Wednesday, August 31, 2011
My favorite part of the Bible
I do have favorite parts of the Bible. Surprising as that may seem to some, I have read many parts of the Bible and am reading it --wholly-- again because I believe that it is important to know what others believe in and to understand where others derive their faith and morals from.
To me, the Bible is another culturally reflective group of stories and mythos. It is a selective collection of works of both Jewish and Christian ideas. It has went through numerous translations (both good and bad attempts) and in it's creation and evolution, it has picked up in a few hidden and not-so-talked-about-places some beautiful poetry. Especially within the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon). And that is my favorite part of the Bible.
A Hebrew to English translation can be found here.
Beautiful phrases and descriptions and personal love between two human beings just resonates from those passages. Intimate dialect between two lovers. These are ideas that are heavily concealed in all the Christianity I have been exposed to and it always left me wondering why. Why would you want to hide such passion and love? Why downplay the idea of intimacy into a very odd and forced allegory of Christ and the Church? Christ is not part of the Old Testament so how could this be relevant to him before he made himself known on Earth? Even in the original Hebrew, the gender forms of the words show there are two speakers-- one of male and one of female voice-- that speak back and forth to each other. (For those like me not educated in Hebrew, here is a source to see the breaks in whom is speaking to who.) Let these very deep feelings be what they are. Be exposed to the beauty of words, to the passion of two souls, and see the very deep physical and emotional wells of love for another human being.
1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth--for thy love is better than wine.
1:9 I have compared thee, O my love, to a steed in Pharaoh's chariots.
1:13 My beloved is unto me as a bag of myrrh, that lieth betwixt my breasts.
14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna in the vineyards of En-gedi.
15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thine eyes are as doves.
16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant; also our couch is leafy.
17 The beams of our houses are cedars, and our panels are cypresses.
2:4 He hath brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me is love.
2:7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field, that ye awaken not, nor stir up love, until it please.
Between Chapters 2 and 4, it can be suggested even, that the lovers are partaking in oral sex.
2:3 As an apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. Under its shadow I delighted to sit, and its fruit was sweet to my taste.
4:11 Thy lips, O my bride, drop honey--honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
Chapter 4 extends the inability in my mind for the Song of Songs to be about Christ and the Church. The man is discussing the beauty and fruitfulness of his lover--describing her in soft, fruitful, and fragrant tones. Her lips are a scarlet ribbon, her breasts are two fawns browsing about the lilies. He calls her a locked up garden with orchards, choice fruits, and exotic, rare, and enticing spices. To which she replies: Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his precious fruits. How tantalizing and tempting is that? How deliciously descriptive and evocative?
Chapter 5 shows her speaking of how her lover made his way into her heart and has come to her, only to find that when she opens the door, he is gone. While wandering the streets looking for her love, she is beaten by the guards, but still she searches. The question is asked of her: How is your lover better than any other man? and she begins describing her love as ruddy and preeminent above ten thousand, using metals, stones, and gems to describe him. His hair is curled and black as ravens. His body is polished ivory, his hands are rods of gold, his legs are pillars of marble, while his mouth is sweetness itself.
They continue to take turns describing each other and their passion, continuing the equal idea that "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine." (6:3) The imagery of fruit being tended, of secret, concealed gardens, and the mention for them to run away together invokes strong, passionate yearning between two lovers. The words of choice are deeply arousing and invoking of the senses
I hear so many things that resonate with my Pagan (and romantic) heart within the Song of Songs. The sheer unashamed passion and love between the two lovers inside beautiful, lush landscapes, frolicking with comparisons to and descriptions of animals is both primal and intricately human. There is a deep, natural, and passionate love set among overflowing gardens and rich imagery. It is simply beautiful and one would never know that it was from the Bible because it does not mention God at all.
But on the other hand, one could say that they are encompassing God by being so naturally free and absolutely in love-- in all aspects of the word.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17th- Cat's Night
I love the Old Farmer's Almanac. They always have great little tidbits that I enjoy. From gardening tips, to the Moon, Sun, and astrology, to recipes, and more.
The thing that caught my eye in the latest email was the date on the monthly calender called Cat's Night. It naturally peaked my interest and this is what it had to say:
A quick Google search did not pull any further results for this legend, but I thought it was neat and novel nonetheless.
The thing that caught my eye in the latest email was the date on the monthly calender called Cat's Night. It naturally peaked my interest and this is what it had to say:
"The term “Cat Nights” harks back to a rather obscure old Irish legend concerning witches and the belief that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t regain her human form. This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, “A cat has nine lives.” Because August is a yowly time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place."
A quick Google search did not pull any further results for this legend, but I thought it was neat and novel nonetheless.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Lammas
Image via One Spirit's Facebook photos
Happy Lughnasadh, Lammas, and/or First Fruits and Harvest for those that celebrate. I personally celebrate the equinoxes and solstices as my holidays/holy days, but so many Pagans do celebrate today under one name or the other. And I just can't believe it's already the beginning of August. In any case, I'm glad to be done with whatever mood was looming around and leaching me in July. So I just wanted to say have a Blessed Day!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
What does the Goddess look like?
This is the second time I have come upon this article discussing "toxic" Goddess imagery. And boy all I have to say is wow! The first time I didn't respond to it because I simply felt it was very poorly put together. The reason I am addressing it now is because I think it's important to understand that we all view the Goddess differently and that, while this article addresses the image of the Goddess, it only focuses on what the author finds displeasing in a very poorly gathered group of random images from the internet.
Apart from some very wrong information and mish-mashing of things, the issue I see most with these critiques is actually with the art-styles themselves (and the lack of understanding them). That most of these just happen be tagged with keywords ("Goddess," "Witch," "Morrigan") does not mean they are Pagan in the religious/spiritual sense. In a nutshell, they aren't necessarily meant to be Pagan. Even if a Pagan uses them on their website/signature/avatar/etc, they are simply images with keywords attached to them.
My first question would be to address the general complaint of posture and body-type: To me, the Goddess(es) can beautifully encompass the body-type of any female shape one can imagine--and then some! That a Goddess can be Earth-shaped like the Venus of Willendorf or lion-headed like Bastet or triple-faced like Hecate only shows she can be beyond our own image. What about the depictions in classical works of art about the Goddess(es)? Are these a style to strive to compare/create to? Or is there vulgarity in classical statues of Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, or Selene? What about Kali with her necklace of skulls?
Many of the images are based off games and anime (as well as comics) from the Japanese culture (modern culture especially) which, being a different culture than many "Westernized" people are used to, have very different ways of depicting the world around them and some might not be used to it. Elementary and middle school-aged kids are easily the heroes of stories and can be placed in fairly grown-up situations without it being shocking or alarming. Large eyes, proportion issues, and unique hair and outfits are common place in anime, video games, and comics (Japanese in origin or not).
If you search for "anime witch" and actually find one that reflects a real witch or pagan's actual image, I would be 95% surprised. I personally am a fan of anime and seeing an over-sized witch's hat and striped stockings on the witch, flying on a broom with her cat on the end appeals to me. Others would be more interested in Baba Yaga flying around in her mortar and pestle and her hut with chicken feet. It is more of personal appeal.
And video games have their gems sometimes. Okami was an amazing and beautiful job of depicting Shinto folklore without even placing the Goddess Amaterasu in a human-shaped body. However, Morrigan Aensland of Darkstalkers is simply the succubus' name. She isn't meant to depict the Irish Goddess. Just like Morrigan from Dragon Age isn't meant to depict her either (even if she is the daughter of the Witch of the Wilds and shape-shifts). So their images should not even be included among the Goddesses. Just because they share the same name, does not mean that they are representations of Her. To me, falsely linking the two only enforces false stereotypes. And I'm not sure how the author sees Laura Croft or Ivy from the Soul Caliber series as Amazons. This only causes confusion based on misunderstanding and spreading misinformation is harmful. Especially to others that are unaware also.
Speaking (briefly) of Laura Croft and video games, the whole video game & female depiction is a very old confliction, but it is slowly changing. Perhaps some would like the new reboot of Laura Croft (though I find her new character and personality to be very helpless and over-emotional-- throwing her form one side of the spectrum to the other).
And an FYI: Hentai is not Japanese video game rape. It is animated pornography. Yes, there are different themes, situations, stories, and even games, but those are no different than the vast array of regular pornography within the real world. Not all anime is "porn-charged" as it is put either. Many of those images portray what is called "ecchi". Which is the use of sexual undertones or innuendos. Often it can be found in very humorous or "cute" ways. Sexuality is not and should not be solely equated to pornography. It is a beautiful and empowering thing and is viewed very differently in Japan than it is in much of America. It surprises me that the way the Japanese social culture regards breasts as such a natural part of the female body would be so opposing to a Goddess-worshiping mindset. Breasts are one of the Goddess's fertile attributes. How could breast size and shape be such an issue? They serve multiple functions, both as nourishment and as symbols of sexuality. Even if one was to give these hodgepodged images credit, would the Goddess care that we depict her with various sized attributes and proportions? I doubt so. When I think of the Goddess encouraging fertility (even fertility of the Earth), I think of large breasts and wide hips--natural feminine attributes that should not be made to seem shameful either.
The author speaks against being demure and fair and then criticize those that emphasize breasts or portray the buttock sticking out. Do we asexualize the Goddess then for middle ground? Can no Goddess be depicted as moving and alive? Feminine or Sexual? Strong or Silent? Beautiful or old? Or even in a pose (especially in a picture/statue)? Disliking the old shaman because she is frowning--is the Goddess supposed to always be smiling? These restrictions on the Goddess only seem to conjure up piety images of suppressed femininity.
The first image on the phony witches page is one that I have had saved on my computer for a long time and one that I find beautiful and visually inspiring in the manga style. The problem with it being un-proportional (as well as the other anime images) is actually the artistic style it is drawn in. It is intended to exaggerate certain features over others--especially within manga. (Clamp is a very popular all-female manga artist group that exaggerates that style even more to create very beautiful images).
I do not mean to seem harsh, but I do mean to question the understanding of where these images are being taken from and that, to me, it seems less about what the Goddess should be depicted as and more about what they find un-pleasing about very loosely related female body image. Women come in all shapes and sizes. Can't the medicine woman and shaman be beautiful? Or does she have to always be depicted as the crone? Isn't that reinforcing stereotypes as well? Why can't the Goddess portray overt sexuality and femininity? They are Her realms too after all. Pleasure is an emotion that the Goddess gave us. You don't have to like it in it's many forms (and, like it or not, pornography is one of them), but you do have to recognize it as an outlet of the sexual nature the Creator gave us. If animals put on displays and were created with mating rituals, dances, and poses in mind, who are we to separate ourselves from that Divine dance instinctively intrinsic to us?
Bayonetta by Platinum Games
Apart from some very wrong information and mish-mashing of things, the issue I see most with these critiques is actually with the art-styles themselves (and the lack of understanding them). That most of these just happen be tagged with keywords ("Goddess," "Witch," "Morrigan") does not mean they are Pagan in the religious/spiritual sense. In a nutshell, they aren't necessarily meant to be Pagan. Even if a Pagan uses them on their website/signature/avatar/etc, they are simply images with keywords attached to them.
My first question would be to address the general complaint of posture and body-type: To me, the Goddess(es) can beautifully encompass the body-type of any female shape one can imagine--and then some! That a Goddess can be Earth-shaped like the Venus of Willendorf or lion-headed like Bastet or triple-faced like Hecate only shows she can be beyond our own image. What about the depictions in classical works of art about the Goddess(es)? Are these a style to strive to compare/create to? Or is there vulgarity in classical statues of Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, or Selene? What about Kali with her necklace of skulls?
Many of the images are based off games and anime (as well as comics) from the Japanese culture (modern culture especially) which, being a different culture than many "Westernized" people are used to, have very different ways of depicting the world around them and some might not be used to it. Elementary and middle school-aged kids are easily the heroes of stories and can be placed in fairly grown-up situations without it being shocking or alarming. Large eyes, proportion issues, and unique hair and outfits are common place in anime, video games, and comics (Japanese in origin or not).
If you search for "anime witch" and actually find one that reflects a real witch or pagan's actual image, I would be 95% surprised. I personally am a fan of anime and seeing an over-sized witch's hat and striped stockings on the witch, flying on a broom with her cat on the end appeals to me. Others would be more interested in Baba Yaga flying around in her mortar and pestle and her hut with chicken feet. It is more of personal appeal.
And video games have their gems sometimes. Okami was an amazing and beautiful job of depicting Shinto folklore without even placing the Goddess Amaterasu in a human-shaped body. However, Morrigan Aensland of Darkstalkers is simply the succubus' name. She isn't meant to depict the Irish Goddess. Just like Morrigan from Dragon Age isn't meant to depict her either (even if she is the daughter of the Witch of the Wilds and shape-shifts). So their images should not even be included among the Goddesses. Just because they share the same name, does not mean that they are representations of Her. To me, falsely linking the two only enforces false stereotypes. And I'm not sure how the author sees Laura Croft or Ivy from the Soul Caliber series as Amazons. This only causes confusion based on misunderstanding and spreading misinformation is harmful. Especially to others that are unaware also.
Speaking (briefly) of Laura Croft and video games, the whole video game & female depiction is a very old confliction, but it is slowly changing. Perhaps some would like the new reboot of Laura Croft (though I find her new character and personality to be very helpless and over-emotional-- throwing her form one side of the spectrum to the other).
And an FYI: Hentai is not Japanese video game rape. It is animated pornography. Yes, there are different themes, situations, stories, and even games, but those are no different than the vast array of regular pornography within the real world. Not all anime is "porn-charged" as it is put either. Many of those images portray what is called "ecchi". Which is the use of sexual undertones or innuendos. Often it can be found in very humorous or "cute" ways. Sexuality is not and should not be solely equated to pornography. It is a beautiful and empowering thing and is viewed very differently in Japan than it is in much of America. It surprises me that the way the Japanese social culture regards breasts as such a natural part of the female body would be so opposing to a Goddess-worshiping mindset. Breasts are one of the Goddess's fertile attributes. How could breast size and shape be such an issue? They serve multiple functions, both as nourishment and as symbols of sexuality. Even if one was to give these hodgepodged images credit, would the Goddess care that we depict her with various sized attributes and proportions? I doubt so. When I think of the Goddess encouraging fertility (even fertility of the Earth), I think of large breasts and wide hips--natural feminine attributes that should not be made to seem shameful either.
The author speaks against being demure and fair and then criticize those that emphasize breasts or portray the buttock sticking out. Do we asexualize the Goddess then for middle ground? Can no Goddess be depicted as moving and alive? Feminine or Sexual? Strong or Silent? Beautiful or old? Or even in a pose (especially in a picture/statue)? Disliking the old shaman because she is frowning--is the Goddess supposed to always be smiling? These restrictions on the Goddess only seem to conjure up piety images of suppressed femininity.
The first image on the phony witches page is one that I have had saved on my computer for a long time and one that I find beautiful and visually inspiring in the manga style. The problem with it being un-proportional (as well as the other anime images) is actually the artistic style it is drawn in. It is intended to exaggerate certain features over others--especially within manga. (Clamp is a very popular all-female manga artist group that exaggerates that style even more to create very beautiful images).
I do not mean to seem harsh, but I do mean to question the understanding of where these images are being taken from and that, to me, it seems less about what the Goddess should be depicted as and more about what they find un-pleasing about very loosely related female body image. Women come in all shapes and sizes. Can't the medicine woman and shaman be beautiful? Or does she have to always be depicted as the crone? Isn't that reinforcing stereotypes as well? Why can't the Goddess portray overt sexuality and femininity? They are Her realms too after all. Pleasure is an emotion that the Goddess gave us. You don't have to like it in it's many forms (and, like it or not, pornography is one of them), but you do have to recognize it as an outlet of the sexual nature the Creator gave us. If animals put on displays and were created with mating rituals, dances, and poses in mind, who are we to separate ourselves from that Divine dance instinctively intrinsic to us?
Bayonetta by Platinum Games
I like my witches a little sexy, strong-willed, and powerful sometimes.
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!
IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! (and I will spare you some scrolling by not including all the exclamation points I could cram onto the end of that sentence.)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is officially announced and hyping up this fan girl exponentially! The exploits of Raven the Azura-following, claymore-wielding, not-quite-like-the-other-mercenaries, most-surprising-Imperial-you-will-ever-meet, shall weave a new tale once more.
I must admit (proudly) that just a week before I heard about TESV being announced, I was talking with my husband about how the next TES Bethesda makes has to go back towards a more Morrowind-esqu feel. That the best place would be to go to Skyrim or, potentially, Elsweyr. Don't get me wrong, I think Oblivion was an excellent story and stuck to the history and culture the game has developed, but I must admit that the lack of individuality for the towns (and dungeon/caves) in Oblivion compared to Morrowind was dull after a while. I understand that Oblivion took place in the heart of the Imperial Empire, but I would have loved to see a rogue Telvanni looking to make his tower, an Ashlander strayed from his tribe on a quest, or some deeper personalities built into the city (needless to say, Bruma was my favorite town, and I felt Leyawiin had a nice distinction of it's own). And can I just get this off my chest: WHERE THE HELL IS CAIUS COSADES?! That is one character that I EXPECTED to see in Oblivion (you know, the whole I'm-being-recalled-to-the-Imperial-City-because-of-the-Emperor's-failing-health, good-luck-with-the-Nereverine-thing"?)
OK. Back to my original statement. Skyrim is the best place to get back to those Morrowind roots. The culture of the Nords is deep like the Ashlanders, but not as isolated. So it is malleable to the Imperial law, but can still retain Nordic sentimentality (kinda like Bruma). Oh, and can we say werewolves? Perhaps more dealings with Hircine (thought I wouldn't expect that)? I would bet more on Ysmir being important to the story than Hircine. And speaking of Ysmir...
Dragons!
That's right, those appear to be dragons in that trailer! My first thoughts on seeing them immediately went to one of the dragon mods I have seen for Morrowind. I can only imagine/hope/speculate/fantasize that there *may* be flying dragon mounts. Now, that may mean going back to Morrowind's use of loading their visual appearances, in that, what you see is where you can go. With Oblivion (from my understanding--and I could be wrong), levitation would not work because of how they developed the visuals in relation to loading cells. You could stand outside the Imperial City and look at it, but it was not physically there. It was only a picture. You had to go into the city through a loading door to actually see the inside. Whereas, you could see the floating moon in Vivic or the top of Red Mountain and you could walk up and into it, as the loading cells were outside and loaded an area up. If they bring flying/levitating back into the game (and let's just say this now, what the hell kind of a wizard can't fly?) they would have to resort to the old loading abilities (fine by me!) or develop a new way of interacting with visuals. But that's just my speculation on the whole dragon affair.
To put it enthusiastically: I am enormously excited for this game!!!!! And even if the proposed 11/11/11 release date is pushed back, I would be happy to see a solid, well written, well thought, and fully fleshed out game, even if that meant giving it another year.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is officially announced and hyping up this fan girl exponentially! The exploits of Raven the Azura-following, claymore-wielding, not-quite-like-the-other-mercenaries, most-surprising-Imperial-you-will-ever-meet, shall weave a new tale once more.
I must admit (proudly) that just a week before I heard about TESV being announced, I was talking with my husband about how the next TES Bethesda makes has to go back towards a more Morrowind-esqu feel. That the best place would be to go to Skyrim or, potentially, Elsweyr. Don't get me wrong, I think Oblivion was an excellent story and stuck to the history and culture the game has developed, but I must admit that the lack of individuality for the towns (and dungeon/caves) in Oblivion compared to Morrowind was dull after a while. I understand that Oblivion took place in the heart of the Imperial Empire, but I would have loved to see a rogue Telvanni looking to make his tower, an Ashlander strayed from his tribe on a quest, or some deeper personalities built into the city (needless to say, Bruma was my favorite town, and I felt Leyawiin had a nice distinction of it's own). And can I just get this off my chest: WHERE THE HELL IS CAIUS COSADES?! That is one character that I EXPECTED to see in Oblivion (you know, the whole I'm-being-recalled-to-the-Imperial-City-because-of-the-Emperor's-failing-health, good-luck-with-the-Nereverine-thing"?)
OK. Back to my original statement. Skyrim is the best place to get back to those Morrowind roots. The culture of the Nords is deep like the Ashlanders, but not as isolated. So it is malleable to the Imperial law, but can still retain Nordic sentimentality (kinda like Bruma). Oh, and can we say werewolves? Perhaps more dealings with Hircine (thought I wouldn't expect that)? I would bet more on Ysmir being important to the story than Hircine. And speaking of Ysmir...
Dragons!
That's right, those appear to be dragons in that trailer! My first thoughts on seeing them immediately went to one of the dragon mods I have seen for Morrowind. I can only imagine/hope/speculate/fantasize that there *may* be flying dragon mounts. Now, that may mean going back to Morrowind's use of loading their visual appearances, in that, what you see is where you can go. With Oblivion (from my understanding--and I could be wrong), levitation would not work because of how they developed the visuals in relation to loading cells. You could stand outside the Imperial City and look at it, but it was not physically there. It was only a picture. You had to go into the city through a loading door to actually see the inside. Whereas, you could see the floating moon in Vivic or the top of Red Mountain and you could walk up and into it, as the loading cells were outside and loaded an area up. If they bring flying/levitating back into the game (and let's just say this now, what the hell kind of a wizard can't fly?) they would have to resort to the old loading abilities (fine by me!) or develop a new way of interacting with visuals. But that's just my speculation on the whole dragon affair.
To put it enthusiastically: I am enormously excited for this game!!!!! And even if the proposed 11/11/11 release date is pushed back, I would be happy to see a solid, well written, well thought, and fully fleshed out game, even if that meant giving it another year.
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