Getting past the fluff
I'm always amazed by people that focus on the trappings of things. This essay came out of a discussion with friends about a large number of "generic Pagans" that we see that have absolutely no core to their religion. It's all fluff, all trappings. And yet, when things get difficult, when you actually have an issue, there's nothing there. There's nothing to hold to.
I see a lot of people do this, with many religions, and it saddens me. Religion is never about the clothing or the candles or the pomp and circumstance. They are important, yes, but only for what they lead to. Not for what they are. A candle is a candle .. no amount of dressing it with oil and carving things on it is going to make it an actual religious item. What matters is the feeling and the connection that you have with what you're doing. Not the candle.
This isn't to say that trappings are bad. They're a very useful tool to get to the core of what's important, because that core is often quite hard to articulate and deal with in one's regular headspace. I'm a fan of ritual myself, when the ritual works for me. But the key isn't the ritual. It's where the ritual takes you.
If it's not going anywhere, why bother?
Questions:
Do I get caught up on trappings? I do my best to avoid that in all things. And, in fact, it often baffles me when people get caught up in trappings. That said, sometimes I avoid it too much .. I suck at small talk, which is a trapping of conversation. I sometimes have a hard time with ritual because I skip ahead and forget to write down the steps I took, because I'm doing my best to get past all that. (I also have a hard time writing description for the same reason. it doesn't matter to me, and I want to get to the story. embarrassing). But while trappings can matter, and certainly make life smoother .. they're not IMPORTANT.
What happens when I get caught up in trappings? I get frustrated, and I get bored. When I was trying to be Wiccan for a time, I could only find the trappings, and it irritated me highly. I knew there was more, somewhere .. but I couldn't find it, and it drove me crazy. It was worse than having nothing, because I had something and still didn't have it anyway.
What is the core to my beliefs and why? The most core thing is that I am of the Divine. All that I am is of the Divine, although the Divine is much bigger than just me. And it's core because it changes absolutely everything else. Once that belief is established, it puts a new light on everything. And another core belief is the twin Flames, Bright and Dark. Because when we refuse to allow ourselves darkness and a chance to rest, we stifle ourselves. It's permission to withdraw and a demand to engage both. And, again, it celebrates our sacred nature.
I see a lot of people do this, with many religions, and it saddens me. Religion is never about the clothing or the candles or the pomp and circumstance. They are important, yes, but only for what they lead to. Not for what they are. A candle is a candle .. no amount of dressing it with oil and carving things on it is going to make it an actual religious item. What matters is the feeling and the connection that you have with what you're doing. Not the candle.
This isn't to say that trappings are bad. They're a very useful tool to get to the core of what's important, because that core is often quite hard to articulate and deal with in one's regular headspace. I'm a fan of ritual myself, when the ritual works for me. But the key isn't the ritual. It's where the ritual takes you.
If it's not going anywhere, why bother?
Questions:
Do I get caught up on trappings? I do my best to avoid that in all things. And, in fact, it often baffles me when people get caught up in trappings. That said, sometimes I avoid it too much .. I suck at small talk, which is a trapping of conversation. I sometimes have a hard time with ritual because I skip ahead and forget to write down the steps I took, because I'm doing my best to get past all that. (I also have a hard time writing description for the same reason. it doesn't matter to me, and I want to get to the story. embarrassing). But while trappings can matter, and certainly make life smoother .. they're not IMPORTANT.
What happens when I get caught up in trappings? I get frustrated, and I get bored. When I was trying to be Wiccan for a time, I could only find the trappings, and it irritated me highly. I knew there was more, somewhere .. but I couldn't find it, and it drove me crazy. It was worse than having nothing, because I had something and still didn't have it anyway.
What is the core to my beliefs and why? The most core thing is that I am of the Divine. All that I am is of the Divine, although the Divine is much bigger than just me. And it's core because it changes absolutely everything else. Once that belief is established, it puts a new light on everything. And another core belief is the twin Flames, Bright and Dark. Because when we refuse to allow ourselves darkness and a chance to rest, we stifle ourselves. It's permission to withdraw and a demand to engage both. And, again, it celebrates our sacred nature.
posted by Vieva | 8:15 AM
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