Peregrine Moon

The power of strict religious law

The article - The Power of the Mustard Seed - Why strict churches are strong. By Judith Shulevitz reminds me of my own strict religious upbringing. People join religious groups with strong precepts that limit behavior because they want to belong to a cohesive group that insulates them from the larger world. This article looks at work by an economist who postulates that religous groups create a product: one that offers a passionate community who cares deeply about each other and which gives meaning to life.

My own coming-to-terms with fundamentalism came when I came out as a queer and started reading philosophy extensively. Within six months my  whole fundamentalist worldview came apart - and I started to grow.

Curse of the Soulmate, I

Well, there's my sweetheart: Following my mother's death in February 2001, I began writing about the curse of finding one's heart's desire: the inevitable loss of one's beloved.

Curse of the Soulmate, II

I never bought your mother flowers.`What my father recalled as he buried his wife of forty-six years.

Curse of the Soulmate, III

Sim was the only man for me: My Grandmother's thoughts on losing her love.

Curse of the Soulmate, IV

The Vessel of Alchemy

How can we love in the face of eventual inevitable loss? How can we love when love itself is defined by the contingent loss of the Beloved? How can we dare to approach this deity, this force that transforms our life – which, perhaps defines what is best about us?

Curse of the Soulmate, V

Now death: What happens when half of the soulmate dies?

The alembic sealing necessitates exclusivity and singularity within relationship. Within the alchemical vessel, the Red King and White Queen come together as a couple, not open to relationship with another. But what happens when one of the couple disappears through death?

Curse of the Soulmate, VI

Transformation: My first meditations following my mother's death.

The Full Moon after my mother’s death was the Chaste Moon, where one celebrates the preparation of the Earth for the coming bounty of growth in Spring.