The Lord's Prayer: Great Goddess Version

Our Mother who art the Earth

Nourishing are thy ways

Thy web of life be woven

Thy ways be found within

As it is all around.

Thank you this day for our bread and sweat

And forgive us our misuse of you

As we forgive others their misuse of us

And lead us not into exploitation

But deliver us from lording it over you

And over each other and over fellow creatures.

For thine are the waters of life

The feeding, breeding, seeding ground

For now and for as close to forever

As we shall ever come.

Blessed be!

--Z. Budapest, Dianic Witch

Quite a different emphasis when the Divine Feminine is the subject of the prayer, eh? I found this version on Z. Budapest's website and I like it very much. The themes of rulership and "power over" have been replaced by ones of nurturance, respect and equality. There's even a refreshing humility in her line "for as close to forever as we shall ever come."

The Lord's Prayer: King James Version

9 . . . Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6: 9-13

Thought I'd start this series off with the original Lord's Prayer (well, sort of, but not really . . . oh, you know what I mean). I'm very fond of the King James Version of the Bible. Despite its mistranslations and blinkered interpretations, it rolls off the tongue with the magnificence of Shakespearean English. Plus there's the secret delight of knowing that King James (who ordered and paid for the translation) was as fruity as they come. Oh wait, that's not a secret anymore. A few years ago the Bible thumpers in the States figured that out too and were quite perturbed at having his dirty homosexual fingerprints all over their most sacred book. Hee hee! How sweet it is.

The Lord's Prayer: Intro

When I was a kid in Sunday School, one of the things I had to memorize in order to receive a free Bible was the Lord's Prayer. I also seem to recall reciting it in school every morning after O Canada played on the intercom. Anyway, it's never been one of my particularly favourite prayers or readings from the Bible (I'm more of a 23rd Psalm fan, myself). However, over the years, I've collected a number of different "versions" of the Lord's Prayer, written from different perspectives by different traditions. I'll be posting them on my blog over the next little while, in bits and spurts as usual. I hope some of them resonate with you!

And Another Thing. . .

It's a little known fact that what Bill Clinton really said under cross-examination was "I never had Socks with that woman." Socks could easily have confirmed Bill's story and saved the Clinton Administration a lot of embarrassment, if only the lawyers had done their job correctly and called him to the stand. Now poor Socks is gone, and the truth has gone with him. Historical accuracy is the loser.

R.I.P. Socks, the White House Cat

Her Royal Highness was saddened to read that her political hero, Socks the White House cat, passed away last Friday at the age of 18 years. Born as a stray, Socks clawed his way up the ladder of success to become First Cat in the Clinton administration. Socks lived at the White House until 2001, running the country with a firm, but fair, paw. During that time, a particularly funny episode of Murphy Brown concerned his inadvertent catnapping by Murphy following a press conference at the White House. It was a favourite episode of HRH and myself.

Ah Socks, we hardly knew ye.

Knowing My Place

As above, so below. Yes, Ceiling Cat, I understand and obey. Coming, Her Royal Highness, coming!!

Learning to Share

Her Royal Highness likes to drink out of the toilet bowl, behaviour seemingly at odds with her posh name. I think it's because she likes her drinking water to be nice and cold. Or she may just be too lazy to go downstairs where her official water dish is kept. Perhaps she enjoys the physical challenge of bracing herself against the inside of the big white punch bowl so she doesn't fall head first into her beverage. But whatever the reason for HRH's love of the toilet, she and I always seem to need access to it at the same time. I defer to her, of course. I know my place.