It is said that we--humankind--were created in the image of The Creator. I accept this as so. Why? Because I choose to. If you do not, then you probably shouldn’t waste reading time on this particular Blog, but if you do, let’s take a little walk…
The first question, of course, is “What is the Creator’s image?” Turns out, this is a critical and world-changing question. Why? Because the idea, for instance, that the Creator is male has helped foster and condone cultures of misogyny the world over. It is the power behind the engine that drives cultures of male “superiority” and dominance--in which women have few rights, little independence, and are subject to unbearable abuse--all over the globe.
I started this discussion by stating my belief that we human beings were created in the image of The Creator because, “I choose” to believe this, and this is an important fact to revisit right about now. Choices. Specifically, choosing what we believe is at the very heart of every religion in the world. No system of religion comes with concrete proof of all the tenets of its beliefs neatly laid out--in short, no religion comes with a seal of approval by “God,” no matter what book or mouth it came out of. So it stands to reason, therefore, that the biggest factor to believing in a certain religion is choice. Someone, somewhere along the line, chose to believe a certain way and then chose to share those beliefs with others--who, in turn, either came on board by their own choice, or by persuasion, coercion, or any number of other means, including force. Now, we have a group of believers, who share a common belief system--and thus it is, that a religion is born.
The tricky part comes when someone, for whatever reason, questions one, some, or all of the tenets of a system of beliefs. What to do?! What to do?! Arguing the point (or points) invariably leads to people taking sides which, in turn, leads to conflict, hostility, and--as we see the world over to this very day--wars. Persuasion sometimes helps, but not always (if you are over 40 and have teenage kids, for example, you’ll know just how effective this approach can sometimes be!) and, the “because I said so,” approach can be no more effective either, often leading to all of the same problems that arguing the point does (people can be unbelievably obstinate when it comes to their religious beliefs!). So what is the most common approach? We are told to have faith. To just, believe. Actually, we are often told that if we don’t have faith and if we don’t believe, we are doomed to a terrible, dreadful place called Hell. Which, of course, is another tenet of many religions one can choose to either believe or not--since, once again, there is no concrete proof of the actual existence of such a place at all. (However, if you happen to have found an entryway, trapdoor, or some other proof of the existence of Hell, I’m open to it, feel free to e-mail me the location.)
If it isn’t Hell, then it’s some other kind of “punishment” or undesirable repercussion that will rain down on us in one way or another if we choose, choose, choose to believe differently or to disagree in any way with our religious group--and all this can be summed up under one umbrella term: Threats.
Good grief! So, most religions have some kind of “Threat” implicit in their teachings (by someone, somewhere) to convince its followers to believe or behave in a certain way? Yes! And, I’ll go out on a limb here by stating that they ALL do and, what’s more--and here’s the biggy, so get ready to gasp--Paganism is NO exception. There, I said it. Let’s face it, for Pagans who believe, for instance, in the Law of Karma (sometimes called the ThreeFold Law), the “Threat” of “What doest thou comes back to thee” is pretty strong motivation to cast your Magick or fling your Energy in a kind, good, or positive direction--well, for a lot of us it is, anyway. However, one could argue that Karma is not a “Threat,” at all but rather a Natural Consequence, but I would waste no time in counter-arguing that implicit in the concept of “natural consequences” is the Threat of, “Do bad things--then, bad things will happen to you.”
[Uh oh… This is turning into a bit of a meandering walk, isn’t it? O.K., I’ll try to steer back onto my original path…]
So, here we are, each of us made (according to our beliefs--if you are still with me) in the image of The Creator. But, here we also are, seeing that there is absolutely no concrete proof of this. So, I would encourage you to look at the issue from the inside out. Simply stated, if we choose to believe that The Creator made us in Its Divine Image, does it not stand to reason then, that if you look at us--any one, or all of us collectively--then you are, essentially, looking at the Divine? Yes, it does. Oh, nice. So, The Creator is a 53 year-old woman with thinning hair, wrinkles, Parkinson’s Disease and a big butt? You’re kidding, right? Well, no. But, it also means that The Creator is the twenty-five year-old gay man, the ninety year-old man at the doorway to the end of life, the three year-old girl with cancer, the high school jock, the prostitute, the pimp, the liar, the cheat, and the selfless mother who gives her life for her child. The Creator’s many faces are reflected in the many faces of Its Creation--good, bad, and ugly. Gay, straight, transgender. Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, and, yes, thief too. Even the murderer. Everything we are is a reflection of an Aspect of The Divine.
What?!! You mean Spirit is a Pimp?! A lesbian? The old fart next door who can’t remember, at any given time, what day of the week it is?! You can not be serious?!
Oh, youbetcha! I’m deadly serious. But, now let’s bring this little walk in step with a little common sense, too, shall we?
You will notice that all these “attributes” are, in fact, polar opposites. And, you may well be asking yourself, going by what I’ve said so far, if this answers the question: is The Creator male or female? My answer would be, yes, The Creator Is.
“The Creator Is…” That’s it? Is what?
Well, The Creator is male, female, both, neither, either, or… again, in short, The Creator Is. Because everything we are, is a reflection of the Divine. The Creator has a Feminine aspect as well as a Masculine aspect. It has a Shadow aspect and a Light aspect. A Procreative aspect and a Destructive aspect. A side we can see, as well as a side we cannot. Behaviors we understand, behaviors we do not. I’ll state again: The Creator is reflected in our image, meaning that all the complexities and diversities of The Divine are reflections of the complex and diverse nature of humanity, coming from Spirit. So, what does this mean--how does it impact us? It means, if you choose to hate gay people, you are choosing to hate Spirit. If you choose bigotry against any race, religion, or group, you are choosing bigotry against Spirit. If you think one gender is superior to another, you are choosing to see a part of Spirit as imperfect and, in some way, less than another part.
Yeah… I hear you: “So, are you saying that being a pimp is somehow, Divine??” Of course I am. But, not in the way the question implies. Come on, we’ll walk a little more…
The dark, negative, or shadow behaviors of humankind are a reflection--and only a reflection--of the duality of Spirit. Spirit is Light. Spirit is Shadow. This duality is present in all things and all beings--and it is NOT representative of “good or bad,” but rather of, as stated, Shadow and Light. Much like the Moon--sometimes we see its dark side, other times, its light--neither side is good or bad, they simply are. Shadow and Light are present in free will, they are present in nature, in reflexes, instincts, actions, and behaviors--be they choice-based, or DNA-based--all reside in some degree of Shadow and Light. So, choosing to be a pimp--depending upon your point of view--is a reflection of a Divine Aspect of Shadow, NOT a Divine behavior! Murder is a reflection of the Shadow Aspect of Spirit, not the human reflection of a “murderous side” of Spirit.
Go ahead, make the argument that the very presence of Light and Shadow somehow makes Spirit responsible for murder, cruelty, and the like--and I’ll tell you, in short order, that living in Shadow is a personal choice, not a Divine edict! If you choose Shadow behaviors, you will live a life in darkness. The only way to correct the imbalance of a shadow life is to turn toward--and live in--the light. We all have a shadow aspect and an aspect of light because, to come full circle, we are all of us--no exceptions--created in the image of Spirit. This, in turn, is why we all have a gender duality--a feminine side and a masculine side. It’s all about Balance! We are given countless examples of Balance all around us--and for a very, very good reason: To show us what we are meant to strive for. So, as you raise your children, go about your daily life, make every-day or life altering decisions, ask yourself frequently: Am I at a healthy Point of Balance? Am I living in Shadow or Light? If the answer to either of these questions is, “no,” then make an appropriate course correction.
Blessed Be,
Winnie
