Loaves and fishes

My take on #Pexit, and related concerns.  In honor of my new agreement with the hosts of the site, all boring words have been replaced with alternate-profanity.

The Background

First, my credentials, for what it is worth.  I am a High Priestess in British Traditional Wicca, with some Ceremonial Magic for added flavor. I have led covens for about decade now. I published a book in 2014 called The Priestess and the Pen. I have two children and am the primary breadwinner for my household which now includes my mother and brother. I have a mundane background in negotiation and finance. My specialties include corporate relocation and problem solving. Some passions include intentional community, sewing, and magick.  Recently, I have been exploring my role as a Sorceress, specifically as a Lover and a Warrior. I also have some fancy degrees from schools in exotic locations that I am still paying on.

It’s been a tumultuous couple of years since the book came out.  I preferred living in the shadows, content to be one of Her Hidden Children. However, I was Voluntold by my Lady that I would be required to go public, use my legal name and jump into the fun of Pagan personhood.  A good friend told me once my life would never be the same, and he was right. I started blogging for Patheos at the end of 2015.  Since then, my life and circumstances (read aggressive divorce and career change) have kept my posts sporadic for the most part.  However, I have found blogging to be cathartic and healing.  The purpose of my tiny space in this universe of words is dedicated to creation and destruction, and the various lessons learned in these catalytic processes. My hope is to offer something useful. Patheos has been a fun place to call home, a culinary delight of various religious, spiritual, and non-theistic worldviews created with the goal of inter-faith dialogue.  For now, this is where I am supposed to be to accomplish the mission granted from Those I serve, which is still unfolding.  I don’t make the rules, I just work here.

The Kitchen

Recently, upper management decided to rewrite the menu, which caused some concerns with the folks who serve at this establishment.  We assembled in the kitchen, at the back of the house, to discuss how these new expectations could be integrated into our dynamic.  No one believed that the new menu was perfect, and some folks were offended (read threatened) by the idea that a new menu was being presented at all, and decided to investigate.  One staff member in particular was disgusted to discover that the new owners also endorsed establishments serving meals he found repellent, and impossible to digest.  In fact, it turns out that this stuff it is their staple food. This information is disturbing.  I don’t understand how anyone can live off of that stuff.   But my gag reflex seems to be getting a workout these days.

Although we function as an independently owned franchise, many were concerned that the palate of the new investors would influence our cuisine.  This of course triggered other fears of cross-contamination. These rival establishments have traditionally aligned against what most of us hold sacred, and have used aggressive tactics to eradicate interest in our fare.  Several staff members were convinced we would end up serving crap one way or another. Other folks took action. They began to cook up some signature dishes while the rest of us were still discussing the new suggestions.  Some people had not even received menus and were just entering the conversation.  Granted, there was a sense of urgency as there was a date slated for implementation, but every experienced server knows that dates on restaurant renovations are moving targets.

The Main Dish

This came in two courses. The first was served by a Master Chef. He is logical and passionate in his art, and I have admired his work for years. I believe he meant well at first, but his flavors became muddled quickly.  An amazing amount of red herring was offered up in record time.  Attacks ad hominem, appeals to authority, consequences, and emotion all swimming together in a white wine sauce.  Perfectly paired with false dilemma, arguments ad nauseum, and cherry picking, the complexity was a both blessing and a curse.  Truly, the “Mindsuck” was delicious.  The aftertaste was not.  Those hungry for something juicy quickly lapped it up, and I bow to his accomplishment of making so much from loaves and fishes.  Both Chefs and “bullspit” artists have the ability to lay it on thick.  To be fair, he did excellent work revising the new menu into something much more satisfying for all concerned.  This was a boon and much appreciated.

The Sous Chef served the second course.  While I am less familiar with his talents, he specializes in a delicacy called “Duck Stew!” He offered a heaping bowl of this to the community, with a special request that staff members quit and patrons boycott our establishment.  I found this dish offensive and confusing, too highly spiced with fear and invective to be digestible.  The most dominant flavor for me was “Hot Bananas.” I shared my opinion, which was not popular, though privately appreciated.  He made some interesting comments overheard in the back of the house.  My favorite was that he would never work for, or with, “stickhead breeders.” After defaming the establishment and rejecting the new menu they had helped create, the two chefs were surprised to find themselves locked out of the Kitchen.  This concerned them as they lost access to the recipes they had developed and left behind.

The Lessons

It never ceases to amaze me how the Pagan community routinely turns in on itself. Self-sabotages.  Its really sad and sick the frequency with which this happens.  I have seen this pattern before.

I wonder how folks do not see the hypocrisy of preaching about intersectionalism but cannot abide the thought of working with anyone that strongly disagrees with them.  Sometimes, it seems like the one screaming loudest about persecution is the most intolerant voice in the room. I find this pattern correlates with the idea that capitalism is a sin, but one should have exclusive rights over intellectual property.

Does anyone wonder what would happen to us if anything *actually* threatening occurs? Instead of being presented with crappy contracts, something like actual legislation is passed limiting our freedom of movement based on our religious affiliation? I wonder what the other bloggers think watching us meltdown over perceived threats and manufactured scandal.  My own thoughts are rather dark on this matter.

Whistleblowing only applies when there is a system of oppression in place to call out.  Finding out the identities of the owners of a company 4 months after it was purchased is not whistleblowing.  That is called discovery.  Writing a hit piece on the new owners and then claiming censorship is also a choice. I don’t know why people are shocked at the outcome of this, or find it especially heroic or threatening.  It’s like they have never been fired before, or had to fire someone else.

If people want to blog elsewhere then do so.  No need to manufacture a crisis and attempt to discredit the rest of us for your choices.  My hope is that some positive movement is created from all of this and everyone finds exactly what they need.  The more sites the better.  Though people forget occasionally, we are all on the same side.

My Allies say stay, and see what happens. I am Called to dialogue and be accessible for interfaith conversations.  This is what I am supposed to be doing, even though most days I would prefer to skip it.  Which is why these situations keep finding me no matter how hard I lurk.  So I have decided to grab it by “DeBussy” and am looking forward to that buzzfeed quiz on my Vagina Dentata blog.