Sex, Religion, and Politics, oh my!
Happy Beltane, everyone. This Beltane-tide we seem to have that perfect storm of sex, religion, and politics, the three topics most bound to get any of us into trouble. So here I go…
Hopefully some of you witnessed that once-in-a-generation re-enactment of the sacred marriage (yea, handfasting) of the Divine King to his consort, the embodiment of the land: a.k.a. the Royal Wedding. All right… I admit that the previous generation’s marriages had their problems - both the Prince of Wales’ and Prince Andrew’s marriages wound up in divorce - but the death of Lady Diana seems to have fulfilled the periodic mythic killing of the Divine King (in this case, Queen) for the good of the land. Certainly Diana did much for the Monarchy, and her cachet has been passed on to Prince William, so much so that some would like to see Charles bypassed in the line of succession. That isn’t likely to occur… but Brits didn’t like the previous two King Charleses either (perhaps he’ll change his name to George). Given the long-lived Royals, we may have to wait forty years to see William on the throne. Some of us may not live that long, but the Monarchy still goes on. And in case I missed saying so, congratulations to the new Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge!
Speaking of weddings… Happy anniversary to Selena and Dennis on May 6!
My apologies to my Conservative friends in my reading audience. I love you, but you might want to skip this bit.
Yes, I know the economy is important and that in Alberta voting against the Tories is biting the hand that feeds many of us. But I personally find it impossible to respect a Prime Minister and a party that has treated Parliament and many of the Canadian people with contempt, trying to run a minority government like a dictatorship, strongly believing that the end justifies any means, and responding to any criticism with counterattack. In Calgary at least, Conservative candidates have almost universally avoided any public forums they can’t control, and I can only assume that orders came from the top to do so – stay the course and to hell with the public. Cautionary tale: Benito Mussolini may have made the trains run on time, but he wound up with his dead body being hung in public. Here in more civilized Canada, those of us who disapprove of them can only try to vote the bastards out. End of rant.
Congratulations to Stephanie, who received her Evergreen First Degree on April 16. Mighty blessings to a dear daughter!
May's Birthdays: Danielle A., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Gwyddion Pendderwen (May 21). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.
May Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
May 1: Beltane
May 2: Federal Election.
May 3, 12:51 a.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
Apr. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
May 7-8: Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
May 8: World Fair Trade Day. Info: http://www.worldfairtradeday10.org/
May 13-15: Ritual Leadership Workshop. Contact me for details.
May 17, 5:09 a.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
May 20: Bloom.
May 20-23: Gaia Gathering – Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Montreal. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/
May 29: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/
Blessings,
Hergest
Hopefully some of you witnessed that once-in-a-generation re-enactment of the sacred marriage (yea, handfasting) of the Divine King to his consort, the embodiment of the land: a.k.a. the Royal Wedding. All right… I admit that the previous generation’s marriages had their problems - both the Prince of Wales’ and Prince Andrew’s marriages wound up in divorce - but the death of Lady Diana seems to have fulfilled the periodic mythic killing of the Divine King (in this case, Queen) for the good of the land. Certainly Diana did much for the Monarchy, and her cachet has been passed on to Prince William, so much so that some would like to see Charles bypassed in the line of succession. That isn’t likely to occur… but Brits didn’t like the previous two King Charleses either (perhaps he’ll change his name to George). Given the long-lived Royals, we may have to wait forty years to see William on the throne. Some of us may not live that long, but the Monarchy still goes on. And in case I missed saying so, congratulations to the new Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge!
Speaking of weddings… Happy anniversary to Selena and Dennis on May 6!
My apologies to my Conservative friends in my reading audience. I love you, but you might want to skip this bit.
Yes, I know the economy is important and that in Alberta voting against the Tories is biting the hand that feeds many of us. But I personally find it impossible to respect a Prime Minister and a party that has treated Parliament and many of the Canadian people with contempt, trying to run a minority government like a dictatorship, strongly believing that the end justifies any means, and responding to any criticism with counterattack. In Calgary at least, Conservative candidates have almost universally avoided any public forums they can’t control, and I can only assume that orders came from the top to do so – stay the course and to hell with the public. Cautionary tale: Benito Mussolini may have made the trains run on time, but he wound up with his dead body being hung in public. Here in more civilized Canada, those of us who disapprove of them can only try to vote the bastards out. End of rant.
Congratulations to Stephanie, who received her Evergreen First Degree on April 16. Mighty blessings to a dear daughter!
May's Birthdays: Danielle A., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Gwyddion Pendderwen (May 21). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.
May Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.
May 1: Beltane
May 2: Federal Election.
May 3, 12:51 a.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
Apr. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
May 7-8: Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
May 8: World Fair Trade Day. Info: http://www.worldfairtradeday10.org/
May 13-15: Ritual Leadership Workshop. Contact me for details.
May 17, 5:09 a.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
May 20: Bloom.
May 20-23: Gaia Gathering – Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Montreal. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/
May 29: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/
Blessings,
Hergest
Labels: Conservatives, Federal election, Royal Wedding, sacred marriage
posted by Stephen Hergest at 3:21 pm
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