Reply #20: I have never found it fruitful to disparage any one tradition over another [View All]

[Dragonfli]

Nor to summarily pass judgment on The founders of said traditions. In all truth, I have seen an alarming trend over the last ten years at the larger festivals among the neo-pagan community to adopt an unhealthy fundamentalism - claiming an "absolute knowledge" of "the very first real wiccan revival" - to me these arguments seem solely based on the traditions and grimoires of the covens that the combatants were first initiated into. I have watched them get into arguments similar to those usually seen among protestant christian traditions - raising only negative energy. At times I have had to ask people to leave my campsite and then "pull out the sage and sweet-grass". These Pagan fundamentalists always claim the oldest "true tradition" and like to argue more than anything else it would seem to me. Do I have my favorite teachers? of course I do, as do many. My wife had gained her second degree in both Gardnerian and Alexandrian Covens before later helping to form an eclectic coven that incorporated elements of both as well as other traditions before finally practicing in solitary fashion with me on work that was important to us as soul-mates. If she were still with us it would be helpful to me within this thread as she was always the historian in our family.

Before Wicca I spent 20 years studying Taoism and Joseph Campbell style comparative religion so I have always remembered my favorite lesson, "Those that say, do not know. Those that know do not say."

Similarly, I know far too many very good people that have reached varying degrees within the O.T.O. to wish to insult their teachings so off-handedly as some enjoy doing. I have never known anyone from the Golden Dawn or any other tradition older than the O.T.O., (or perhaps I have, Their secrets are very important to them) so I do not know as much about the Thelemic traditions as you seem to, having never been initiated by them to a degree that would allow me such knowledge of their secrets, I will have to concede to the knowledge you appear to have been privy to regarding the "older" Thelemic traditions.

There are those, I agree, that use various traditions (Wiccan and Thelemic) for sexual predation, I attended several excellent Seminars back in the day given by Janet and Stewart Ferrar on the subject and have always liked them personally as well as their teachings (they may have written a book on the subject as well, If so I would gladly recommend it).

I have always found such predation as you describe to be more a personal weakness of individuals than of traditions and steer initiates away from such individuals without disparaging any one tradition. But that is my way, One of unity and tolerance for many traditions, perhaps also the reason I hate all the bashing going on in this thread, starting most notably with the OP, but sadly continuing within this thread by pagans putting forth the "my tradition is better than the others" nonsense that I feel only hurts the neo-pagan community.

Peace and farewell.