Papal Bull

Well, as a former Catho-holic I have to make some comment about this. I suspected this was coming, partly because I have the sense that the reactionaries are going into pre-bottom mode. They are losing their grip, and they are attempting to force things back to a place where they can keep control of stuff. "Conservative" seems to have become a synonym for "arrogant" of late, whether neo-, paleo- or whatever version.

I can guess a few things about the immediate future. These people have determined to make those who disagree with them the objects of scorn. They have chosen the path of separation from others, separation from themselves, separation from the Divine Source of All That Is. These are people who steadfastly refuse to awaken to the acceptance that God wants Nothing from us. Absolutely nothing! These are people who, having been denied love and nurturance at some key point in their lives, and who have kept themselves in that delusional place and labeled it "holy", have turned things around to tell everyone else how to love and how to be thus and so. They are pretty much telling the ocean "Stop being wet, you mother of us all!" and they've got problems with that dirt problem that is so Mother Earth.

In my spiritual understanding, I see that I have a huge opportunity to practice forgiveness. My friend Michael believes that something can be salvaged from the structure of the Church, but as a former R.C., I can say pretty much that to change the structure would be to kill it. The Catholic Church since Constantine has been pretty much a rogues' gallery, and the hierarchy is itself the problem. (Catholic church without a hierarchy? That's like a chicken with no skeleton!) You focus on the problem, you say bye-bye to the whole thing. Which is pretty much what I have done.

I don't look forward to when I talk to my Mother about this. She thought J2P2 was a holy man, and I would agree with that, insofar as to say that he, you, my mother, my father, everyone I know, everyone I don't know are holy people. He did quite a bit of damage in my life, I can tell you. Since he (and the latest Pope-ourri) hand-selected most of the curia, that damage is going to continue, though I suspect there will be quite a few defections. Only the most insane of people will be staying in the pews and they can have it.

Do I feel sad or angry about this? I felt a queasy sensation in my stomach, only because I sense that there will be rationalized hatred and bloodshed as a result of this gaffe. These old things are meant to blow away in the breeze, I feel. The Churches, the Banks, the Governments, the Corporations. None of them are real. Not as real as the gentle interactions we have with one another. They are to be forgiven, though I don't feel ready as yet to do so. That will probably change over time. Maybe I'll get some clarity on this Medicine Walk I'm taking on Sunday. I'll be decoding whatever happens up near the Canadian border.

In the meantime, I feel the need to start working on whatever is the next right action. What, Dian-y-Glas, would that be, I wonder....