Witchcraft, Wicca, Porn and the Media

Trees in Texas don't look like this.

Thanks to Starhawk and Hillary Valentine who wrote a book called The Twelve Wild Swans. I read that on the flight out to San Francisco and on the way back and I am about halfway done with it. I really need to surrender to the fact that I find the spiritual path Starhawk has mapped out appealing and look into joining the Reclaiming tradition.

It was very frustrating to me to be in San Francisco and unable to do any Wicca/Pagan oriented stuff; especially since Starhawk and Reclaiming are located right in the area. However, it was a business trip and I was in fact very fortunate to have been able to do the things I got to do. I am grateful for that.

What I like about the concepts Reclaiming uses is that you first work on your practice of faith (the elemental path), yourself (the inner path) and translating your work into a better world for everyone (the outer path). The Twelve Wild Swans is all about how to walk those three entertwined paths of spirituality in your life, and as a coven. it is rekindling the fire that makes my faith a living and dynamic belief system. I didn't realize how low the flame had gotten until I was reading this and going "oohhh, yes, that is what I need to do to get back to that feeling of service to the Goddess."

One of my hesitations about following Starhawk is that she is very opposed to porn and I have a strong affection for porn. However, I suspect that she and I would share much in common in our views on sexuality. I really dislike the porn industry that exists today, I think it is ugly and violent and degrading to humans in general, women in particular. A lot of it looks to me like it is less about the sex than about the humiliation and domination of the women performing. Not that the men are treated much better.

Actually, to be blunt, I find that porn is simply an extension of the mainstream entertainment industry which I feel is essentially antisocial and destructive to community and family alike. I find nothing of value on television, so I simply do not watch it at all. The values promoted in mainstream media are offensive to me and I am trying to resist them. I do not listen to the radio; right wing talk radio is hate radio and shock jocks are rewarded for humiliating and harming their fellow man.

So maybe it is time for me to set aside my fear that a fondness for watching naked women do really intersting things to each other would make me unacceptable to Reclaiming and see if I can't plug into a sprirituality that will put me to work in the service of a Higher Power.

Dear Goddess Brigit, my name is Andy and I am an alcoholic. I have been kept sober one day at a time since Imbolc 2001 and that is by Your grace and Your grace alone. I am grateful to be home, to be with my wife. Thank You Goddess, Today was a good day to be sober.