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Natalie C.'s avatar

There was a lot of good info in here. I'm really curious to know more about the Divine Feminine and Blessed Mother, especially from someone who is not a professing Christian.

And I love that you included a section about the Theosophists taking rituals and beliefs from eastern religions and bastardizing them, which is my big beef with the New Age. When I studied Hinduism (and Buddhism) academically, there was always an emphasis on temporarily accepting (for the goal of understanding) the entire epistemological worldview of the cultures and religions we were studying. So I've always had a problem with problem with people picking and choosing what they "like" or what "resonates" from completely different cultures and using them to form their own "individual spirituality." I don't think it really works like that (though it seems you have an understanding of the mystical workings animating various religions while showing much respect to each tradition, I'm guessing that understanding was hard-won from your OBEs). If you want to worship Krishna or Ganesh then immerse yourself totally in that specific tradition, don't go to a kirtan then charge your crystals in the moonlight and then meditate on your chosen Native American goddess and think you're going to get lasting profound insights. That is capitalist individualistic culture masquerading as spiritual discipline. Devotion, growing in virtue, self-denial, knowledge, humility, prayer, fasting are all important but they need to be grounded in tradition and wisdom for most people to grow closer to God, and for spiritual safety. The problem is most people don't think they're "most people" and fancy themselves as part if the left-hand path.

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Linda Arnold's avatar

This may not be my best question, but it it the one that keeps coming to me as almost a barrier when I read this article, so I will ask it first.

As a woman, penetration is not something I generally think of as bad. For me, it is God given (but at the right time). I have no desire for anal sex, I feel sure vaginal is better and not physically dangerous like anal, e.g. fissures, etc., so that is what I mean. But the article says the "birth canal" is close to the anal canal and can be used. Agreed it is used in rape ,by the way. What is more regarding penetration, people take enemas, sometimes under a doctor, sometimes at home. They also have colonoscopies (oddly, I'm told I almost died at my last one - I will not have another - because my blood pressure plummeted). So I do not see that all penetration is bad, not as hurting my spirit. Of course, penetration by an object that is too large is bad. I've read detailed descriptions in crime novels about techniques that can be used to stretch the anus somewhat before penetration. I will spare the details.

So for me there is good penetration and bad. Pain = bad. Promiscuous = bad. Self-medicine, I supposed, could be bad. But sex = good. Gynecological and protocological exams = good. (Oh, catheterization is the worst, the trauma and incident of forced catheterization a child will not leave me. Done voluntarily I guess it is OK.)

I am rethinking the question of whether gay promiscuity is more harmful that heterosexual promiscuity. I still think the latter is worse due to more potential to harm women and children, but I've been challenged a lot regarding my views of gay sex and of course gay adoption deprives kids of two complementary role models (I do not think I will ever come to stand in condemnation of a private monogamous non-hurtful act between two consenting adults, however. And transgender poses the greatest threat of all to children and they are not to be taught about it.)

You likely know that with me and with pretty much every Western person of Christian background, you are going to get someone who believes in good and bad. ( Circumstance counts: take a properly prescribed pain pill, for example, but no other narcotic.) Trying to conceptualize Left hand as "sometimes bad" is interesting. However, already I want to move all non-harmful sex to the right hand and all harmful sex to the left hand, in my mind.

Again, with many gay friends in life and two very, very close ones, I know their left had path activities, though both also did a lot with the right. Even if I asked, for example, "Can I go to a sweat lodge?" or "Could you get me some mushroom?" they basically forbade it. I thought maybe they had a trace of misogyny or heterophobia (opposite of homophobia) but I think now they were keeping me on my path. Both say they took a "ladder" to deep spirituality. Rod has explained this a lot. I wish people would leave him be. After some left hand stuff (e.g. LSD) and then leaving that path, of course he wants more info than average about these things, and it is up to him to stop when and if led to do so.

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