Anyone acquainted with the Pagan world is well aware, or should at least notice, that it is a largely matriocentric religion. Much is said about the Goddess and much is dedicated to her. Kushka will back me up on this, that it has not escaped my notice that masculinity and being proud of being a man has at least a negative connotation. Men who suppress their urges to act as a man and instead are satisfied to tend to the feminine aspects of life are labeled as "sweet, in touch and respectful." As someone coming from a Punk, Rockabilly and British background, this was a difficult concept for me to wrap my head around. I believe a a man can be "sweet, in touch and respectful" without feeling guilty about wanting to take care of business and sticking to his guns. www.artofmanliness.com is a great resource of commentary that takes a hard look at what being a man is all about. Do we have to be ashamed of being men because our grandparents and great grandparents kept separate the affairs of men and women? I say no! Instead we should face the fact that men and women are different and celebrate that difference on both sides of the aisle.
My other gripe is the shameful suppression of anger. Anger can be a very dangerous thing, especially when it is not allowed to be let loose. We developed anger and rage as an evolutionary necessity. If you don't let your anger out in a constructive and directed manner, it will build and let go in a very destructive direction. I suppose I am generalizing horribly about the Peace and Love Hippy connotation that Paganism has attained. For those I have insulted, I make no apology. Lets get back to nature: Grab a beer, put on your horns and shout at the moon - this way you don't let it loose in some exceedingly unmanly way - such as the blame game (anger often transforms into blame when suppressed).
16 November 2009
09 November 2009
My name is Bones Bennet, and I'm a Muggle.
I would like to introduce myself. We'll start the way of "The Jerk"
I was born a poor Dutch boy. I came to the US in 1989 at the age of 8. I grew up watching MASH and being disappointed that no-one in America seemed to speak like John Wayne. I grew up being a fairly regular guy. Hit puberty, got angry, joined a Punk band, got over it and went to college. You could say that I'm in the Punk Rock retirement program. I joined a Rockabilly band, traded my mowhawk for a pompadour, grabbed a martini and got on with my life. Had my fair share of more or less psychotic relationships. It wasn't until I went to school to become a veterinarian that my life changed.
That, in itself is a fairly life changing experience. However, in my final year I had been in a long term, long distance relationship that found out that we couldn't stand each other when we finally moved in with each other... surprise, surprise.
I had befriended my Equine Ambulatory Professor, a free spirited gal we will call Kushka. She counseled me in the end of my particularly bad relationship and we became good friends. The flirting started and I waited until 5pm on the friday of the end of my rotation to take her out on a date.
We had talked about all sorts of life experiences (she is a bit older than I) and she discussed her pagan beliefs and experiences as such. It is important to note that we have far more in common.
I am a guy who holds religion in the words of Chris Moore: I feel the same about religion as I feel about people who are into Golf or Heroin: They think its great and are really into it, but I'm just not that worried about it. I love Kushka very much, our relationship blossomed and we were married in a handfasting ceremony at a Pagan festival. Having said this, it was a bit much to swallow at first coming from a guy who felt that, if it couldn't be cured by 2 aspirin and a couple of cold beers, it wasn't worth worrying about or I'm gonna die anyway. She moved up to my job with me and found work as well and we found a lovely house in the country.
I was immersed in a world of alternative diets, herbal medicine mixed in with a dose of extrapolated veterinary medicine, Yoga (which is great for a hangover, by the way), Goddess worship, being in touch with my feelings (ack!), incense, and a newfound affinity for cloaks.
Im interested in living simply, Im interested in being a basically good guy, I like music, beer and food. Being married to a witch throws some wrenches as well as some grease into the ol' clockwork. More issues to come. Please post your experiences and thoughts.
Cheers,
Bones..
I was born a poor Dutch boy. I came to the US in 1989 at the age of 8. I grew up watching MASH and being disappointed that no-one in America seemed to speak like John Wayne. I grew up being a fairly regular guy. Hit puberty, got angry, joined a Punk band, got over it and went to college. You could say that I'm in the Punk Rock retirement program. I joined a Rockabilly band, traded my mowhawk for a pompadour, grabbed a martini and got on with my life. Had my fair share of more or less psychotic relationships. It wasn't until I went to school to become a veterinarian that my life changed.
That, in itself is a fairly life changing experience. However, in my final year I had been in a long term, long distance relationship that found out that we couldn't stand each other when we finally moved in with each other... surprise, surprise.
I had befriended my Equine Ambulatory Professor, a free spirited gal we will call Kushka. She counseled me in the end of my particularly bad relationship and we became good friends. The flirting started and I waited until 5pm on the friday of the end of my rotation to take her out on a date.
We had talked about all sorts of life experiences (she is a bit older than I) and she discussed her pagan beliefs and experiences as such. It is important to note that we have far more in common.
I am a guy who holds religion in the words of Chris Moore: I feel the same about religion as I feel about people who are into Golf or Heroin: They think its great and are really into it, but I'm just not that worried about it. I love Kushka very much, our relationship blossomed and we were married in a handfasting ceremony at a Pagan festival. Having said this, it was a bit much to swallow at first coming from a guy who felt that, if it couldn't be cured by 2 aspirin and a couple of cold beers, it wasn't worth worrying about or I'm gonna die anyway. She moved up to my job with me and found work as well and we found a lovely house in the country.
I was immersed in a world of alternative diets, herbal medicine mixed in with a dose of extrapolated veterinary medicine, Yoga (which is great for a hangover, by the way), Goddess worship, being in touch with my feelings (ack!), incense, and a newfound affinity for cloaks.
Im interested in living simply, Im interested in being a basically good guy, I like music, beer and food. Being married to a witch throws some wrenches as well as some grease into the ol' clockwork. More issues to come. Please post your experiences and thoughts.
Cheers,
Bones..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
