I’ve found all the encouragement and direction I need to write my novel!
It is a rainy Sunday morning here at The Pond. quanta and I were planning on attending the local Ukrainian festival (an Irish girl and a Chinese boy, imagine how we’d stand out), but it looks like the weather won’t be co-operating. And I was so looking forward to fresh perogies and potato pancakes. I was also going to wash our windows today, and I will admit to not being the least bit sad that I won’t be able to.
On to the memes!
Witches Weekly: Politics
Do you feel those with pagan beliefs should attempt to take more of a political stand?
I have very strong feelings when it comes to Pagans and political action. I don’t feel that our religion(s) should be used to further political motives, nor do I feel that if one is Pagan than one must be political.
A religion is a personal spiritual path, not a route to political power. If you choose to support causes that are in line with your religion, such as environmental protection, please don’t say you are doing it because you are Pagan. Instead, say you are doing it because you believe in the cause. Unless the Goddess comes down to you and says out loud that you must do X because you are Pagan, then your political motives are not part of your religion.
*sigh* That being said, part of the reason I gave blood was because of my religion, because my religion shapes my morals. My spiritual path has taught me to try to give back when I can, so giving blood made sense. But the main reasons for my giving blood were because it was needed and I had lots to spare.
Is paganism openly accepted where you are from? (city,town,state?)
The religion of Wicca is recognized in Canada, and Paganism in general is fairly widely accepted. We don’t have the same level of religious homogeneity here as the U.S. seems to have. I have friends from many different religions and many different ethnic backgrounds, and all are accepted to varying degrees.
However, when you get to the personal level, there are always people who don’t accept “other” religions. For example, my new bosses would probably be quite upset if they discovered I was Wiccan since they are very devote Christians. And quanta’s friend Juice is also very devote, and most days you can tell that he isn’t sure about me. But since our society is a mosaic, and diversity is encouraged, Paganism of most types is accepted.
Given your beliefs, what’s one thing that a political figure could promise to you about your path, that would convince you to vote for them?
My political and spiritual beliefs aren’t really tied, so the short answer would be “nothing”. But, as I mention above, since my morals are informed by my faith, I would say that if a politician provided a plan to truly fix health care and other social programs then I would vote for him or her.
Unconscious Mutterings: Week 82
Two weeks of work done, and things are still going well. I made a couple of mistakes this week, ringing in two debt purchases as cash, which threw the float count off at night. But they were easy mistakes to find and even easier to fix. All in all, I think things are going well.
On the down side, I really miss all the free time I used to have. I wish that I had made better use of it, because there are so many things that I would have liked to have done. Instead, I am not trying (unsuccessfully) to squish everything into what little free time I have left. I suppose I will be able to establish a better schedule once I get used to working again, but right now I am finding it very frustrating. I guess I want to have it all, but I really can’t.
When quanta and I were in the early stages of our romantic relationship, I told him that I would convert to Catholicism if he wanted. I rationalized this on many different levels. At the most basic, I wanted to please him more then anything in the world. On a more spiritual level, I recognized the Virgin Mary as the Goddess in disguise.
quanta more or less laughed off my offer, and I am glad he did. It is not that I love him any less today, or that I no longer want to make him happy. It is quite the opposite. We have a wonderful relationship, full of love, joy and compromise. And our relationship works because we are both our own person. We might not understand or agree with each other’s religion, but that doesn’t destroy our relationship. Instead, we have respect for the our different spiritual and moral beliefs, and celebrate the similarities. Admittedly, neither of us are particularly devote, which probably helps.
A strong and lasting relationship can not be built when one partner tries to change them self to fit the other person. Women especially need to remember to take care of themselves and maintain their own personality. And believe me when I say I speak from experience here. Perhaps part of the reason I love quanta so much–beyond his generosity, humour and intelligence–is the fact that he supports me in all my endeavors and encourages me to discover who I am.
This week’s Sidhe Shots theme is water, continuing the element theme of past weeks. Below is a picture I took of my favourite corner of High Park’s Grenadier Pond. Quite often there are several ducks, and the occasional geese and swan, floating around the lily pads.
Some of you may have heard about the hostage situation here in Toronto yesterday. I was already at work when it happened, but a customer told us about it. The guy took a couple of shots at his estranged wife in the basement mall of one of the big office buildings downtown. (Most of them have a mall with a food court and several shops. I work in a mall like that, but quite a distance from where this all happened.) When she fell down, he began to beat her with the gun. Witnesses seem to agree that she wasn’t actually hit by the bullets, but she was bleeding from the beating.
The man then left the building and walked towards Union Station, which is the big junction for subway, VIA Rail trains, and GO buses and trains. He took a woman hostage when he got there, and proceeded to point the gun at her head and walk back and forth in front of Union Station. Police evacuated the street and the upper part of the station. The subway kept running, but no one was let off at that stop. After about 45 minutes of negotiation, a police sniper took a shot and hit the man in the head. He had made some sort of movement with his gun towards the woman before he was shot, but she was totally unharmed.
Here’s a news story about it, with video. The news reporter is standing in front of Union Station, but it is usually much busier then it is there.
It is a strange thing, really. The man was just out in the open with his hostage. There are many places he could have taken at least partial shelter behind. I think that maybe he knew what was going to happen and didn’t really care. Everyone here seems content with the actions of the police, which is a miracle in this city. Every time the police shoot someone here, which happens about once a month, people are up in arms. (If you’ll pardon the pun.)
Interestingly enough, the subway was closed down for about an hour late this afternoon because someone jumped in front of a train. It is always exciting around here.
Quite frankly, the life of a working girl sucks. (Not that kind of a working girl! Gutter mind!) My feet are killing me! So, as a treat, I cashed in my Shoppers Optimum points and treated myself to a wide variety of pedicure and manicure items–all for free! Okay, I had to pay the tax on them, but still…
Last night I buffed up my toes and shined up my nails, and I’m feeling better already. Friday night I plan to do the whole nine yards–foot soak, nail polish, etc. I might even break out a trashy movie. OK… I will probably watch a Michael Palin special, it’s hard to go against type you know.
In other news, life is moving along slowly but peacefully. The job is very good, even if it is retail. I’ve been very comfortable and very cheery. (How unlike me!) My fall clothes are all but bought now, although I could do with another pair of pants and another sweater. My fall shoes have also been bought. They were expensive, but they are very comfortable. I guess there really is something to be said for buying expensive shoes. I’ve lost count of the number of cheap shoes I’ve given away. My calendars for next year have been bought too, and Christmas gifts are well underway. I’ve even managed to book off a Saturday so Mom and I can reveal in our nerdiness at the fall Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival. Things are coming together nicely, even if I am a little tired from getting up at 6am.
Welcome to Stitching Lotus, a blog about crafting, reading, and creating my own cozy corner of the world. AI free!
Needleworker, Knitter, Crocheter, Sewist, Paper Crafter, and more!
