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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Brother, can you spare a joule?
There's something I've been seeing more and more
often among the general pagan population (at least in the cyberpagan population;
I won't comment on their flesh-and-blood interactions) -- requests for "energy."
An example (not a real example, but indicative of the craze):
"Hi! I'm new here, but I was hoping that some of you could spare me some energy, good thoughts, and reiki. I have to go to the dentist on Thursday, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to have a root canal. Anything you can spare is appreciated."
To be fair, while I've actually seen examples like the above, I've also seen people asking for energy for extreme emergency situations, such as court cases, child custody issues, etc. Unfortunately, those seem to be becoming more and more the exception.
To me, it seems like this is an offshoot of Christian "prayer circles" or "prayer trees," in which people are encouraged to pray for one another during hard times. The minister or prayer group leader would make an announcement of people who need support in some way, and theoretically everyone would pray for them.
So why do I care? What difference could it possibly make to me? Well, none in the long run, but I have a general disapproval of the practice. I'm not telling anyone what to do here, of course, but don't expect me to be asking for energy any time soon.
First off, I question whether it's possible to transmit whatever this "energy" is supposed to be. Also, if I'm going to help someone, my help will be a lot more tangible than Peter Pan-esque happy thoughts. It seems to me reprehensible to say "all I really need to do to help others is send positive energy to them," in that it encourages one to not get personally involved to help out others.
Then there are the reasons I'm against it personally. I'm Asatru. A heathen. I value self-reliance. While I may require the help of others, in the end I must depend on myself. I think that asking for positive energy would be a way of saying "I can't mentally handle this on my own; I don't have enough strength in myself to support myself through whatever is going on." I think it's setting up a dangerous belief about one's self.
There are times when I need help. I need to discuss something with someone, or I may need a ride somewhere if my car is in the shop, or whatever. These things, however, involve interaction, not blanket telepathic assistance.
I sincerely hope that heathenism can prevent an influx of this belief.
Favorite recently downloaded song: Bowling For Soup: 1985
If you have iTunes installed, the above link will cause it to open and display the above song. Fun little bit of nostalgia. :)
(Even though my attempt at commercialism was denied, I can still provide links. I just don't get paid for it.)
An example (not a real example, but indicative of the craze):
"Hi! I'm new here, but I was hoping that some of you could spare me some energy, good thoughts, and reiki. I have to go to the dentist on Thursday, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to have a root canal. Anything you can spare is appreciated."
To be fair, while I've actually seen examples like the above, I've also seen people asking for energy for extreme emergency situations, such as court cases, child custody issues, etc. Unfortunately, those seem to be becoming more and more the exception.
To me, it seems like this is an offshoot of Christian "prayer circles" or "prayer trees," in which people are encouraged to pray for one another during hard times. The minister or prayer group leader would make an announcement of people who need support in some way, and theoretically everyone would pray for them.
So why do I care? What difference could it possibly make to me? Well, none in the long run, but I have a general disapproval of the practice. I'm not telling anyone what to do here, of course, but don't expect me to be asking for energy any time soon.
First off, I question whether it's possible to transmit whatever this "energy" is supposed to be. Also, if I'm going to help someone, my help will be a lot more tangible than Peter Pan-esque happy thoughts. It seems to me reprehensible to say "all I really need to do to help others is send positive energy to them," in that it encourages one to not get personally involved to help out others.
Then there are the reasons I'm against it personally. I'm Asatru. A heathen. I value self-reliance. While I may require the help of others, in the end I must depend on myself. I think that asking for positive energy would be a way of saying "I can't mentally handle this on my own; I don't have enough strength in myself to support myself through whatever is going on." I think it's setting up a dangerous belief about one's self.
There are times when I need help. I need to discuss something with someone, or I may need a ride somewhere if my car is in the shop, or whatever. These things, however, involve interaction, not blanket telepathic assistance.
I sincerely hope that heathenism can prevent an influx of this belief.
Favorite recently downloaded song: Bowling For Soup: 1985
If you have iTunes installed, the above link will cause it to open and display the above song. Fun little bit of nostalgia. :)
(Even though my attempt at commercialism was denied, I can still provide links. I just don't get paid for it.)
Posted: Sat - October 2, 2004 at 10:01 PM