“(because, as someone explained, chick peas aren’t really “vegan enough”)”
As someone in the Mediterranean world, where the lares still dance, and where epiphanies still happen, I can assure you chickpeas are more than enough. They are only one of the oldest known human foods. They are there with olives and olive oil (great blessings), spelt and emmer, the tasty weeds made into salads, figs and pomegranates. In short, The Pagan Diet. (If such a thing were to exist.)
In Sicily, which is associated with Persephone, chickpeas are used in various ways on Saint Joseph’s day, including in sweet fritters. If chickpeas are good enough for the Father of God, chickpeas are good enough for me.
Obviously, Rhyd Wildermuth, the reason there was no orgy is that there were no chickpeas.
[And as I often say, most U.S. discourse is just Baptist testifying and Methodist sermonizing. I guess that the man in tears was just not redeemed enough.]
Thanks for the recommendation! The last 2 months have involved a West to East Coast move for me as well as helping my elderly parents downsize and move into a retirement community. Things are starting to stabilize a bit, and I plan to be back to writing soon.
As for heart circles... I have participated in many of these in various types of settings, from religious to therapeutic to organizing, and have so many thoughts. When done well, with clear guidelines and boundaries, they can be very useful in fostering authenticity and connection. In many ways AA is the best model for this. There should be clear guidelines around confidentiality, a time limit for speaking, and no coercion to speak. It needs a specific, well-constructed container, which generally means either a developed tradition, a la 12-step, or a highly competent and trustworthy facilitator.
The problem with many anarchists and others on the left is they tend to react against any leadership or structured boundaries and thus you get a lot of unacknowledged and manipulative power dynamics as evidenced by your anecdote. I don't know what kind of training the facilitator had, but letting someone ramble on the way that one person did is a clear sign of inexperience.
Your bit on this matter, polysexualism of this flavor, feels incomplete. There's a degree in which the toxic elements are obvious- but I'd surly appreciate your articulation on the topic. It fits into woke culture, a key element of it even, so maybe I'll find it in your manuscript. "Poly" prevalence in "progressive" culture make me feel like i need to join a church if i have any interest in monogamy. I feel a lot of it stems from not knowing love, or knowing love and being hurt, so people try to set themselves up in a way that one person can't hurt them to such degree. Seemingly it results only in further hurt and so much drama. I've said that it's not for me, that it takes too much energy, that maybe it's right for a couple of my good friends who have that sort of energy- mental, emotional, and physical energy- but from my perspective, it just looks painful. There's something to being fully there for, growing with, and committed to one person -if you have more to say on this, I'd love to hear it.
Thank you for the shout out, Rhyd! It means the world to me :) and I agree that Substack feels like the edge of reason where we can still find and feel the REAL. I twirl my tassels in your direction! LOL
I feel I must defend Heart Circles, at least in the world of Radical Faeries. They vary in nature, humans being involved. I can honestly say I've never experienced one as toxic as you did, though. The ones that have been most meaningful to me have been small, supportive groups of people who know each other. The Faeries do indeed name it ritual.
As for the orgy part, there was one I was part of years ago where a guy showed up one time and wanted to have group sex. That not only didn't happen, put the host explicitly made it clear it wasn't going to happen. Group sex is fine if you like that, but it is not what Circles are about.
I'm truly sorry you had such a negative experience with something that can be wonderful.
Yes, one of the weaknesses is that sometimes people drone on too long. That's something I've experienced in every group of people I've been in, from meetings in the US corporate world to dinners with friends. The advantage of taking turns speaking is that at least someone like me who needs some space to talk can get that space without being constantly stepped on. This is particularly notable for a group of men.
Have to say, I have no idea why soybeans which are a staple of industrialized agriculture should be more acceptable than chickpeas...
Over the years, I’ve become very glad I got out of leftist organizing when I did. One thing that has really piques my curiosity is how these “community-building” heart circle type things manage to be so, so very toxic. Not just in social justice work, but in the pagan community, it seems to be a way for those who were bullied as kids to turn the tables and feel like important leaders while re-enacting their trauma on anyone who deviates from the very narrow definition of good their micro-“community” upholds. But then that seems to explain half of the left and left-adjacent stuff in the US.
The deep irony to me is how the Woke so desperately crave connection and authenticity without ever realizing that those things can only happen when you let go a little and trust people. If you believe that people are only held in check by some sort of authority and that fascism lurks in the heart of every man, then you need a rigid and controlled social group which protects you from the people around you. I have been thinking about it for years, and I still can’t get over the difference between an underground metal show and a left-leaning sharing circle or heart circle or whatever name they came up with today. Both supposedly exist to give people a place to let their hair down, but one is a tamed orgy for modern-day mystery cultists and the other is culty in a totally different sense of the word. I think it comes down to conceptions of power and who can use power and for whom. In short, I think the left, particularly the pagan left, needs a hefty dose of philosophical satanism to shake them out of their self-deception and willingness to use power. Unfortunately, it seems most are still more concerned with respectability and presenting themselves as altruistic than with making a better world to live in.
I've never encountered anything quite like the heart circle you described, but I think it captures perfectly the self-involved, almost always affluent, weirdness that makes the radical left so incapable of connecting to most people.
I remember getting to know a bunch of radical environmentalists back in the late 90's and thinking 'if you really believe this is as important as you say, then you'd stop doing everything you could to differentiate yourself socially and actually try to build a mass movement'. Nothing much seems to hav changed on that front.
Rhyd, Thank you for the recommendation. You were spot on on the missing element in my essay, ie. the unstable social system and the ridiculous relationship of the French people with it.
That houellebecquian heart circle piece was really priceless.
Brethren and sistren, we take as our text today:
“(because, as someone explained, chick peas aren’t really “vegan enough”)”
As someone in the Mediterranean world, where the lares still dance, and where epiphanies still happen, I can assure you chickpeas are more than enough. They are only one of the oldest known human foods. They are there with olives and olive oil (great blessings), spelt and emmer, the tasty weeds made into salads, figs and pomegranates. In short, The Pagan Diet. (If such a thing were to exist.)
In Sicily, which is associated with Persephone, chickpeas are used in various ways on Saint Joseph’s day, including in sweet fritters. If chickpeas are good enough for the Father of God, chickpeas are good enough for me.
Obviously, Rhyd Wildermuth, the reason there was no orgy is that there were no chickpeas.
[And as I often say, most U.S. discourse is just Baptist testifying and Methodist sermonizing. I guess that the man in tears was just not redeemed enough.]
Thanks for the recommendation! The last 2 months have involved a West to East Coast move for me as well as helping my elderly parents downsize and move into a retirement community. Things are starting to stabilize a bit, and I plan to be back to writing soon.
As for heart circles... I have participated in many of these in various types of settings, from religious to therapeutic to organizing, and have so many thoughts. When done well, with clear guidelines and boundaries, they can be very useful in fostering authenticity and connection. In many ways AA is the best model for this. There should be clear guidelines around confidentiality, a time limit for speaking, and no coercion to speak. It needs a specific, well-constructed container, which generally means either a developed tradition, a la 12-step, or a highly competent and trustworthy facilitator.
The problem with many anarchists and others on the left is they tend to react against any leadership or structured boundaries and thus you get a lot of unacknowledged and manipulative power dynamics as evidenced by your anecdote. I don't know what kind of training the facilitator had, but letting someone ramble on the way that one person did is a clear sign of inexperience.
Rhyd,
Your bit on this matter, polysexualism of this flavor, feels incomplete. There's a degree in which the toxic elements are obvious- but I'd surly appreciate your articulation on the topic. It fits into woke culture, a key element of it even, so maybe I'll find it in your manuscript. "Poly" prevalence in "progressive" culture make me feel like i need to join a church if i have any interest in monogamy. I feel a lot of it stems from not knowing love, or knowing love and being hurt, so people try to set themselves up in a way that one person can't hurt them to such degree. Seemingly it results only in further hurt and so much drama. I've said that it's not for me, that it takes too much energy, that maybe it's right for a couple of my good friends who have that sort of energy- mental, emotional, and physical energy- but from my perspective, it just looks painful. There's something to being fully there for, growing with, and committed to one person -if you have more to say on this, I'd love to hear it.
Warm regards,
Autumn
Thank you for the shout out, Rhyd! It means the world to me :) and I agree that Substack feels like the edge of reason where we can still find and feel the REAL. I twirl my tassels in your direction! LOL
I feel I must defend Heart Circles, at least in the world of Radical Faeries. They vary in nature, humans being involved. I can honestly say I've never experienced one as toxic as you did, though. The ones that have been most meaningful to me have been small, supportive groups of people who know each other. The Faeries do indeed name it ritual.
As for the orgy part, there was one I was part of years ago where a guy showed up one time and wanted to have group sex. That not only didn't happen, put the host explicitly made it clear it wasn't going to happen. Group sex is fine if you like that, but it is not what Circles are about.
I'm truly sorry you had such a negative experience with something that can be wonderful.
Yes, one of the weaknesses is that sometimes people drone on too long. That's something I've experienced in every group of people I've been in, from meetings in the US corporate world to dinners with friends. The advantage of taking turns speaking is that at least someone like me who needs some space to talk can get that space without being constantly stepped on. This is particularly notable for a group of men.
Have to say, I have no idea why soybeans which are a staple of industrialized agriculture should be more acceptable than chickpeas...
Over the years, I’ve become very glad I got out of leftist organizing when I did. One thing that has really piques my curiosity is how these “community-building” heart circle type things manage to be so, so very toxic. Not just in social justice work, but in the pagan community, it seems to be a way for those who were bullied as kids to turn the tables and feel like important leaders while re-enacting their trauma on anyone who deviates from the very narrow definition of good their micro-“community” upholds. But then that seems to explain half of the left and left-adjacent stuff in the US.
The deep irony to me is how the Woke so desperately crave connection and authenticity without ever realizing that those things can only happen when you let go a little and trust people. If you believe that people are only held in check by some sort of authority and that fascism lurks in the heart of every man, then you need a rigid and controlled social group which protects you from the people around you. I have been thinking about it for years, and I still can’t get over the difference between an underground metal show and a left-leaning sharing circle or heart circle or whatever name they came up with today. Both supposedly exist to give people a place to let their hair down, but one is a tamed orgy for modern-day mystery cultists and the other is culty in a totally different sense of the word. I think it comes down to conceptions of power and who can use power and for whom. In short, I think the left, particularly the pagan left, needs a hefty dose of philosophical satanism to shake them out of their self-deception and willingness to use power. Unfortunately, it seems most are still more concerned with respectability and presenting themselves as altruistic than with making a better world to live in.
Mortals of the Earth Unite! Transhumanism, Cosmism, utterly dreary compared to being a present body that is the temple/container of the Holy Spirit
Thanks for the recommendation!
I've never encountered anything quite like the heart circle you described, but I think it captures perfectly the self-involved, almost always affluent, weirdness that makes the radical left so incapable of connecting to most people.
I remember getting to know a bunch of radical environmentalists back in the late 90's and thinking 'if you really believe this is as important as you say, then you'd stop doing everything you could to differentiate yourself socially and actually try to build a mass movement'. Nothing much seems to hav changed on that front.
Rhyd, Thank you for the recommendation. You were spot on on the missing element in my essay, ie. the unstable social system and the ridiculous relationship of the French people with it.
That houellebecquian heart circle piece was really priceless.
In the wake of the George Floyd riots KEXP listed Black Hammer on their website as an anti-racist resource. They refuse to take it down until Andy Ngo publicized it and then all of a sudden there was an apology and retraction. I'm not a big fan of Andy but if it wasn't for him giving it attention no doubt nothing would have happened. Here's a rundown on what happened: https://thisiswhoyouare.substack.com/p/kexp-knowingly-promoting-hate-group?r=bbxjn&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=direct