From: ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (B.A. Davis-Howe)
Subject: Re: New Janis Name
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 19:44:55 GMT

corun@access.digex.com (Corun MacAnndra) writes:

>In article <BvGtvK.Iv4@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ba@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (B.A. Davis-Howe) writes:
>>
>>Um, I was not talking about the Crone.  The Crone is part of the Triple 
>>Goddess.   The Bitch is independent of the Triple Goddess, in my version of
>>the Craft.  Also, what I am talking about has nothing to do with Taoism, yin/
>>yang, or anything Eastern.  It is distinctly European thinking.

>I must have misunderstood that the Bitch is something outside the Triple
>Goddess. Wish I still had your original post so I could reread it. But the
>dualistic nature of dark and light is not exclusively Eastern, I only
>mentioned Taoism because that's where I've gotten my insights into it. 
>I see a similarity in what you say versus the philosophy of yin/yang, but
>if you don't, and you have more info, I'd appreciate hearing it. Clarification
>is always a good thing.

Argghhh!  How to express what I know so well, but comes from inside. :-(

One of the easiest things to point at is that the Bright Goddess is seen as
nurturing and earthy, which are yin traits in Taoism.  One the other hand, the
Dark Goddess is powerful--even overpowering--which is more yang.  However, in
Wicca, *both* the Dark Goddess and the Bright Goddess are feminine.  It is
the Twin Gods (who also are Dark and Bright) who are the masculine principle.
There certainly are Witches who connect the Lady and Lord to yin and yang, but
I don't work primarily with a Lady/Lord system.  I believe that the Lady/Lord
system does derive from Eastern thinking, via Jung, Blavatsky, Crowley, etc.


Does this help clear up the confusion?

>>1. I am not gay.  2. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation--it is a
>>relatively common generic pronoun.  I usually use it when the sex of the
>>antecedent is unclear.  3. I use it for myself because I am third-gender.  A
>>good introduction to the concept of third-gender persons is _The Spirit and
>>the Flesh_.  (Unfortunately, I can't think of the author's name.  Can anyone
>>help out?)

>On point one. Sorry if I caused offense. It was not my intent. I could have 
>sworn that I once read a post by you that implied you were gay, and then 
>there's your .sig file. Anyway, my apologies if I caused offense.

Why should I be offended?  Only homophobes would be offended.  However, you are
falling into dichotomous thinking.  There are more options besides gay and
straight, you know.  At least you didn't have the bad manners to congratulate
me on not being gay, as Eshin-Fun did. *glower*

>On point two. I've never encountered that pronoun before. At first I thought
>it was a misspelling, but when I saw it crop up a few times I became curious
>enough to ask. I've always maintained that life is an ongoing educational
>experience.

>On point three. If you would, please clairfy third gender. Again, it's a
>term I've never encountered.

I would suggest getting that book (_Spirit and the Flesh_) to help you
understand what I'm getting at.  The short version is that there are more than
two genders.  (My Community identifies four.)  The names I use for the genders
are: 1. feminine; 2. masculine; 3. androgynous; and 4. gynandrous.  At least the
last two genders are not sex-specific, though they have very strong sex and
orientation correlations.  Some time I may write an essay about the genders, but
not until I finish the "What is Wicca" essay for ailsa and the "Toward a
Taxonomy of Magic" essay.  It *will* be a while.


              Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again,
                               Br'anArthur

Queer, Peculiar, and Wyrd! :-)

******************************************************************************
Newage is hypoallergenic spirituality--
it's for people who are allergic to the word religion.
                                   --Jon Jay Obermark