Pneumatised!

MM,

I’m a member of various Yahoo message boards and while I cannot keep up with them ALL all the time, occasionally I find an interesting discussion. Most recently, I was on the Buddhism 101 message board. Following a discussion about comparing religions (why it’s beneficial to compare religions and different spiritual paths), someone asked me about the similarities between Wicca and Buddhism.

The following is my response:

Hm… similarites between Wicca and Buddhism. Well, hadn’t really sat
down and thought through ALL the similarities and differences yet.
I’m still learning and I don’t quite have as much experience with
Buddhism as I do with Wicca.

The first thing that comes to mind is tolerance. It seemed to me that
the philosophy of Buddhism inherently provides tolerance for all
systems of belief. In my experience, the Wiccans and Pagans I know
are tolerant of other beliefs (even Christianity, though of course the
biggest complaint we have about Christianity is that we just want
to be left alone and please don’t proselytize to us, we don’t need to
be saved!) Both Buddhism and Wicca say that all paths lead to the
same. In Wicca, it is phrased, “All goddesses are one goddesses; all
gods are one god.” Many Wiccans can be eclectic Wiccans which means
that they adopt beliefs (and practices) from other sources and mix and
blend what they find suitable for them. Both Wicca and Buddhism
accept that others may choose to follow another belief or faith if
s/he chooses. Both do not proselytize.

The rest of this is coming off the top of my head as I think through a
comparison… and I may be wrong about some points on Buddhism, but
this comparison is based on my impressions of Buddhism so far based on
what I’ve read and researched.

Both Wicca and Buddhism place an emphasis on experience. Buddhists
emphasize connection to the divine through meditation and mindfulness.
Wiccans also uses meditation (and mindfulness, though that term has
not been used in Wiccan teachings) to connect to divinity. The major
form of experience for Wicca is through ritual. Rituals can be very
simple (e.g., meditation) or very complex (e.g., a re-enactment of a
myth in order to learn – very fun!). Regardless of the type of
experience, both Wicca and Buddhism emphasize experience with the
divine.

The ideas of immanence and animism are present in Wicca and Buddhism.
Immanence refers to the idea that deity can exist here and now not
just “out there somewhere” (transcendence). The Christian deity is
transcendent, Wiccan deities are immanent. Buddhism thought that we
can achieve divine status is an immanent idea. (Definition of
immanent,
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Diction
ary&va=immanent&x=0&y=0;
definition of transcendent,
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Diction
ary&va=transcendent&x=0&y=0)
Animism is the belief that everything in nature has a soul or
consciousness. Both Wiccans and Buddhists believe this about things
in nature. Examples would be stones and plants
having a soul or consciousness. I once read somewhere that a man was
so mindful about deity being in everything that even his human waste
caused him to become ecstatic. (I think that was a Buddhist
story, have to find that source somewhere…)

I hope that’s a starting point of comparison for you. As I said, I’m
still learning and the above is just off the top of my head.

Cassandrah
Your local webmistress
http://www.brigidsflame.com/

“If only we could show them, we do not wish them harm
Instead we’d like to live life inside each other’s open arms”

In the Circle – Hungry Lucy, lyrics by Christa Belle

Okay, it’s been a really long time since I listened to anything new. I was getting tired of listening to the same ol’ stuff on local radio stations. So, I stopped listening altogether and just browsed New Age music on occasion at a local New Age bookstore. That proved relatively successful for over that time I came across Robert Gass and On Wings of Song and an interesting group called Dagda, named after the Celtic father deity. I probably did that for about 5 years, partly because I could not get online and download music fast enough and I certainly could not tune into online radio stations. Not until this past year.

While surfing the net one day, my boyfriend came across a pagan radio station called Circle of Souls Pagan Radio. It was playing pretty decent music, so one day I decided I should have a listen while I went about my usual business. Then I heard it, a really cool pagan song with amazing lyrics and drums to match. It was Hungry Lucy’s song, In the Circle (see link above). The lyrics are amazing and really tune (excuse the pun) into the heart of a pagan/witch. While I only took a small quote out of the song for the intro to this blog entry, one really can’t quite convey the deep meaning in that song by pulling out just a piece of it. So, here’s some blatant promotion. In the Circle needs to be heard to be understood. And for those not interested in the original slow paced version, there are a few dance versions around.

In the Circle aside, other notable songs by Hungry Lucy include Blue Dress (originally a Depeche Mode song, Hungry Lucy used it as a tribute to Depeche Mode and the song opened up the music industry for Hungry Lucy), Bound in Blood, and Grave.

Their latest CD is To Kill A King featuring the song by the same name. To Kill A King like all of Hungry Lucy’s songs has excellent lyrics. The songs on the CD all form a complete story. (Sorry, you’ll have to buy the CD to read the short story.) However, the one thing that intrigues me about To Kill A King is the pagan theme hidden in the song. The true power behind the King is the Queen, the living representative of the goddess. As in some mythologies, the King is allowed to reign due to his tie to the sovereign goddess. Without it, he cannot be as powerful. In the end, when the Queen leaves is when the King’s power is diminished and drained. As Christa Belle sings, “I’m so glad I knew how to kill the King, I tore down the boundaries and took off the ring; to reap what you sow is how it should be, there’s no one left on the throne…” The King is metaphorically killed as his power leaves with the Queen.

Hungry Lucy is labelled “intoxicating trip-pop music with enchanting female vocals” and indeed it is, with a bit of the sweetness in Christa Belle’s voice. The music also has meaning. For me, that was a big plus. In today’s society where it seems things, especially music, are losing meaning, Hungry Lucy is a pleasant discovery. Give it a listen.

Hungry Lucy is currently on tour in the U.S. and are popular in Europe, particularly France and Germany. I believe they are signed on with the German label Alfa Matrix. Hopefully their popularity grows so that the Canadian radio stations pick them up too.

Okay, end of blatant promotion of a band I think is truly amazing.

Just a few last words courtesy of Christa Belle:

“Be with me in the circle, you’re always welcome here
It’s safer in the circle, but do not bring your fear
I’ll meet you in the circle within your own good time
I’ll be here in the circle forever with you intertwined”

In the Circle – Hungry Lucy, lyrics by Christa Belle

BB,
Cassandrah
Your local webmistress