Re-Re-post about the Bible

Re-post from my Super Super Social Worker Blog, January 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve “stirred by cauldron” as my friend V likes to say, so let’s talk about the bible.

officially canon

A few years ago I decided to read the bible. I read it for a few different reasons. Western culture is Judeo-Christian, and I wanted to understand that mind-set. I wanted to understand the origins of my contemporary American society. I wanted to understand references made in literature. I think it’s worthwhile to read religious texts from many traditions. I wanted to know what the fuss was about. I wanted to read the bible before I read Gnostic texts. I wanted to have a few things to say when confronted with pushy Christians, but also to be able to carry a conversation with loving Christians, too. I also wanted to say “I did this!” and to be able to brag about it, because seriously, how many people actually read the bible?

So I read it, front to back. It took me a year to read the Old Testament, and a year to read the New Testament.

The Old Testament was often strange, confusing, and aggravating. Reading it was like scrying – you kind of let your mind go blurry and hope you get a clear picture when you’re finished. It was great to have context for the stories I was taught in Sunday school. There’s also a lot in there that we were never taught, mainly the racy stuff like incest, murder, two creation stories, trickery, etc. There’s also a lot of names. And a lot of laws. But there are beautiful poems, too, and prayers, and references to the Goddess here and there, if you know where to look. I particularly like the prayers to Sophia/Wisdom.

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,      
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver     
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;     
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;     
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,     
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;     
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
(Proverbs 3:13-18)

remind you of anyone?

The New Testament took me as long as the Old Testament, despite how short it is in comparison. I think it took me so long because to me it was so much interesting and useful. Not to say I loved every moment (there’s some great sexism and woman hating in both the Old and New Testaments) but I really like Jesus. What a great dude. I really liked reading about him, because he was genuinely nice and loving and caring and inspired.

Other characters are pretty cool, too. Like Mary and other Mary. Crazy-ass John the Baptist. The Romans and the Devil. I even liked the Apostles sometimes, too, even though I get the Peters mixed up with the Pauls, and I can’t remember the other guys.

It also helped that my husband is a Classicist, so when I’d have a question about a word or a passage, he could take out his Greek New Testament and lexicon and we’d have great discussions about translations and interpretations and those moments are always enjoyable for both of us.

Also, as someone who is deeply interested in Gnosticism and Mediterranean mystery traditions, the New Testament was just more interesting to me. It mentions knowing/gnosis and logos and the word  a lot, which is relevant to my interests. I was interested in the very mundane parables of the bible, as well as the hints at mystery and esoteric wisdom Jesus tries to share with his followers. So, I think since I was more interested in the New Testament, it took me longer because I was paying more attention, whereas the Old Testament was pretty much one big confusing blur.

this is how I imagine it happened

I’m pretty satisfied with my decision to read the bible. I’m very glad I did it. I probably won’t do it again, at least not until I’m done reading the Nag Hammadi and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are more meaningful and interesting to me personally, anyway.  And I do understand bible references more, but not all the time because there are a whole lot of them. Pretty much all of those things I hoped to accomplish were accomplished, which is more than I can say about other areas in my life.

And no, reading the bible did not convert me back to Christianity. I’m still Pagan, though I’m at a stage in my life when I have reconciled my Christian upbringing, I’m not angry at (most) Christians anymore, and I even forgave Jesus. These were all important steps in the maturity of my spiritual self, and I can honestly say I’m a much happier person than I was when I was confused and angry about Christianity. Though I realize that not all Pagans are okay with the concept of accepting Christianity, that’s their business just as reading the bible that one time is my business. As Brothers Freke and Gandy remind us, it’s not always wise to throw away the baby with the bathwater.  Sure, there’s a lot of shocking and strange and horrible stuff in the bible, but the same can be said for other myths and stories, too. And just as other myths can be lovely, there’s a lot of beautiful stuff in Christian myths, too. And if one can get past all of that nasty, annoying literalism, the bible has some pretty decent stories, allegories, parables, metaphors, archetypes and all sorts of other useful things in it. It is a holy text, after all.

Though honestly, I’d probably recommend that people just skip the bible and go straight to the Gospel of Thomas, because that’s where all the good stuff is anyway!

Re-post - "Don't Lose Your Head"

Re-post from my Super Super Social Worker Blog, January 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve “stirred by cauldron” as my friend V likes to say, so let’s talk about the bible.

officially canon

A few years ago I decided to read the bible. I read it for a few different reasons. Western culture is Judeo-Christian, and I wanted to understand that mind-set. I wanted to understand the origins of my contemporary American society. I wanted to understand references made in literature. I think it’s worthwhile to read religious texts from many traditions. I wanted to know what the fuss was about. I wanted to read the bible before I read Gnostic texts. I wanted to have a few things to say when confronted with pushy Christians, but also to be able to carry a conversation with loving Christians, too. I also wanted to say “I did this!” and to be able to brag about it, because seriously, how many people actually read the bible?

So I read it, front to back. It took me a year to read the Old Testament, and a year to read the New Testament.

The Old Testament was often strange, confusing, and aggravating. Reading it was like scrying – you kind of let your mind go blurry and hope you get a clear picture when you’re finished. It was great to have context for the stories I was taught in Sunday school. There’s also a lot in there that we were never taught, mainly the racy stuff like incest, murder, two creation stories, trickery, etc. There’s also a lot of names. And a lot of laws. But there are beautiful poems, too, and prayers, and references to the Goddess here and there, if you know where to look. I particularly like the prayers to Sophia/Wisdom.

13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,      
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver     
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;     
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;     
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,     
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;     
those who hold her fast will be blessed.
(Proverbs 3:13-18)

remind you of anyone?

The New Testament took me as long as the Old Testament, despite how short it is in comparison. I think it took me so long because to me it was so much interesting and useful. Not to say I loved every moment (there’s some great sexism and woman hating in both the Old and New Testaments) but I really like Jesus. What a great dude. I really liked reading about him, because he was genuinely nice and loving and caring and inspired.

Other characters are pretty cool, too. Like Mary and other Mary. Crazy-ass John the Baptist. The Romans and the Devil. I even liked the Apostles sometimes, too, even though I get the Peters mixed up with the Pauls, and I can’t remember the other guys.

It also helped that my husband is a Classicist, so when I’d have a question about a word or a passage, he could take out his Greek New Testament and lexicon and we’d have great discussions about translations and interpretations and those moments are always enjoyable for both of us.

Also, as someone who is deeply interested in Gnosticism and Mediterranean mystery traditions, the New Testament was just more interesting to me. It mentions knowing/gnosis and logos and the word  a lot, which is relevant to my interests. I was interested in the very mundane parables of the bible, as well as the hints at mystery and esoteric wisdom Jesus tries to share with his followers. So, I think since I was more interested in the New Testament, it took me longer because I was paying more attention, whereas the Old Testament was pretty much one big confusing blur.

this is how I imagine it happened

I’m pretty satisfied with my decision to read the bible. I’m very glad I did it. I probably won’t do it again, at least not until I’m done reading the Nag Hammadi and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are more meaningful and interesting to me personally, anyway.  And I do understand bible references more, but not all the time because there are a whole lot of them. Pretty much all of those things I hoped to accomplish were accomplished, which is more than I can say about other areas in my life.

And no, reading the bible did not convert me back to Christianity. I’m still Pagan, though I’m at a stage in my life when I have reconciled my Christian upbringing, I’m not angry at (most) Christians anymore, and I even forgave Jesus. These were all important steps in the maturity of my spiritual self, and I can honestly say I’m a much happier person than I was when I was confused and angry about Christianity. Though I realize that not all Pagans are okay with the concept of accepting Christianity, that’s their business just as reading the bible that one time is my business. As Brothers Freke and Gandy remind us, it’s not always wise to throw away the baby with the bathwater.  Sure, there’s a lot of shocking and strange and horrible stuff in the bible, but the same can be said for other myths and stories, too. And just as other myths can be lovely, there’s a lot of beautiful stuff in Christian myths, too. And if one can get past all of that nasty, annoying literalism, the bible has some pretty decent stories, allegories, parables, metaphors, archetypes and all sorts of other useful things in it. It is a holy text, after all.

Though honestly, I’d probably recommend that people just skip the bible and go straight to the Gospel of Thomas, because that’s where all the good stuff is anyway!

Pagan Blog Project – week 23 – L#1 –Lilith

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0892540141

 Pagan Blog Project – week 23 – L#1 – Lilith

Like many deities, I feel as if Lilith is very often misunderstood in Neo-Paganism. I don’t mean this as a judgment statement – what a person does in the privacy of their own personal practices is their (and their Spirits and Gods’) business. What I mean by that is that Lilith is so ancient, and her myths and folklore are so incredibly varied and so very far removed from contemporary society, that there is a lot of room for confusion.

And rightly so. Lilith and her stories are and always have been clouded in mystery and shadows and in darkness. Her name is one that for thousands of years has been whispered in fear and respect. Since the dawn of time she has shown her face to the lucky (or unlucky?) inventing and reinventing herself, her stories, and her image.

Aside from the Greek pantheon (Athena, Hermes, and Artemis when I was a kid), Lilith was one of the very first deities who caught my attention. I remember being absolutely in love with her in high school. When I was going through my own anti-establishment rebellious phases against the patriarchy and institutionalized religion, she was a heroine for me. I just loved that she was a strong, powerful woman who didn’t take shit from anybody, not even God-the-Father.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Lilith

In one of her myths (which I think is first documented by Jewish Kabbalists in medieval Europe), she was created alongside and with Adam (rather than after him and from him.) She wouldn’t submit to Adam during sex (that is, she wanted to be on top rather than on bottom.) Adam didn’t like that, he whined to God, and then God banished her from the Garden. After that, she got pissed off (and rightfully so. Can you imagine being kicked out of Paradise just for not wanting to be submissive?) and then she roamed the earth, mating with God/Angels/Demons/etc and cursing the children of Adam and his new mate, Eve.

In other myths her offspring become so numerous that God kills (or sends angels) to kill them before they overtake his beloved humans. In her rage and anguish she curses the Children of Man. She sneaks into nurseries at night and kills babies by stealing their breath. (An early explanation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.) It is even said that the word “lullaby” comes from a prayer said over children to protect them at night, and that the word derives from the name “Lilith.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Collier_%28artist%29

The earliest mention of Lilith is in the Babylonian story of the Huluppu Tree, where she is living in the tree that Inanna needs to use for her throne. She shows up in the bible as the name of an unclean animal which might be some type of owl-thing because she is often depicted as an owl, with an owl, or making owl-sounds. The Greeks and Romans might have known her as Lamia, which is a monster-creature who attacks children because she has lost hers. Like the Lamia, Lilith is also associated with serpents and sexuality, later beginning to be seen as a succubus type figure.

a gift from my mother...

So Lilith is human, woman, demon, lover, mother, monster, serpent, owl, night hag, succubus, and to some, feminist and heroine. I’ve always loved all of these things about her. I wore a necklace for her for many years (though I don’t remember the last time it even occurred to me to put it on). I remember reading about super sexy and “dark” rituals devoted to Lilith when I was a Baby Pagan. I’ve never worked with her in a formal sense, though, aside from a few botched attempts at sex magic from way before I formally began to practice Paganism. Sure, I’ve read a few books about her over the years (this one in particular is fantastic!) but that’s been the extent to my love affair with this lovely and devastating Lady.

It’s not that I stopped loving Lilith. Nothing will ever get me to do that. It’s that working with her almost seems impossible. She is so outside of everything orderly and orthodox. Her myths don’t mean any less to me these days than they did fifteen years ago, but what could I, a married woman, a Child of Eve, offer to her, the First Woman, the Original Witch? What could I offer to her, the Lady of Nightmares, and the Owl, screeching in the night?