quote:

ORIGINAL: MarinaBlack

quote:

ORIGINAL: AlderTheKitty

...When in fact many goddesses who where worshiped widely were know for great deeds. As in helping, an army stop an invasion or watching over a mother as she gives birth rarely for oppressing a social group for frivolous reasons.

And many Goddesses did terrible things.
Think of all the War Goddesses to start, and the Goddess of Spite...

quote:

ORIGINAL: fergus

And as I consistently tell people in my spiritual circles.

Ask ten pagans the same question, and you will get 12 different answers.

I have always found Wicca to be about balance (male and female) ... and as we all have these aspects within us, men can also draw down the moon, just as either sex can draw down the sun.  It is about connecting with the divine elements within yourself that are either masculine, feminie, or both ... and how they relate to divinity(s).

On the topic of FS ... at risk to personaly injury ;) I will also say that I am egalitarian.  I do not believe that one can 'balance' the world ... imbalance only creates more imbalance.  I believe you balance yourself, and teach your children and students how to do the same.  When it comes to FS and male vs. female supremecy ... I am reminded of what the head of a local Buddhist monastay once taught me: "How can a bird fly if its left wing is stronger than its right wing?"

Men and women are different.  Different energies, different strengths and weaknesses, different 'a lot of things'.  Equal value, but different.  When we stop fighting 'the war between the sexes' and approach each other with mutual respect and dignity, THEN we may just find balance.

fergus

quote:

ORIGINAL: fergus

Dianna, I am speaking spirtually, and generally. 

Sure, I think exploring the extremes, ESPECIALLY in play is a wonderful thing, and indeed part of the human experience as well.  I am merely saying that knowing how to re-center and re-focus one's self is important. 

I also think far too many people get stuck in one extreme or another (in life, not just in BDSM)

fergus

quote:

ORIGINAL: LostLenore
(Now, who do I have to beat or have sex with to get rid of this damned vanilla ice cream cone?)

Unfortunately that will not be necessary. All you need to do is make about 11-16 more posts.

Is that info worth at least a slap in the face?

quote:

ORIGINAL: littlesarbonn

My only comment on this whole thread is one of pure simplicity. A lot of people have argued very astute observations and thoughts. Dianna Vesta doesn't need me to go on and on about how much respect I have for her and her opinions on the subject; I've been following her writings for a very long time both through sites she has maintained and through organizations to which the two of us have shared membership.

What I would like to say that differs from all that's been said is my simplicity thought: I fall into the category of those who have studied, and continue to study goddess worship both academically and from a personal desire to further one's spiritual understanding. What usually bothers me more than anything is when a woman with whom I am conversing proclaims goddess-ship but knows nothing of what that means. It's the equal of people calling Marilyn Monroe a goddess. Yes, she was a very beautiful woman, and she may even display attributes that someone may attribute to a goddess, but I don't think Norma Jean nor anyone closely affiliated with her have ever claimed she believed she was an actual goddess.

However, what happens quite a few times is that someone who is beautiful and has throngs of worshippers, somehow transfixes herself into believing that she is a goddess, but really has no knowledge of what that means. Years and years ago, I interviewed a very well known dominant in the scene who took a title of Empress. I asked her why she chose that title, and she said it was out of humor because it was so absurd. She said whenever anyone called her that, she just laughed and explained that her title was a response to what she considered stupidity sometimes in the scene. This is one of the few times I found a title used by a woman in a way where I actually felt it had serious meaning, as funny as that sounds. She was completely aware of her title and what it meant.

What excites me to no end is to find a woman who understands completely why she feels she deserves such a title. I have come across so many women who use the title "Goddess" and they use it just because they think it makes them sound more dominant and somehow more perfect. That's one of the reasons I truly respect GDV, because through years of following her writings, I know she not only understands the title but she understands everything about the entire process around the title. I don't find that very often with too many other people. There are way too many people who feel that because they are attractive and young, they somehow achieved some higher state of being than those around them. But I could go on and on about that for days. I did say I wanted to keep this somewhat simplistic.

quote:

ORIGINAL: AlderTheKitty

Lastly, this was meant to publicly voice my disgust at women using the term goddess as an excuse to be abusive.

quote:

When in fact many goddesses who where worshiped widely were know for great deeds. As in helping, an army stop an invasion or watching over a mother as she gives birth rarely for oppressing a social group for frivolous reasons.

quote:

i am insulted at how many of you think that it's ok to call you self a "Divine Being"