too far, it snaps." Well, of course he was right, but it seems that I somehow managed not to break this particular metaphor.
It was quite fun to write (I admit, I was starving when I dove into it). Most comments that seem to come back are from people who thought that the COoR was restrictive or too structured, or that it could never fit their hearth culture. The point I really wanted to make was that the COoR really is a very simple thing, one that is actually very flexible and that can contain almost anything. Sure, it's got some rules, but that's what rituals are: they're rules and regulations that create an outcome. The nifty thing, though, is that the rules are extremely flexible (like, say, a soft tortilla that encases your beans) in most cases.
In the end, it's good to know that folks enjoyed it, but it's better to know that folks actually got something useful out of it. Phrases like "the article made some things click for me" are my reason for writing these articles, and it feels good to get them.
So thank you all for giving me the chance to write them, and for taking the time to read them.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: thankful
Current Music: "Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes", -JB
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February 27th, 2007
04:38 pm - Buffett, Babes, Bikinis. . . You know, the usual
As I was looking for something online the other day (I believe I was seeking the proper title of the song I was listening to during yesterday's post, not that it was short enough for me to fit in the "music" box, anyway), I came across a good article about what it is about Buffett that I really like.
Today, I found some info about Jimmy Buffett's tour schedule (looking sparse at the moment), and noticed two things:
- Buffett has a new beer available: LandShark Lager
- Buffett has teamed up with SI again, which means I'm buying a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition again this year.
First, the Lager.
I find it amusing that the description reads like this: "Brand new from Margaritaville - LandShark Lager! LandShark Lager is a refreshing, drinkable island lager brewed with a complex blend of hops giving the beer a distinctive hop note taste."
I'm particularly focusing on the fact that it is described as "drinkable". I admit, I would hope for as much from my beer. You can, if you feel the need, check out the site at http://www.landsharklager.com/
Now, the SI Swimsuit Issue has never been my cup o' meat. I mean, sure, it's nice to see scantily clad ladies running around with a guitar. Who doesn't want to see that? Sure, you can count their ribs, but that's sexy, right? Right?
Despite that, I have a bad habit of reading "men's magazines" for one of two things: the articles or the gimicks. Sure, laugh if you want, but since Maxim pulled a number of their Cosmo-esque articles, I haven't bought a single issue, and some of the girls have gotten a lot hotter. But then, that's my normal nature: women just aren't enough to sell me on anything, contrary to popular belief. There has to be a lot more, like a yellow stripe on the corner of the cover that says, "Free yellow corner stripe with purchase!"
Yes, I once bought a Maxim solely because of that particular marketing gimick.
The only Playboy I ever purchased was bought because I had a dream (A DREAM I TELL YOU!) of buying beer and porn on my BuckID card (the university ID card, which acts as a debit card). I never did manage the beer portion of that, btw.
But it was Buffett, that hero in a Hawaiian shirt, who got me to buy my first SI Swimsuit Edition. Two years ago, it came with a short video and the title song from his new album, License to Chill. I wanted the single (I didn't know it was actually part of an album to be released later), and the chance for a video is always amusing and fun to me. On top of that, there was also an article by Buffett in the issue, and I love his matter-of-fact writing style and his storytelling. It's good stuff.
So now that there's something aside from girls in bikinis, I'm all about going to pick up this issue.
And I reiterate: you all have permission to laugh at my "articles" assertion.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Boats To Build", -JB
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