Tag Archives: religious

The Humonculous

Welcoming the Equinox…

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Traditionally, the Druidic paths did not celebrate the 8 points of what is now recognized as the Wheel of the Year. They only celebrated the four main harvests that quartered the year – Though that does not mean that the Equinox was not a respected time for them.

Most modern paths have all accepted the 8-festival format, acknowledging the importance of these other cross-quarter markers, and to impose a since of balance and uniformity across practices, as well as our other pagan bretheren and cousins.

Though something about the 8-festival tradition just doesn’t speak to me (I stick to the quarter-harvests)….I cannot deny the charge I feel in the air on these days.

This is my *favorite* time of year, and this is *the day* it all culminates into alignement to shephard in the fall harvests and the closings of the year. Something about this time of year is just absolutely magical, and it fills me.

The Druidic path calls it Meán Fórmhair. Fómhar – meaning harvest. Giving, and fruitfullness, fullness, abundance, life, hope, plenty. This is what the crisp autumn air says to me. It sings to me to eat, drink and be merry. Celebrate the fullness of the earth, the fullness of life. I always found Thanksgiving very appropriate, though it claims no ties to pagans – the harvest is transcendent, in that sense: everyone can relate to the thankfulness and humility for the abundance of food from the land.

The pilgrims established Thanksgiving in order to give thanks to God, as they felt he had hear their prayers and blessed their crops. Likewise, we give thanks to the Mother and Father for the fertility and bounty of the land. Should it be so surprising we share so many similarities? None of us are so different – around the world (or at least the Northern Hemisphere) all people are celebrating and anticipating their crop and harvest and the gift of the land in some form or another, even if they do not realize it.

You do not have to have a national holiday, or adhere to a set of sabbats and rituals, to understand the power and beauty of this time of year.

The Humonculous

I do not like extremists.

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I don’t like extremists.

Of anything.

Point blank.

Doesn’t matter if I actually *agree* with what you’re standing for……..as soon as you cross that line. Done. Because I do not like extremists. Extremists take EVERYTHING way too far, way out of context, and 9 times out of 10 completely undermine their entire point and cause by their extremity. Which then turns them into complete hypocrites. Which brings me my next 2 points.

I do not like hypocrites. 

I do -not- believe the end justifies the means. 

The end has become a moot point if you go against everything you stand for just to get there. Not only does that further the two points above, but it’s also just plain retarded.

Point 4. I do not like stupid people.

Now that I’ve gotten the platform set, time for my *real* point:

I believe in equality. For everyone. No exceptions. End. Of. Story.

Believing in that, whole heartedly, means something different than what people first think. This means, regardless of your own personal belief of one specific thing or another, that you believe everyone shares the same respect: Including those you do not agree with.

You follow that? 

Including those you do not agree with.

This means, I play Devil’s Adovocate a lot. Because I believe, whole heartedly, in equality. For everyone. No exceptions.

Including the people I do not agree with. Because they are not somehow exempt from that rule, just because they have an opinion that varies from my own. 

This gets me in a lot of trouble sometimes, because I have discovered it is *extremely* hard for people to separate the concepts of *support* and *approval*.

You can support someone and not agree with them.

You can love some one, and not agree with them.

You can love some one, and not love their *actions*. 

The list could go on and on and on. And some people understand that. Some people will read that and a light bulb will click and know instantly where I’m about to go with this. Others may read that and think they understand, but don’t, at all. Others may read that and think they get it, or understand it theoretically, and just cannot execute that theory or understanding in day to day life. It’s fine, no ones perfect, but let me explain to you what that actually means:

You do not get to infringe on someone else’s rights, for the sake of your own.

You do not get to judge others for their beliefs, but then demand not to be judged for your own.

This applies to many different aspects of life that happens all. the. time. But what has triggered it today: Duck Dynasty.  Stop reading now if you don’t want to hear it – you know who you are. If I have triggered your curiosity, or riled up your fight mode as either is possible. Go for it, but do not blame me afterwards. I will not blame you ;P. 

This is where the extremists come in. 

I believe in EQUALITY. FOR EVERYONE. I will never, ever, say otherwise, or believe otherwise, or act otherwise. 

But I do NOT support the LGBT org or GLAAD. Now stop, right there for one second. Let me make this perfectly clear before it gets contorted otherwise : I am not against lesbians, or gays, or bisexuals, or transgenders…or asexuals, or transvestites, or drag queens, or mosaics, hermaphrodites, duals or chemerics or anything else in between for that matter. I’m talking about the specific organizations, and specifically the extreme members of said organizations only. But Why on earth you just gasped outloud. They stand for everything that is the physical representation of equality!! 

No. They don’t. That is what they say their focus is, but every last bit of their actions say the complete opposite. They are extremists. And everything they do is filled with hate, prejudice and judgemental, bitter, spiteful vengeance and it launched at any slightest person who happens to be of a different mindframe than them. 

That.

Is.

Not.

OK.

Not even when you’ve been hurt. I understand you’re hurt. I understand it’s not fair. I understand all the hate, and prejudice, and judgement, and spite, and bitterness that has been launched at you. I understand why you would feel the same way. I’ve been there too – for different reasons – but I have absolutely been there too. That does not mean you get to do the same thing to other people. You, out of everyone opposing you, should understand EXACTLY how that feels and just WHY  –NO ONE- should do that to any other person. 

Does no one on earth remember “two wrongs don’t make a right” ? 

Anyone? Am I all that’s left??

Just because someone doesn’t support your lifestyle does not mean they are out-right attacking you. Just because someones faith has taught them not to condone something you happen to believe in, or support, does not mean they have done something hateful or hurtful.Just because they do not agree, or do not support you or your lifestyle also does not mean they are discriminating against you. It means they disagree. Opposition does not immediately equal discrimination. People in this world believe different things. It’s the beauty of life. And guess what that means?  It means you do not have to agree with them either. But that does not mean attacking or slandering them just because you happen to disagree.

That also does not mean cutting everyone out of your life that may or may not agree with them, or you. 

What are you going to end up with….what are you going to do with life if you exclude anyone who does not agree with everything you do, or happens to just not jump to arms to the same things you do? 

For all the open-minded modernizing everyone likes to preach about – that’s an incredibly closed-minded way of living.

Let me clear some things up. 

I read the original article. I read – in context – what was said.

He did not compare homosexuals or homosexuality to bestiality or equate homosexuality to being promiscuous. 

He happened to list homosexuality as one of the things he considered sinful. 

he *also* listed the others things as *also* being sinful. 

He did not equate anyone of them to each other. 

They just all happened to be compiled as things he considered sinful. 

He did not say homosexuality is the same as bestiality. As, literally, dozens of articles will lead you to believe.

He did not say homosexuals are promiscuous, or that homosexuality is the same as being promiscuous, as- again – literally dozens of articles will lead you to believe.

That is just what you wanted to hear. And so you did. And now you are flaming him for things he never even said.

That makes you just as wrong.

End of story.

to clear the air too : chik-fil-a & salvation army ALSO does not hate gays, nor do they refuse service to gays. I have, first hand, witnessed proof of the exact opposite. 

The one thing they ALL *did* happen to say is that they believe in traditional marriage, and do not support a homosexual lifestyle.

As does the astounding majority of all Christians, Jews and Muslims. 

that does NOT mean they are effectively, or directly, hurting anyone, forcing anything upon anyone, discriminating against anyone, hate-mongering or otherwise. that does not mean that *none* of them are doing these things….I mean….there are the Westboro people. So, of course there are those horrible, evil people in the world, but those people exist in ALL beliefs and faiths and cultures.  And just because someone does not agree with you, or something you do, or something you believe in does NOT mean they are one of those evil people.

It means they don’t agree with you.

If you act on otherwise, it means you are one of those evil people. Because now you are continuing the cycle of hate in the exact same manner that you *claim* to be against. 

This was the subject of today’s rant – but these same principles apply to race, religion, class, politics and even something as stupid as sports teams. 

Stop it already. Learn how to coexist and stop pointing the finger at everyone, or being hyper-sensitive to EVERYTHING tiny ass little thing, and accept that there are going to be differences in life, and face the simple and easiest facts that we all just need to hate Westboro Baptist together in Unison, and blame them for everything……because it’s probably true. 

That is a completely constructive way to channel all your emotions.