Fascinating. I remember once visiting a Catholic nunnery in Salt Lake City whose focus was Mary. They had great success proseltyizing in China because the local Chinese recognized the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, (Kuan Shr Yin Bu Sa), Avalokiteshvara, as Mother Mary. However, their practice did not conform to Church hierarchy, so they were disbanded. The Church's patriarchal dominance goes on.
There is something else about Hecate, the old crone. In medieval times, the wise women were the nurses, midwives, and healers, knowledgeable about herbs. This let them help women with contraception and abortion, so of course, they were deemed witches and killed.
Fascinating about the Bodhisattva being recognized as Mary. Great comment!
By burning "witches", I believe the Church was protecting their monopoly on access to God. They didn't want the public achieving transcendence with magic mushrooms available in the forest for those in the know. They wanted the Eucharist under their control to be the only route of access to the divine.
Later on there was money involved as well as male doctors wanted in on the abortion business the 'witches' provided. This was not 'pro-life' but just greed.
Tedder, you are pulling on a very important thread here! Medicine and religion are really the same thing; they both belong in the domain of faith. The institutional failures we witnessed during the COVID era have many eerie parallels to the Black Death of the 1300s...not least among them is medicine/religion being corrupted by money.
Caliban and the Witch was also a great read regarding this.
I can't help thinking on all the "fun" us Catholics could be having if we'd stuck to the pagan rituals. haha. It blows my mind how different the world could have been (and still could be).
Caliban and the Witch was quite a ground shaking book for my wife and I, one of those ones that completely changed the way you see the world and why it is the way it is. You see how the power and trust women had in themselves, in each other, in their livelihoods was completely destroyed and has never recovered.
Unfortunately at ER with my eldest daughter now, we nursed her at home up until now, she’s been through the high fever stage but her platelets started going pretty low today and so she’s on IV and will be admitted. Really hoping it won’t be 5 nights like my youngest. Who by the way is looking much improved and is yabbering away which is always a good sign. My gawd, it’s been some rough days.
Caliban and the Witch was quite a ground shaking book for my wife and I, one of those ones that completely changed the way you see the world and why it is the way it is. You see how the power and trust women had in themselves, in each other, in their livelihoods was completely destroyed and has never recovered. And you see how capitalism began. It’s pretty crazy.
Unfortunately at ER with my eldest daughter now, we nursed her at home up until now, she’s been through the high fever stage but her platelets started going pretty low today and so she’s on IV and will be admitted. Really hoping it won’t be 5 nights like my youngest. Who by the way is looking much improved and is yabbering away which is always a good sign. My gawd, it’s been some rough days.
Fascinating. I remember once visiting a Catholic nunnery in Salt Lake City whose focus was Mary. They had great success proseltyizing in China because the local Chinese recognized the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, (Kuan Shr Yin Bu Sa), Avalokiteshvara, as Mother Mary. However, their practice did not conform to Church hierarchy, so they were disbanded. The Church's patriarchal dominance goes on.
There is something else about Hecate, the old crone. In medieval times, the wise women were the nurses, midwives, and healers, knowledgeable about herbs. This let them help women with contraception and abortion, so of course, they were deemed witches and killed.
https://www.southchicagoabc.org/cabc/witches-midwives-and-nurses-a-history-of-women-healers-barbara-ehrenreich-deirdre-english/witches-midwives-and-nurses-a-history-of-women-healers-barbara-ehrenreich-deirdre-english.web.pdf
Fascinating about the Bodhisattva being recognized as Mary. Great comment!
By burning "witches", I believe the Church was protecting their monopoly on access to God. They didn't want the public achieving transcendence with magic mushrooms available in the forest for those in the know. They wanted the Eucharist under their control to be the only route of access to the divine.
Later on there was money involved as well as male doctors wanted in on the abortion business the 'witches' provided. This was not 'pro-life' but just greed.
Tedder, you are pulling on a very important thread here! Medicine and religion are really the same thing; they both belong in the domain of faith. The institutional failures we witnessed during the COVID era have many eerie parallels to the Black Death of the 1300s...not least among them is medicine/religion being corrupted by money.
Caliban and the Witch was also a great read regarding this.
I can't help thinking on all the "fun" us Catholics could be having if we'd stuck to the pagan rituals. haha. It blows my mind how different the world could have been (and still could be).
Haha very funny, Leon!
I just read the synopsis of Caliban and the Witch on Wikipedia. Fascinating! I'm going to have to make time for this book...
I hope everything is back to normal in your household
Caliban and the Witch was quite a ground shaking book for my wife and I, one of those ones that completely changed the way you see the world and why it is the way it is. You see how the power and trust women had in themselves, in each other, in their livelihoods was completely destroyed and has never recovered.
Unfortunately at ER with my eldest daughter now, we nursed her at home up until now, she’s been through the high fever stage but her platelets started going pretty low today and so she’s on IV and will be admitted. Really hoping it won’t be 5 nights like my youngest. Who by the way is looking much improved and is yabbering away which is always a good sign. My gawd, it’s been some rough days.
Yikes, I hope she gets well soon, Leon. Sending positive thoughts your way! I really hope to hear that everyone is back to normal soon.
And thank you for that amazing book recommendation!
Caliban and the Witch was quite a ground shaking book for my wife and I, one of those ones that completely changed the way you see the world and why it is the way it is. You see how the power and trust women had in themselves, in each other, in their livelihoods was completely destroyed and has never recovered. And you see how capitalism began. It’s pretty crazy.
Unfortunately at ER with my eldest daughter now, we nursed her at home up until now, she’s been through the high fever stage but her platelets started going pretty low today and so she’s on IV and will be admitted. Really hoping it won’t be 5 nights like my youngest. Who by the way is looking much improved and is yabbering away which is always a good sign. My gawd, it’s been some rough days.