Buzz Coil: August '09

The Village Witch: Byron Ballard gives us a heads-up on yet another Goddess find in her Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times blog post of August 21, "Goddess in Orkney, Goddess in Boone."

Gorgon Resurfaces: Blogger LaughingMedusa gives us some good think pieces this month. On Aug. 8, in "Not ‘The’ Goddess, Just Goddess", she explains what she feels is the difference between the Christian concept of humans representing God and the "panenetheistic way of seeing Goddess" as including humans. With a good discussion of reasons to reject dualism. In her Aug. 13 post, "It Is All About the Sin After All," LaughingMedusa refutes reasons Christians assume Pagans give up "male patriarchal religion," with particular focus on the views of Robert Wright.

The House of Inanna: In his August 11 post, "Readiness," Blogger Idres writes that 9 months after being initiated as a Priest of Inanna:

...I now know that Inanna has called me. I know that it is not an illusion but a simple fact. Who or what Inanna is, I really have no idea. I have applied Occam's razor and have realised that She is the simplest answer. I have heard Her voice and feel Her presence. I am still rational and have a grip on the reality of the world. I can go about my daily business as effectively as I ever have. In fact, in many ways more effectively since I am less concerned about the opinion of others than before.

He goes on to discuss perfection and inperfection as they relate to spiritual paths.

Goddess in a Teapot: Carolyn Lee Boyd’s July 31 post, "Celebrate Your Muses: Your Gateways to Inner Worlds," begins:

I have stared out my kitchen window several times a day for over 20 years and only yesterday did I notice that I have a woman emerging from the closest tree. From several different angles, a female figure is clearly stepping out of the tree’s gnarled bark. Now, do I believe that there is a physically present being, or even some kind of spirit, actually trying to free herself from a maple in my backyard?

After answring this question, Carolyn writes that she is reminded of the "many nature images of goddesses, mythical figures, characters..." and she discusses her muses. With photo of tree in her yard with emerging "woman. "

Peeling a Pomegranate: In her Aug. 5 post, "Women’s Work: Seyder Tekhines", blogger Ketzirah Carly writes that before her Kohenet (Hebrew Priestess) training, she never considered "what it meant to be a woman," and that part of her growth in this program involved exploring her relationship to gender and forgotten women’s history. She then writes about prayers written in past centuries by women for women in Yiddish (because they women usually weren’t taught Hebrew).

Full Circle News: In her Aug. 8 post, Blogger Sia presents a thorough, thought-provoking discussion of "Privacy and Trust Issues Among Us:Cameras at Pagan Events."

Alive Mind and Spirit: Carol P. Christ’s Aug. 6 post, "Jimmy Carter Becomes A Feminist," is about the former U.S. President’s formal statement about his break with the Southern Baptist Church, reported on July 20 on this blog. Christ concludes:

...both Carter and the Elders took a nuanced position on the nature of religion—acknowledging that religious texts and traditions are not “handed down from Above” but rather are filtered through human interpretation and understanding. Carter put it this way: “The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter.”

Peacock Dreams: Thorn Coyle, in her Aug. 15 post, "Late Summer into Fall" /200100.html says that she has redesigned her Mystery School curriculum to reflect that she can no longer be restricted to the Feri Tradition. She writes:

My guidance on this matter comes my connection to the Gods and God Herself, but primarily from my own God Soul. My work can no longer be held in even so porous, forgiving and strong a container as Feri Tradition is, therefore, I will no longer be teaching regularly within that tradition. My roots remain in Feri, but they are also in Gurdjieff and Sufism. My influences are of the Craft, but they are also of Kabbalah, Buddhism, Hinduism, Thelema, and mysticism of all traditions.

Daily Kos: Blogger Tara the Anti Social Social Worker continues her wonderful Wednesday series on Goddess spirituality and political activism, "How a Woman becomes a Goddess," in which she combines the myths of various goddesses with socio-political issues. Her Aug. 19 diary tells how the story of "Pali Konju," a Korean healing Goddess similar to Kuan Yin, relates to her work with foster children in California. Her August 12 diary is about "Atalanta," aka "The Impossible One" of Greece or thereabouts, whose father orders her killed when she is born because she’s female, and whose myth also involves golden apples. She relates this story to "shiny objects" in today’s US politics. "The most common suggestion for dealing with shiny objects is to ignore them," Tara writes, because they’re a diversion from the real issues. She then gives us examples of the various recent lies by right-wingers about the President. She points out that "shiny-object stories cannot be killed by facts or common sense," and advises what may be the best way to handle current political crackpot (my term) claims. Her Aug. 5 diary on "Laima," compares "ex-gay" programs to the story of Liama, the Baltic Goddess of fate, who can shape-shift into a swan. These and previous diaries in this remarkable series can be found here.

Did we miss an item you think is important? We’d like to know about it, so please leave it as a comment.