Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Book Review: Playing with Fire

I recently read Playing With Fire by Dagulf Loptson. I'd been looking for something specifically about Loki, because while I am also working my way through (and quite enjoying) Raven Kaldera's Northern Shamanic books, I wanted a deeper exploration of this Guy whose been rata-tap-tapping on my head for the better part of the last year (although it's fair to say I've known Him for many years, we were simply never close before recently).

I read a number of articles and chapters in dusty old academic texts when I was working on my rune book, and as I turned back to the better of those for material about Loki, the conclusions about Him I found in them were...cliché? Loki is "Bad". Simply put, He was universally reviled by ancient Norsemen, therefore modern Norse reconstructionists should shun and revile him. That seems simple, but it has never sat right with me.

As someone who had already been working with Hela the past few years (who is also supposed to be reviled, I might add--or at the very least given a wide berth), I couldn't possibly have disagreed more with this absurd notion of that Loki was some kind of Heathen/Norse version of Satan. Didn't we leave our Christianity and it's notions about Good and Evil at the Church door when we left?

So off I went, in search of something that wasn't painfully obviously influenced by a religion not my own. And I found it.

Playing with Fire is the result of Loptson's two decades' or so worth of love, devotion, and study of Loki. It is broken down into ten chapters (plus some additional material at the end) that explore who Loki is, in the context of old Norse religion, His often complex relationships to the other Gods, how He may have been worshipped a thousand or more years ago, how He is worshipped today, and some ideas about getting to know Him better (with all of the warnings that should go along with that notion!--although for my part, it was "too late"; I've been getting to know Loki for quite some while now, and I seriously have no regreats). What impressed me the most in Playing with Fire is that Loptson neither regurgitated stale facts (and absurd fallacies), nor did he give an account of Loki based solely his personal gnosis. Rather, he finds that perfect, delicate balance between research and UPG and always makes it crystal clear which is which. Where he disagrees with academia's hasty conclusions (which is fairly frequently), Loptson gives solid reasons and ample evidence (pulled from academia); he sites his sources and despite the fact that Playing with Fire is well-researched, Loptson's writing is neither dry nor crunchy, making the book an absolute pleasure to read.

I don't necessarily personally agree 100% with Loptson's every conclusion (I have my own reasons for simply not being able to regard Loki as one of the Æsir), but Playing with Fire is an absolute must-read for Lokeans (devotees of Loki), or anyone else who  wants to look at the Norse Gods through a more balanced lens.

Playing with Fire can be purchased (for five bucks) directly from the publisher's website (they'll actually shuffle you off to Lulu to buy it as either a PDF or an epub), or is available in Kindle format (I think? It says "epub") from Amazon (slightly cheaper, but that price difference affects the author's royalty check--just sayin'). It is one of the very few books, as I begin the slow process of down-sizing my life (I want to move in 5 or 10 years into a much smaller dwelling), that I plan to acquire in physical format (I bought my initial copy in electronic format from the publisher/Lulu)--and I don't say that frequently of $20 books.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Wiccan, Pagan, Norse...?


I started writing something the other day with the sentence “Wicca is First and Foremost a Religion.” This is true—but the more I sat with it, the more it felt uncomfortable as my truth—that is to say, the more I saw with it, the less I felt the label Wiccan applied to me.



This is a very strange revelation, but it fits with the work I’ve been doing lately (a re-examining of my Self through the Tenants, a set of principles set to paper by Sybil Leek; I have worked through the Tenants once before, but I find myself at an odd place in life where lots of things no longer fit the way they used to, so I decided it was time to check back in with my Self and see where I am).



And so, here I am, not Wiccan. It feels a little weird.



I still believe in much of what Wicca has to teach about the universe. I believe that it is a good idea not to go about causing malicious harm without just cause—although “just cause” is a mighty subjective term. Still, I think a lot of things are universal. I certainly believe in Four Elemental system that acknowledges Earth, Air, Fire, and Water; I still prefer to work in a Circle, because it’s something I’ve done for nearly 30 years and it is part of my comfort zone. I still believe in reincarnation, although I never had a full grasp on it, or how to reconcile all the various beliefs about life after death (I have a better grasp now, I think). I believe in the importance of things like Ritual Bath, purifying the space, I still us an athame (ironically, the same athame made for me by an avowed Norseman—lookin’ at you, Artos!).



I still call myself a witch, although that title is hardly unique to Wicca.



So what changed?



#1:

After careful thought and consideration, mediation, pondering, contemplation, observation, practice, prayer, and thought, I am without a doubt a polytheist. I say that not to mean I don’t believe there isn’t room for other “eisms”; panentheism, atheism, monotheism, pantheism are all perfectly and absolutely valid. Just not for me. My experience of and relationships with the Gods is polytheistic. End-stop.  Isis is Isis. Hela is Hela. Loki is Loki. Osiris is Osiris. Hera is Hera. There may be some overlap between Isis and Hera or Hermes and Oðinn, but at the end of the day, that overlap is more like the overlap between one family’s fast-talking, gender-bendy cousin and another family’s fast-talking gender-bendy cousin. They share similar qualities, but just because you’re drinking buddies with one doesn’t mean the other one is going to like you or appreciate it if you call him up in the middle of the night, especially if you haven’t even been properly introduced! They are two different people—two different Gods.



And yes, of course, your mileage may vary. We’re talking about my mileage and why I can no longer use the word Wiccan to describe myself, because Wiccan philosophy holds that “All Gods are One God; All Goddesses are One Goddess; All come from the Same Source”.  



#2

I can no longer identify as Wiccan because while am a CIS female, I cannot identify with a strictly binary world-view. I’m not saying it’s wrong or bad or that every group doesn’t have the absolute sovereign right to worship the Gods they choose (or who choose them) as they see fit (you should have heard me yelling at the laptop as I watched the taped lecture of a person who wants to change Gardnerian Wicca to include the gender-queer and gender-fluid—those are NOT Gardnerian world- or Deity-views; if your world-view and Gods are absolutely non-binary, you should probably go and find a religion that fits; please do not try to make the religion you are in fit you). Oops. I think I might have digressed….let’s get back on track, shall we?



In recent years, the idea of binary gender has (rightly) been challenged; we, as human beings are more than simply “male” or “female”.  We are both. We are neither. We are fluid. We are questioning, questing, unsure, and happily exploring. Gender-identity is a brilliant rainbow and there are more expressions of sexual orientation than heterosexuality. That does not fit with the traditional Wiccan view which tells us:



A)     Godhead is one unique and transcendent wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions; thus, it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is revealed to us in terms of Its attributes and operation.

B)      The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the Great Mother of the universe.  The Beings are as near as we can approach to the One within our human limitations of understanding and expression, though it is possible to experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the Mysteries.



That view, while valid for those who believe in it, does not allow for the experiences of the Polytheist or for the experiences of the non-binary witch, the gender-fluid, gender-questioning, gender-queer, gender-non-conforming, the third-gender, or the asexual witch; it does little to address the experiences of the transgender witch, or the gay and lesbian witch, or even the bi- or pansexual witch. For while we do, indeed, all come from a sperm (male) and egg (female), the complexities of gender and sexuality are only yet being unraveled.



To say that the archetypal Goddess and God, the Mother and Father, are “the nearest we can approach to understanding Divinity” does not allow for the vast experiences and expressions of the human condition and seems (to me) an excuse to justify the (fictionally ancient) Religion of the Great Mother and Her Horned Consort.



Although let me say it again: it is within the right of the senior members of any given Tradition to choose their Tradition’s Gods and to specify the way in which They will be worshipped within the Tradition. Don’t join a Wiccan Coven and expect them to change to suit your world-view; in joining, you agree to accept theirs.



That’s it. There are only Two Things, but they are Very Big Things. I believe in doing my best to live my truth, walk my talk, and be myself. And after nearly 30 years of practice, that Self is no longer Wiccan.



For those who may still labor under the odd belief that Wicca is a willy-nilly sort of religion, here are the general principles that Wiccans subscribe to; though there is no High Authority, no Book, no (real) organization, once upon a time (back in the early 1970’s) a group of prominent Wiccans got together and hammered out what Wiccans believe. I think they did a pretty good job.



The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief:

1.     We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.

2.     We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment.  We seek to live in harmony with nature in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3.     We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person.  Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called ‘supernatural’, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4.     We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity – as masculine and feminine – and that this same Creative Power lies in all people and functions through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine.  We value neither above the other knowing each to be supportive of the other.  We value sex as pleasure as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energy used in magical practice and religious worship.

5.     We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, the Inner Planes etc – and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises.  We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6.     We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7.     We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it – a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft – the Wiccan Way.

8.     Calling oneself ‘Witch’ does not make a Witch – but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations.  A Witch seek to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and without harm to others and in harmony with nature.

9.     We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

10.Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be ‘the only way’ and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions.  We are concerned with our present and our future.

12.We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as ‘Satan’ or ‘the Devil’ as defined by Christian tradition.  We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13.We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.



There is a second set of Principles that mirrors and expands upon the first; this second set is actually what I learned first (both can be found at Sacred Texts.com)



BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT

 
1.   The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the ethic, "DO AS YOU WILL, SO LONG AS YOU HARM NONE"
      a) love is not emotional in its essence, but is an attribute of the individual as expressed in relation to other beings;
      b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed;
      c) it is to be understood the "none" includes oneself;
      d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm, although it is ethical
          to defend oneself and one's liberty when threatened by real and present danger, such as defense against invasion.
 
2.   The Witch must recognize and harmonize with the forces of the universe, in accord with the Law of Polarity: everything is dual; everything has two poles; everything has it's opposite; for every action there is a reaction; all can be categorized as either active or reactive in relation to other things.
      a) Godhead is one unique and transcendant wholeness, beyond any limitations or expressions; thus, it is beyond our human capacity to understand and identify with this principle of Cosmic Oneness, except as It is revealed to us in terms of It's attributes and operation.
      b) The most basic and meaningful attribute of the One that we, as humans, can relate to and understand, is that of polarity, of action and reaction; therefore Witches recognize the Oneness of the Divinity, but worship and relate to the Divine as the archetypal polarity of God and Goddess, the All-Father and the Great Mother of the universe.  The Beings are as near as we can approach to the One within our human limitations of understanding and expression, though it is possible to experience the divine Oneness through the practices of the Mysteries.
      c) Harmony does not consist of the pretty and the nice, but the balanced, dynamic, poised co-operation and co-relation.
 
3.   The Witch must recognize, and operate within the framework of the Law of Cause and Effect; every action has it's reaction, and every effect has it's cause.  All things occur according to this law; nothing in the universe can occur outside this law, though we may not always appreciate the relation between a given effect and it's cause.  Subsidiary to this is the Law of Three, which states that whatever goes forth must return threefold, whether of good or ill; for our actions affect more than people generally realize, and the resulting reactions are also part of the harvest.
 
4.   As Above, So Below.  That which exists in the Macrocosm exists, on a smaller scale and to a lesser degree, in the Microcosm.  The powers of the universe exist also in the human, though in general instance they lie dormant.  The powers and abilities can be awakened and used if the proper techniques are practiced, and this is why initiates of the Mysteries are sworn to guard the secrets from the unworthy:  Much harm can be done by those who have power without responsibility, both to others and to themselves according to the Laws of Cause and Effect and of Threefold Return.
      a) Since our philosophy teaches that the universe is the physical manifestation of the Divine, there can be nothing in the universe which does not partake of the nature of the Divine; hence, the powers and attributes of the Divine exist also in the manifest, though to much smaller degree.
      b) These powers can be awakened through the various techniques of the Mysteries, and, although they are only capable of small effects in and of themselves, it is possible to use them in order to draw upon the forces of the universe.  Thus humanity can be the wielders of the power of the Gods, a channel for Godhead to act within It's own manifestation.


          This, then, is further reason for the oath of secrecy.


      c) Since the universe is the body of the One, possessing the same attributes as the One, it's Laws must be the principles through and by which the One operates.  By reasoning from the known to the unknown, one can learn of the Divine, and thus of oneself.  Thus the Craft is a natural religion, seeing in Nature the expression and revelation of Divinity.
 
5.   We know that everything in the universe is in movement or vibration and is a function of that vibration.  Everything vibrates; all things rise and fall in a tidal system that reflects the motion inherent in the universe and also in the atom.  Matter and energy are but two poles of one continuous phenomenon.  Therefore the Witch celebrates, harmonizes with, and makes use of the tides of the universe and of life as expressed through the cycle of the seasons and the motion of the solar system.  These ritual observances are the eight great Festivals of the Year, referred to as the Wheel of the Year.
      Further, the Witch works with the forces and tides of the Moon, for this body is the mediator of much energy to our planet Earth and thus to ourselves.
 
6.   Nothing is dead matter in the universe.  All things exist, therefore all things live, though perhaps in a different manner from that which we are used to calling life.  In view of this, the Witch knows that there is no true death, only change from one condition to another.  The universe is the body of Godhead, and therefore possesses one transcendant consciousness; all things partake of the consciousness, in varying levels of trance/awareness.
      a) Because of this principle, all things are sacred to the Witch, for all partake of the one Life.
      b) Therefore the Witch is a natural ecologist, for Nature is part of us as we are a part of Nature.
 
7.   Astrology can be useful in marking and interpreting the flow and ebb of  the tides of our solar system, and thus of  making use of those tides; astrology should not be debased into mere fortune-telling.
 
8.   Throughout the development of the human race, civilizations have seen and worshipped many and various attributes of the Divine.  These universal forces have been clothed in forms which were expressive to the worshipper of the attribute of the Godhead which they expressed.  Use of these symbolic representations of the natural and divine forces of the universe, or godforms, is a potent method for contacting and utilizing the forces they represent.  Thus the Gods are both natural and truely divine, and man-made in that the forms with which they are clothed are products of  humanity's striving to know the
Godhead.
      a) In keeping with the Law of Polarity, these god-forms are brought into harmony by the one great Law which states:  



All Gods are one God. 

All Goddesses are one Goddess. 

There is one Initiator. 



This law is an expression of our  understanding that all of the forces of the universe, by whatever ethnic god-form is chosen to clothe and relate to
whichever force, can be resolved into the fundamental polarity of the Godhead, the Great Mother and the All-Father.
      b) It is the use of differing godforms, of differing ethnic sources or periods, which is the basis of many of the differences between the various Traditions of the Craft.  Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names, which to that
Tradition best express and awaken an understanding of the force represented, according to the areas of emphasis of the Tradition.
      c) Because we know that differing names or representations are but expressions of the same divine principles and forces, we require our members to swear that they will never mock the names by which another honors the Divine, even though those names be different from and seemingly less expressive than the names and godforms used by our Tradition (for to the members of another Tradition, using it's names, ours may easily seem equally less expressive).
 
9.   A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind.  The Witch expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequences of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one's self-actualization, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of harmlessness, responsibility for the consequences of one's actions, and the goal of  actualizing the full powers of the individual.
      a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born innately sinful, and recognize the the concepts of sin and guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential; the consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences of situations and their effects because the individual as not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such situations.
      b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make of our life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell except the effects of our unwise actions.  Death is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the continuing evolution of the human potential.
      c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can, however, cut oneself off from it through the rejection of wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization.  This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in "hell", for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to one's own divinity has been severed; what remains is merely an empty shell, a "personality" or thought-form devoid of it's ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.
 
10.  We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all living things, that is, all that exists.  We know that a spark of this Divine Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and that it does not die; only the form of it's existence changes. We know that this spark of  the life-force returns to manifestation again and again in order to fully  realize and actualize it's potential, evolving finally to the peak and essence of existence which is pure be-ing.  In this process of  reincarnation each form returns in the same type of form, though it's ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher levels of existence of  that form.  Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral, each class of form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve.
 
11.  This process of evolution through successive incarnations in manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the essence of the life-experience.  This essence of experience, or Wisdom, is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable (see 9a).
 
12.  We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of life, the form by which we attain.  Thus we must heal the body of it's ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others (both physicaly and psychologically) as far as it is within our power to do so.  However, we cannot interfere with the life of another, even to heal, except at their request or with their express permission; unless such non-interference would be inhibiting to our own, ethical existence and development -- and  even then the responsibilities and consequences must be understood and accepted.  This, then, is one of the important reasons for the communal life the Witches under the guidance of the Priesthood:  That the group  may be guided by wisdom and experience, with the aid and support of one's peers; and that one's actions may be guided by the influence of the ethical life of the group as a whole.