The Caturian Legends

Long, long ago . . .

In a land far, far away . . .

When many perilous enemies were abroad in the realm . . .

There was a castle. A castle made of the finest carpeting. Behold!

I tell thee true, oh unbelievers and sceptics, 'twas a castle full of cats. The bravest, fiercest, most chivalrous felines that ever lived.

Yea verily, the Cats of the Round Kibble.

And forsooth, many were the cat heroes amongst them. First and foremost was their mighty leader, King Catur . . .

And his fearless, if somewhat morose, champion . . .

These noble felines spent their time eating, sleeping, playing with cat toys and, oh yes, questing. They were always questing for impossible things to locate, like the Holy Grail. Of course, being cats, they had their own motives for wanting to find this most sacred relic.

And oh, the legendary feats of skill and daring accomplished by these heroic cats!

'Zounds, but all manner of evil fell before them!

Their deeds shall live forevermore and be recounted with awe whenever cats gather together to feast on fat mice and pass around the catnip.

My Pagan Tattoo -- The Quotation

[Photo by My Rare One]

So finally we come to the last element of my tattoo. Now, what's up with that pagan quotation?

The ancient Spartans once sought the advice of the Oracle at Delphi about whether they should go to war against Athens. Would the Divine be on Sparta's side, they wanted to know. The Oracle's enigmatic answer was: Bidden or not bidden, the Divine is present. The optimistic Spartans took that answer as a firm "yes," even though the prophecy didn't actually answer their question.

To me, this phrase sums up my personal experience of the Divine. Our belief or lack of belief is irrelevant to the Divine, whatever it may or may not be. We need not ask or try to determine whether the Divine exists or not. If the Divine wants to manifest in our lives, it will regardless of our own beliefs, desires or actions. And if it does manifest, you'll friggin know it, my friend! Your life will be turned upside down and inside out, whether you want it to or not. Bidden or not bidden.

Carl Jung also had this quotation carved in Latin over the doorway of his home clinic in Switzerland. Jung interpreted the phrase as meaning: Yes, the Divine is present, but in what form and to what purpose? We can't take anything for granted about the Divine. Since Jungian philosophy was central to my own spiritual development and understanding, this is another reason why I chose to get inked with the same quotation in English.

This post concludes my series about the meaning and significance of my pagan tattoo -- now you know all about it in more excruciating detail than anyone would ever want, hope or expect, LOL! Thanks for reading!

My Pagan Tattoo -- Thor's Hammer (Divine Masculine)

[Photo by My Rare One]

The Divine Masculine is honoured in my tattoo by a stylized Thor's Hammer. Although it is primarily portrayed today as the God of Thunder's weapon of war, Thor's Hammer is also an ancient fertility symbol. As My Rare One perceptively noted, the rounded double hammer head with its upward handle is "a classic cock-and-balls motif, isn't it." At pagan Norse wedding feasts, it was customary for the bride to sit with a Thor's Hammer in her lap to promote the fertility of the marriage.

In an ancient myth, Thor and Loki relied on that custom in order to retrieve Thor's Hammer from a giant who had stolen it. Loki dressed Thor in drag to pass him off as the giant's intended bride, accompanying him as bridesmaid in order to field any awkward questions. After having successfully managed that deception, the two gods just simply waited for the Hammer to be placed in Thor's lap at the wedding feast. Back with its rightful owner at last!

And then, Thor and Loki killed everybody, everybody! -- well, it's a Norse myth after all, what did you expect?

Tomorrow: The Pagan Quotation

My Pagan Tattoo -- Labrys (Divine Feminine)

[Photo by My Rare One]

The Divine Feminine is honoured in my tattoo by a Labrys, the ceremonial double-headed axe of the ancient goddess-worshipping Minoan Crete civilization. This immensely old fertility symbol represents the vulva's butterfly-like double labia. The Labrys is so inextricably associated with women that classical Greek, Roman and Western art often portrays it as a favourite battle weapon of the Amazons, the mythical female warriors who fought against patriarchal domination.

This latter interpretation also led to the Labrys being adopted in the feminist 1970s as the symbol of the Lesbian Nation. The modern Women's Spirituality movement has now revived its original spiritual meaning as well. And, of course, all three movements -- feminism, lesbian rights and women's spirituality -- have been central to my own life.

Tomorrow: Thor's Hammer (Divine Masculine)

INKED! A Tattoo Virgin No More

Long-time readers may remember a series of posts I wrote a few years back about my thwarted plans to get a tattoo. Long before tattoos on women were a mainstream fashion, dyke chic meant that every lesbian had to have at least one tat! But like a female Hamlet, I waffled forever over what design I should get. And then when I did finally resolve to get inked for my 40th birthday, I got downsized in government job cuts and prudently decided not to spend the money after all.

After that, the moment simply passed. And then years, many years, passed. The desire to get some ink did not surface again until 2014. I was born in '57 and 2014 was when I turned 57. It was like my friggin year of Harmonic Convergence! And lo, all of a sudden, in a flash of blinding inspiration, I knew exactly what I should get for my tattoo -- a design of great personal significance to me.

[Photo by My Rare One,

who does not really like tattoos at all

but who has adjusted]

And to answer everyone's inevitable question -- no, it didn't really hurt because modern, high-speed tattooing equipment has eliminated much of the pain. It felt like someone was lightly dragging a hot needle across my skin, that was all. Some mild discomfort, yes, but nothing that I would dignify with the word "pain." Fer chrissakes, I've had menstrual cramps that were a million times more painful than this! Tattooing was nothing by comparison.

So what is the meaning and significance of my tat's design? It's a pagan tattoo honouring the Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine and which also cites a famous pagan quotation about the nature of the human/Divine relationship. As you can see, I decided not to get a coloured tat but went old school with simple black and grey scale. That's a nod to my father's monochromatic tattoos that I remember so well from childhood onwards.

I'm going to post individually about each element of the design over the next three days. Hey, I waited 57 years to get a tattoo, I damn well intend to milk its blog post potential for all it's worth!

Tomorrow: Labrys (Divine Feminine)

Eostre Has Arrived!

This weekend is the Spring Equinox in North America -- it arrives here in Alberta late tonight, while in more easternly time zones,  it arrives early tomorrow morning.

In ancient pagan terms, the fertility goddess of the earth -- Eostre -- stirs and awakens after a long winter's sleep. She infuses everything with new life and the energy of rebirth and regeneration. From Her name, we get the English words estrogen, estrus and Easter.

Her intimate connection with sex, reproduction and new life is shown in Her two central symbols -- the sacred rabbit and brightly coloured eggs.

Flowers from the awakening earth also spring forth in a burst of much welcomed colour after winter's monochromatic whites and greys. Eostre is busy colouring in her book with every crayon She can lay Her hands on!

May you all enjoy the blessings of rejuvenation this Spring! Happy Eostre, everyone!

Happy Irish Heritage Day!

Sure, an' 'tis enjoyin' yer hangovers tamorra ye'll be! Erin go bragh!