Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Having finished, as he puts it, "the Hollywood stuff"(1) and completed most of his U.S. book tour Terry Pratchett has gone on to the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. As I write this he is having breakfast at the White House with other authors and the First Lady. The President will no doubt make his usual appearance....and what I wouldn't give to be a fly on that wall.

His new book, Making Money, is finally out. It is another chapter in the Discworld series. As the Guardian Unlimited Notes:

If you've never read Discworld , then perhaps you're unaware that what started out as a very funny fantasy spoof quickly became the finest satirical series running. It has dealt with - among many other topics - racism, sexism, journalism, death, war, the army, the Inquisition, the ambiguous nature of good and evil, and the uncomfortable power of narrative, all in novels that are smart, hilarious and humane. Come to think of it, if you've never read a Discworld novel, what's the matter with you?

A spoiler free review by the Badger Herald (wonderful name!) is here.

Excerpt from Review

After 38-odd series novels, teen-targeted spinoffs, picture books and scientific essays, you could forgive the venerable Terry Pratchett, probably the only 45-million-copy-selling author to be compared on his jacket covers to Chaucer, for letting a book or two print itself......All successive thoughts (which are the important ones, as one learns unabashedly devouring the aforementioned teen spinoffs), however, were the same: “Gold. Pure, unadulterated, pineapple-cream-pie-coated gold."

Excerpt from Making Money (reprinted with permission)

It would be nice, he reflected as he ran up the steps, if his lordship would entertain the idea that an appointment was something made by more than one person. But he was a tyrant, after all. They had to have some fun.

Drumknott, the Patrician's secretary, was waiting by the door of the Oblong Office, and quickly ushered him into the seat in front of his lordship's desk.

After nine seconds of industrious writing, Lord Vetinari looked up from his paperwork.

"Ah, Mr. Lipwig," he said. "Not in your golden suit?"

"It's being cleaned, sir."

"I trust the day goes well with you? Up until now, that is?"

Moist looked around, sorting hastily through the Post Office's recent little problems. Apart from Drumknott, who was standing by his master with an attitude of deferential alertness, they were alone.

"Look, I can explain," he said.

Lord Vetinari lifted an eyebrow with the care of one who, having found a piece of caterpillar in his salad, raises the rest of the lettuce.

"Pray do," he said, leaning back.

"We got a bit carried away," said Moist. "We were a bit too creative in our thinking. We encouraged mongooses to breed in the posting boxes to keep down the snakes . . ."

Lord Vetinari said nothing.

"Er . . . which, admittedly, we introduced into the letter boxes to reduce the numbers of toads . . ."

Lord Vetinari repeated himself.

"Er . . . which, it's true, staff put in the posting boxes to keep down the snails . . . "

Lord Vetinari remained unvocal.

"Er . . . These, I must in fairness point out, got into the boxes of their own accord, in order to eat the glue on the stamps," said Moist, aware that he was beginning to burble.

"Well, at least you were saved the trouble of having to introduce them yourselves," said Lord Vetinari cheerfully. "As you indicate, this may well have been a case where chilly logic should have been replaced by the common sense of, perhaps, the average chicken. But that is not the reason I asked you to come here today."

"If it's about the cabbage-flavored stamp glue—" Moist began.

Vetinari waved a hand. "An amusing incident," he said, "and I believe nobody actually died."

"Er . . . the Second-Issue 50p Stamp?" Moist ventured.

"The one they call ‘The Lovers'?" said Vetinari. "The League of Decency did complain to me, yes, but—"

"Our artist didn't realize what he was sketching! He doesn't know much about agriculture! He thought the young couple were sowing seeds!"

"Ahem," said Vetinari. "But I understand that the offending affair can only be seen in any detail with quite a large magnifying glass, and so the offense, if such it be, is largely self-inflicted." He gave one of his slightly frightening little smiles. "I understand the few copies in circulation among the stamp collectors are affixed to a plain brown envelope." He looked at Moist's blank face, and sighed.

"Tell me, Mr. Lipwig, would you like to make some real money?"

Moist gave this some thought and then said, very carefully: "What will happen to me if I say yes?"

"You will start a new career of challenge and adventure, Mr. Lipwig."

Moist shifted uneasily. He didn't need to look around to know that, by now, someone would be standing by the door. Someone heavily but not grotesquely built, in a cheap black suit, and with absolutely no sense of humor.

"And, just for the sake of argument, what will happen if I say no?"

"You may walk out of that door over there, and the matter will not be raised again."

It was a door in a different wall. He had not come in by it.

"That door over there?" Moist stood up and pointed.

"Indeed so, Mr. Lipwig."

Moist turned to Drumknott. "May I borrow your pencil, Mr. Drumknott? Thank you."

He walked over to the door and opened it. Then he cupped one hand to his ear, theatrically, and dropped the pencil.

"Let's see how dee—"

Clik! The pencil bounced and rolled on some quite solid-looking floorboards. Moist picked it up and stared at it, and then walked slowly back to his chair.

"Didn't there used to be a deep pit full of spikes, down there?" he said.

"I can't imagine why you would think that," said Lord Vetinari.

"I'm sure there was," Moist insisted.

"Can you recall, Drumknott, why our Mr. Lipwig should think that there used to be a deep pit full of spikes behind that door?" said Vetinari.

"I can't imagine why he would think that, my lord," Drumknott murmured.

"I'm very happy at the Post Office, you know," said Moist, and realized that he sounded defensive.

"I'm sure you are. You make a superb postmaster general," said Vetinari. He turned to Drumknott. "Now I've finished this I'd better deal with the overnights from Genua," he said, and carefully folded the letter into an envelope.

"Yes, my lord," said Drumknott.

The tyrant of Ankh-Morpork bent to his work. Moist watched blankly as Vetinari took a small but heavy-looking box from a desk drawer, removed a stick of black sealing wax from it, and melted a small puddle of the wax onto the envelope with an air of absorption that Moist found infuriating.

"Is that all?" he said.

Vetinari looked up and appeared surprised to see him still there.

"Why, yes, Mr. Lipwig. You may go." He laid aside the stick of wax and took a black signet ring out of the box.

"I mean, there's not some kind of problem, is there?"

"No, not at all. You have become an exemplary citizen, Mr. Lipwig," said Vetinari, carefully stamping a V into the cooling wax. "You rise each morning at eight, you are at your desk at thirty minutes past. You have turned the Post Office from a calamity into a smoothly running machine. You pay your taxes and a little bird tells me that you are tipped to be next year's chairman of the Merchants' Guild. Well done, Mr. Lipwig!"

Moist stood up to leave, but hesitated.

"What's wrong with being chairman of the Merchants' Guild, then?" he said.

With slow and ostentatious patience, Lord Vetinari slipped the ring back into its box and the box back into the drawer. "I beg your pardon, Mr. Lipwig?"

"It's just that you said it as though there was something wrong with it," said Moist.

"I don't believe I did," said Vetinari, looking up at his secretary. "Did I use a derogatory inflection, Drumknott?"

"No, my lord. You have often remarked that the traders and shopkeepers of the guild are the backbone of the city," said Drumknott, handing him a thick file.

"I shall get a very nearly gold chain," said Moist.

"He will get a very nearly gold chain, Drumknott," observed Vetinari, paying attention to a new letter.

"And what's so bad about that?" Moist demanded.

Vetinari looked up again with an expression of genuinely contrived puzzlement.

"Are you quite well, Mr. Lipwig? You appear to have something wrong with your hearing. Now run along, do. The Central Post Office opens in ten minutes and I'm sure you would wish, as ever, to set a good example to your staff."

When Moist had departed, the secretary quietly laid a folder in front of Vetinari.

It was labeled: Albert Spangler/Moist von Lipwig.

"Thank you, Drumknott, but why?" he said.

"The death warrant on Albert Spangler is still extant, my lord," Drumknott murmured.

"Ah. I understand," said Lord Vetinari. "You think that I will point out to Mr. Lipwig that under his nomme de felonie of Albert Spangler he could still be hanged? You think that I might suggest to him that all I would need to do is inform the newspapers of my shock at finding that our honorable Mr. Lipwig is none other than the master thief, forger, and confidence trickster who over the years has stolen many hundreds of thousands of dollars, breaking banks and forcing honest businesses into penury? You think I will threaten to send in some of my most trusted clerks to audit the Post Office's accounts and, I am certain, uncover evidence of the most flagrant embezzlement? Do you think that they will find, for example, that the entirety of the Post Office pension fund has gone missing? You think I will express to the world my horror at how the wretch Lipwig escaped the hangman's noose with the aid of persons unknown? Do you think, in short, that I will explain to him how easily I can bring a man so low that his former friends will have to kneel down to spit on him? Is that what you assumed, Drumknott?"

The secretary stared up at the ceiling. His lips moved for twenty seconds or so, while Lord Vetinari got on with the paperwork.

Then he looked down and said: "Yes, my lord. That about covers it, I believe."

"Ah, but there is more than one way of racking a man, Drumknott."

"Face up or face down, my lord?"

"Thank you, Drumknott. I value your cultivated lack of imagination, as you know."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"In fact, Drumknott, you get him to build his own rack, and let him turn the screw all by himself."

"I'm not sure I'm with you there, my lord."

Lord Vetinari laid his pen aside. "You have to consider the psychology of the individual, Drumknott. Everyone may be considered as a sort of lock, to which there is a key. I have great hopes for Mr. Lipwig in the coming skirmish. Even now, he still has the instincts of a criminal."

"How can you tell, my lord?"

"Oh, there are all sorts of little clues, Drumknott. But I think a most persuasive one is that he has just walked off with your pencil."

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

Enjoy,

Sia

Off the Shelf:

Making Money (Discworld Novels)

The Hollywood Stuff:

Sam Raimi to Direct Wee Free Men

Pratchett Novels Go Hollywood

Links

A Conversation with Terry Pratchett

Review: Guardian Unlimited (Contains Spoilers)

In Memoriam

Euan

Euan Goes To The Disworld Convention

San Diego Mayor Sanders Supports Gay Marriage

Mayor's speech

Read the article by Mark Morford at SF Gate titled The Republican Who Likes Gays: Behold, The Most Astonishing Speech You'll Hear All Year.

Read the whole article and watch the speech. Both are well worth your time.

Excerpt from SF Gate article:

"It was one of those surreal, suspended moments, an unexpected little hiccup in the otherwise bleak sociopolitical continuum where you couldn't help but pause and gasp and sit back and let your bitter cynicism and your hard-won ennui fall away and actually allow yourself, for now, just this once, to really and truly believe what you were seeing.

Could it really be happening? Was there really any way in hell a straight white male BushCo-era Republican would dare step up to a live microphone in front of a TV camera in a major American city and honestly admit that, well, he was wrong, and he is very sorry, and he has now officially reversed his position and now fully supports gay marriage and will actually sign a city council resolution acknowledging and advocating same?

And furthermore could this politician, during said cynicism-defying announcement, actually choke back tears -- real, human tears -- such a genuine display of emotion that you can't help but think it might actually be coupled to a living, breathing human soul?"

Morford asks us to to go Youtube and see this speech for ourselves. He says,

"Here's why you must: The speech contains that rarest of displays for an American politician, the thing we've all been convinced through years and decades simply no longer exists anywhere in the political biosphere, but especially among the famously heartless members of the famously homophobic GOP -- that is, astonishing honesty, humility, openness, heartfelt emotion in matters of love and human connection, sans rhetoric or spin or typical political bulls--t. The speech is, simply put, a deeply touching thing to watch."

This is the part of the article - and the Mayor's action - that gives me hope for the future:

"There is one more thing to ponder. Is it not curious that, on the rare instances such a personal breakthrough occurs in a public political figure, it's most often in the favor of a progressive idea, a humanistic switch away from cultural conservatism?.....Truly, Sanders seems to follow a wondrous, though not often noticed, law of humanistic expansion. It goes something like this: When you find your heart, when you look to your own family and your own life and your own soul for the answers and go beyond the limitations of your political handbook and disregard the bitter decrees force-fed to you by some dogmatic religion or belief system, well, chances are just incredibly good you will emerge a tiny bit more progressive or liberal or open-minded than before. Is that not fascinating?"

Indeed it is.


Sia

Update 9/27: Clergy Backing Same-sex Marriage


My thanks go out to Rowan Fairgrove, Librarian Bard, she of
Conjureworks,
Covenant of the Goddess,
Second Life
et al, and her LJ friends for the links and information.

Related articles:

Differently Oppressed Folks Need Protection, Too

2007 - The Year of the Homo? (Huffington Post)

Links:

Civil Union Vs Marriage:

From FactCheck.org: What Is a Civil Union?

Excerpt:

Politicians often say they support civil unions but not gay marriage. We sort out the difference.

Summary

When politicians say they support civil unions but not marriage for people of the same sex, what do they mean? We find three main differences between civil unions and marriage as it's traditionally viewed:

• The right to federal benefits. States that allow some type of same-sex union are able to grant only state rights. The Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 prohibits same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage rights and benefits.
• Portability. Because civil unions are not recognized by all states, such agreements are not always valid when couples cross state lines.
• Terminology. "Marriage" is a term that conveys societal and cultural meaning, important to both gay rights activists and those who don't believe gays should marry.

Hey 19

I sometimes get letters from people who read my articles at Vox. I got one such today. It came from a thoughtful young person who related to comments about the Lost Children among us. (1)

Dear Sia,

I guess I'm not sure what I ultimately want to say. I know that I was touched by the things you said in your article I just read and there are parts that seem to ring true....there is so much in Pagan beliefs that I want to strive to become part of, but can't. I know that right now, my life is way out of balance and I fight to create some order out of the chaos and better myself......I still find myself at a loss. I'm sure you get tons of things from people talking about losing their way, and I know that there is no easy solution to these problems. I guess what I ultimately want to ask, is how you became an adult Pagan, that better person that you wanted to be? I'm 19 and I find that I seem to drift, alone, unsure of how to find my place in the world. Where does one start? Where do you find that platform, that allows you to begin to understand yourself and at the same time give yourself the power to make the changes you desire?

Thx

---------

I'm always humbled by such a letter. I do my best to answer these, keeping in mind that my answers are my answers and may not suit their path at all. I'm not some all-knowing oracle, I'm only one other person on the path. At most, I may be a bit further along the road, and can offer some ideas of what the trail is like.

My response to this person is below. If you have any wisdom to add, please do so in the comments section.

----------

Dear 19

You are very right, we get a lot of questions like this. I'm no guru, as you know, however, I have felt these feelings, as well. I, too, felt lost and alone at 19. It is a time of great discovery and great challenges. I can only tell you what I have learned on my own journey. Take what you need and leave the rest.

First, I'd like you to know that you are not alone. In my experience, Pagan practice is very much like a garden, or, if you are technically inclined, much like a computer program. The code needs to be clear, and the ground fertile; otherwise nothing of worth will come out of it. So, you have begun your path in the right way; you've decided to clear the ground and check the code before you go further. At 19, few of us know who we are and we still have life tools to put into our tool box. That is your task right now. No one expects you to be perfect - all we ask is that you stay as conscious as you can and keep learning.

Let me put it another way: This path is not about command and control but about connection and communion. The sacred cannot speak to us, if our heads and hearts are polluted by noise and pain and trash. So the trick is to release what is unhealthy in our lives and embrace what works for us. That is as true for me at 50 as is it for anyone.

There are various ways to do that.

Here is one way - You are welcome here if you wish :-)

Few of us get out of childhood and our teenage years without some pain and hurt. Healing this pain and hurt and finding out who we really are is our job in our 20's. At this age, you are an Explorer. Some days you will explore the world, and some days you will marvel at other people and new ideas and some days you will need to explore your own past and decide who and what you want to be. To start, I would recommend two books:

Bradshaw On: The Family

and

Life and How to Survive It

Right now, you are a product of your family, their rules and their teachings. In order to become the person we want to be, we need to

* Take stock of what they taught us (both verbally and by example)

* Heal what hurts we got from school, growing up, family and cultural dysfunction

* See if we need to heal from depression, ADD, addiction, abuse or other issues and

* Decide which friends and communities are good for us and which are not, and

* Keep what we like and can use, bless and release the rest, and move forward.

As you can imagine this takes a while. In fact, it will take up most of your 20's. It can be tough, but it is also a grand adventure, full of surprises, gifts and grace. If you are asking the right questions now, and I believe that you are, you are ahead of many of your peers, and will do very well indeed :-) The trick is not to be afraid of the answers.

My I suggest some further reading, as well? If you go the blog, you will find a list of articles I wrote for The Witches Voice. I have written two that will serve you right now titled The Shadow Knows and The Bard and the Poser. There are others listed there, as well, including Pagans and Self Actulizations by Rev. Wren Walker.

This path isn't about belief - it's about experiencing the joy and wonder that is there for you. The more you heal yourself, the more you will be open to that joy and wonder and the clearer your path will be. As the Techno-wizards say, "Garbage in, garbage out". So the question is, what is in your life that is getting between you and your highest good? Is it depression? Guilt and shame? Drugs or alcohol? Dysfunctional people? Past Abuse? Whatever it is, you will find that you move forward on your spiritual path as you heal yourself.

Paganism and healing are lifelong journeys. Both are worth it.

Hang in there.

Sia


From The Wisdom Keepers To The Next Generation:

What The Grandmother & Attorney Said

What the Songwriter & Mother Said

Links:

List of Generations at Wikipedia

Why 50somethings Live Like 20somethings

Related Posts:

Dysfunctional and Healthy Behavior and the Pagan Scene

Photo: Portrait of Lydia Pinkham by Rune T (Oslo, Norway)

Endnotes:

The section on The Lost Children comes from the essay Healthy Pagan Groups and Individuals and reads as follows:

THE LOST CHILDREN:

My father says that almost the whole world is asleep.
Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to.
He says that only a few people are awake, and
they live in a state of constant, total amazement
- from Joe and the Volcano
One question that often comes up among Pagans is this: We know that everyone has baggage and that every group has their share of dysfunctional people, but why do Pagan groups have so darn many of them?

I have two answers to that. First, there are a lot more happy, functional Pagans out there than we realize. (I'll discuss this point more fully later on in this essay.) Secondly, we Pagans pride ourselves, quite rightly, on being inclusive, and any path which teaches tolerance and acceptance is going to attract a wide range of people at various stages of health, including those my colleague Ashli refers to as The Lost Children.

The problem is not that we are accepting, the problem is that many Pagans haven't yet learned that accepting an individual and accepting bad behavior from that individual are two different things. It's important to know that we can love the one, and not put up with the other. This also requires that our teachers, organizers, and circle leaders work to establish healthy boundaries and standards, something that many of us don't know how to do, or fear doing.

Here is another mystery: The Lost Children are not a "Them", they are Us, and we are a very mixed bag. (3) The Lost Children are a part of that tribe of Outsiders I mentioned earlier. Outsiders are a group that includes most of the great writers, artists, leaders, scientists, and thinkers in human history. They are those who don't "fit" into their culture's rigid little mold.

An Outsider may be hiding in plain sight. They may look like a part of the dominant culture, but they do not think the same thoughts, nor are they caught up in the cultural trance. Conversely, they may be someone living a very alternative lifestyle in a very public way. However they appear, Outsiders are those who question both authority and learned helplessness.

Among the Outsiders, the Lost Children in particular are looking for a place to call home. Many have been rejected by other groups, religions, or scenes, and then they come here, looking for acceptance. As Ashli points out, the situation in modern Paganism is not so much that of a round peg trying to fit into a square hole, it is more like a variety of shapes coming into a place where shape doesn't matter at all. That's fine as far as it goes, but it becomes a problem for us when no standards of conduct are ever applied, no matter how healthy or necessary these might be.

I say this with deep sadness: Our culture has failed our Lost Children. Their parents have failed them. The schools have failed them, their peers have failed them, and, Goddess help us, we have failed them. They come to us, looking for meaning and True Tribe and what do we give them? Poses and platitudes. They come to us with a hole in their soul because they are lacking the unconditional love, guidance, and stability they deserved but never got as children, and we give them Witch Wars and yet more dysfunction. Very often they will try to fill this hole with alcohol, drugs, unhappy sexual encounters, food, and whatever else comes to hand, and we offer them no understanding of what the hole really is or how to heal it. They come to us seeking acceptance and a safe place to practice their path, and we allow predators and abusers into their circles. Some day, we will answer for this.

The Lost Children are often so because they were raised with either too little healthy parenting or far too much harsh discipline by adults who were deeply unhappy themselves. Sometimes they fear to grow up because they believe it means becoming like "them". Sometimes they grew up far too fast and have no experience of joy, play or wonder.

The Lost Children are not lost because they are somehow bad or wrong. They are lost because they were never valued as they deserved, or because they never got the guidance they needed or because they were abused or because they had to try and cope with mental, physical, emotional or spiritual challenges all on their own. They come to us, instinctively knowing that Paganism holds healing at it's core, and when we don't help them they can morph from being Lost Children to Problem Children in a heartbeat.

A Pagan gal named Tree wrote this to me just recently:

I've been torn about recommitting to the Goddess and the Earth, because I thought I'd be lonely. . . A couple of weeks ago I was wandering around despondently thinking, "Where on Earth am I going to find Pagans who want do the tough work of growing up?"

What do the Lost Children really need? They need support as they walk a very challenging path. They need trustworthy companions, and connection. The Lost Children need to be around joyous, free, spiritually mature human beings, who are comfortable with their power and compassionate in their wisdom. They need to be around creative people who are in touch with play, wonder, healthy sexuality, and the divine; people who also know how to work hard, honor their word, and pay the rent. We Pagans claim to honor the divine, wherever we find it, however we understand it. We claim to respect what is sacred, both within and without. In teaching this, we must also teach our people to honor others as they wish to be honored themselves. We must consciously model for our students and circle members what it looks like to be in touch with our Best Selves and the God/ess within. This requires an emotional, mental, and spiritual evolution on the part of all here. It's not easy, but nothing less will do.

Inclusion and Acceptance

I've been thinking today about inclusion and acceptance.

As a Pagan and as a woman, I want to be included. For example, I want the military to put a pentacle on the headstone of a Pagan soldier if he or she wants that. I want Pagans to have a chaplain or priestess of their faith available to them, if they so desire, and to have the protection of the law for our rites and rituals. As a feminist, I want the next generation to have what we did not: I want women's history and literature to be included in the curriculum, beginning in elementary school, so that young girls have heroines and legitimate role models beginning at an early age. I want women's school sports funded on a level equal to that of men so that they can be in touch with their bodies, their strength and their will. I want girls to know that it's great to be good at math and I want the young women who will follow me to fly as high and as far as their skills, learning, vision and work ethic will take them.

That said, I don't expect or demand acceptance. By that I mean that I don't need people to agree with me, or invite me to their church, temple or private parties. I don't need them to approve of me. I approve of me.

The difference as I see it is this: With inclusion, I am treated like an equal citizen of worth, among a diverse population. If people with whom I differ accept me, then they see me as their friend or as part of their group. (That can happen, but it takes a great deal of open mindedness on all sides.) When it comes to some people, I am not and never will be their friend. Nor do I wish to join their club. Most people in this country will continue to view me (Eco-feminist and Pagan) with some suspicion and distrust. They might even think that I am dangerous, loony, out of line or otherwise deluded. They have the right to think that in a free country. What they can't do - and what I will fight with all the skills I have - is to somehow (legally, medically, politically, commercially or in any other way) treat me as less than a full citizen and human being.

Inclusion means that I am included in the civil, religious and other rights and responsibilities held by all people. Inclusion means I am treated with respect. It does not mean that they agree with me or mine. It does not mean that they respect my views.

If I expect those with whom I differ to accept me, I am asking them to change their world view, and I don't have that right. If they are harming the planet or someone else, I may demand that they behave differently for the good of all, but I have no control over how they think and believe.

Let's be honest about this: I don't intend to change my world view, either. A bigot is not allowed in my home but I will defend her/his right to vote. In a society that thrives on difference and diversity, that is all I can and will ask.

To me, this sounds reasonable, simple and fair. It is democracy in the truest sense of that word. Others see this as a threat to a world order they envision and wish to bring about. Will things change in my lifetime? Could the U.S democracy that allows me to believe in the concept of inclusion for all regardless of skin color, age, physical challenges, gender, spiritual practice, political party or sexual preference become a fascist state? Read this interview with Naomi Wolf titled Fascist America in 10 Easy Steps. It will make you wonder if the simple freedoms we now take for granted are going to be with us in the future.

Sia

Off the Shelf

The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel

Publisher's Note: In the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, far-right Schlafly/Falwell-type ideals have been carried to extremes in the monotheocratic government. The resulting society is a feminist's nightmare: women are strictly controlled, unable to have jobs or money and assigned to various classes: the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to the "morally fit" Wives. The tale is told by Offred (read: "of Fred"), a Handmaid who recalls the past and tells how the chilling society came to be.

Photo: Herminoe Granger as played by Emma Watson

Gut Wisdom & Ms. Oprah

Gut Wisdom

I recently found (was gifted with?) two useful pieces to the mind/body puzzle. The first came from an article titled I've Got A Feeling which appeared in the March issue of O Magazine. It is written by Chip Brown. (1) I found this paragraph illuminating:

In the early 1980's, scientists rediscovered the enteric nervous system in the gut (first mapped out 60 years earlier) - a 'second brain' of some 100 million nerve cells that runs mostly on autopilot, a regulating digestion and playing a vital part in the body's immune system. Intriguingly, it's also buzzing with mood-altering neurotransmitters, identical to the ones in the brain - biochemical’s like serotonin (a major factor in depression) that neuroscientist Candice Pert, PhD, poetically called "the molecules of emotion." Literally connecting the brain to the belly is the remarkable vagus nerve: Stimulate that with an implanted device, and you can relieve depression and improve learning and memory.

There is a small section within I Have a Feeling titled The Gut Whisperer, written by Nancy Napier. It talks about the belly as stress detector, and has recommendations for listening to our body. Here is an excerpt:

Your gut is a brilliant barometer of stress. This exercise is simple: Just allow your focus to settle within your abdomen. Is your gut quiet or active? Open or clenched? Soft or tense? Spacious or tight?

If you're tight, gripped, or clenched, you're probably dealing with some kind of stress. Ask yourself: What could I imagine right now that would help me to feel better? Maybe it's visualizing walking on a beautiful beach, eating at your favorite restaurant, or relaxing at a spa. You might want to just sit still and breathe deeply for a few minutes.

Whatever comes to mind, take a few moments to let yourself go with the thought, bringing in an awareness of colors, shapes, textures, smells, temperature - all the qualities that make the experience alive for you. You'll know you have brought your stress level down when your gut becomes warm, spacious, soft, or quiet, or conveys some other comfortable sensation. As with all skills, learning to listen to - and trust - your gut make take practice, but over time you'll discover a valuable and reliable guide.

A second piece of the puzzle may be found in The Women's Belly Book written by a yoga teacher Lisa Sarasohn (and referenced in that same article).

I played around in Amazon this morning, and found another book of interest, titled Divining the Body: Reclaiming the Holiness of Your Physical Self. Based on the chapter titles, I think it would appeal to people from many different faiths and paths.

I would also like to recommend an article by MuseMother titled Inner Voice and Menopause.

Progressive Thinking in "O"

As we all know, Ms. Winfrey is an avowed Christian with very progressive ideas. She is also one very smart lady who knows her demographic and who likes to work with other smart women, so I have to wonder: Does she really know how many bits of Pagan, Buddhist, Taoist & New Age thinking O Magazine offers her readers under the innocuous slogan "Living Your Best Life"?

Many of the Pagan women I know watch or read Oprah and one fundamentalist and so called "former Pagan" has called her a "paganising maven" and compared her to Starhawk. He means it as an insult of course, and is referring only to the matter of influence both women have on this culture (influence which frightens him down to his boots.). Starhawk and Oprah are activists in their own way but their skills and their focus are Yin and Yang. Speaking archtypecially, Starhawk is at her core an Iconoclast, a Poet and a Mystic. Her politics and activism are rooted in the traditions of radical feminism. Ms. Winfrey, too, is a feminist but of a rather different sort. Raised in poverty in the Jim Crow south, she is a pragmatic businesswoman and her archetypal profile is very much that of Builder, Counselor and C.E.O. That said, she, too, has a ministry of sorts, and now, it seems, wishes to become a political force.

The Church of Oprah

A 2006 USA Today article titled "The Divine Ms. Winfrey" includes this quote:

"She's a really hip and materialistic Mother Teresa," says Kathryn Lofton, a professor at Reed College in Portland, Ore., who has written two papers analyzing the religious aspects of Winfrey. "Oprah has emerged as a symbolic figurehead of spirituality."

The article goes on to say that "In a November poll conducted at Beliefnet.com, a site that looks at how religions and spirituality intersect with popular culture, 33% of 6,600 respondents said Winfrey has had "a more profound impact" on their spiritual lives than their clergypersons."

Some Pagans see Oprah as a form of Bodhisatta, or at the very least, as one who is closely connected through her charity work to Guan Yin. I would love to know just how large her non-Christian readership really is.

Recently, she caused a great deal of controversy with her enthusiasm for The Secret, a collection of simplistic, materialistic "teachings", filled with wishful thinking, New Age cliches and Self Help banalities. If anything, this incident shows us just how unaware Ms. Winfrey is when it comes to the history, ideas, and issues involved in spiritual practices outside the Judeo/Christian mainstream. The "revelations" contained in The Secret are common to anyone who has read even most basic books on these subjects. On the shadow side, the materialism the authors espouse, coupled with the guilt and shame the book engenders among those readers who just can't believe enough to make themselves rich and healthy appalled many of us. Bill Moyers, a believing, progressive Christian, has read a wide variety books on spiritual traditions, and is a proponent of writers like Joseph Campbell. One wishes that Ms. Winfrey would follow his example. When watching Oprah talk about The Secret, I longed to give this well meaning, mind hungry reader a better book list. (2) When I consider missteps like this, I remember that the lady is human, and she continues to learn. I notice that when she errs, she errs on the positive side of her nature, and not on the negative. In other words, she was taken with (or taken in by, depending on your point of view) people proclaiming that we each have a destiny and the power to claim it, and that connecting with our Highest Self involves understanding our connection to the universe and the energy therein. The snake oil aside, this core wisdom is something most Pagans can relate to. Given the number of Pagan con artists we have among us who use the positive teachings of our path to sexually and psychologically manipulate others, it might behoove us to view this incident with some compassion.

The Personal Is Political

For over twenty years, Oprah Winfrey has led in the best way; with the courage of her own example. She helped us to heal after 9/11, built new homes for Katrina victims, worked to end the genocide in Darfur, talked frankly and intelligently about women's issues, educated her audiences everything from rape and racism, supported gay marriage, and stood up for tolerance on all fronts. She has also said on more than one occasion that she believes there is "more than one way to God." Oprah Winfrey has used her influence to raise millions for causes she believes in and recently pledged 40 million of her personal wealth to build a multi-ethic girl's school in South Africa. Recently, she has put her considerable powers behind a progressive, well educated, anti-war candidate who is married to a professional woman as intelligent and committed to social justice as he is.

It just gets more interesting from here.

What I find most moving this is that we are watching a woman who, by her own admission, stuffed her personal pain and stress down with food and struggled with weight and self esteem issues her whole life, who is getting in touch with her own belly wisdom. The older she gets, the less she gives in to her dis-ease, and more in touch she becomes (both emotionally and physically). The more she learns, and the more chances she takes, the more powerful she seems to be. She believes in helping others, but better still, she helps them to help themselves. These days, Ms. Winfrey seems to be more and more in touch with the Goddess we Pagans know well, a curvy, powerful, laughing, positive, creative, vocal and very active presence. Regardless of what she calls this sacred source, I wish her well. I will continue to watch and wonder where it will take her.

Sia

(1) Like most Seekers, I'll take wisdom where ever and whenever and whenever I can find it.

(2) The CD offers a lush production design ripped off from the movie version of The Da Vinci Code and it is no doubt intended to appeal to fans of that book. As Salon.com notes in Oprah's Ugly Little Secret, she has done little more than support a New Age pyramid scheme. It was not her finest hour, but a woman who has had so many fine hours can afford one or two that do not shine so bright. Here is a quote from the article Self Helps Slimy Secret (Note: The full article is worth reading, please see the link below): A couple of weeks ago, she "clarified" her views on the "law of attraction." Although she didn't apologize for endorsing "The Secret," she said the law of attraction "is not the answer to everything. It is not the answer to atrocities or every tragedy. It is just one law. Not the only law. And certainly, certainly, certainly not a get-rich-quick scheme."

Image: This comes from a site called Belly Masks

Related Articles:

The Shadow Knows

Self Help's Slimy Secret

Alex the Parrot Passes On But Leaves Us Wiser

Alex
1976 - 2007

Live Science reports that "Alex the African grey parrot is dead, and all across the country anthropologists and psychologists are dressing in black.

The article goes on to say that "Alex was best known to the public as the amazing talking parrot. Way beyond "Polly want a cracker," this bird knew more than 100 words and could hold a decent conversation.

Scientists in particular mourn his passing, not just because Alex was an excellent linguist, but also because he rattled our cage....for a long time, the chimp language people thought their animals were pretty special. But then came Alex."

The Daily Galaxy notes that "Pepperberg wrote that Alex's intelligence was on par with that of dolphins and great apes. She also reported that Alex had the intelligence of a five-year-old human and had not reached his full potential by the time he died...."The work revolutionized the way we think of bird brains," said Diana Reiss, a psychologist at Hunter College who works with dolphins and elephants. "That used to be a pejorative, but now we look at those brains — at least Alex's — with some awe."

As an animal activist I believe that Alex has taught us another important lesson: That it is morally wrong and outrageously cruel to take such intelligent, long lived birds and lock them in cages without appropriate companionship or stimulus. Too often we treat them like decorations and pretty toys and they can go quite literally insane with such treatment. Below you will find a link to parrot rescue groups. If you wish to "own" a parrot, please consider adopting one in need. For more on this issue, read the article titled Bird Brains and Animal Rights

Alex's death on September 14th was so important, it was reported in the The New York Times . The online report offers a YouTube video of Alex at work and notes that "Alex was the subject of 30 years of experiments challenging the most basic assumptions about animal intelligence."

A link for other YouTube videos can be found below.

The press release from the Alex Foundation says this:

Over the course of 30 years of research, Dr. Pepperberg and Alex revolutionized the notions of how birds think and communicate. What Alex taught Dr. Pepperberg about cognition and communication has been applied to therapies to help children with learning disabilities. Alex’s learning process is based on the rival-model technique in which two humans demonstrate to the bird what is to be learned. Alex and Dr. Pepperberg have been affiliated with Purdue University, Northwestern University, the University of Arizona, the MIT Media Lab, the Radcliffe Institute, and most recently, Harvard University and Brandeis University.

Alex has been featured worldwide on numerous science programs including the BBC, NHK, Discovery and PBS. He is well known for his interactions with Alan Alda in an episode of Scientific American Frontiers on PBS and from an episode of the famed PBS Nature series called “Look Who’s Talking.” Reports on Alex’s accomplishments have appeared in the popular press and international news from USA Today to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. The Science Times section of the New York Times featured Alex in a front-page story in 1999. That same year, Dr. Pepperberg published The Alex Studies, a comprehensive review of her decades of learning about learning from Alex. Many other television appearances and newspaper articles followed....

Alex has left a significant legacy—not only have he and Dr. Pepperberg and their landmark experiments in modern comparative psychology changed our views of the capabilities of avian minds, but they have forever changed our perception of the term “bird brains.”

If you choose to help support this research, please consider making a donation in Alex's memory to The Alex Foundation, c/o Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Department of Psychology/MS-062, 415 South Street, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454.

Thank you, Alex, and thank you Dr. Pepperberg.

Sia

Off the Shelf:

Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights
From Publisher's Weekly: Whether or not one accepts Wise's premise that certain animal species meet the law's criteria for personhood, his book is a fascinating examination of animal behavior and intelligence. Crammed with data, case studies and reports from the field, it engages the reader in a thoughtful debate about the place of animals in a world dominated by humans. Not only does Wise (Rattling the Cage) know how to build a logical argument for legal rights for some animals, he also knows how to tell a good story. From early morning forays in Ugandan mountain forests, where he observes the complex behavior and social structure of chimpanzees, to the MIT Media Lab, where he chronicles the astounding mental agility of its resident parrot-scholar, Alex, Wise strengthens his case and intrigues the reader with his tales.

Links:

Hundreds of clever, loving parrots and other birds are abandoned and in need of good homes. Here is a link to parrot rescue information and groups in your area.

That Damn Bird: A YouTube Video Interview with Dr. Irene Pepperberg

The Alex Foundation Homepage

YouTube Videos featuring Alex

Alex RIP Video

Updated 9/20/

Dysfunctional & Healthy Behavior in the Pagan Scene

A friend recently sent me a note, pointing out that an article I'd written for the Witches Voice has passed it's third anniversary and now has close to 20,000 hits: It's A Mystery: Dysfunctional Behavior and the Pagan Scene

Well, well. For a quiet soul like me that's kind of nice.

I get still get letters from people this article has helped, and that always makes my day.

Since I don't believe in stating a problem without also offering a solution, I also wrote Part II, Healthy Pagan Groups and Individuals.

I notice that only half the people who read the first part, read the second part.

What do you suppose that means?

Sia

Training as a Green Witch

We seek to find our calling and to
develop the will and the wisdom to follow it.
- Spiral Steps, Step 13

I am a Green Witch. (1) I begin the formal training in my tradition with an older woman in California who is, among other things, writer, an artist and a naturalist. I have loved animals and nature since I was a child and before I began working with her, I had many years experience working with groups that protect both. Among other things, I had worked for over a decade as a volunteer with companion animal and wildlife rescue groups. I was also an avid gardener (most often using herbs and native plants) and while I wasn't a hard body hiker, I loved being outdoors and often did my rituals and mediations in wild places. So why, then, did I feel the need to train with this woman? Well, for one thing, I admired her skills and her renaissance mind. I also wanted to understand her connection with Gaia, which was different from my own. I'd heard from someone she had trained that she choose to work with very few students over the years but I was not told why. That sounded a bit daunting. Nevertheless, I went to her home, and asked if I could learn from her. When a student comes to her, she says this:

"Find a place that speaks to you. Adopt that place. Go there at least once a week. Pick up any trash you find there. Do not disturb the animals, do not remove anything from that place that belongs there. Make it known that you are there as a guardian and as a student. Do this for a year and a day. Take notes. Make sketches. Look at the clouds. Note the changes in weather. Take photos. Record your observations about the animals you encounter, what flowers bloom and when and where they bloom. Find out which birds come and go. Learn the names of the trees. Sit quietly from time to time, and just listen. Do this for four seasons. When you have done that, come back here and we'll begin. (2)

And this is why she had so few students. To many, it seemed like too much work. They wanted some spells and some ready-made answers. Most wanted power the easy way. Word to the earthwise: There is no easy way.

My mentor knew that she had a great deal to teach, and also a great deal left to learn and she wanted share this journey with those who also shared her passions and her dedication. The older I get, the more I understand this.

I did what she asked. After a year and a day I went back to her with my journals, sketches, photos and field notes. I thought she would ask me a great many questions. I was ready for this test in a way I hadn't been since graduate school. She brought us both some tea, and invited me to sit. She looked at my notes, briefly, while I admired her art collection, and petted her cat. Then she looked at me, and said, "So. How did this experience change you?"

That was it. That was her one question. When I look back on it now, I see that it's a vital question because it deals with the soul and center of our craft. (id. at 1) But just then I didn't know what to say. So we drank some more tea while the cat made a nest in my lap. I looked into it's golden eyes, and thought about my answer, and then I began to talk...and talk...and talk. Because when you look at it that way, I had a great deal to say. None of it was factual in nature. What I had learned from that place had gone so deep in me that it was now an instinctual, gut level awareness. It had nothing to do with my field notes, and everything to do with my love of this place and my relationship to it and to the beings that live there. She wanted to know how this connection had affected me, and how I had affected this place, and whether or not I got it. I had. From that day on, we began to work together, and we have done so for over a decade.

The central question in my tradition is this: "What are Witches for?

Each of us has to answer this question in our own way. (3) For me, it means I work with licensed groups that rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife, and help return them to the wild. I also am a foster mom for kittens and I work to find homes for cats in need. I work with native plants and help educate others on the importance of preserving wild lands and native habitat. I also help to organize events and raise money for grass roots organizations that do this sort of work. I still have to make a living, so I do this as service, as an unpaid volunteer, in my free time, along with thousands of other people just like me. This work has brought me a wealth of experience and enriched my life immeasurably. It's what I'm meant to do.

Whatever our spiritual practice, if our tradition is meaningful
then part of our life lesson is finding out what we are meant to do.
The rest is doing it.

When we ask the universe for teachers or lessons, they come to us. Very often they are not in the form we looked for. They might not be human. They might be an experience or an animal guide or an attraction to a place. The lesson might involve letting go or it might involve love and care. And the learning never stops. At some point in our lives we might be asked to mentor others, and this will lead to yet more connections and change.

After 25 years as a Pagan, this is what I know: We don't choose this path, it chooses us. Then we spend the rest of our lives trying to understand and use the gifts we receive along the way.

Best of luck on your journey,

Sia

Art: Storyteller by Susan Sedden Boulet

Link: Spiral Steps

Endnotes:

(1) To find out what I mean by that, read Pratchett and the Pagans

(2) Many Green Witches do this instinctively, don't we? She knew that.

(3) Another one of her students was a software engineer who loved horses. So she worked on a horse ranch as a volunteer, and she was given the same basic quest. Same experience, different paths. She now helps kids with disabilities learn how to ride and she rescues abused and neglected horses.