> The Circle is the most prevalent metaphor for sacred space used by
contemporary Pagans and Goddess people.
Hello Shan, thank you for such a fascinating post. I know only hearsay
about Wicca and Paganism (I'm not even sure of the difference), so I have a
question. I am not sure if it is appropriate to put you in the position of
"speaking for" your religious tradition, so maybe you could just point me in
the direction of some books. This thought was formed from a combination of
your posts on karma and on essentialism being tied to reproductive
potential.
Is there room in Wicca for childfree women?
I have been told by childfree* friends (here comes the hearsay part) that
because of the emphasis on the phases of the Goddess as maiden-mother-crone,
that a Wiccan woman who does not pass through the "mother" phase herself is
to some degree in a spiritual vacuum, being left in the "maiden" phase until
menopause. Some of these friends learned about historical goddesses that
were themselves childfree (Hecate is the only name I can remember) and took
those as their guide to counteract this problem. A few others sadly left
Wicca when they decided that it was in practice a fertility religion that
did not jibe with their conscious choice not to reproduce. They were
frustrated that adding to overpopulation would be so central in a religion
that emphasized love of the earth and nature.
In addition, I am always interested in hearing about childfree paths within
my own Christian tradition. Certainly there are nuns in Catholocism, but
what else?
* childfree = Those who choose to never bear or raise children, ever. I am
grateful for the advances in contraception technologies and the changing
attitudes about female sexuality that make it possible for me to count
myself among the childfree.
childless = Those who do not currently have children, but are either empty
nesters with grown children, people undergoing infertility treatments or
adoption procedures, or people who wish to bear/raise children in their
future.
-Alena
Alena Amato Ruggerio
[log in to unmask]
I joined this list after the introductions had been made. I am a doctoral
candidate at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, USA. My work in
the Department of Communication and Culture is in the reinterpretation of
sacred text by evangelical Christian biblical feminists. I'm a new member
of the Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus, and I'm also into fat
activism.
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