Patriotism isn't blind

This is a tiny step away from my normal witchy topics, but we'll circle back around I promise!  I wanted to write about Patriotism and what it means to love your country, as we in the US are celebrating our independence day, and in light of some of the things that have been going on in the world as of late.

One of the reasons why I think that our issues with patriotism are so universal (applying not only to people of many nations, but also to concepts outside of actual patriotism) is because our understanding of pride has become warped.  True and healthy pride is an appreciation of our own abilities and actions, though an unhealthy expression of pride is when we overvalue our own importance or merit (especially when we view it as a form of superiority).  

 

Pride itself isn't bad, but pride doesn't actually require being 'better than' someone else.  You can take last place in a contest, and still be proud of the work you did...especially if you did your best and improved from your previous efforts.  We forget that our value isn't dependent on other people, we are worthy entirely on our own merit, and how well someone else does doesn't actually change how well we do.  This is a key fact that many people overlook, and pride has become a way to show that you are right and everyone else is wrong.

And this is where we start to encounter problems.  Because we have made pride into a contest, we feel a need to hide any issues or weaknesses that might exist.  How can we be proud if we aren't the best, and how can we be the best if we are struggling with something.  Instead of being honestly proud of the things we do well and trying to figure out how to do better in things we aren't quite so good at, we want power over anyone who is challenging us, and we create these crazy arguments as to why the things that aren't quite so great are "actually the best, and you would know that if you were smart!!!"

This deliberate wearing of blinders and becoming aggressive when challenged is what turns patriotism into nationalism.  The distinction here is that patriotism is love for ones country, while nationalism not only includes the idea that your country is the best but also that people in your country should have some sore of homogeneous identity (often a cultural identity based on traditions local and exclusive to your region)/

Now, I know that many other countries have embraced cultural diversity and sharing, but I don't think many countries have as little of a 'core' national cultural identity as the US.  We are a country of immigrants, a country made of people from all over.  If you really want to argue about our national culture, it would be Native American culture, which is of course a highly problematic viewpoint.  More accurately, our national culture is one of blending, of taking different groups from around the world, kind of mixing them together, and creating something new.

In this sense, we are a very young country, and our national culture isn't as steeped in tradition as others.  This often makes people even more adamant in how they defend what they feel are their traditions, and they will fight harder for things that aren't as old or meaningful as they may think.  This isn't to say that newer things can't have meaning, but there is power in practices that have been practiced by people for generations, and often these types of practices have deep seated (cultural) reasons for how and why things are done...and more modern practices are instead rooted in 'doing what we can with what we have.'

Does this sound familiar?  Are we seeing the parallels between patriotism and nationalism and the historical versus neo-Pagan practices debate?  Do we recognize how some of the arguments being made in the magical community are just as ridiculous?  Can you see how we, as humans, have this tendency to identify with groups and to turn those groups into exclusive clubs....and the need to prove that the one we belong to is the best one of all.

So how do we address this trend, and how can we stop these types of destructive pride from running rampant?  I think a lot of it starts with education and honest reflection. It takes learning to actually listen to what people are saying, and not just lashing out at what we think they are judging us about.  It means really questioning what 'has always been done', and being honest about where practices originate from.

 

We need to stop ranking everything!  'Best' is a completely relative term, not only can the best thing change depending on who is using it, but it can change based on what it is being used, where it is happening, what the needs of the moment are, and any number of other variables.  

We need to go back to valuing what is actually being done, not just what people say is happening.  We need to look for evidence and facts and do our own research and checking, not just blindly share something because we read the headline and it made us feel stuff.  We need to be especially critical of things that we feel strongly about (whether those feels are positive or negative), because we should always remind mindful that these are the areas in which we are the most blind...and most prone to believe what we have always believed.

We need to continually challenge ourselves to do better.  Not better than other people, but better than what is and better than what we did yesterday.  We need to think about what could be, and be willing to work towards it, instead of just accepting things as they are.

We need to speak openly about our experiences, and we need to listen when other people speak.  It doesn't matter if something has never happened to ME....what matters is if it is happening.  Just because my personal experience is one thing, that doesn't represent the whole of all experience.

And we need to challenge people when they spread falsehoods.  I'm not saying that people can't ever be wrong our change their mind, but when someone deliberately tries to convince other people of something they know is wrong, JUST to prove that they are 'right'...we need to make that unacceptable.

There is a lot going on in the world, and a lot of things are starting to spiral out of control.  But the way to stop the momentum isn't to squeeze our eyes shut and hope it ends soon, but to fight, and to make ourselves aware of what is happening and where we are headed.  Don't be complacent because things 'aren't so bad right now', but be upset because things are moving towards someplace really bad.  Take your blinders off and don't let yourself be led astray!

Prayer flags

This is the time of year when I think about flags more than I usually do.  Often when we think of flags, we think about our country flag.  We may also think about flags that are used on ships, whether it is a flag used to communicate messages over large distances or simply flags used to identify the ship and it's purpose.

One of the distinctive qualities of a flag is that it is used to represent an idea.  Often they indicate that one thing belongs to or identifies with a group or person.  We use flags to represent clubs, in parades or other large group gatherings or that we personally support the person or thing depicted on our flag.  Flags can represent concepts, even as symbolic as letters or warnings (like the Jolly Roger or flags that were raised over a household to indicate there was sickness inside).

Flags make a beautiful addition to our practice, in that we can create flags for many different purposes.  Not only are they beautiful, but the represent things that are important to us.  We can fly flags for the deities we work with, for the elements when we cast circle, or as part of our spell work.

I have a small set of Tibetan prayer flags that I received in the mail, simple paper flags on a string with block printed designs on them.  The paper that came with them said that when the wind blew through them, your prayers would be carried away on the wind.  Of course, I hung them inside so the wind that moved them was mostly the wind of my own creation...I would blow on them when I had a prayer to send out.

One of my favorite novel series (The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind) has a character that wears a prayer dress, which has small scraps of cloth all over it, each one was added to her dress by one of her people, so that when she went out into the world she literally carried their prayers with her.  I always thought this was such a beautiful idea.  I have this vision of making a prayer belt or prayer cloak to add to my ritual gear, where I can add on prayers or have other people add prayers, that I then carry with me.

I think what really makes something a flag in my mind is that it hangs up somewhere, wind can move it, and that it represents something.  Many banners are a variation of flag.  We use banners for celebrations and the like, why not for ritual as well!  You could create a flag that represents the celebration (for things like Sabbats) or purpose (for spells), and then have it flying while you cast circle.  Even after the ritual is over, the flag could be hung outside (from a tree) or inside (on your wall or from your altar), and when you want to refresh your working, you could make sure it is out where the wind can catch it.

I also really like the idea of worship flags.  Making flags for the different deities you work with can be another version of a deity statue, in some ways more portable (definitely less breakable than many statues).  A worship flag could be painted, embroidered, quilted or printed.  You can pick a single image to represent your deity, or have several symbols.  You could even just write their name out on cloth, if that works for you.

If you have a permanent altar, but work with different deities at different times, you can use your flags to represent this.  You could also make flags for the different seasons or Sabbats or moon phases, to tailor your altar to what you are working on.

The simplest flag is simply a piece of cloth with several holes or loops along one side (to be used to hang the flag with).  But you can absolutely make your flags fancier by adding on trim or using loops to hang them from wooden dowels (which could also be embellished).

Making a flag for a particular working might incorporate symbols or words to represent different aspects of what you are doing.  If your working involves a particular deity, you might include their name or a symbol that is dear to them.  You can work in colors that represent the elements you are drawing upon.

I also don't think things like prayer flags need to be fancy works of art, so if you don't feel like you are artistic, don't worry!  Think about a lot of country flags that use very simple symbols and bold colors to represent the country.  Likewise, your flag could be a couple of symbols painted on in carefully chosen colors.

One simple way to mark shapes on cloth is to make stamps.  You can find a simple shape or symbol you like, and trace or print it onto paper.  Then get a potato that is big enough to hold the shape, and cut it in half.  Place your paper on the potato and carefully cut out your symbol, cutting away any potato outside of the outline.  You have now made a basic stamp that you can paint and press onto your cloth to stamp the picture onto it.

You can also make very personal flags by laying out your hand prints or foot prints.  For a spell working, you could make your paint a part of the working, not only picking the color, but adding herbs or other components to the paint, and then using it to make your flag.

If you want more complex images, consider checking out thrift stores and looking for tee shirts or other printed cloth with images that work for you.  You can cut out the ones you want and either sew or glue them onto your flag. And of course, you can add things like glitter or trim!

We fly flags to show the world what we believe in.  We fly flags to declare our allegiance.  We fly flags to get our message across.  What flags will you fly?