I need your ideas please

[TheDisreputableDog]

TeaDidikai

Good gods.... elders? ~shudders~ Boy do I feel old.

Not knowing the actual age of anyone in this guild, I was going more for spiritual and guild elders, in terms of tenure. razz  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

I'd like to note, just as a general note, Tea/Nuri/Reagun/I also do this to each other. Tea regularly devil advocates me, to my benefit. I can link to a recent time when Reagun called me on something and I had to defend my claims.

No person (I've ever know) ever hits a point where they don't need to be challenged. The best point to reach, as far as I'm concerned, is when being challenged is seen as a chance to clarify and refine, not as an attack against one' legitimancy.

That attitude is the one we try to foster in this guild.

Indeed.

Scholarship and Critical Thinking are important to us. They are two of the best tools I can think of to combat ignorance and as willful ignorance is at the heart of what a Fluffy is, they are amongst the weapons of choice for the members of this guild.  

[Pelta]

TeaDidikai

Scholarship and Critical Thinking are important to us. They are two of the best tools I can think of to combat ignorance and as willful ignorance is at the heart of what a Fluffy is, they are amongst the weapons of choice for the members of this guild.

A firm grasp on reality also helps - to combat the other half of the Fluffy definition. Life aint all just pretty sparkles.
Just as a side note: I'm very thankful this guild does have such scholarly thinking people. Being challenged and even just reading some of your posts has been very insightful. Not to mention useful to learn the skills of debate. Up until four days ago I didn't know there were such intelligent people online (based on past experience on boards.ie). I'm glad you guys are so good at what you do.  

[TeaDidikai]

missmagpie

A firm grasp on reality also helps - to combat the other half of the Fluffy definition. Life aint all just pretty sparkles.
Just as a side note: I'm very thankful this guild does have such scholarly thinking people. Being challenged and even just reading some of your posts has been very insightful. Not to mention useful to learn the skills of debate. Up until four days ago I didn't know there were such intelligent people online (based on past experience on boards.ie). I'm glad you guys are so good at what you do.

Very true. But to be fair- it's not just online. I mean, walk into your local Barns and Noble Book Sellers and take a look at the pagan section.

After all, the ignorance in the pagan scene as a whole is what causes threads like this one to exist!  

[Pelta]

TeaDidikai

But to be fair- it's not just online. I mean, walk into your local Barns and Noble Book Sellers and take a look at the pagan section.

After all, the ignorance in the pagan scene as a whole is what causes threads like this one to exist!

True. Ireland doesn't have Barns and Noble, but what we have is pretty pathetic when it comes to the pagan section. They put it all under either 'Mind, Body and Spirit,' or 'Astrology.' There's only one chain bookstore in Dublin that I know of that has a section labeled 'Occult'. And it's a shelf about a foot long. And doesn't have anything interesting aside from the Farrars' A Witch's Bible. Just looking at a 'Mind, Body and Spirit' bookshelf is depressing. We have some pretty good occult bookshops, but even they need to keep the fluffy stuff in stock to make a living. And it's what sells. That's probably why there's so much of it.  

[TeaDidikai]

missmagpie

True. Ireland doesn't have Barns and Noble, but what we have is pretty pathetic when it comes to the pagan section. They put it all under either 'Mind, Body and Spirit,' or 'Astrology.' There's only one chain bookstore in Dublin that I know of that has a section labeled 'Occult'. And it's a shelf about a foot long. And doesn't have anything interesting aside from the Farrars' A Witch's Bible. Just looking at a 'Mind, Body and Spirit' bookshelf is depressing. We have some pretty good occult bookshops, but even they need to keep the fluffy stuff in stock to make a living. And it's what sells. That's probably why there's so much of it.

Why is that? Why does fluffy Sell?  

[Pelta]

TeaDidikai

Why is that? Why does fluffy Sell?

To be honest, I just don't know. It's some strange incomprehensible epidemic. I think perhaps because it makes things easier. It leaves out all the parts about sacrifice, suffering, all that hard nasty stuff that young girls just interested in casting love spells don't want to hear. That's their target audience anyway, most of whom are only interested in magic because they saw it on TV and thought it looked cool. I suppose fluffy is 'the quick fix.' It's the easiest thing to do and access, and it involves no actual work or thought. Thus perfectly suited to the uneducated masses...  

[Operation Shoestring]

missmagpie

TeaDidikai

Why is that? Why does fluffy Sell?

To be honest, I just don't know. It's some strange incomprehensible epidemic. I think perhaps because it makes things easier. It leaves out all the parts about sacrifice, suffering, all that hard nasty stuff that young girls just interested in casting love spells don't want to hear. That's their target audience anyway, most of whom are only interested in magic because they saw it on TV and thought it looked cool. I suppose fluffy is 'the quick fix.' It's the easiest thing to do and access, and it involves no actual work or thought. Thus perfectly suited to the uneducated masses...

Simple Psychological answer:

Peopel are intrinsically lzay. We don't like to think. THinking is work. We're lazy. Some of us force ourselves to develop critical thinking and to use it. Alas, that's not a common trait.

To paraphrase CS Lewis (am i allowed to do that?) :

In the past people accpeted that they were ignorant, and looked to a few select seers to guide them with wisdom.

Now, everyone thinks he/she is a *seer*, and acts as though they need no guidance. Whether we can make this work remains to be seen.

Personally i think Lewis was a tad optomistic. confused  

[saint dreya]

TeaDidikai

missmagpie

True. Ireland doesn't have Barns and Noble, but what we have is pretty pathetic when it comes to the pagan section. They put it all under either 'Mind, Body and Spirit,' or 'Astrology.' There's only one chain bookstore in Dublin that I know of that has a section labeled 'Occult'. And it's a shelf about a foot long. And doesn't have anything interesting aside from the Farrars' A Witch's Bible. Just looking at a 'Mind, Body and Spirit' bookshelf is depressing. We have some pretty good occult bookshops, but even they need to keep the fluffy stuff in stock to make a living. And it's what sells. That's probably why there's so much of it.

Why is that? Why does fluffy Sell?

you mentioned an idea on that; sparkles and pretties. romaniticism is still rampant in society. for gods' sakes, the romance section is bigger than the new age section, even in barnes and noble!

(EDIT): may even rival the history section, xp  

[CuAnnan]

Magpie, there's yellow brick road to be fair.  

[Pelta]

reagun ban

Magpie, there's yellow brick road to be fair.

Indeed. And I've gotten most of my stuff there (and ooooh all the pretty stones!) but what I said was:

Quote:

We have some pretty good occult bookshops, but even they need to keep the fluffy stuff in stock to make a living.

And it's true. They're an excellent occult book store, but they do keep the fluffy stuff in stock. To their credit I've yet to see a SilverRavenWolf book in there, but they do sell a lot of Buckland and Cunningham, which have been labelled as fluffy elsewhere in this forum. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE the YBR. Before I got sick I went in absolutely every Wednesday without fail, and often spent a lot of time in there on Saturdays. Me likes the stones... I used to know everyone in there personally by name and phone number before they all got fired or quit. Things have gone a bit downhill since then *sigh*  

[TeaDidikai]

It makes me wonder- what legal steps could be taken to stem the tide of such things. I mean, freedom of speech is a great thing in the USA, but there are limits to it.

I wonder if a Law Suit brought by Wiccans against SWR could actually change things.  

[Operation Shoestring]

TeaDidikai

It makes me wonder- what legal steps could be taken to stem the tide of such things. I mean, freedom of speech is a great thing in the USA, but there are limits to it.

I wonder if a Law Suit brought by Wiccans against SWR could actually change things.

Yeah, i once commented that when i had time, i'd sure SRW for defamation of Gerald gardener.

I mean, s**t, some italian guy is suing the RCC for misrepresenting Jesus, so it;s not much of a stretch  

[TeaDidikai]

AyanamiRei

Yeah, i once commented that when i had time, i'd sure SRW for defamation of Gerald gardener.

I mean, s**t, some italian guy is suing the RCC for misrepresenting Jesus, so it;s not much of a stretch

If either she broke her oath, they could sue for breech of contract. If she is faking her lineage, then she is a fraud... it's win win.  

[ArwenEvenstar]

Buddhism