Politics, Views and the Gods

This is not a political blog. This blog is meant to be a mesh of two worlds that are really one in the hearts and minds of African American Pagans. The dynamics of Blacks in America often have been political and we could argue that even the classifications of race itself is a political statement. How do you separate the issues of a race from the very politics that have been used to classify them within this nation from the day they were brought to the shores of this new world?

With that, I think that talking about my journey as a spiritual being and that of a Black woman will always border political discussions and the politics of such a society as this. And while we are moving throughout our walk in life, the observations of events that come across my path make it hard not to conceptualize the incredible amounts of conflict between the challenges of a minority race in the U.S. and the spiritual principals that I value as a person on a spiritual path.

One thing that I value as both a Black woman and a Pagan is the human struggle of those who are underprivileged, in need and deprived of the sense of village that a community and society should bring. The very children that should not become a part of a presidential discussion that uses generalizations and assaults the character of those who live in poverty. I was very disheartened and hurt by the statements of Newt Gingrich when speaking about poverty and impoverished children. Once again I saw perpetuations of stereotypes spread to the masses by a person of power; harming the community and labeling those who happen to have less financial stability as others. When did we become a society that is quick to judge and uses limited factors to insert judgments and perceptions on others? Unfortunately this has been the mode of operation in these parts for as long as history will take us.

And let’s face it, these discussions about how poor children should work as junior janitors after school to learn the ethics of working is aimed at those who are the poorest of the poor. I am sure that the image that is being referred to is not a little Caucasian girl living in a Caucasian town. We are talking about the inner city and urban areas of the United States that are inhabited by a majority of African American, Hispanic or other minority ethnicities. We are referring to the images of cities like Oakland, Harlem, Detroit, Baltimore and other poverty stricken areas.

So let me get this straight? We should take children who are living through circumstances of a lack of resources, drug ravaged areas, substance abusing parents, crime, homelessness, gangs and a disproportionate amount of persistent mental illness within their communities and make them work as junior janitors or librarians so that they can grasp the importance of becoming the working poor in America? We should put these “poor” kids to work so that they can value the concept of working to survive instead of after school programs, counseling, tutoring, life skills programs and even preparing them for college? In addition, where are the jobs coming from that we are going to give to these children? Are we taking jobs out of the hands of adults who could potentially provide for their families so that we can teach “poor” kids a lesson?

I think on this and wonder how come the rest of society is not as outraged at these concepts as I am. I think about the importance of living within a village where we support one another and look for ways to encourage each other to move towards a greater understanding of his or her power in the world. While there is nothing wrong with working as a janitor or librarian, we should not be limiting children to dream within any framework. Kids are suppose to be learning how to dream beyond their circumstances. Visions of high school graduation, college and even fulfilling their dreams should be focus. This could be the path to self sufficiency and collective power within our impoverished communities. We might as well suggest that they become rappers or basketball players so that we can all stay within the stereotypes of what whole groups of people are good for.

What would the Gods think of these statements? I personally think that the Gods would be outraged at the blatant disrespect for life that is usually hidden behind race, socioeconomic class or circumstances. The Gods represent an array of diversity that show incredible triumph through adversity, giving hope to the most unfortunate of life’s circumstances. The mythology of the Gods tell us stories of death, murder, rape, abuse and even poverty. Look what happened to those “poor” people; they became Gods and Goddesses worshiped around the world for their stories, strength and ability to rise above the very elements in life that have otherwise been debilitating.

And if referring to Obama as the foodstamp president was not enough, Let’s take a moment to listen to one of the comments that Gingrich said about these children. “Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works,” he said. “They literally have no habit of showing up on Monday. They have no habit of staying all day. They have no habit of ‘I do this and you give me cash’ unless it’s illegal.”

With the spirit of learned judgments in society and the intense conditioning of learned helplessness, it is important to remember that people who are poor know a lot more than illegal activities. They show up on Monday. They show up on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well, in the harshest of conditions and facing the coldest glare of a unsympathetic society. They show up for love, acceptance, food, a hug and some hope. You cannot generalize any category of people and assume that the commercialized version of the poor is a true reflection of the experiences of a group of people.

My priestess work and my professional work go hand in hand within these communities, presenting a image of the Goddess in a pair of Old Navy jeans, a smile and a pentacle around her neck. The Goddess lives inside of me by being immersed with the fibers of my being and guiding my message of hope to those who want what they do not know how to get in life.

I challenge those who are reading this to look within themselves and assess your own messages of judgments and perceptions of others. Challenge those around you that are feeding into a stereotype of any group of people and using that as a means to evaluate worth, hope, value or others future contributions to society. I challenge you to push against subtle comments of alienation and prejudice that is a part of our society in systematic ways and has been for a long time. I challenge you to open your eyes and view the world through the lens of the Gods and Goddesses that you worship, looking upon the problems of the world as a barrier to the care and enlightenment of your children.

Use your knowledge to pray for those who have yet to find the answers to a more peaceful and enjoyable existence here due to the incredible complexities that can complicate what appears to be the simplest of requirements for a successful life. And lastly I would say to look at the compartmentalization that you might have when separating your spiritual self and your political self. For those who live in the bodies of darker skin, there is no separation and can feel impossible to look at life from the eyes of a Black person that is separate from the Pagan inside. Consider allowing your spiritual self a intricate part of evaluating the wrongness around us everyday and the impact that has on others. If you are not angered by the insensitivity of todays politics, you should ask yourself why.