Monday, October 25, 2010

Thoughts on individualism in a group/tradition setting?

I've been doing a lot of thread reading around the Cauldron and I've seen the issued of sex in ritual addressed a couple of times. It sparked a particular thought process and I have a question or two.

From what I have picked up it appears that Deities may ask things of you. I also have picked up the idea that if you say no, for whatever reason, They don't burn your crops and kill your family. That it's okay to say no.

So my question isn't so much about saying no as related to the Gods and Goddesses. It's more about groups, traditions, belief systems, etc. What if you said no to a group? Then what? How much are you allowed to deviate from the 'accepted norm' in order to value certain principles in your life? The biggest reason I ask is that a lot of information I get on a tradition or a specific group in a tradition is really basic stuff. So, there is a wee bit of mystery as to what might be expected of a person if they are initiated and how much 'squirm' room is allowed. Is this something you would know before deciding to ask about initiation?

I should probably explain that the sex in ritual lead me to this thought because I'm in a committed relationship and although we've discussed doing this between ourselves I have no clue as to how he would react if it was something that was expected in a specific ritual. He's solitary and not really inclined to have a specific tradition. And I don't know how I would feel, really, if it was the other way around. I don't really like to share. lol So it got me to thinking about other stuff too and saying no. There's not a whole lot I can think of at this point that might really bother me, and I could probably choke my way through most of it if I had to ... but this particular topic caught my attention because it doesn't involve just me, but someone I love. Sorry if I'm rambling ... but I am very curious how to twine together everyday life and the spiritual if the two are in disagreement?

Thanks for any thoughts!

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