![\"Altar](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2017\/01\/bosch.jpg\")
I think the major issue with most \u201ccodes\/laws\u201d presented by religions is that they are often only observed superficially and\/or however it suits the agenda of the believer and\/or organization. \u00a0No matter how divinely inspired, humankind is imperfect and prone to misinterpret. It\u2019s also easy to pass the buck over to the \u201cnext life\u201d versus taking responsibility now in the one that matters most \u2013 THIS ONE.<\/p>\n
And that most people fail to see that it is our actions that speak for us, not our beliefs. \u00a0You can say you believe anything, but if your actions display something altogether different, then your beliefs are meaningless.<\/p>\n
This has been a particularly heavy New Moon. I have been contemplating the murder of a beautiful spirit, who just a month ago was such a bright face in my Tribal Fest workshop, the unending waves of sensational media attention on circumstantial fluff while more serious issues lay at hand, the relentless flow of politics that dehumanize most of the population instead of focusing on improving quality of life for all,\u00a0the massacre of innocent people in their sacred spaces because they looked or believed differently, and so forth. \u00a0Really, it\u2019s everyday news everywhere, but it shouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n
Last week I finished reading \u201cJitterbug Perfume\u201d <\/i>and it crushed my heart reading within it the fictional event of an innocent black man being killed on the street by two white cops- pulled from the headlines of the early 80\u2019s (it was published in 1984)\u2026and here we are in 2015 ![\"jitterbug\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/654\/2017\/01\/jitterbug.jpg\")
and what has changed in 30 years?<\/p>\n
All I can see at the root of all of this suffering is one thing. \u00a0It\u2019s not some manufactured construct or scapegoat with the face of evil. It\u2019s the inability to feel empathy and respect for each other as human beings, regardless of creed, gender, color, sexuality, etc.<\/p>\n
It is not just about the sanctity of life itself and preventing killing \u2013 (It is<\/i> an imperfect world, everything feeds on life\u2026) \u2013 it is the lack of respect for quality of life that is at the heart of most human-inflicted tragedy. \u00a0It\u2019s easy to dismiss the suffering of the less-fortunate as \u201cthey didn\u2019t work hard enough\u201d or \u201cthey did something to deserve it\u201d or \u201cthey are different from me\u201d \u2013 but the line separating \u201cus\u201d and \u201cthem\u201d is a haphazard game of chance.<\/p>\n
Hate isn\u2019t expressed only through killing, but through other less obviously \u201cviolent\u201d words and actions. \u00a0Harm is done through ignorant speech, labels, and slurs, by voting to deny others clean water, air, nourishing food, affordable housing, access to education and healthcare, by failing to see we\u2019re all in this together, by excusing actions in this life for the next, by turning away from those in need when you can make a difference, and by blaming the victims.\u00a0Every day, so much food and water goes to waste, safe and affordable housing is lost to progress and profit, hardworking people battle to make enough money to live, while the system pushes against them to make less to get what they need.<\/p>\n
Hate is passed down over generations because people are taught there aren\u2019t enough resources to go around, that someone else is to blame for their problems, and that violence is the only agency to gain or maintain power. That anyone who looks or thinks differently is a threat. That if you\u2019re \u201cowed\u201d something, then you take what you want, that things matter more than people, that everything on this planet was made for your own use. That God meant love these neighbors, but not THOSE neighbors. That God will forgive you no matter what you do if you just say you\u2019re sorry, or exalt you because of what you did in his\/her name.<\/p>\n
It becomes problematic for everyone<\/i> when someone places more value on the next life, than making this life better, now. \u00a0The modern concepts of heaven and hell were (and are) used to control people, keep them inline, to not question the system, and to fill the banks of churches. \u00a0It essentially removes any and all responsibility a human has for their actions \u2013 that some divine entity made them do it, that you can do anything, be forgiven,and get into heaven when you die.<\/p>\n
The problem doesn\u2019t sit only with Judeo-Christian concepts. \u00a0If one interprets\u201dHarm None, Do What Thou Wilt\u201d to mean you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn\u2019t inflict what you <\/i>consider to be harm, it\u2019s rather empty. \u00a0Harm, as we can see, is not such a cut and dry concept. Likewise using the \u201cThreefold Law of Return\u201d as a precise system of doling out punishment and reward is far too basic. \u00a0In reality, every action we do has a positive and negative reaction \u2013 and I don\u2019t mean good vs. evil, but a real scientific gain\/loss equation. \u00a0Nor is getting rewards or avoiding consequences isn\u2019t a healthy means of living responsibly either.<\/p>\n
Yes, ALL of these concepts are merely guidelines, created with the hopes of constructing a better humanity. \u00a0Again, no matter what divine origin they can be attributed to, they\u2019re only as good as the people teaching and practicing them.<\/p>\n
Within the Modern Tradition of Witchcraft, we have several keys to apply to practicing:
\n-Know Thyself<\/i> \u2013 be aware of your strengths and your weaknesses (mentally, spiritually, physically)
\n-Accept Responsibility <\/i>\u2013 acknowledging both known and unknown consequences for your actions
\n-Maintain Balance<\/i> \u2013 not just about focusing on moderation, but understanding extremes and working with them<\/p>\n
These keys may sound easy, but it does take a great deal of critical thought, consideration, understanding, and dedication to follow them. After all, we\u2019re only human. But we also capable of great things and our imperfections shouldn\u2019t to be used as an excuse, but rather as a means to become better. We can use these keys to challenge our own prejudices and ingrained stereotypes, to break the molds of system designed to control and separate us, to question ourselves when we find ourselves reacting negatively to others because they are different from us\u2026and in the end, create a better now, here on earth.<\/p>\n
I think if we all can examine ourselves, our beliefs, and our reactions more closely, taking time to consider how they affect us and everyone around us, we can truly start building a better humanity. \u00a0When we find ourselves being hateful to others, especially because of what they may represent to us, if we take the time to ask ourselves WHY, we can start to undo the cycle. \u00a0If we teach our children to be responsible, considerate, capable of both critical thought and empathy, we are building a better now. \u00a0And if we can see beyond our own needs (and wants, and the difference between those) to what others may need, we can strengthen society. \u00a0Hope may seem like a fragile thing in this world, but a little goes a long way to change the now.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi everybody! \u00a0Great news! \u00a0The first draft of my second book, \u201cSigil Witchery,\u201d is off the publisher. \u00a0I\u2019m recovering and getting back on track with the normal patterns of my weird life, so here is one more post from the archives. \u00a0It was originally published in June 2015, and with the exception of a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[157,156,155,26,154,7,4],"class_list":["post-301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","tag-christian","tag-ethics","tag-morals","tag-pagan","tag-wiccan-rede","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\n