Thursday, October 7, 2010

I want to be Juniper from Dies The Fire

My husband & I read a trilogy by S.M. Stirling & not to give anything away, calamity of unknown cause & epic proportions happens to Earth  an a handful of people are left to pull it all back together.



 One of the main characters is a folk singer & wiccan priestess , Juniper MacKenzie & her deaf daughter, Eiler. Through out the series but especially in book one, the author would throw out little bits of information about the goddess, wiccan life & Juni's coven.  As I read, I remember thinking, "I want to know more. I want to be more." The more I read about Juniper & Eiler and their lifestyle, especially when the world as they knew it fell to pieces, the more I was pulled toward wicca. The thoughtful choices she made, the strong kind of woman that she was made me realize that there really was a big hole in my life. A spiritual void & a life creed were just not there.


I was raised in a fairly liberal Christian home but church was just what you did on Sunday mornings. Christianity never really took hold in my heart. At any rate with fictional witch Juniper MacKenzie as my hero, I read everything I could get my hands on about wicca, witchcraft & the pagan path.

And really it was about as simple as that. There were some difficult moments of truth. The "what if" moment. You know, "what if I am wrong?" (and end up in hell or worse?) The time when I really did say & really knew it, that Jesus was a man, a good man, and a prophet but not my ticket to the ever after was a lot like stepping off a cliff of unknown height. But I jumped & landed on my feet.

I like a spiritual path that compels me to be good NOW. Not to stock pile it so I can go to heaven. I like being nice because it is the right way to behave. The Rede & the Law of Three are more compelling to me than the Golden Rule ever was. And you have to admit that women have really gotten the short end of the stick in most religions, right? And that is is. A fictional witch pulled me along with her to the witch life.

10 comments:

Wendy said...

This sounds like my kind of book! Thanks Luna :)

Tiffany said...

I love this story!

S.M. Stirling said...

Glad the books spoke to you.

S.M. Stirling

Unknown said...

I want to read those books! Writing down the info as soon as I comment.

Yes, women have gotten the short end in most religions, mine included. But for me, the answer isn't to find another, but to stay where I am and work on bringing it into balance. Not easy with centuries of "G-d as King" prayers and imagery, but I keep tryings. Judaism is also a here-and-now focused religion. Tikun Olam, to repair THIS word is one of our highest callings.

That being said, I have built little altars near water since I was a child -- never knew why, just felt I needed to. Altars near the Mississippi River and several oceans and countless lakes. Always with a symbols of earth, air, fire and water, using feathers, or shells or stones or whatever. And as I say my prayers at home or in Temple, I say "She" as often as I say "He, "Queen" as often as "King." For me, that removes the temptation to falls into that "old man in the sky" kind of belief, and it also reminds me that G-d is just as much feminine as masculine. And just as much neither, too.

So I guess I am somewhere in the middle. Working on bringing the female into balance within the Jewish framework. And yet still aware of/in touch with another path.

Unknown said...

Found two trilogies by that author...which book should I be looking for?

Cassie said...

This is perfect timing for me. The hubby and I were just talking about reconciling your childhood beliefs with the faith that you have found along the way. Thanks for sharing!

luna petunia said...

Dies the Fire is the first of the three.

dizzijoi said...

This is a wonderful post. I have felt the same way. Thank you for your honest sharing.

Steve Meyer said...

Dies the Fire and its sequels are great books and very inspirational in many ways about not taking our current environment and lifestyles for granted!

I agree that Wicca, as presented by S.M. Stirling through Juniper McKenzie, is a very intriguing religion. But does current Wicca resemble these beliefs and ways closely?

Just be sure that you don't end up a member of the Fluffy Bunny Sept!

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