Journey to Ixtlan

The recent “bathroom law” in North Carolina inspired me to write the poem “Evolve”. It is written from the perspective of a person firmly embracing the law.


Evolve

Social norms must be upheld
even as my world evolves.
Too many battles have been lost,
this is a skirmish that must be won.
My representatives do impress
with their quick action on my behalf.
No need to pursue greater works
when social crimes are now the rage.

Legislation is the key
to maintaining my harmony.
Lines are drawn to discourage
contact with alternatives.
Laws are passed to camouflage
my discomfort met in small confines.
The deviants seek to find me here,
never mind they're human too.

Outsiders seek to dissuade me,
these groups with lots of money,
I'll resist progress for its sake
when my fear comes in first place.
Violent crime are the bogey man
of which I have no experience.
There's no telling freaks will do
when they meet us decent sorts.

I was not aware of the risk,
thank goodness I now informed!
Better this straw target now exposed
than to admit I'm filled with dread.
Pity me not my detractors,
I'll fight you with my every strength.
Social norms must be upheld,
my world will not evolve.

© 2016, Sean Green. All Rights Reserved, 20160408.

For your consideration, the poem “Handmaidens” is a frank examination of dogmatic influence on the souls of women.


Handmaidens
Bonus Poem for Day 156 – 20150605

Revenants of religion's call
ask for their due in this time.
Echoes of two thousand years,
press down on lives lived today.
Handmaidens to the distant past
asked to bend knee to the ghosts.

With freedom from the taint of sin,
captives seek escape from the chains.
Dogmas stamped in the holy books,
the same ripped across youthful hearts.
Desires expressed in the shadows
when the bright ones will not approve.

White washed robes worn by the faithful
conceal hearts bled dry by contempt.
Hate the sin the faithful declare,
damn the sinner to a fate the same.
Weep for sisters of beauty hidden,
handmaidens to the distant past.

© 2015. Sean Green. All Rights Reserved

I sometimes wonder about the sanity of the rational mind. The rational mind says, "because it is so!' Bizarrely, the rational mind bears the off springs of religious dogma, politics and moralities that spread across these landscapes. I know people are well meaning, mostly, but the embracing of the rational "because it is right" or "I am serving X" produces toxic bile and discontent. What is a person to do?

I find MUSIC to be my salve. I like songs with words, but sometimes they cross over to the rational "it should be X" realm. Songs without words are a divine expression. They transcend the rational and speak a language that shows the face of true beauty. Even songs with words are a blessing in that the writers often turn away the norms of the rational, speaking of the world in terms of what it is instead of what it should be. Musicians are divine rebels, and I love them dearly.

Dogmas come in many colors. From a pagan message thread:
(begin quote)
Wicca is not a belief, it is a priesthood huge difference, if someone was to believe in something then yes no one should be able to tell them otherwise, but if someone claims to be in a religion or priesthood which they do not belong then people can very fairly and rightly point out that they are not.
(end quote)

This, and the text that followed, was quite exacting and dogmatic. It listed all the things that a “true” Wiccan practitioner had to do. I don't claim to be Wiccan, so I can't speak to the particulars of the beliefs expressed. My path is shamanic, and I can draw correlations to it. In the shamanic path there are very few "Shamans" with a capital "S". Shamans are recognized by their tribe/group/culture, and those who take on the mantle themselves are suspect. Those people who embrace this path, and are not recognized as being Shamans, can instead say that they are on the shamanic path. Specific traditions have specific beliefs, and the quote above was the start of a list of beliefs for that priesthood of Wicca. Different groups have different measures of what a shaman does and does not do. When a person meets the requirements, the group says, "You are a Shaman". This does not mean that the person is qualified to be a shaman for the tribe next door.

My second thought is that the listing of a priesthood eligibility list is as confusing as it is helpful. There are many people who cannot be members of a coven structure, and thus be formally recognized to be priests. They are left looking at these lists and wondering, "why is that a requirement?" It is my personal belief that a dogmatic requirement laid out, without an explanation of why it is done, is a barrier to those coming into that belief. I live in an area that is very coven poor. Those that exist are closed and hidden. Newbies/beginners have no official path to the Wiccan priesthood, and those that do exist are of poor quality (IMHO). What are they to do? Is Wicca going to die in the southeast because to be Wiccan one has to follow rules A through Z, but there is nobody to teach these rules, and then officiate the recogniation of the resulting priests (and priestesses)?