#multifaith

Hello! My name is Calico! I'm an adult and I use she/they/it/any pronouns except for he/him along with you/your and thou/thee second person pronouns. And this blog is for anything anti religion or anything that is bigoted or against religions, spiritual practices, and magical beliefs of any kind!

I don't have a dni and anybody can send an ask. I'm also friendly towards conpantheonism/neoreligions, pop culture paganism/fictoreligions, multifaith folk, people with contradictory belief systems, abrahamic witches/pagans, egotheism, and godspouses. This is also a delusion safe space!

Disclaimer: This is NOT a safe space for culture appropriation, culture misappropriation, antisemitism, Islamophobia, Christian shaming, kinmisia/alterhumisia, people who slap "delusional" and "spiritual psychosis" onto everything (ableism/saneism isn't cool), people with a "the gods would NEVER be your parent/sibling/spouse/friend!" type attitude, those who shame queer folk (religion is for everyone and the divine is super queer), or racist based spiritual beliefs (such as the Völkisch movement or Black Israelites).

Those with New Age beliefs are allowed HOWEVER, if your belief is based within bigotry, I will politely point it out and educate you OR (if given sources) if somebody else does then I will reblog it to help educate my crowd.

On Hermaphroditos: Let's Not Erase Intersex History by @sag-dab-sar

Why Myth Literalism Is Bad by 🩷ME💋

Why "The Gods Aren't Your [X]" Is Harmful by 💓ME🪉

PSA: I'm not your average Christian by 💝ME✨

Religious Superiority also by 💖ME☦️

Calico's Book Recommendations for Inclusive Christianity and Healing Your Church Hurt by 💗ME🏳️‍⚧️

(↑ Is subject to update and feel free to give your own book suggestions as well!)

On Love Spells by ❤️‍🩹Yours Truly🪷

This blog does not have a DNI! This is a blog about sharing anti religous experiences, not a personal blog! Anybody can experience this and I will not bar somebody from sharing their experiences even if we share differing beliefs!

Other "this is" blogs that may interest you!

An Overview of Terms

Religious Exclusivism

"Religious exclusivism, or religious exclusivity, is the doctrine or belief that only one particular religion or belief system is true. This is in contrast to religious pluralism." (source: wikipedia)

Religious Pluralism (Politically)

"Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society." (source: wikipedia)

Religious Pluralism (Spiritually)

"Religious pluralism, as a spiritual practice, is when an individual practices two (or more) separate religious traditions without directly engaging in syncretism. " (source: The Temple of Hyacinthus)

Background

This morning I woke up knowing it was going to be a hard day. I could feel the exhaustion in my body and mind; and as I got out of bed to prepare for work, I was acutely aware of how slow and unmotivated I was feeling.

I entered my office and went to my standing altar. I lit my 'hearth candle' and said a quick prayer to the Household Gods before I got started on my day.

As the minutes ticked by I could tell my emotions were getting the better of me - weighing me down and consistently interrupting my focus. I was longing for a feeling of strength and a feeling of safety - and in that moment the Hindu Goddess Kali (🙏 Om Krīm Kālikāyai Namaḥ 🙏) and the Hindu Goddess Durga (🙏 Oṃ Śrī Durgāyai Namaḥ 🙏) came to my mind.

For Context: Before converting to Hellenic Polytheism, I was a follower of Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) for several years.

So, I went over to my shrine to Shakti's incarnations at Maa Kali and Maa Durga and lit their candles. Invoking the blessings of the Goddesses, and the bringer of luck Ganesha, I prayed:

Please give me protection, please give me strength

Om Maa Durga

Om Maa Kali

Om Ganesha

Om Shakti

Reflection

Just because I am a Hellenic Polytheist and no longer identify as a student of Hinduism, does not mean I cannot call upon the Devas for guidance or support. It also doesn't mean that just because I primarily identify as a Hellenic Polytheist that I can't also worship Hindu deities when I feel called to do so.

The beauty of Hellenic Polytheism is that it is not a religion that preaches Religious Exclusivism (unlike Christianity and other monotheistic religions). I can be a Hellenic Polytheist, but can also practice Religious Pluralism and practice Sanatana Dharma. And the beauty of these religious traditions is that they both acknowledge Religious Pluralism and reject Religious Exclusivism.

So, I may be a Devotee to Lord Apollo and Lady Aphroditê - I may steward a Hellenic Temple - and I may reply 'Hellenic Pagan' if someone asks for what religion I follow. But I can still celebrate Diwali and Navratri, I can still hold Pujas for the Devas, and I can still incorporate Dharma into my life.

This is Religious Pluralism in action; giving yourself the permission, space, and grace to fulfill your spiritual needs through multiple religious traditions. It doesn't work for everyone, but it's the path that works for me.

Eirene - peace and farewell,

So I'm wondering 1) am I just not looking hard enough please say yes bc if not 2) does that mean I gotta create this community cause idk how to that

Episode 65 of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers is up! Listen wherever you get podcasts, or click here for places to listen + the episode transcript.

K Kriesel (they/them or she/her) is not afraid of "messy," with a spiritual life that blends Catholicism and Wicca, and holds space for time adrift.

K has broken away from a variety of groups that proved too limiting to uplift the most marginalized, including any feminism that prioritizes white, cis women. As they search for a spiritual community built with people like them in mind, K serves as a chaplain and creates the kind of queer Catholic art they want to see in the world. You can contact K and view their work at kkriesel.com or @kkrieselart on Instagram or Facebook.

ID is under the alt text, along with more episode quotes and more of K’s art!

The latest episode of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers, a multifaith podcast of transgender stories, is up! Find the transcript + places to listen here.  

Avery draws from multiple sources to discuss Halloween as a holiday that has elevated gender diversity since its origins deep in the ancient Celt observance of Samhain. As a holiday that has undergone various transitions, traveling across time and space and religious experiences while maintaining its binary-breaking core, Halloween is the perfect time for those of us who don't fit into gender norms to live into our holy truths. Indeed, its rise in popularity in the United States may well have relied on LGBT communities!

__________

Talking Points:

(2:50 - 5:19) Leslie Feinberg - "...The old butches told me there was one night of the year that the cops never arrested us – Halloween."

(5:20 - 8:10) Judy Grahn - "The qualities of impersonation and the dangerous business of crossing over from one world to another help explain why Halloween is the most significant Gay holiday."

(8:11 - 16:10) Samhein's survival in spite of Church suppression; history of matrilineal peasants vs. patriarchal landlords and priests

(16:11 - 19:35) Feinberg - "Transgender [expression] has been outlawed by the ruling classes of both our systems -- feudal nobility and modern industrialists alike."

(19:36 - 23:40) Halloween comes to the USA; "cross dressing" policed until ~1914 when the police give up and no longer arrest "cross dressers" on Halloween night

(23:41 - 25:54) David Frum - "the Halloween craze started in gay culture," 1970s San Francisco

(25:55 - end) Grahn - "On Halloween 1980, my lover and long-time partner Wendy Caden and I...go to San Francisco and look at the Fairies and Queens..."

Remarkable, sterling silver pendant representing the City of Bethlehem. This wonderful pendant celebrates the rich history and heritage of the city in Israel that has some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam including Rachel’s Tomb, the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square, the Mosque of Omar, Shepherds Field, and King David’s Wells.

The mystery is solved 🧐. The location of the *supposedly* long-lost Taboot-e-Sakina (Ark of the Covenant) is revealed by Sufi Spiritual Revivalist @younusalgohar in our latest video. T