Emotional dilema

In the magical  world that  we live in we are  given standards that  we are to  follow.  If someone is a negative influence we are to  shun that  person.  We are to  give love and avoid any negative feelings. That  is a very  extreme point of view to  have to  live. We are given grounding and centering practices so  that  we  are calm when performing magick.  I  have been told that  one shouldn't enter a circle if they  are angry.

With  referencing the Star Wars there is a continuation with  this line of thinking. The Jedi  are told to  suppress their emotions and work for what  is right.  We have all heard the infamous statement made by  Yoda. “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” The Jedi  were extremist that  believed that  all  darkness should be avoided because even the smallest amount can corrupt you and turn you in a Sith. The Sith lord told Luke that  his hate made him powerful.  But there can't be a middle ground in Star Wars concepts. When Darth Vader was figuring out his role with  Luke. Luke told him that  he felt the conflict in him that  there is good inside of him.

Why  can't we harness a controlled balance with  the two  spectrums of emotions.   Just like an inverted Tarot card means something different  than an upright card. Anything and everything can be used for good or bad. Anger is not a bad thing. And just like casting magick it all depends on the intent of the emotion. Anger used to  defend that  is injured or in danger is a noble thing because it is used for a just cause.  Anger because someone is going to  do  better at a card game has poor intent and should be held in check.

We can do  this with  all  emotions and all  actions. Intent determines if the emotion is justified and needed.  Love, an emotion that  everyone says we should promote and cherish.  But here too  the intent is what  speaks volumes here. Why  do  you love this person? Is it solely because they  tempt you sexually? Do  they  have mutual feelings for you?  Is this person able to be committed to  you in a relationship? \

SO  balance has to  be maintained with emotions as well.  We can't  repress our emotions and live a healthy lifestyle. And there are times to  be angry in life, just like there will  be times to  be sad, happy, in love, and so forth.  Even jealousy can be used for positive use.  Why  we want something or to  be able to  do  something is  motivation to change the current situation.  My  friend  upgraded with  stereo in his truck., and I  want to  have a system similar to  his so  that  I  can enjoy  some of the same options that  he does.  My  mild jealousy motivates me to  buy and install a similar system in my  truck, and that  is good. Jealousy would be bad if I  decided to  belittle his work or damage his system since I  don't have anything similar to  it.

Emotions tell  use if something is important to  you. Many  years ago  there was a movie that  had a part to  explain this best.  This married couple have been together for many  years and they  were having issues, the wife decided to  have an affair and the husband found out.  He was having issues himself and in talking to  his wife he said " I  don't know if I  should get angry or not.  On One hand if don't care , I  can just walk away and it is over.  But on the other hand if this marriage and you ever meant anything to me, I  should be angry at  you. "  The wife responded with an unsure voice, "Well which is it going to  be?"  The husband looked at her after thinking for a minute or two and said ,"You  bitch!"  They  then put their arms around each other and decided to  fight for the marriage.  That  Anger  was needed to  show this guy  how much he actually loved his wife, and she needed him to  get angry to  know that  she was still important.

So I  say  that  "In Perfect Love"  part might need to  go  out the window for some situations. When working with darker intent magick  you can't be calm and completely rational. A spell to  fight back  against a wrong should not be done with  a smile on your face and love in your heart.  The Sugar coated wiccan mentality has to  be shed to  be in balance and harmony.  Look  at  the adult female bear, she is a very  emotional creature and represent the dual  aspects that  we need to  learn to  embrace.  A female bear alone can be aloof and be rather calm.   But A female bear with  her cubs is an animals with  both sides of the emotional  roller coaster that  you need to  stay away from.  That  bear  is the teacher and mother of her cubs. she watches them play  as they  good forage for food.  Anything gets between that  mother bear and her cubs and the calm mother turns to  a ravenous killing machine.  The bear is in balance with  nature and this is the lesson we have to  learn. There are times for the anger and times for love.  And with  wisdom, we have to  make sure that  the positive times out number the darker times.

For those that  think  the bear isn't a good example of healthy emotional balance.  Take a look  and songbirds,  small little birds that  search  constantly for food to  feed their chicks.  They take turns protecting and searching for food. We walk  by trees hearing the birds chirping away and think  pleasant thoughts.  But I  have seen the smallest  of songbirds take on birds twice their size or more.  While driving in the country, I have seen birds like mocking birds  fly at  and force hawks to  change  course. That  mockingbird is just protecting the nest .  And that  is well intention anger, that  is part of the survival of a species in nature. And when the danger is gone , the parent returns to  the nest and takes care of the chicks, and that  is love.

So  if you or someone you know is pressing people to  shun any  negative feelings and shoves love down everyone's throat, just remember that  it isn't happy.  We can't know Love without Hate to  compare it to. We  will  never understand peace, if we never have to  fight for it.  We never know how strong we are on the inside until we feel powerless in the world around us.  As James T. Kirk said in one of those Star Trek  movies ." I  need my pain!"  My  pain motivates me to  never feel it again and to  protect others from ever feeling it.  Our feelings are needed , embrace them they  are there for a reason.

Finally , I have to  talk about fear.  Fear is a primal emotion, it is what  keeps us alive and warns us of danger. Having fears doesn't make you weak.  Refusing to  face those fears makes you weak.  We all  have a fight or flight instinct,  but it is very  different from one person to  another. One person could be so  afraid of spiders that  they  must run away, and the next person just looks at a spider and continues walking by without a care.   Courage is the ability to  face and overcome your fears.  I  have a fear of hieghts, and it takes courage to  get on an airplane.  My  fear is almost gone and I  am stronger for it.  It didn't lead me to  the dark  side of the force.

SO  the real  lesson here is not suppressing emotions and trying to  live in a world of bright whites and sugars.  It is learning control and balance with  your emotions.. Knowing when the right time is for your emotions to  come out and be embraced.  We grow as a person when we learn when our emotions are present for all  the wrong reasons.  So  remember that  there is a correct time to  be angry or sad, and energy flows when these emotions are flowing so  use them  for good intent and live in balance.

My Grey Witch Mission Statement

The Universe is full of energy.
This  energy is neutral.
It is not of light  and dark.
For good and Evil don't exist.

Perception can fool the extremist.
One can't be only of light or dark.
All light can blind one's eyes.
All dark hides the value of life.

Nature is conflict of survival.
Our reality is nature's conflicts.
We seek to live in Peace and Harmony
but know we must fight for it.

We don't wish to  cause suffering
Days will pass when others ache.
Times shall occur when we feel the pain.
With  wisdom , these will  be few.

In hardship,  there is growth.
When there is despair,  there is hope.
Amongst chaos,  there is still order
Through death, there is rebirth.

Like a finely cut diamond,
We have many  facets and flaws
We have many  sides to ourselves.
Sometimes our perceptions are not clear.

We are bound by  duty and honor.
To  serve the universe's greater good.
To understand all wonders in Life.
To  be one with  the universal flow.

The secret is the Balance of life.
One is not black or white
It is one's heart that  decides
Do  you choose life , or seek strife.

We are the teachers of all ways.
The Protectors of the innocent.
The Cultivators of the arts.
The defenders of all life.

We live with  our eyes open.
Seek knowledge with  open minds.
We know of love and pain.
Building a better world for all.

We are Grey  Witches.

I  wanted to  find a way to  express how I  feel  and what  I  see as the goals for Pagans like me. Not to  hide in the shadows anymore. But to  go forth and change what  is wrong with  the world so  that  we can be truly free and live.

Being a Grey Witch...

   Now I  have for many  years talked about how "Jedism" is not Paganism. And I  still  believe in that  stance, however that  doesn't mean that  we can learn something from star wars. After all, it is a saga full of depth and philosophy. When Star Wars was first conceived, George Lucas saw the Jedi  and the Sith  as polar opposites.  The Jedi  were the light and good, while the Sith  were dark  and evil.  This followed the Christian concept that  you are either for "God" or against "God". These extremes were violent and uncompromising.  With  the slightest inkling to the dark side you were bound to  be fallen and evil. The first 6 Star  Wars movies held this theme and presented a saga of conflict and pain.

   What  if I  told you that  there has been a change in this view and it follows my concept of viewing the world, life, and all  the energies in it. In the history of the Jedi  there are those that  have walked away  from the strict white light minded Jedi  but didn't turn evil. These Jedi  were called the "grey  Jedi" these use both the light and the dark  side of the force.  The view the force as a neutral  entity and establish a balance when working with  it. These force users see that  sometimes  the darker side needs to  be used to  fight back  the darkness.  Because this is a fandom, there are many  versions,  only recently with  Star  Wars Rebels has  "Canon" touched upon the Grey Jedi as a group. Here is one version of the Grey  Jedi  Code...

There must be both dark and light.

I will do what I must to keep the balance,

as the balance is what holds all life.

There is no good without evil,

but evil must not be allowed to flourish.

There is passion, yet peace;

serenity, yet emotion;

chaos, yet order.

I am a wielder of the flame;

a champion of balance.

I am a guardian of life.

I am a Gray Jedi.

Now what  does all  this have to  do  with  Paganism?  Essentially everything can be effected by  this stance.   We have a massive amount of Pagans out there that  shun darkness.  They believe that  just walking away from anything they  view as negative is the  way  to  deal  with  everything.  This world and the whole universe is full of danger that  must be understood and kept in check.  This goes back  to  the analogy of the Wolves in Yellowstone park.  Wolves keep  the population of the deer and other herbivores in balance.   Too many  Wolves and the deer population can't support it , thus the wolves go hungry and some die off by  hunger.  Too  few wolves and the Deer will  over reproduce and they  will  starve on the lack of grass in winter.  Wolves are beautiful strong willed creatures that  aren't evil  but they apply dark means to  stay  alive by  attacking and killing deer.   Wolves defend their young and have a strong social structure,  they  have their community.

Now these extreme light loving pagans demand  everything to  be on their terms.  They  have the one sided views as the Jedi and there is conflict. But just the same there are dark minded pagans that  are nihilists or chaotic witches.  These people remind me of the Sith in their one sided mentality.

The Grey  Jedi  give freedoms to  learn different techniques and skills. They  are not demonized for learning something dark as long as they  understand the purpose and issues with it.  These Grey  Jedi  fight for and defend others that  don't agree with  them personally.  The Grey  Jedi  know the importance of Balance and right from wrong.  A mentality that  is ignored by  many  light minded pagans because faith over-rides reasoning.

So  I  have called myself a grey witch  for years, I  have talked about balance for that  long as well.  There are times to  be angry and pull  from the darker side to  fight a bigger darkness.  Such  as right now with  all  the Trump drama going on in the US.  I  can't stay focused on the light side to  fight for the greater good of humanity and the world of life.  But while I  fight the good fight, I  also  show  compassion to  those that  are affected by  these dark  times.

The world is not black  and white, it is full of greys and different colors. We can't live in a world with  rigid views  to  push  on everyone.  We must as individuals understand  what  the balance for a growing  prosperous pagan community and world.