Differently Oppressed Folks Need Protection, Too

Sia's Post:

Fyrehawk, one of our Senior Staff, has ask me to post this announcement today writing, Please pass this around. It affects all of us 'differently oppressed' folks. And so I will.

Demand Prosecution and Prevention of Hate Crimes

NOW is asking citizens to: Urge your senators to support S. 1105. After 15 years of determined advocacy on behalf of hate crimes prevention legislation, it appears we have a chance this year to pass an effective, inclusive bill. The House passed its version of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1592. Next, the Senate takes up the bill. Please send a message to your senators today.

The Senate will soon consider its version of the hate crimes legislation formally known as The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. Introduced in the House as H.R. 1592 by Representative John Conyers (D-Mich.), and in the Senate as S. 1105 by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), this bipartisan proposal will expand current federal hate crimes protections for race, color, religion and national origin and include, for the first time, protections against violent bias crimes committed on the basis of disability, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Contact List for Your Representatives

Go to this page at the Pagan Voting Project to find a Contact List for your local representatives, as well as nonpartisan notes on their voting records. (1)

Lightening a Candle Is Not Enough - Vote!

While you are at it, why not Register to Vote? Or, set up a Voter Registration Table at your next event.

I will leave you with this thought, courtesy of Fyrehawk:

Carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage and watch your words, for they will become your actions. Consider and judge your actions, for they have become your habits. Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they shall become your values. Understand and embrace your values, for they become your destiny. - Mahatma Ghandi

6/1/07 Update: For more articles about this and other bills that directly effect you, check out the BETA Blog site at Open Congress.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Off The Shelf:

Backlash: The Undeclared War Against Women & Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man both by Susan Faludi. If you wish to read more about this award winning journalist, visit her webpage.

Help Support Full Circle: Any money made from book sales via the Powell's Books or Amazon links at this blog goes to support non-profit efforts such as the Pagan Voting Project, the Spiral Steps Support Groups, The Gaia's Guardian's Project (which supports those who do companion animal & wildlife rescue and work to protect the environment), and the Earthwise Networking Project (which helps like-minded folks connect to do some good where they live). Thank you so much.

Endnotes:

(1) The Pagan Voting Project is designed to register American Earthwise voters and to encourage them to vote. We don’t tell anyone how to vote but we do encourage Pagans and others in the Earthwise Community to be informed and active citizens.

Art: Girl with Basket of Oranges and Lemons by Pierre-Auguste Cot

Pagan Warriors

Off the Shelf:

Women on War: An International Collection of Writings from Antiquity to the Present - Daniela Gioseff (Editor)

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam - Bernard Edelman (Editor)

Help Support Full Circle: Any money made from book sales via the Powell's Books or Amazon links at this blog goes to support non-profit efforts such as the Pagan Voting Project, the Spiral Steps Support Groups, The Gaia's Guardian's Project (which supports those who do companion animal & wildlife rescue and work to protect the environment), and the Earthwise Networking Project (which helps like-minded folks connect to do some good where they live). Thank you so much.

Sia's Post:

Some time back Beliefnet posted a provocative article by Carl McColman (1) on the ways in which the Pagan community views those of our people who serve in the military. It is still relevant. McColman writes about:

(a) quiet revolution that has been occurring in Paganism, as more and more Pagans enter the armed forces (and increasing numbers of military personnel embrace the old religions.

He goes on to say that

...These Pagans often identify as warriors, blending ancient or earth-centered spirituality with the ethics and ideals of the martial arts. A leading Pagan warrior is Kerr Cuhulain, a Vancouver policeman and former Air Force officer whose books The Wiccan Warrior and Full Contact Magick celebrate the ancient--and still relevant--connection between primal spirituality and the path of the warrior.

Warrior spirituality recognizes that it is a limitation to see the Goddess as some sort of romantic peacenik. Try convincing mythical Goddesses like the Hindu Kali Ma, the Irish Morrigu, or the Greek Athena that Pagan spirituality is all about peace and love. Each of these figures are ferocious, take-no-prisoner warrior queens, far more concerned with security and self-defense than with playing nice in the multi-cultural sandbox.

You can read the rest of the article and post your thoughts about it at the link above. If this topic interests you, here are some other, related links:

Military Pagans Page at The Witches Voice

List of Pagans and Heathens in the Military

Miliary Pagan Network

Pagan Vets

Officers of Avalon

Women Warriors

My thoughts today are with men and women who serve in the armed forces, with their families who miss them, and with all those caught in the cycle of violence and war around the world.

In our family we will remember a dear friend lost in Vietnam and ancestors who served in WWI and II.

Congratulations and grateful thanks go out to all those who made it possible for our warriors' families to display the pentacle (2) on their headstones. May these memorials be proudly maintained but few in number.

Blessed Memorial Day,

Sia

(1) It should be noted that Mr. McColman has recently converted to Catholicism. We wish him all the best.

(2) A pentagram is the name for a drawing, design or image of a 5 pointed star with continuious, unbroken lines. It is most often seen within a circle. The pentacle is that design translated into clay, metal, stone, or some other form. See more information here at Wickipedia, and here, at a Wiccan webpage devoted to that subject.

Titles, Schmitles

Off the Shelf:

Composing a Life by Mary Catherine Bateson -
The daughter of Margaret Mead writes about life as an improvisational art form.

Spiritual Mentoring: A Pagan Guide by Judy Harrow -
This guide focuses on spiritual teaching issues within the Pagan community and addresses topics such as good seeker-to-mentor matching, clear communication, religious maturity, and the role of community.

The difference between a flower and a weed
is a judgment

I love this quote. It reminds me that wise Pagans learn to grow where we are planted. At the same time, we each choose the Path that is right for us. We don't let other people do that for us. In other words, we define ourselves.

When people ask me what my Pagan "title" is I don't tell them that I am a High this or Lady that. I tell them I'm a learner. It gets me some odd looks at festivals, but it fits me, it's right for my path.

Some years ago I wrote an essay called Pagan Doers. In there, I said this about titles:

When we do use a title such as "Leader" we have a wyrd way of defining it. A "Leader" at Full Circle is the one you see doing the donkey work.... We think that being in charge of something means that you do the most work of anyone in your group. It means you're the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. You do whatever needs doing. If that means you clean the toilets before an event, then so be it. Don't laugh, I've done that. The closest I've ever gotten to holding a Staff of Office is that toilet brush.

I knew a "titled" Pagan once who had quite the opposite approach. She was so full of herself that she thought her students should stand up whenever she entered a room, even when they were gathered together in a mundane place like a coffee shop. She was very jealous of her perceived prerogatives and status. She was not as concerned with loyalty or ethics, something that became apparent when she skipped town owing a good deal of money to a number of people in the community, many of whom could ill afford the loss. I worry sometimes about our community's need for titles and the extent to which we will worship (bow down to) rather than connect with, the Goddess. As Terry Pratchett has said, "No sooner did Man learn to stand, then he got down on his knees." Speaking for myself, I'd rather face Her, and my brother and sister Pagans, eye to eye. Wouldn't you?

For more on this subject, I recommend reading a wonderful article at Vox by Jenny Shumaker titled Why I'm No Lady.

Is This On The Test?

So if I'm a learner, when do I take the test? The answer is: every day.

Right now, my own test involves choices. Among them: Where do I put my energy and time? Who do I listen to? Who do I counsel? And what do I want in my life's garden five, ten or twenty years from now? There are lots of flowers to choose from, and spring is here; time to get to work.

The Pagan path holds great beauty and meaning. It also holds a great many lessons. Some of these are universal, some are unique to each student. Here's what I know that might be of use to others: The first lesson is that we don't get either beauty or meaning without some hard work. The second lesson is that it's worth it. The third lesson is that we will receive the help we need when we need it. All we need to do it show up, pay attention and tell the truth. Here endth the lesson.

Sia

Joss Whedon: Honorary Pagan

The man who gave us witty, brave, conflicted Buffy and the sexy, kick ass gals of Firefly has something he wants to say:

What is wrong with women?

I mean wrong. Physically. Spiritually. Something unnatural, something destructive, something that needs to be corrected. How did more than half the people in the world come out incorrectly? I have spent a good part of my life trying to do that math, and I’m no closer to a viable equation. And I have yet to find a culture that doesn’t buy into it. Women’s inferiority – in fact, their malevolence -- is as ingrained in American popular culture as it is anywhere they’re sporting burkhas. I find it in movies, I hear it in the jokes of colleagues, I see it plastered on billboards, and not just the ones for horror movies. Women are weak. Women are manipulative. Women are somehow morally unfinished. (Objectification: another tangential rant avoided.) And the logical extension of this line of thinking is that women are, at the very least, expendable.

Goddess Bless Joss Whedon. I hereby dub him an Honorary Pagan.

Pass it on.

And do check out the link he gives to Equality Now. As Whedon says,

...it’s no longer enough to be a decent person. It’s no longer enough to shake our heads and make concerned grimaces at the news. True enlightened activism is the only thing that can save humanity from itself. I’ve always had a bent towards apocalyptic fiction, and I’m beginning to understand why. I look and I see the earth in flames. Her face was nothing but red.

For more on this issue, read an earlier post titled: Recovering From Our Culture: Why Words Matter

Note: I first saw this link at Hecate's (AKA She Who See's All) blog. Thank you, H.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

Kestryl Angell is a Pagan writer to watch. She is proving to be a resonant voice for common sense. So far she has posted several articles at The Witches Voice. (see links below).

Teachers take note; you might want to point your students towards these four essays:

On Being A "Plain Clothes" Witch

Taking It To the Pentagram

Seperation Anxiety ....or Growth?

The Power of Words

Sia

Photo: Actress Gina Torres (Amazon Extraordinaire ) as Zoe in Firefly

Off the Shelf

Firefly: The Complete Series (DVD) - Joss Whedon (Creator)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy: Fear and Trembling in Sunnydale - James B. South (Editor

Beauty & Meaning: Gardening Like a Green Witch

Off The Shelf:

Natural Landscaping: Gardening with Nature to Create a Backyard Paradise by Sally Roth

Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden: Creating Backyard and Balcony Habitates for Wildlife by Catherine Johnson.

The Secrets of Wildflowers: A Delightful Feast of Little-Known Facts, Folklore and History by Jack Sanders.


The best part of being on a Pagan path is that once you begin, you find that your life is filled with beauty and meaning. Nothing exemplifies that for me so much as my garden.

We have four acres now, some of it wild, some of it planted with the decorative plants and shrubs. The decorative plants are pretty, but useless. They give nothing back. And there you have it. Pretty is easy. But Beauty has depth and breadth, and a sense of Her own self. She connects with others and works for the common good. She fits, Beauty does, whereas Pretty preens and stalks and talks of nothing worth hearing. She goes from place to place, causing all kinds of havoc, wanting only to be noticed. Beauty gives. Pretty takes.

I was reminded of the uses of beauty when I toured a native plant garden here in Oregon. As we walked the ground with Lori, the owner, we talked to her about the dreams for our land. We live on a mountain now. We haven't been here very long and we want to do right by our local wildlife. With her good advice we choose some wildflowers that were right for our lower field. They will provide food and habitat for the creatures here, as well as color and scent for us; just the balance I was looking for.

Who Invited Them?

I could have just ordered a packet of seeds on line, but I know what I would get: a mix of some of the right seeds and many of the wrong ones. These would clutter my field, and my neighbors' fields, as well, with intrusive, useless non-natives. Such plants push out the natives and they would not feed the birds and animals here. They would, in fact, be harmful for our whole mountain. In a way, putting in the wrong plants is it's rather like choosing the wrong kinds of friends; they may look good at first, but the fallout later is huge, not just for you, but for everyone around you. You can spend years cleaning up the mess.

Good Fences

Mind you, I'm not a purist. I can have my decorative plants and my beloved herbs, as well. These have to be kept in their place, in pots and small fenced plots, so that they don't do any harm to these wild lands. They can add beauty, strength, and meaning to my life, as long as I am careful as to when, where, and how I use them. Using any kind of power is like that, be it natural or otherwise; you need boundaries, some knowledge and a bit of common sense.

I Can See It Now

Lori lives in a lovely old house near her nursery, and she invited us to see her bit of land to see what she had done over the years. I was gabberflasted. She has the most wonderful ponds and steams, rose scented corners, flowering meadows, and stately trees, as well as some charming alcoves for reading (jealous,jealous, jealous). Oh! for a duck pond, now that spring is here.

The kind of wild habitat I wish to make will take between 5 - 10 years to complete. (When I asked Lori how long it took her to build her own garden, she told me that it took 20 years.) When I am done, this place will be a sanctuary for the creatures here, and one for us as well. But I have a lot to learn. I'm working with new plants, new weather conditions, new soil and new wildlife, and I'm trusting that my hard work will make something wonderful. Once again, this experience reminds me of my spiritual practice. When we moved to Oregon I felt many of the same feelings of uncertainty and ignorance I experienced as someone new to Paganism. Some days you just has to "act as if" and trust that it will come to you. Most days, it does. I try and keep the greater good in mind, while living in the process, and I don't take the easy way out. OK, you caught me, some days I do choose the easier way, and then I pay the price for that, and start again.

A writer named Kari King calls this a "blesson", it is a combination of a blessing and a lesson. My garden is my blesson or, to paraphrase the poet it is A thing of beauty and a job forever. I welcome the work, and the quiet time, too, and I will remember to enjoy the view, when the day is over. My partner and I spent 13 years in the salt mines of Silicon Valley. We worked at demanding jobs by day, and did non-profit work for Full Circle and various animal rescue groups on our nights and weekends. Learning to stop and smell the very tea roses I had planted was my blesson from that hectic, fruitful time. I've brought that hard won wisdom with me to the Pacific Northwest. Woe to me if I forget it.

Change Happens:

Like any Green Witch, I am closely tied to the land, and there are many days when I miss hiking in the California foothills or birding at the San Francisco bay. It's a palpable ache. Anyone who has lived in and loved two places will understand.

Among the things I miss is my little suburban garden in Northern California. It took me six years to build a bird and butterfly garden out of clay soil that hadn't been worked in decades. By the time I left it was a lovely, sweet smelling haven with a thriving population of birds, butterflies and bees. As Pratchett once said about Nanny Ogg, I was happy in a little place. Pick a time of the year, any time, and I can tell you what would be blooming there, and what my former neighbor's garden's are like, as well. For some reason, the universe has decided that I need to expand my horizons while becoming less involved with certain people, places, and things. Is making a new, wild garden from scratch a part of my spiritual path? For me, the answer is "Yes".

Little Altars Everywhere

The trick to any practice is to use what you have. One can be just as Pagan in an urban setting as they can roaming the glen. One can also create a small garden on a balcony and grow herbs in window pots. I know, because I've done that. It's all in how you use your space. That includes the space inside your head and heart, as well as the space you call your home.

So here's to beauty and meaning, where ever you may find it. But if I may make a suggestion, you might wish to take a walk in a garden. Better yet, build one yourself.

Sia

Art: This sculpture is titled The Goddess of Spring. It was a gift from Full Circle to Gaia's Oasis for hosting our wonderful Spring Staff Retreat in 2004. Gaia's Oasis is a beautiful retreat in the Sierra Foothills of California, not far from Yosemite. The Owners of Gaia's Oasis are careful to keep the wild lands they hold in trust healthy and thriving. If you ever have a chance to visit this wonderful place, by all means, do so.

Tit for Tat or What Would Sekhmet Do?

Today we have a story of tit for tat....or is it the other way around?

My thanks go out to devildoll at Live Journal (who noted this outré version of Mary Jane) and to logansrogue (who drew the Spiderman/Peter Parker companion piece) for giving me a very good laugh on a Monday morning. As women we sometimes become desensitized to the constant, commercial use of our bodies-as-objects in order to sell anything under the sun. I find it interesting (and heartening) to see how outraged these young women got at seeing one of their fictional heroines treated in this way. Good for them.

Today I want a new bumper sticker. It should say: What Would Sekhmet Do? Like a lot of Pagans, I'm very comfortable with nudity. But I have to wonder, why is she doing his laundry? Ah, the ideal woman: She picks up after him just like his mom, but she looks like a stripper while she does it. It's.....so very 60's. One would think that this Mary Jane was serving on the original Enterprise.

For more on the subject of Mary Jane, and her place in the plot of Spiderman III, see Spiders, Sluts and Misogynists by Justin Nisly. (1) Also check out this website: Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy & Utopia

And now for something completely different A story about Leonard Nimoy and his second book of photographs, all taken of large, curvy women. You can read more about this in Alas A Blog, and in Big Fat Blog.


His-story:

A discussion over at The Wildhunt Blog on Ronald Hutton's new book, and a comment there by Hecate reminded me of this poem by Monique Wittig. I first encountered it (and the writer) in college:

There was a time
when you were not a slave,
remember that

You walked alone,
full of laughter,
you bathed bare-bellied.

You may have lost all recollection of it,
remember...

You say there are not words to describe it,
you say it does not exist.
but remember,
make an effort to remember,
or, failing that,
invent.

Not everyone is a fan of Hutton's. I suggest that you read more than one book on early Britain, and decide for yourself. Personally, I think that Triumph of the Moon is one of the best books ever written about the development of modern Pagan culture.

Her-story:

Since we are once again on the subject of women, imagery, and self esteem check out Why Women Need a Goddess by Carol P. Christ.

Enjoy,

Sia

Update 5/17/07:

Fox has picked up the story and quoted an article by blogger Sleestak titled Mary Jane, The Other White Meat.

Note: For those among us who love words here is a note, and yet another note on the origin of the phrase "Tit for Tat".

Off the Shelf:

Fiction:
Desiree by Annemarie Seliniko A merchant's daughter makes history...and then some. Based on a true story.

History:
The Hysteric's Revenge: French Women Writers at the Fin De Siecle by Rachel Mesch, lecturer in the French Department at Barnard College.

Druids: A History by Ronald Hutton (just published)

Art: This is a photo of a Halloween ornament in my collection. We call her Miss Thing.

Reclaiming Mother's Day

For those who might be interested:

Beyond Mere Sentiment: Reclaiming Mother's Day.

Excerpt:

The Radical Origins of Mother’s Day:

In an article written for WorkingForChange.com, Gev Parish notes:

Julia Ward Howe called for the establishment of Mother's Day in 1870. Her gesture was intended not as a sentimental tribute to those who bear children, but as a call for women to wage a general strike to end war. (1)

Julia, a poet and suffragist, began her work to honor mothers as a radical act. We tend to forget that mothers are, and always have been, politically and socially active. Throughout history, they have used the wisdom they gained as mothers to think of future generations and work for the good of all. (2)

Real Life Moms:

Motherhood’s a tough gig.

To be a mother is to cry and rage and worry and work till you want to drop. And most women do this without any help from any darn village.

Motherhood is both mind numbing and inspiring, frustrating and fulfilling. It’s a job worth doing and it takes a great deal of strength, wisdom, and self esteem to do it well. The many images of the Great Mother give us a sense of this. Her secret is contained within a paradox of seeming contradictions. She is both and equally, Kuan Yin and Kali, Isis and Morrigan, Aphrodite and Hecate, Lakshmi and Durga, Freya and Ha Hai-i Wuhti. In other, psychologically profound myths, she is portrayed as Medea, who destroyed her children in a fit of rage, and Lysistrata, who organized other mothers, stopped a war and saved two cities in the process. To see only one, sweet side of a mother is to ignore the complex, empowering truth of Her; a truth we can’t afford to miss.

Real mothers sometimes want to punch a wall. Instead they give hugs. They also teach, encourage, praise, and protect, and they do this creatively, day after day, no matter what. No wonder they simplified this holiday – it’s too hard to get all of that in one greeting card....

The Creatrix

Some of us don’t have children (either by choice or by chance) so we honor the Creatrix. The Creatrix is connected to Gaia. She creates her own life as well as great friendships, arts and crafts, loving homes, beauty, peace, prosperity, and opportunities. She empowers friends and family and is, herself, empowered. She cares for others and she protects those who cannot protect themselves. She is a mistress of learning, knowledge, and culture. She has many forms including that of Artemis, Hestia, Athena, and Bridget. She can stand alone or with a partner. It’s her choice. We know her by the blessings that flow from her hand and the ideas that come from her mind and heart. This form of creation is worth knowing and honoring, as well.

[To read the full article, click on the link. The article also contains a bibliography]

-------------------

The artwork that accompanies this article (and is copied above) is called Rhea. It is by Sandra M. Stanton. If you would like to see more of Susan's Goddess art, visit Goddess Myths. A portion of all sales from her prints goes to the Global Fund for Women. This image is used with her permission.

Sia

Recovering From Our Culture: Why Words Matter

Off the Shelf:

She Who Changes: Re-imagining the Divine in the World by Carol P. Christ

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd

Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism (Live Girls) - Daisy Hernández, Bushra Rehman (Editors)

Crones Don't Whine: Concentrated Wisdom for Juicy Women by Jean Shinoda Bolen

Many Roads One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps by Dr. Charlotte Kasl.

A series of recent events has got me thinking about words and the power they hold.

During the Civil Rights era, a famous case called Brown vs Board of Education challenged the White's Only school policy in the south. (1) Attorneys with the NAACP (future justice Thurgood Marshall among them) used Kenneth Clark's Doll Study to show the psychological effects of the so-called "separate but equal" system on black children. In this study, psychologists showed little black children two dolls, one black and one white, and asked them to describe them. They described the white dolls as beautiful, smart, and sweet. They described the black dolls - the ones that looked just like them - as ugly stupid and lazy. That is how insidious Jim Crow culture was; little children clearly understood the comments, behavior and assumptions of adults around them and they interpreted this to mean that that they did not matter, and were somehow consider less worthy than other people by their very nature. (1)

We have made progress as a culture, and it was evident when the Women of Rutgers stood up with dignity and grace and pride and denounced the insults they had received.

And we still have a long ways to go.

Why This Matters:

When someone tells me that it doesn't matter that generations of girls grew up with a white, male god, and were told that they were not allowed to be priests, and were somehow more sinful (because of Eve's disobedience, and their own sexual nature), and that they were even occasions of sin in others and must be shamed and shut away, then I say this:

What we say and how we say it matters a great deal. The images we use, the words we use, the assumptions about power and worth we hold in mainstream culture all suggest that men are better and women are less important, even less important to God, because we are not, after all, made in "His" lordly image.

Inclusion

We are told that these are just words and that they should not matter. We are criticized for making too much out of too little. The same thing was said when the NAACP objected to the disgraceful treatment of their people in the Jim Crow south. A "Whites Only" sign is more then just words.

The Witches' Voice recently published an amusing, heartfelt and thought provoking article by Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis on the challenge posed by including everyone at our spiritual table. It is based on his experience as the only non-Christian in the room on Texas Clergy Day:

The superintendent, an affable old scion of Texas, began talking about church-state separation. Not so much about how it limits church participation in the public schools, really, but more about how were the best ways for ministers to work around it. ....That means, ” he continued, “that we’re not going to allow hate groups like the Klan, neo-Nazis, or Wiccans get access to our children…”

As if seized by a dybbuk, my innate Jewish need to kibitz took me over. My hand shot in the air. Flustered by the interruption, he paused mid-presentation. “…Yes?”

“Excuse me, I’m Rabbi Dennis, I’m new to the area, but did I understand that you just lumped Wiccans in with hate groups?”

“Well, yes, we feel…”

“Pardon me, ” I went on, “But Wiccans are not a hate group, they are a religious movement – they have chaplains in the United States military, for God’s sake – and they are entitled to the same access as any other religious group. And as for this whole concept of ‘limited equal access’, ”I went on, “That sounds like code for ‘selective access’ – if you are going to allow any religious groups to operate inside the schools, then you have to allow all religions to do so, that’s the law…”

It was all boilerplate religious freedom rhetoric, but at the time I suddenly felt like I was a Jew arguing for freedom of conscious before the Holy Office of the Inquisition.

My speech effectively ended the presentation. He muttered a summary statement and invited us to enjoy the cold cuts buffet. As for my fellow clergy, half sat in aghast silence, the other half buzzed among themselves in amused whispers. At lunch one of the Methodist ministers simply chuckled and said to me, “Well, you certainly know how to kill a party.”

A Modest Proposal:

To anyone who thinks that words still do not matter, and that I should just read "her" whenever I read "him" or or see "her" when the image is male, I say this:

I would like to offer a modest proposal. It's this: Men have had power over the history we read, the words we use, the money we spend and the wars we fight for centuries. They have carved and painted images of the powerful male for us to admire and portrayed women as the weaker sex. They have projected this patriarchal view of Father God and Male Leader for over 5,000 years and hidden any evidence to the contrary. Now it's our turn.

We will use only Her words and Her images for the next 5,000 years. Only women can be Priests and Presidents, and let's not pay men anywhere near what we make for the same work (assuming we let them do that work at all). Let literature, film and music portray women as powerful and men as weak tools and victims and then let us use our religions to suggest that they have a good but lesser place, and that is in the home. We will control their sexual behavior and their reproductive rights, of course, because they are not mature enough to make these decisions on their own. Meanwhile, our charming boys can "rule" the domestic sphere, and we women will honor them for their dedication and compassion by praising them from the pulpit while refusing to pass, let alone fund, child care, health care, education reform or social initiatives that would serve them and their families.

And here we ask (as another modest proposal once did), "Who in their right minds would want to subjugate, humiliate and legislate another human being in this way?"

It's a long list - How much time ya got?

The Blessings of the Goddess

To embrace the womanly part of the divine, to see ourselves as holy, connected and worthy is a necessary part of our spiritual practice and our personal healing. One way we do that, is to find that part of the sacred that is also a part of you and me.

To be honest, I think that the nature of the divine is beyond the issues of gender, race and culture. I also believe that divine is connected to all these at the same time. When I perform a Celtic rites to celebrate Bridget, I am connected to all the Celtic women in my line, and to all of the power and the sacredness that this implies. As women who were told that only men could do or be certain things, we find healing in rejecting that negativity and power in supporting our precious and poetic spirit.

Pagans and Others in Recovery:

Words are dangerous when they support ignorance and hate, but they can also have a less obvious, but insidious effect. One example of this would be the experience of Pagans and others in traditional 12 Step groups.

Pagans, feminists, gays and lesbians and people of color often don't feel welcome in rooms where God is (always and only) spoken of as a white male Christian construct. Supposedly, these are non-denomination meetings, but Pagans and others know that the Christian bias in 12 Step meetings (as well as the heterosexual bias, the well meaning, but limited world view in their literature, and the outdated assumptions about addict and codependent psychology) is a very touchy subject.

Some of their members get it. Many don't.

Why are you so upset, they ask? This isn't a Christian God at these meetings. We clearly state that we speak of "God (singular) as you understand Him."

(sigh)

Pay no attention to the use of The Lord's Prayer after every meeting.

The use of this Christian Testament prayer is not enshrined in either the 12 Steps or the 12 Traditions. It is simply a habit, and a bad one at that. These are good and decent people, overall, but it does not occur to them to wonder if a Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist person would feel welcome at a meeting that insists on saying this prayer. I don't believe that 12 Steps meetings do this to be mean (although I could wish that they would open their minds and their hearts a bit wider). I believe that they are comfortable sitting in the middle of the mainstream and they just don't get it that others follow a different, and equally valid path.

So, here we are, back at my modest proposal: Let's start today by rewriting all the texts in AA to say only "Goddess as you understand Her" and talk only of "God the Mother" as a Black African female, and speak only of Yemaya and never Christ in these meetings. I'm sure it won't matter. It's only words, after all.

Focusing on the Solution:

Some Pagans in Recovery choose to attend Spiral Steps meetings or Pagan-only 12 Step meetings, and avoid traditional 12 Step groups entirely. Some Pagans cherish the fellowship (sic) and recovery that they find in traditional meetings so much that they simply find ways to live with the language. Some Pagans go because these traditional meetings are the only available recovery meetings in their area. (2) I know Pagans and feminists who attend traditional meetings, but they also use words like Her, Goddess and Mother when they do the readings, and in their shares. And if some of the AA old guard find that it bit jarring when they hear that then perhaps it will cause them to question how women have felt in hearing Him, God and Father for so long. (3)

Where Do We Go From Here?

Firing one idiotic shock jock for calling a team of beautiful, strong, educated young women "nappy headed Ho's" doesn't even begin to cover the extent of harm done spiritually, psychologically and physically to women all over the world that the use of such language and the assumptions behind it support. Although it was a nice start. One hopes that people will remember those splendid students, and let Don Imus fade into obscurity, where he belongs. As the mainstream media turns it's attention to other matters (I hear that Paris is in the news again) let us continue this dialog among ourselves, but let's take it further afield. Questioning the words we use, all the words, sacred, sexual and mundane, is a sure, firm step towards healing.

Sia

(1) These were, in fact, a series of cases.

(2) For information on finding or starting a Spiral Steps group in your area, write to Dj at info@spiralsteps.org or visit the website to join the cyber support group: www.spiralsteps.org

(3) For more in this issue, read Many Roads, One Journey: Moving Beyond the 12 Steps by Dr. Charlotte Kasl.