Following on from the previous post here but originally posted to a mailing list in June 2006:
When did we become the thought police?
Not that I’m in favour of brutality in any form, but at what point did we start focusing on natural sexual activity and calling it ‘predatory’?
I’m not talking about paedophilia here.
At the age of fourteen or fifteen as person is NOT a child! They are young adults! To pretend otherwise is ridiculous in my opinion.
How would you have felt if your parents said you were still a child when you were fourteen or fifteen? Or if they’d told you you shouldn’t know about ‘certain things’ because you were too young at that age?
I’m not suggesting that fifteen year olds should be having sex willy-nilly, even though I’m sure some of them are! But they are certainly old enough be be feeling sexual, and old enough to be able to DEAL with such feelings.
If some young adults claim to feeling uncomfortable because someone, in their opinion, looks at them in a certain way, then they haven’t been given the correct advice on how to deal with such things. And they have even less chance of making a clear-minded decision if their reasoning has been clouded by unnecessary fear!
Does anyone here know that Cleopatra, “Queen of the Nile”, at the age of 18 or so, married her BROTHER, who was then some 5 years her junior!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra_VII_of_Egypt
Extract:
“Rule with Ptolemy XIII
On their father’s death in the spring of 51 BCE, when she was only 18, and as Auletes’ oldest child (two older sisters having died), she became co-ruler with her younger brother Ptolemy XIII. She married him and consummated the marriage to strengthen her hold on the throne.”
Zeus, so the story goes, changed himself into a bull and raped Europa!
http://www.the-pantheon.com/europa.htm
Bacchus, and Pan are Pagan Gods!
http://www.art.nl/journal/article.aspx?ID=20
Most here claim to be Witches. This means understanding yourselves as FULL and COMPLETE human beings.
“Know Thyself”
It means understanding yourselves in every area.
In the practise of Witchcraft we are not governed by the idea of original sin!
In fact, up until only recently it seems, we fought against the very idea of it. Now it appears there are some here who would prefer to play the game of “Let’s not talk about it until we’re 18 years old, or married” – as it was in the 1950s (or, not quite, because back then you could get married at sixteen – and many people did!).
To my mind that point of view of suppression of natural information has no place in the Craft.
I’m not advocating breaking the law here, but I am wondering how this narrow-minded attitude to sex has crept into the Craft?
BDSM is an extreme form of sexual expression IMO, and not something I would advocate for the beginner AT ALL!
However, even though it’s not my chosen area of practise, for someone to openly state that they are a practising Witch who chooses to explore the darker side of the Left-hand Path via BDSM practise seems to me to be an honest thing to do.
Both Crowley and Gardner did it! And with gusto. Crowley was known as “The Old Goat”! And we have no idea of the age, or gender of the partners either of them chose at the time.
Yet, there are people here who happily follow in their (particularly Gardner’s) footsteps who are now, apparently (and I know you’ll correct me if I’m wrong), crying for ‘blood’ because another honest man in this group claims to have had ‘uncomfortable’ thoughts about young women!
My questions for that one is: Why should he feel uncomfortable about thinking such things? He didn’t act on it, and probably never will!!
And, it’s perfectly natural for a man to think about women, and young women, in a sexual manner. As it is for women to think similarly about men, and young men…
And, in case some don’t realise it, the Left-hand path can encompass much darker arts than BDSM.
It also includes, for those who have the stomach for it and for those who don’t, murder, dismemberment, and more often than not, the complete control of entire communities through military might and/or religious threat!
Like war! Like allowing, even ordering, young men and women to maim and kill other people, and to be killed. In the name of WHAT!
Talk about practising the Dark Arts!
How is this abusive horror now taking a back seat?
Why are we so much more upset by what someone “might be thinking” when there’s something much more sinister going on right under our noses?
When did this smoke screen start to happen?
Our attention has been diverted by experts, no doubt about it.
How about we stop worrying about ’sexual predators’ lurking around every corner and start teaching our kids how to deal happily with their own sexuality… let them know that they are NOT evil, bad or wrong when they, or anyone else, have sexual thoughts.
And more importantly, even though I have the greatest respect for WARRIORS, make sure they know that they are NOT growing up to be the much-needed Human Resources for war.
Ok… that should make me really popular now..
I’m going to make some cocoa..
May your days and nights be blessed
Love
Leonora
http://witchywisdom.com
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Magic is all around us.
It’s time.
Remove superstition from mystery.
Open your mind
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(((Feel))) the Rhythm
