Message: "There's a wild impetuous uniqueness to you that deserves to be honored."
This beautiful purple colored card has a huge male peacock with this tail feathers, known as a train, fanned out. The peacock means many things across many cultures. Most associate this bird with pride. As when the male is looking to impress a mate. The idea is that the more beautiful, elaborate or extraordinary the train, the more likely he is to mate. We even refer to this action in our language with the term "strut like a peacock" which is interpreted to mean having a very high opinion of oneself, filled with or showing excessive self-esteem.
Lord Kartikeya is the Hindu god of war and the vehicle he rides is a peacock called Paravani. Therefore, the peacock is considered sacred and if you keep its feather in your homes, it said to protect you from the evil energies. Hindus also associate the peacock with Lakshmi, a benevolent deity who represents patience, kindness, compassion, and good luck.
Hindu God Kartikeya on peacock
Sakanda Murugan on a Peacock
This card reminds us that we are all uniquely beautiful. We all have gifts that deserve to be celebrated. We have within us a powerful ally in magic for renewal, love, luck, and success in this peacock energy. Everything you are and do should be for the right path, with right energy and this makes those things worthy of celebration.
Do not let those around you bring you down or tell you that you are not worthy. You are star dust. You are made of all those ancestors behind you. You are a creation of magic and wonder. Celebrate that unique beautiful creation that you are daily. You deserve the ability to live your life in happiness and joy. Reach for those things that bring you joy and surround yourself with people who celebrate you.
This card is part of the Divine Abundance Oracle Deck by Tosha Silver, Art by Fena Gonzalez. If you're looking for a single reading or creating an ongoing advisory relationship, I do have a few slots available. Learn more at neuse river witch dot com or confessions of a modern witch dot com.
I'm going to preface this piece with the assertion that I do not speak for all those who claim the title Atheist Witch. This speaks directly to my experience with religion over the years and the current quandary I find myself in related to what I believe my path is. I would also like to say, I find it extremely hilarious that there is an entire section of a website dedicated to "proving" that I do not believe in god(s). Let me save you the trouble. I do not believe that a physical person walked this planet with three heads. I do not believe that a man turned into a swan to have sex with a woman. I do not believe that Titans roamed the earth in the religious aspect. There, I said it. This blog can now move on to new topics.
To be sure we're on the same page, I am speaking on this subject with the following definitions in mind. This is my belief. I'm happy to answer questions.
Atheist - a person who does not believe in god or gods.
Witch - a person who uses magic to impart change on their world.
Oddly enough I have found more resistance from those in my Pagan community than those in the Christian Community. That tells me one thing. Christians believe that Pagans and Atheists are the same thing. They see no difference between not believing in their God, regardless of perspective. If I believed in Pan instead of Jesus, they see that as an equal believe structure as not being in God at all.
What I found really surprising was the direct and out right attacks from those in the Pagan community. Now let me be clear, this isn't from "all" of them. So please don't take the "No True Scotsman" approach here. I'm speaking from a direct situation I seem to have found myself in with members of the Hellenic community.
Recently I have had several individuals send me direct messages on Facebook asking some interesting questions. They see me as an admin in several magical groups (groups that focus on magic or that are dedicated to a specific deity) and are confused by my religion listed on my profile which displays "Atheist". The latest conversation consisted of someone who said, if I question the existence of Hecate, is that wrong? I took a step back and thought, wow. This is the same thing most people ask when stepping away from Christianity. Has Paganism become the new Christianity? Incredible.
While many people understand completely the natural progression of the trek many Atheists talk about on their journey from believe to non-belief. I was raised Southern Baptist in rural North Carolina and was told that my "sin" is what made my step-father rape me. My "sin" is what made my family be on welfare. My "sin" is what made me have the life I had. If I would simply donate money in the offering plate weekly and profess my "sin", God would forgive me and "bless" me. I would then be worthy of having a good life.
Exactly how fucked up is that? What kind of message is that to give a seven year old? I wanted to be blessed. Just like those rich folks who drove the church bus around to the poor neighborhoods bring in the poor kids to church. I put my pennies in the offering envelope, walked to the altar and prayed with the folks in the fancy suits and big diamonds, waiting for my turn to be "blessed".
As you can probably guess that time never came.
I was introduced to Paganism through a girlfriend when I was around 25 and used it as a way to explore my interest in science. Oddly enough the references to alchemy actually pulled me in. I'm pretty sure that is an odd way to end up in a religion.
Recently I was asked directly, what do you believe?
In 2013 I worked with The Covenant of Hekate to outline what the virtues of Hekate may be. This process is what started my exploration into Atheism.
We agreed to the following five virtues and definitions:
Compassion
– Sympathy and/or concern for others who are suffering or find themselves in an
undesirable position. A person attempting to develop the virtue of Compassion
within their daily life and practise would desire to aid in the alleviation of any
undesirable situation or at the very least not be a contributing factor towards it.
Real Life Example – You could try to help the homeless or less fortunate be they of the
two or four legged variety. Volunteering at local shelters or organising food drives are
great ways to learn and show compassion.
Courage
– Strength or character or fortitude to stand firm in your convictions and face
adversity or distress without fear. A person attempting to develop the virtue of
Courage within their daily life and practise may chose to stand firm against those
who would chose to undermine their beliefs or convictions or to speak out
against those who hurt and undermine others.
Real Life Example – Try standing up for someone you or your friendship group may
deem unpopular. Also when someone shows remorse for a wrongdoing some people
will continue to be angry and unforgiving. Instead state your position calmly (in itself an
act of courage) and then allow the situation to pass.
Temperance
– Moderation and self-control are both acts of Temperance. A person attempting to
develop the virtue of Temperance within their daily life and practise may chose to
restrict some part of their life be that thought or action in an attempt to find a
balance rather than choosing to allow extremes.
Real Life Example – Try abstaining from certain types of food or drink or showing
restraint in discussions online. An example would be to learn to hold one’s tongue and
listen a bit more before jumping into an argument.
Justice
– Moral and physical rightness are both aspects of Justice, as is the sometimes
contradictory act of behaving fairly towards other people. A person attempting to
develop the virtue of Justice within their daily life would strive to act fairly,
truthfully and with personal integrity when dealing with others and themselves.
Real Life Example – Try to treat others fairly, in action and tone be it online or in person.
Try to not pass judgement on another based upon your own feelings for a person, your
understanding of the situation or hearsay. There are often two (or more) sides to a story
and the truth lies somewhere between. If the truth cannot be ascertained then try being
impartial.
Wisdom
– To have the common sense, foresight and understanding to think or act in a
manner most objectively and beneficially to any given situation. A person
attempting to develop the virtue of Wisdom within their daily life would strive to
apply their knowledge and experiences in a prudent and practical way.
Real Life Example – Try volunteering to share on a topic that you are knowledgeable
on with a local group or center. Offer to do a guest blog post or write an article for an eZine
on a particular subject.
Now, we agreed that we should all try to maintain these virtues in our daily lives. Look at each one of these; are they specific to Hecate? Are they specific to a follower of Hecate?
Not really. Any person can display these attributes. Any one who chooses to have wisdom or justice can do so without any requirement to commit to a deity.
So why have a deity? We are creatures of habit. We need reminders. We like reminders. When we see a key, we think of unlocking mysteries. When we see a cross road we think of decisions or choices made. We apply so much more to the simple image than is actually there. So when we see Hecate for example we think of a mighty Titan Goddess who rules the underworld or walks through the space between the living and the dead. We ask for her guidance and her power to help us understand, remove or command those forces we feel only she can command. This is typical human behavior. If not, how would organized religion taken such a hold on our world.
I mean just over Easter my house payment was nearly late because my electronic banking system and payroll couldn't decide who was going to observe Good Friday. Why in the hell is my bank evolved in a religious holiday? The answer is, it shouldn't be. But here we are.
For those out there questioning your current belief system, my direction to you is just read as much as you can. Open a book on science, talk to those who don't believe. Talk to those who do. Look for evidence. Most of all, think for yourself. Don't be bullied into agreeing with someone simply because they send you hateful messages or they are so deep in their own delusion that they cannot get past simple things like treating LGBT with dignity. Any religion, any religion at all that tells you have to treat a group of people badly because they do not believe as you do is simply wrong. Oppression is not holy. Making others feel less than because they're not in your club is simply bulling.
Recently I was approached by a family member that said to me, You just want me to believe what you believe. You're witnessing, just like I am. Actually, no. No I'm not. As long as you don't try to push religion into our legal system, or education system or individually oppress people, I really don't give two shits what you believe. Want to worship someone who raped an six year old? (LINK) That's your business. If you want to follow the Christian bible, yeah well that's up to you too. (LINK)
Unlike those touting this belief, my worth isn't measured in the number of people I can bring under me. It's like Christianity is some big pyramid scheme. The more people I bring in under me the bigger my crown is in heaven. What a crock of shit. (LINK)
So where does witchcraft fit in here. When I was a small child I watch "religiously" (pun intended) Arthur C. Clark's Mysterious World. (LINK) This started my journey of questioning everything. I wanted to know more. I wanted to learn more and I knew that out there somewhere was the answers I was looking for.
He formulated three adages that are known as Clarke's three laws, of which the third law is the best known and most widely cited:
When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
To me, I believe in telepathy. I believe in the power of the mind to change your body's appearance. I believe in the mind to heal. I believe in pre-cognition and the ability to learn from those who have passed on. Though it may not be in the traditional ways we think of them, each of these abilities are directly related to our brain and how it works in the world around us.
I have rambled on with this post much longer than I expected. I want to clarify that I don't see my position as superior to any one else. This isn't a race or pie. There isn't a set amount out there. We can share knowledge and grown. I'm open to suggestions and education. I am however not going to fondle over a pile of scrolls found in a cave in antiquity when I have a machine in my hand that most of those people would have hailed as a god.
Deity
is defined as the nature or character of a god or God. As a child I was raised Southern Baptist. This is the typical fire and
brimstone God. There was no love that I
can recall being taught here, only spare rod spoil the child. I spent a few Sundays at the local Pentecostal
church as well and found I really enjoyed the spiritual side of the church but
speaking in tongues scared me.
While hearing all this around me I hid in my school library
reading and re-reading the nine books we had on Greek Mythology. I loved the stories and thought, now these
are Gods!
Being raised in a rural area, the local (richest) church
sent out buses to pick up the poor children and bring them in. I remember hearing the preacher say that I
was poor because I was a sinner, and if I prayed enough, we’d have food. I tried really hard to be good enough to be
blessed, however my step father still molested me, my mother still ignored me
and there was no God, for me. Deities
for me were nonexistent.
Towards the end of my life with my mother, I was about 14 or
15 and my church bus driver said to me as I was getting off the bus, “Tell you
Daddy I’ll see him at the club tonight.” That was when the Christian Deity died for
me. Here was a man, who was busing
little kids back and forth to church, laid up in the bar with my abusive
alcoholic stepfather. One blessed with
riches, the other not so much.
As an adult I found that seeing the sunrise and feeling the
wind across my face had a calming effect on me.
Hearing the whoosh of the ocean and feeling the tides put me at peace. Being in nature and looking at the world from
a mythological prospective helped me find a place in my mind where I could
finally be OK. My mind drifts to Demeter
and her sadness through the winter months. I see Aphrodite and Artemis showing
women as virginal and strong but also as encompassing desire and beauty.
This past year I've focused on one deity in particular. Looking around me I found many
correspondences to the Goddess Hecate.
Being the Goddess of the Witches as well as assorted other titles, I
felt a deep connection. As she speaks to
me, I write, I sculpt and I create. I
picked up working with clay just a few months ago and have already been
featured in e-Zines related to the Goddess.
I believe that when a deity selects you, that deity will speak through
you. Your art, your work and your day to
day self will reflect that which lives inside you.
I like to say I have a relationship not a religion. My deity
does not demand my submission instead delights in my companionship. I do not
fall to the ground in worship but instead walk beside her. I bring offerings of
incense and flowers, and offer energy to guide my travels. I do not call upon
her to win a football game or for help with my car. She's much too busy to
spend time doing the mundane workings of this world of which I am much more
suited. I do not require your approval or ask your acceptance of my beliefs, I
merely ask you that you leave me to my own without the need to ridicule. You obey your God and I'll work in harmony
with mine.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people have been around for as long as religion. The Greeks and Romans are widely thought to be the first accepting culture of homosexuality; however there is evidence that ancient pagan practices presented homosexuality as part of their God/dess worship. The rise of monotheism and the belief of a “jealous” God let to the eventual outlaw of homosexual sex within the Roman culture for example. In the sixth century AD the Roman Empire outlawed homosexuality.
Abrahamic religions are monotheistic faiths tracing their common origin to Abraham. The three major Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Judaism considers itself the descendants of Jacob, a grandson of Abraham. It has a central book, the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament does specifically address male homosexuality. In Leviticus, specifically Leviticus 18 deals with a number of sexual activities that are considered unclean. The principal concern of this chapter is primarily incest; there are references to bestiality and lying with a man as with a woman. In his paper “Does the Bible Prohibit Homosexuality", Rabbi Jacob Milgrom states that this verse should not be taken out of the context of the entire chapter. These verses were directed first, a males and secondly at those of the Jewish faith, living in Israel. The question here seems to be how can one be Jewish and also gay? This is a question that The World Congress of Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Jews have offered to answer as they set up a place for LGBT Jewish people to meet and to learn acceptance.
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus. It is outlined in the “New Testament”. The basic belief is that Jesus is the son of God in human form, sent to earth by his father by birth through a virgin. Most Christians consider Jesus to be the Messiah of the “Old Testament”. Many believe that the coming of the Messiah made the Law of Moses, the Old Testament, obsolete and life should be lived according to the New Testament. Reviewing the scriptures, there are no direct references to homosexuality by Jesus. Some like to use Matthew 19:4 which says:
And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ “and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’
Today many Christian churches are accepting of the LGBT Community. United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, and the Metropolitan Community Church are some churches that reach specifically out to the LGBT Community. In Raleigh, NC the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church is submitting to a vote before its congregation this month on withholding all civil marriage ceremonies in light of the new anti LGBT amendment being presented to the voters next year. The church has a long standing history of political activism including opposing segregation and the Vietnam War. Pullen Baptist Church has blessed gay marriages for the past 20 years. Pastor Nancy Petty, herself a Lesbian, stated in an article to the News & Observer, she didn’t want to marry anyone until she could legally wed everyone.
Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teaching of the Qur’an. Like both Christianity and Judaism, Islam considers its book to be the direct word of God. Religious concepts include following Islamic law, which touches ever aspects of the follower’s life. In the Qur’an like the Old Testament, references are made to male homosexuality. The two are:
"We also sent Lut : He said to his people : "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." Qur'an 7:80-81
"What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but ye are forward folk." Qur'an 26:165
Today, the punishment for being gay in most Muslim countries is whipping, jail and sometimes death. It is possible to come out as Gay while living as a Muslim. Daayiee Abdullah, for example is a Gay Muslim runs a chat room to help support others in his position. His goal is to help other LGBTQ Muslims to know that the Qur’an’s promise is for all human kind.
Paganism is generally used to define religions that are polytheistic, much like Wicca and to some extent, Native American Religions. Both being religions where a spirit force is respected and in some cases worshipped. Spirits of the Earth and Air are honored and Gods like Pan or Baphomet or Goddess like Diana or Hecate are worshipped in Wicca. In Native cultures Gods like Kokopelli or Aholi are worshiped. Sometimes the word “Heathen” is used when referencing Paganism as well. Heathen is from the Old English for “Not Christian or Jewish”.
Since Paganism covers such a wide group of religions its impossible to make a blanket term like “Pagans accept gays” and it be considered true. Generally speaking, in my experience Pagans, do not have issues with the LGBT community. Most are accepting of all people. I can personally address Wicca. Wicca, is typically a duotheistic religion worshipping a goddess and a god. Adherence to the Wiccan Rede, also known as “the eight words” is the general moral code for the Wiccan.
An it harm none do what ye will.
There are many articles, blog posts and discussion topics around Pagans and Homosexuality, one of the most notable sources for information on Paganism and Wicca is Patti Wigington at About.com. Her article “How Do Pagans Feel About Homosexuality?” comes right out and states that we are very accepting of homosexuality.
Again, painting with a broad brush here I’ll reference the Native American Religions very generally. There are numerous tribes and each have their own believe structure. A direct translation of the Ojibwe term “Niizh manidoowag” is “Two Spirits”. This was a word used to recognize bodies that housed both a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit. There are many other indigenous terms for these individuals including Lakota “Winkte” and Navajo “nadleehe”. Held as important members of the tribe some two spirit people were healers, bards and artists; each having something meaningful to give to the tribe.
Today’s LGBT community has the potential to follow the path of their choice. The decision of which path can lead to a bumpy road or to a smooth road. Selecting a religion or choosing not to select a religion is not an easy task.
Around the world there are laws for and against Homosexuality. Marriage, for example, is legal for the LGBT community in many countries and in some states with in the United States. Groups like Equality NC, are leading the charge with news and information for the voter on upcoming elections regarding a proposed amendment to the state constitution which would not only outlaw marriage for gays and lesbians but also put limitations on those marriages from other states being recognized. Facebook group “Vote NO on Amendment ONE” has almost 6,000 likes and is focused on getting the word out to stop the proposed amendment.
Knowing what road to select and how to live by the decision made can be daunting. For me, Wicca gave me the room I needed for growth and allowed me to understand that I am worthy of not only existence but also worthy of the love of myself and others.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An it harm none do what ye will.
So Mote It Be
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