measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Veil between the Worlds... I've been confronted again with an ongoing source of discomfort-- one which I'm unsure whether I bring upon myself, that others would bring on me, or if it's a mix of the two. The catalyst for this round? The Mists of Avalon, which was shown over the past two nights on cable TV. I enjoyed the show. It wasn't the best all-time rendition that could have been done of the book, but it was enjoyable. Great costumes, pretty good sets, and a couple of interesting renditions of Beltane and the Great Rite there... ... which opened up a whole big can of worms at the work lunch table yesterday. Now, I'm very open about my faith. If someone asks, I'll tell them I'm Wiccan. I have no problems with this. However, I'm more than acutely aware of when I should keep my mouth shut, because it's not going to go well. Particularly at work, where the last thing I need is telling the WRONG person about my faith and starting rounds of religious bigotry, which I've been subjected to before. I understand that not everyone is willing to accept Paganism as a real religion. I respect that, even if it saddens me. But let's sum this up with: It's not a good thing when you're hearing "Did you see that freaky ritual sex thing they were doing during the show? I mean, have you ever seen something so creepy?" from your workmates. Yes, it was dolled up a bit for TV. No, the complete background of Beltane and the Great Rite cannot be explained during the middle of a made-for-TV movie without breaking the flow. And yes, this was the middle ages, and stuff like this probably happened more than anyone--Christian and Pagan alike-- would like to admit. And yes, Beltane is a rite of fertility. And yes, there's a LOT of sex play... (and quite a playful amount of it, I might add). But since Pagans see sex and reproduction as just another part of nature, it's not that shocking when taken in context. The problem with a show like Mists is that your average TV audience probably doesn't understand the context it should be placed in, and particularly with the Arthur legend, where in the traditional tellings the women of the Old Religion are evil or pretty non-existant, it's even more difficult. I understood exactly what was going on in those scenes, and understood the sacredness and, well, feralness (for lack of a better word) that those rites entailed. The Virgin Huntress... the form of the Goddess for Beltane (in this case, Morgaine le Fey) and the Horned God (Arthur) come together on Beltane night for the first time, and their intercourse plants the pregnancy for the birth of the God again at Yule (Dec.21st here in the northern hemisphere) on the darkest day of the year. During the course of the year, the Goddess goes through her different aspects as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, and the God goes through the entire cycle of life, being born at Yule, and dying on Samhain (Halloween) as the days again grow shortest. The night of Beltane is where they become joined as Husband and Wife (to put it simply) and parents to the New Year (to be born later). I also understand that Mists of Avalon was a fictional story based on a myth that may or may not have any foundation in history. BUT because the image of the Old Religion appears as something dark and primal to many who don't understand it, seeing the Great Rite of Beltane on the TV screen, in the most primal of forms (which could have been extremely accurate for the time, actually) even made me squirm. Because without the understanding of what it's truly about, it's gratuitous sex on-screen... and incest in this case (gee... doesn't that make a more definitive statement) and nothing more. And unfortunately, that's EXACTLY what most of my co-workers saw on screen, and called it a disgusting display, even for cable. My boss, Linda, noticed that as soon as that was said, I got very quiet. And she asked me afterwards why. She knows I'm Wiccan, and even makes the friendly jokes about me being the resident Witch (quietly and around people that know), so I explained that while I found nothing wrong with it, other than the incest... which was part of the story AND myth of Mordred's creation (watch Excalibur if you don't believe me), it's really difficult to explain to people what those rites were about when there was already that taint of incest on it. Perhaps part of it is because while Pagan, I live in a very urbanized world and sometimes forget about the wilds of Nature while practicing my rituals in an enclosed, quite apartment. Unlike my ancestors of faith, I don't have to go tromping out into the woods for the ceremonies. I honestly don't really have the option, being without a car and living in the middle of Boston. But my limited exposure to wild Nature makes me question how strong and true my own faith is. Seeing it in a completely primal form as I did on TV--from a fictional show!-- makes me question it even more. And again, I find myself stuck within the veil between two worlds.... not the one between physical and astral, but the one between openness and closeted belief, and the one between truthfulness and pretending to be what I'm not. Bright Blessings, Mel. 9:42 a.m. - 17 July 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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