America's Independence Day; A History of Violence

PLEASE! Before y'all start throwing stones, first of all, remember that you live in a 'glass house', and secondly, just let me make this disclaimer; "I am NOT condemning America for rebelling against the tyranny of England, or Great Britain!" The War for American Independence, more commonly known as 'The Revolutionary War' began simply, to my understanding, as the American Colony's answer to the injustice of the British Empire, in particular, the unjust taxation of said colonies. Was America itself, or more precisely, 'The United States of America', just in waging war on their former countrymen, just because they happened to choose the 'wrong' side? Might there have been a better way to end the conflict? "IS Violence ( sometimes ) a 'necessary evil'?!" As the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence nears, let us see if we can answer these questions...........

In this blog, we have previously explored the notion that, whether we'd like to admit it or not, the American Empire ( for that is very arguably what we are ) is simply an extension of the British Empire, which itself is more or less an extension of the Roman Empire. ( "That may seem a bit of a leap, but bear with me!" ) The Bible - which I was brought up on - among other things, is a Tale of Empires. It seems that, almost from the inception of Israel as a nation, they were under the thumb of one empire or another, lastly, the Roman Empire. Interesting that a thousand or so years later, the land of Palestine - a battleground for the ages - was restored to the Jews ( Israel? ) by the British Empire. ( Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! ) The point IS; empires, no matter how large or small, rise & fall! "Why?" you may ask.................My answer is, "Because ANYTHING founded on Violence is, sooner or later, doomed to fall!"

 "Violence begets Violence", I always say! One of the reasons, if not the main reason that the United States of America ( USA, Inc ), not to mention almost the entire world of individual nations, has been at continuous, almost uninterrupted war for millenia is that one single act of violence can - and usually does - have a ripple effect, like throwing the proverbial pebble in a pond ( kinda like lying )!

On July 4th, 1776, as the official story goes, the 'Declaration of Independence' was signed by representatives of what was to become the United States of America. The actual story might reveal some different facts & supply a few 'missing' details, but for our intended purpose here, we will stick with that explanation. What happened next was a violent uprising later called 'the Revolutionary War'. This violent uprising was in response to, according to the 'official' story, "taxation without representation" ( 'Sound familiar? ). I would imagine that many or most people that might have an opinion on this subject would immediately say that, "yes", this act of violence was necessary, even justifiable. In fact, it would be hard to deny this reasoning, especially since it seems to be as plain as the nose on one's proverbial face that, sometimes, the only reasonable answer to violence is more & usually greater violence.  However, "Violence is NOT the answer": It is undeniably AN answer & while it seems to be the only answer that some people understand, the use of violence, "as above, so below", only begets violence!

It really goes without saying ( in other words, "it just makes sense" ) that when someone ( anyone ) answers violence with violence, sooner or later ( usually "sooner" ), it only engenders more violence, again, usually greater! I almost hate to mention this example, as it is SO controversial, but, even if you subscribe to the 'official' story, that foreign terrorists were behind the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon, these attacks came because........"Why?" The most immediate & glaring answer is "because the US. Inc. has been sticking their nose where it doesn't belong; in essence ( this is a LONG Story ) they have involved themselves ( thus the USA ) in the War that has disrupted the Peace of the Middle East for the afore-mentioned "millenia", some might say, "ever since biblical times". To the credit of certain leaders of the US. Inc, measures have been taken, previously, to withdraw the USA from the Middle East ( or parts of it anyway ), but, for one thing, we have seen how long THAT lasted & the effect it had; for two, it should be obvious that it was just another glaring example of "too little, too late". We should never have involved ourselves, as a nation, in their Conflict, but sadly, this is where the subject of Empire again rears its ugly head!

The British Empire, from which the American Colonies had gained an uneasy 'independence' not even 200 years prior, saw fit to 'liberate' the land of Palestine, in essence, wresting it, yet again, according to biblical history, from its original inhabitants & restoring it to its 'rightful' owners ( ? ). Whether this was right or wrong, a good decision or a bad one, might be left up to the individual, but I would like to be clear that, in my opinion, this was definitely NOT a good decision NOR was it right, for as a former Christian, even I understood that the Jews ( Israel, et al ) gave up their 'right' ( if they indeed had any to begin with ) to exist as a nation. 

The American Empire, which, as I claimed earlier, is "simply an extension of the British Empire" has not, until recently, tried their hand at empire-building beyond "making the world safe for Democracy" ( "whatever the hell that's supposed to mean!" ). I say "till recently", because, with our current president's talk of annexing all or parts of Canada, Greenland, etc., it would seem that we ( US. Inc. ) are following in the footsteps of our predecessor ( "who ain't dead yet!" )!  

"IS there a better Way?!" I'd like to think there is! Could those Colonists, those 'Rebels', have found a way to solve their conflict with their former countrymen that didn't involve the everlasting violence of all-out War? It's difficult to say, especially looking back at the situation from our modern point of view - "We weren't there!" I can only imagine how many peace-loving hippies are still out there, looking back with regret at the many, many armed conflicts that we, as a country, or even individually have taken part in! Not one veteran of any foreign war, I can guarantee you, even though they may have come home physically unscathed, has come home in one piece. You have no doubt heard the many horror stories about husbands, wives, sons & daughters that came home a totally different person, if they actually, truly came home at all. Admittedly, some may have figured how to leave the hellish horrors of War behind and fully return to their loved ones, but, as I've said before; "War is Hell!" It's hard to realize you're in Heaven if your life is one living Hell. 'Hard, but not impossible..................

So, to wrap things up; "No, Violence is NOT the Answer!" ( That much is clear ) But, what then IS the Answer?! The Answer is in YOU, my friend! You have the Power, the ResponsAbility to choose whether or not to fight Fire with Fire, or to simply walk away, to not only seek Peace, but to live, to manifest the Peace that is in you! "What then?" some might ask," should we just allow our rights to be trampled on?!"  Honestly, that sounds pretty Egoic to me ( mea culpa )! Allow me to pose THIS question in return; "Is it better to allow our fragile Ego to be hurt, or to continue the cycle of violence?" Our Ego is not a physical thing; if our feelers get bent, we don't suffer any physical harm, but if we return violence for violence ( "eye for an eye"? ) we may never see and end to the violence & the whole world might end up blind!

As we celebrate this coming weekend, then, please, PLEASE remember; we are NOT our 'Fathers'! Right or wrong, the rebellion they fomented & the violence they fostered have to end somewhere, somehow, sometime; Let it end with YOU ( okay, maybe not the "rebellion" part 1)!

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles 

  

The Christian Witch

One question that has been on my mind of late is, "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or maybe even better, "Can a Witch be a Christian?" In modern parlance, the answer might be a quick ( shuddering ) "Hell NO", while from the more spiritual ( not-so-religious ), the answer would likely be more affirmative.  Maybe more to the point though, is, "Why CAN'T a Christian be a Witch?" ( Or a Witch a Christian? ) Before we can answer THAT question however, we must definitively answer these; "What IS a Christian?" & "What IS a Witch?" To answer the latter question first, "What is a Witch?", we must first dispel a few errant notions. What might be called 'the Hollywood witch' is probably the most popular ( "familiar"? ) notion. Shows like 'Bewitched' & 'Sabrina, the Teenage Witch', among others are largely to blame for this one. Movies like, 'The Witches of Eastwick' & even Disney's 'Hocus Pocus' have served to promote this same image. From early times, witches have been described as 'wild women flying around on brooms, zapping their enemies with hexes'. These are NOT true Witches! First & foremost, to be a true Witch, One ( male OR female ) MUST possess an intimate knowledge of & relationship with themselves; secondarily, and leading FROM the first, this Person is intimately connected to our Blessed Mother Earth! Some might use the terminology, "Mother Nature", but really, both these monikers refer to the same Divine Being. Even the Christian Bible tells us that the Creator told Her, in Genesis 1:11 & 24, "bring forth"! However, speaking of the Christian Bible, another reason that most religious Christians would say that a Christian cannot be a Witch is that, most infamously, in Exodus 22:18, we read, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live". If my readers care to click on the link attached to "witch" in this verse, they will see that, though the foremost ( Strong's ) concordance seems to fall right in line with even 'the Hollywood witch', further in, Gesenius' Hebrew lexicon simply tells us that the word speaks of prayer & worship! This then, brings us to the question, "To Whom do you pray? Who DO you worship?" That, or rather, "those" questions, could open a whole NEW can of worms! Secondly, "What is a Christian?" While admittedly, particularly in this day & age, "Christian" is a bit of an 'umbrella term', biblically speaking, it means 'disciple, or follower of ( the ) Christ'. In fact, the term 'Christian' was at first given as a derogatory term, as it simply means, 'little Christ'. ( among the majority of the religious elite of his day, Jesus was NOT very popular & therefore, neither were his followers ) Put simply, then, a Christian is a follower of Jesus, who was the Christ & One who espouses the principles he gave us!

So, again; "Can a Christian be a Witch?", or vice-versa. We, however, must ask yet another question; "Are we speaking of a spiritual Christian or a religious one?" "What's the difference?" One might ask. This is NOT a one-size-fits-all answer, but "a spiritual Christian is one who believes in God ( ? ), follows the teachings of Jesus, but does NOT feel the need to worship Him ( ? ) in a corporate assembly, or even follow the 'rules' that most religious Christians do". A religious Christian then, is one who follows, or at least aspires to follow, not just the teachings of Jesus, but all ten rules ( Commandments/Laws? ) outlined in Exodus 20, et al. Religious Christians range from simple ( ignorant? ) folk who think they need to follow a set of rules in a religious text that was written to & for an ancient people in an almost ENTIRELY different culture in order to be a good Christian, to one who, like the Pharisees, trusts more in their ability to follow a set of laws, than in the Lawgiver. Personally speaking & coming from a space where I USED to be one of these latter, other than the most obvious ( perceived ) reason that a Christian can't be a Witch ( as outlined in the first paragraph ), I have no issues with a Witch believing in God ( ? ), or a Christian practicing the Craft!

 "Who IS God?" ( Yet another question, I know! ) Again, we must return to the issue of the religious Christian versus the spiritual Christian. As before, I'm not claiming to speak for all, but a religious Christian would most likely immediately point to what the Christian Bible says on the subject. A spiritual Christian, on the other hand, while not necessarily disagreeing with what it says, knows by experience that "God", whatever form that may be, is not limited to, or defined by it, or the ancient Hebrew text on which it is however loosely based. Whether or not the Christian God is the true God, the Source of all Life, or just One of Many different perceptions of that Source, It is what It is! As the saying goes, "A Rose by any other Name smells the same"! Well, in this case, maybe that's not quite true............

I was recently reminded how the monotheistic religions, in particularly the Big Three ( Judaism, Christianity & Islam ) have been responsible, directly or indirectly, for the overwhelming majority of national conflicts, or Wars, around the Globe since the inception of Institutional Religion: this is not to say that every adherent of said monotheistic religions is warlike, just that many or most monotheists seem to be of the notion that, "if you don't recognize MY god, I don't recognize yours ( or YOU, in many cases )!" Pagans, on the other hand, no matter what culture they're from ( Asia to the Americas  ) recognize & worship many gods, all of whom are tangible, visible Powers in Earth & Sky, from the Sun & Moon to Mother Earth Herself!

Again, for a Christian to be a Witch, despite what the Christian bible says, is entirely possible! For a Witch to be a Christian is thus not outside the realm of possibility, though unless the Christian in question is more of a spiritual One & not one who follows the party line without hesitation, there might be a few issues that she or he would need to overcome. The main Issue, I would say that such a questioner would need to overcome is that of placing Ultimate Power in something outside themselves. This is not, of course, to say that there IS no Power outside ourselves, because each Individual has their own Power, of sorts; the point IS, though, that AS Individuals, we ONLY have the Power to direct our own lives: like a famous Bear once said, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" Taken literally, as so many religionists tend to do, one might think it's all up to them, but no; that's not what I am, or "he is" ) saying at all! Individuals, however aware or unaware they may be, have the Ultimate Choice; no matter the impact someone else's choice might have on us, we ALWAYS have a choice as to how we will respond ( if at all )!

Finally, it is difficult to argue with the notion of 'the Hollywood Witch', at least to some extent, because honestly, I would say that some of the things they do are not outside the realm of possibility! I have never done any in-depth study of such phenomena as telekinesis, for instance, but I HAVE heard that the average person uses about 10% of their brains capacity. Movies like 'Lucy" are no doubt very fantasmagorical, but what if there WAS just a bit of Truth there?! "Can people actually move objects with their Mind?" I've heard Stories; I'm sure all my readers have heard stories & whether we believe them or not, again, "It is what It is!" Just like God ( ? ), just like 'witches', just like 'Christians'!

 "THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!"

 Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles