I am taking a bit of a step aside from discussing magickal spells and potions and tarot card readings to go all Pagan and Earth spirit in this discussion. The reason is we are deep into hurricane season and we have just dealt with a number of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean which have hit hard the Caribbean and the United States, and they are still coming.
We have seen and heard over the past decade or so, with severe storms like Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans as well as other storms, fundamentalist Christian ministers come out with outlandish statements that make ridiculous claims that these natural disasters are somehow God's punishment for man's wicked lifestyles. Lifestyles that particular minister happened to disagree with, we see these statements for what they are. Foolish nonsense that do not deserve any attention or credibility. We know these statements are ridiculous and foolish rantings. Of course God is not punishing anyone. It's called Nature. Mother Nature if you want to be polite!
I have read these statements in the past and have disregarded them as have others, not giving them much, if any attention. But, in this new day and age, of political unrest in our country, with the upsurge of fear and bigotry, intolerance and prideful hatred. With the wars in the Middle East and the rising potential of a world war becoming greater daily, with the suffering of humans, the starving, the dying, the homeless refugees wandering without a place to call home being broadcast into our living rooms nightly and people everywhere with the aid of social media finding themselves in a smaller world than ever before, I have seen something happen in relation to the natural disasters that are occurring this year.
I have been reading the words of Pagans, new age gurus, life coaches, inspirational speakers, motivational speakers and people without any true religious bent, some who may identify simply as spiritual, who are now speaking out and having long and involved discussions on how if only we loved each other more that these hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, the forest fires, mudslides, and other natural disasters would not happen! . . . . . . . (a moment of shocked silence while I let that sink in and allow you to really process what I just wrote)
Seriously? Now, I am not at all speaking of the magickal masters that have been writing and being published and researching and practicing and living this lifestyle for decades. No, because as Pagans they get it. It seems to be newer Pagans that have adopted this lifestyle but have failed to truly understand what being Pagan is. A part of and being one with nature. There is no gentle way of putting it. Or maybe, there is no gentle way for me to put it, and those who know me, know that warm and fuzzy is not my usual forte. Get over yourselves!!! DO YOU REALLY think that by loving each other more, or that by being nicer to puppies or hugging more trees or picking up more trash (and I am all for all of these things, I really am) that any of these things will stop the forces of nature that are called Hurricanes, tornadoes, Tsunamis, earthquakes!!?? Yes, I even heard someone theorize that there would be less earthquakes if people only sent out more love and joy and happiness into the world!!
Understand that if you really think this, then you are so far removed from being Pagan that you do not even know what the word means!! I do not wish to be mean, no, that is not what I intend. But understand what the meaning of the term you use to identify yourself with. A Pagan is one who is a part of nature. As a creature of the natural world, a daughter of the Goddess, a Pagan daughter, I stand in awe of nature and I respect, fear and know exactly how powerless and helpless I am in the face of a natural disaster. How I can't do a damn thing to stop the plates of the earth's crust from shifting when it chooses to. How when the forces of a hurricane when it develops in the ocean and heads towards land, how love and joy and caring energies towards others will do nothing to stop it from it's ultimate path.
Yes, there might be magickal things I can do to keep me safer, and there are times I need to pack up and go, if told it is best to do so. But to blame the forces of nature on the political climate or the lack of love for one another or the increase of hatred and prejudice simply makes you look foolish and on the same page as the fundamentalists we all thought were so crazy just a few years ago. How is this thinking any different? It is not. It is just as crazy, outlandish and fantastical.
It also to put it bluntly, is a power trip for the person speaking about this, for them to tell others "just send out more love, do this, do that, and you will change the course of natural events. Really? The fact that people believe this nonsense, one, builds up the person and gives them a sense of superiority and two, makes one feel as if we really are the greatest force in the universe. Sadly, we are not. We aren't even second, or third, or even tenth!
There is nothing wrong with being a part of the matrix, the cosmos, the whole of nature. It is a childish perspective to think we can affect natural events by our very thoughts, it is also arrogant. If everyone who spouted this nonsense was really serious then they would never be caught riding in any form of petroleum fueled transportation, ever. Or would ever eat anything packaged and purchased from a market, ever. Or ever wear any clothing they didn't make themselves. But we do. On one hand these people want to talk as if they have the secrets to changing the course of natural disasters, now wouldn't that make them all sorts of special and important? But they are as helpless as the rest of us, and at the end of the day they as all of us are at the mercy of the universe and Mother Nature and we can be smart about it, we can honor Her, worship Her, respect and try to care for Her as best we can but to think we are greater than Her or stronger or bigger or more dominant is foolish.
If there is anything these natural disasters should teach us is we do have a place in the natural scheme of things, an important place, but we are not superior nor are we the lowest, but we are a part of and we should work with and respect our environment as I do believe we do and have affected the environment when it comes to climate change, and yes I do believe we have enough knowledge and nuclear weapons to destroy life as we know it on the planet. But can we destroy the Earth? No, after we have destroyed ourselves, a period of time will pass when the Earth will rest and then start to regenerate and new life will grow and develop.
You see there was life before humans, actually there was humanoid life before our species of humans. Intelligent hominid life before us, approximately 20 plus species of hominid species. These are human type species and they have just found another human species never before found just last year in the Russian Siberian area. These species were created by some force of nature, lived, existed, became extinct some for a million years of so before we came along, so to think we are all that and a bag of chips, well it just isn't necessarily so. Like anything else in life, nothing is promised. Tomorrow what we have today may be gone.
I do believe the Earth will go on, but that is my belief. You may indeed believe differently and that is okay. But we have no guarantee. I guess my point is, as a Pagan, I try to live in harmony with nature, not in spite of. To say, I can affect natural events by sending out human emotions is disregarding and completely missing the point. By comparing a hurricane with what is happening politically in our world is such a stretch as to be science fiction and causes one to lose all credibility.
There is so much in the Pagan world, both natural and political, to discuss, to rally behind to support. From clean drinking water, to cleaning our oceans of pollution, to climate change, to saving our rain forests and the eco-systems within them and around the world. To fighting for religious freedom for all religions, not just ours, for if one is threatened all are threatened, and nowadays to try and stop the backwards slide back into an era of intolerance, fear, hatred and bigotry. Oh yes, there is plenty for a feisty Pagan to fight for and get all riled up about, but take care to speak with authority, be careful of your words, keep your thoughts clear and orderly, and make sure your ideas are not such that they come across as fanatical and outlandish.
Yes, the fundamentalist preacher truly believes that his God is punishing sinners by sending super storms and wiping out entire communities, but rational, sane minds prevail and we can step back and understand that the stories in the Bible were written as a parable, a moral, an allegory and are not literal and were not written thousands of years ago to be considered literal. Scholars know this to be true. They are stories to teach lessons. So yes, even back then huge storms happened and entire communities were wiped out but NO God did not do it!!! Nature did it!
And the dinosaurs did not go extinct because they did not love each other enough either! Wow, see how ridiculous that sounds? Yeah . . . . right?!
Yes, we can affect the environment, with our carbon footprint, our emissions, our pollution, our waste, our mountains of garbage which get higher and higher every year, our toxic waste and crude oil we 'accidentally' spill into the oceans every time we turn around!!! The fact that we actually have special soap and a call to action to help marine life in place for oil spills as if it is an everyday occurrence, which is almost is, is ridiculous! But not one word on social media about this! But we spend our time filling up miles of discussion threads talking about nonsense, when we know better.
If you want to help the world, the environment, the planet. Send out all the love you would like, but at the same time bend over and pick up some trash the next time you walk through a parking lot! EVEN though you didn't put it there!! That will actually make a difference.
Okay, allow me to jump down off of this huge soap box and go stir my cauldron, I think it is bubbling over . . .
Live, Laugh and Always Love, Ms. Faith
© 2010-2017 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.
If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to receive the link to the most current weekly blog post send me an e mail with your email address. You will receive a new blog post weekly. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.
