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Thursday, September 15th, 2005
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9:06 pm
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Hi, I'm new. I hope this first post is acceptable!
My boyfriend has a nice one he uses from time to time. "Defiler of virgin goats."
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8:44 pm
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Bashing Americans sucks.
I'll not tolerate it.
'Nuff said.
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| Friday, August 19th, 2005
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11:19 am
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OK, well the latest is this: my modem took a crap on me and we're replacing it. That's what the problem was with my phone -- not the phone line at all. So hopefully this weekend I'll have my computer back up.
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| Tuesday, August 16th, 2005
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2:10 pm
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Folks I'm sorry I haven't been able to update. My phone has gone to shit, Sprint is supposedly working on it, and I can't log onto the Internet at home at all.
This sucks.
I'm at work right now, and I just can't be doing this very often.
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| Tuesday, July 26th, 2005
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10:42 am
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| Saturday, July 23rd, 2005
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11:42 am
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Ah. Today is a good day.
Joe didn't have to work this weekend...yay! He made a lovely breakfast and did the wash last night (my back tends to hurt and I can't lift and carry heavy baskets over to the laundry room). So now we have nothing to do all day but veg.
Tomorrow we travel to Melbourne, FL, with Mystic Grove to do a service about Paganism. This should be interesting.
That said, I might just nap.
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| Tuesday, July 12th, 2005
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8:10 pm
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For the record...
I hate this word:
MAGICK
It IS spelled wrong. I don't CARE what Crowley says or does. He spelled it wrong too, and even if the man was here right now I'd say this to his face. He can go hang for all I care. I'm not giving him one ounce of credit beyond what I think is proper.
If he'd gone and jumped off a cliff, does that mean everyone else involved in the occult should do it?
No.
People, fucking think for yourselves. Don't be slaves to Crowley.
Just because he did it, doesn't make it RIGHT.
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(6 comments | comment on this)
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5:45 am
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OK this twists my tail AND squicks me at the same time:
I just went over to nonfluffypagans and noticed that someone there posted an entry about how much he wants to be a Jedi. He's wanted to be a Jedi since he was 5 year olds.
And no one gave HIM a hard time.
This is about as bad as Klingon Wicca.
OK, see, I have always been strongly against formulating a religion from a science fiction novel or movie. That's just .... icky. It's gross. It so smacks of being lost in a dream world, of not being able to deal with reality, of social adjustment problems.
And yes, it does severely squick me that the Church of All Worlds exists. I think ALL of them are off their rocker. I know that Oberon Zell (or whatever he's calling himself these days) is actually a skilled mage and a wise man, but one doesn't have to get one's religion out of a Heinlein novel to be that.
Oooooooh *shiver*
I mean...here's Ronin screaming at me because he thinks I've "made something up" when it comes to freaking Tyr, and when someone DOES come along whose religion comes STRAIGHT OUT OF A SCI FI MOVIE, he doesn't say a word. That's OK.
Jarred was right. That community DOES have a very MISLEADING name.
Jedi indeed. Hmph. You can't GET more fluffy bunny if you ask me.
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| Monday, July 11th, 2005
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5:48 am
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Countdown for Discovery's Wed. launch has begun! YES!!!
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html
ARRRGH I'm so thrilled!! I'm taking my field glasses to work with me on Wed. -- all I have to do is stare out the front doors (which are glass) and see the launch. It's tiny, because it's some distance away, but my desk faces due east, towards Titusville.
*happy dance*
Three cheers for STS-114!! Three cheers for the orbiter Discovery!!
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| Sunday, July 10th, 2005
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8:13 pm
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5:17 pm
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Hurricane Dennis, at Category 3, has made landfall in the Panhandle.
Start praying.
And prepare to donate. This could be bad.
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| Saturday, July 9th, 2005
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11:10 pm
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Pass out the cigars, Mei Xiang has had a baby panda at the National Zoo!!
Click Here to go to the Zoo's website and see more! They have a webcam that may show the new panda.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!
I remember growing up in the DC area hoping that Ling-Ling would have a baby, but her babies kept dying. I hope this baby is healthy and strong.
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| Friday, July 8th, 2005
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6:03 am
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| Thursday, July 7th, 2005
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11:58 pm
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Here's the thing that Ronin, the dishonored samurai, does not understand.
He is not differentiating between religion and science.
Science seems to be his religion; he keeps saying he's backing his assertions up with something he's calling "scientific evidence" but he's not named ONE writer, ONE publication, ONE article, ONE book, ONE ANYTHING that says "Tyr is Vanir."
Sadly, seeing as how when I update my journals it's usually late at night and I'm tired and of late I've had a lot of stress on my mind, I mistakenly typed in "Vanir" myself somewhere in one of my posts.
But I still stand behind what the Eddas indicate - that Tyr is JOTUN, not Vanir.
How can anyone miss that? It's right there. Any translation would show it. I used links in my entry because it is much easier to look up a link than it is to go chasing a book through all the bookstores in town, esp. one that probably has to be ordered. The Eddas tend to not top the NY Times bestseller list.
But this is a serious problem I've been seeing more and more of. People are running in such intense fear from words and ideas like "religion" and "faith" and "belief" and whatnot, and they are putting ALL their faith eggs in a basket marked "SCIENCE." Another one is "HISTORY."
Now, I say history is a good thing, and a fascinating thing.
But, well, it's not faith. It's not belief.
Huston Smith wrote a book about this called "Why Religion Matters" and I say it's a must-read. He calls the new faith 'scientism' and describes the lay people as rushing toward scientism and dragging the scientists along with them!
I say Ronin should be an atheist all the way. He should NOT be pagan, because all forms of paganism are religions, not scientific specimens.
Of course, this is a dude that is into the whole ridiculous vampire thing, so far as I know. He goes by ronin75 if memory serves. Anyone who is into vampires is nuts. Not because I think they're dangerous or whatever, but because I just think it's an utter crackhead thing. It's just stupid. It's just people who can't bear to deal with real life and have to live in fantasy novels all the time.
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11:37 pm
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| Wednesday, July 6th, 2005
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9:59 pm
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I noted Lexa:
I am the Toilet Valkyrie, and I bear the Plunger of Redemption.
Hahahha!!
Long story. It's one of the FUNNY things that happened in SC over the weekend.
kynth responded:
the Valkyrie playground song( to a popular operatic tune)
(with apologies to R Wagner)
" Sick on the se-saw
Sick on the see-saw!
sick on the see-saw
sick on the swings!
Chuuu-under!
Chuuu-under!
Chuuuuuuu-under
YAWWWWWWP!"
Excuse me while I change clothes from pissing myself laughing.
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8:22 pm
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It has come to my attention that Ronin seems to think that Tyr is of the Vanir.
When I read this statement to Joe, he exploded with a
W H A T ? ? ? ?
He'd never heard anything so ridiculous, so unfounded, so stupid in his life. Ronin is, of course, more than welcome to give some indication, some support of the statement that Tyr is Vanir. Show me in the Norse lore where it says this. Come on, Ronin, if you're so confident in your assertion, you should be able to BACK IT UP with some facts here.
I DO back MY assertion up with evidence from the lore itself, so if I can do it, so can you. And I'm supposedly such an idiot and I don't know what I'm talking about according to most people who don't know shit about me...so it should be easy to disprove everything I say here. Go on, give it a try. I want quotations from some kind of REAL Norse lore that indicates that Tyr is Vanir.
But it gets better.
Ronin also seems to think that I do not know whereof I speak when it comes to the Norse Gods. I shall quote him on this one:
"Ya know, if you're going to pull from other systems to attempt to carry your feeble point, you should probably get the gods right. Tyr is Vanir, not Aesir.
Of course, from the hammering you're getting on your mislaid statements, I doubt that you need me pointing out yet another area in which you're wrong."
If he only knew. *evil grin* Lexa knows. Jarred knows. Dev knows.
Do not start in with my partner Joe and I when it comes to the Norse Gods. You will NOT win.
Joe in particular is an Odinist of the first degree, and if Odin is a deity of anything at all it is knowledge. Joseph has embodied this to an esoteric level, especially with regards to all things Asatru.
So, school is now in session.
I shall state very clearly here that evidence shows that Tyr is neither Vanir or Aesir - but JOTUN.
I can hear the shrieking from here, because most people seem to think that the jotun are EVIL beings.
Hogwash. Not every single jotun out there is out to "get" the Gods or the human race.
Let's look at this assertion, shall we?
My immediate thought would be to look straight to the Poetic Edda for enlightenment on Tyr's parentage. Who is He born of? Can we find this out? Yes, we can.
It is in the Hymiskvadet (the Lay of Hymer), found here: http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/odin/odin-15.htm
In this tale, we see Tyr speaking of His father Hymer. He says,
"There lives to the east of the Eli-waves,
Many-wise Hymer at the end of the sky:
My battle-loving father owns such a kettle,
A capacious brewing vessel miles deep."
And later in the poem, more than once, Hymer is referred to as "the giant" as evidenced here:
Late that evening came
Misshapen, harsh Hymer home from the hunt;
Icicles rattled as he stepped in,
For the man's face forest was frozen.
"Hail, Hymer, be mild of mind!
The scion is come to your halls;
Him whom we awaited from far away;
With him comes a noble foe, friend of warriors, Vior by name.
"See them under the gable,
Sheltering, fearful, behind the post."
At the giant's mere glance, the pillar collapsed
And above it the roof-ridge broke in two.
Eight kettles fell from the ridgepole down;
Only one, hard-tempered, remained unbroken.
The guests stepped forth as the grim old giant
With glowering glare followed his foe.
Another word for giant in Old Norse is "jotun." Yet ANOTHER word for "giant" in Old Norse is "thurs" which is also used in reference to Tyr's father in this poem.
Thor is known as a giant-crusher, and this is why Tyr's mother had to use a different name for Lorride (Lorride being a byname of Thor). Hymer would have known Thor to be his enemy had she spoken his real name.
Not only that, but it is not unusual to find beings of stock OTHER than simply Aesir and Vanir among the Gods; Skadi is a jotun (and a spanking fine one at that) - Loki is a jotun - Heimdall is thought to be Vanir and some think of Him as jotun (from Aegir's daughters, the Nine Waves) - Tyr is a jotun and invited the Gods into the hall of his father, a jotun. There could be a case made for Gerd, a jotun maid, being one of the Aesir as well (she being the one for whom Freyr sacrificed His magnificent sword to win her love; see the Skirnismal for the story on that).
Now, let us examine the Vafthrudnismal. It is found here: http://www.angelfire.com/on/Wodensharrow/vafthrudhnismal.html
In this poem, we come across this verse:
Odin speaking to Vafthrudnir:
Vouch to me tenth, Vafþrúðnir,
How Njörd comes to be counted a god,
To have high altars and temples
Raised to his name though not god-born.
Vafthrudnir responds:
In Vanaheim did the Vanes shape him
And gave him as pledge to the gods:
After the Doom of this Age he will return
Home to the all-wise Vanes.
OK, so we have Njord named as one of the Vanes or Vanir. Does Tyr's name come up in any discussion of the Vanir? No. Examine the whole poem; it's not in there. If Tyr had been one of the Vanir, one of those "not god born" why was His name not brought up? Why only Njord?
OK, on to the Lokasenna (always a fun one).
A link: http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/odin/odin-22.htm
We find here this exchange:
LOKI: Shut up, Njord. When eastward hence you were sent as hostage of the gods, Hymer's maids used you for a jar and poured (urinated) in your mouth.
NJORD: I have the consolation that when I was eastward sent as hostage of the gods, I begot a son whom no one hates, a doughty defender of the Aesir.
LOKI: Stay, Njord, hold your tongue; no longer shall this be hid: with your sister you begot such a son. It was to be expected.
TYR: Frey is the best of all the bold Aesir: no man's wife or maid laments on his account. He loosens all links.
Let's note here that Tyr uses the word "Aesir" to speak of Freyr. "But Freyr is of the Vanir!" I can hear the shrieking from here. Gasp! Horrors! This cannot be!
This indicates to those of insight that there is more than ONE meaning of the word "Aesir" -- is it possible? Oh my goodness, yes!
1: It refers to all the Gods who dwell in Asgard, male and female.
2: It refers to all male Gods that reside in Asgard. If referring to the female deities specifically, the word "asynjor" is used.
3: It also refers specifically to the children of Odin (as evidenced by words like "asa-sons" and "Asa Thor" in the Vafthrudnismal).
People are too hidebound to one definition of the word "Aesir" and they need to loosen up on it quite a bit. They need to immerse themselves in this lore specifically, if they are going to learn things about the Gods. So therefore, as I mentioned earlier, it is possible for Tyr to be of other ancestry besides Aesir (in the context of being one of Odin's sons) and Vanir. His home was NOT in Vanaheim; that is Freyr's land, given to Him as a tooth-gift.
I don't know; maybe Ronin has Freyr and Tyr mixed up. But Tyr is NOT Vanir.
Naturally, I expect Ronin to have some really shallow comeback for all this.
But it is as I was going to write about another Asatruar I have dealt with who doesn't like certain practices of mine: are you one of the Gods? Are you fucking, financing or feeding me? If the answer to these is no, then your views are as mud to me.
You also do not have any inkling as to what I do and do not know; you are basing your statement on one post that you did not like. You have not been reading my journals for years and years. You don't talk to me on chat. You don't exchange emails with me on a daily basis.
If you're a real man, stand corrected, Ronin. Have some balls, and stand corrected.
Otherwise, I don't want to see your name darkening this diary ever again with YOUR incorrect statements about things YOU clearly have NO knowledge of.
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| Monday, July 4th, 2005
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11:50 am
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I have a rant I need to post.
I'm part of the nonfluffypagans community here, and the whole business of cultural/spiritual strip-mining and ethnocentrism came up.
I made a comment that the Gods can handle Their own worship just fine. If They have a problem with anything that an individual worshiper does, They will let that person know in no uncertain terms.
This is because They can and do operate on this plane. I've seen it happen (esp. with Joe and Freyja; there was a time when every time he pissed me off and really hurt me, She caused his bike to break down just when he wanted to use it the most, like to go to Bike Week or something like that). Ultimately, it really is Their say in the long run.
But then other nonfluffypagans don't like my statement and degrade it.
Oh, so would they prefer I took the "folkish" approach and told a black woman I knew who felt called by Freyja that she could not worship Her because she's black, she's not of Northern European ancestry? Would that make them happy? Oh no, as soon as an Asatruar (SPECIFICALLY) mentions the whole folkish thing, they get accused of racism and white supremacism.
But racism comes in all forms. You don't have to be a white person denying something to a darker-skinned person to be a racist. You can be a racist Native American who hates white people and refuses to teach an interested white person anything of Native spirituality.
I'll say this: Pam and Kelly G. at the Unitarian church I attend would have a serious problem if they let race interfere with their marriage and spiritual practices. Pam is Cherokee. Kelly is totally white, with blond hair and blue eyes. They both follow HER path of spirituality; Kelly could do the whole Nordic thing because he clearly has that bloodline and it's stamped all over him. But no, he chooses to do the whole Medicine Wheel thing along with Pam, and they are raising their three children that way too.
Pagans need to make up their fucking minds. Are they going to have some faith in the Gods, or are they going to micromanage everything for Them?
And people also seem to think I'm advocating brainless "do whatever feels good" nonsense. Couldn't be further from the truth; I've never advocated that. I do advocate learning about deities and cultures and religions, and if you're going to convert be as fully informed as you can possibly be and make sure it's right before you do it. But I'm not going to sit here and say someone who is black can't worship Freyja.
That's just nonsense.
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| Sunday, July 3rd, 2005
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5:02 pm
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4:40 pm
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Attention Lexa, Jarred & Dev.....
PanGaia Magazine has put forward a topic that I have written on and you all have commented on: polamory and Paganism. They cited the "all acts of love and pleasure" part of the Charge of the Goddess. Some time ago I posted my response to this topic in paganethics. You all responded with comments. I'd like to submit that entry with your comments, fully credited in any way you choose (whether it's as your real names or your mystical or online names) to PanGaia for publication.
Are you all in agreement on this?
If not, I won't submit it.
Note to Lexa: PanGaia has also put forward another topic (the column is called Toe to Toe) for open discussion about minors in Paganism. Since your daugther is going on 4, it might be worthwhile to write something up as a Heathen mother and submit it to them. Here are the contributor guidelines: http://www.pangaia.com/contributorguidelines.html
The topic was described as follows: "Under 18 Need Not Apply? As Paganism grows in popularity, the number of underage seekers has exploded but many believe that Paganism (especially witchcraft) is best left to adults, except in the context of family worship and practice. Should parental consent be required before teaching minors? Who decides when someone is old enough to learn about Paganism or the Craft?"
They will publish short mini-essays on this, about 6 paragraphs long, from multiple writers. All are certainly welcome to submit, children or no. I'm not going to because I feel that being childfree, I have no room to comment on how anyone else raises their kid.
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