Blessed be
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Blessed Be may refer to
• A greeting, farewell, and blessing in Wicca
• Blessed Be, a 2000 album by The 69 Eyes
See also
• Fivefold kiss
Answers.com gives the definition for Wicca as:
Wicca n. A polytheistic Neo-Pagan nature religion inspired by various pre-Christian western European beliefs, whose central deity is a mother.
Let’s have a look at the Wikipedia definition for the Fivefold kiss, while we’re at it:
The fivefold kiss is an element of Wiccan ritual involving kissing five parts of the body. Each kiss given is accompanied by a blessing:
Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways
Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar
Blessed be thy [womb/phallus], without which we would not be
Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty/breast formed in strength
Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names.
This is the form of the blessing used by most Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens.
The fivefold kiss is sometimes performed during Wiccan rites and ceremonies, such as handfasting. It may be the origin of the term blessed be, a well-known Neopagan greeting, also used as a general expression of blessing during ritual.
Let’s neglect the “ewww!” factor of the fivefold kiss, and move on.
The third Google result is http://blessedbe.sugarbane.com/, the “Online Wiccan Resource Center”.
Next on the result list is http://www.blessedbeme.com/. GOTTA LOVE that name! Blessed Be Me!! Woohoo!
There are many common phrases used for the Complimentary Close of a letter: Sincerely (yours), Love, God bless, All the best, Best (I still don’t understand that one!), thank you, In Christ, etc.
So if someone you know signs letters/emails with “Blessed Be”, what is one to think? And what if this person works for the Church? It’s enough to make a person say “hmmmm”.
Comments are encouraged.
3 comments:
“ewww!” alright!, especially considering that pagans do not make make personal hygiene a priority.
Here are some quotes from the site you indicated, with some of my notes in square brackets:
1. "To be a witch is to know everything, and nothing at all" [totally meaningless, defies principle of contradiction, Aristotle 101].
2. "To be a witch is to move amongst the stars while staying on earth" [after a couple of LSD hits]
3. "To be a witch is to dance and sing, and hold hands with the universe" [barf-o-rama]
4. "To be a witch is to honor the gods, and yourself" [whatever]
5. "To be a witch is to accept others who are not" [not what?]
6. "To be a witch is to know what you feel is right and good" [all feeling, no reason]
7. "To be a witch is to harm none" [except your immortal soul]
8. "To be a witch is to know the ways of old" [crapola]
9. "To be a witch is to follow the moon" [eh?, why not Jupiter?... this is planetary profiling]
10. "To be a witch is to be one with the gods" [so sayeth Oprah]
11. "To be a witch is to live with the earth, not just on it" [paganistic animism]
TH2, I feel bad about you having read that stuff. Sorry!
The Wiccan/Pagan belief system is so illogical (and stupid!) that it's hard to believe anyone subscribes to it.
And speaking of hygiene - this is a liberal college area, and you can smell the patchouli oil from far away, but I suppose I shouldn't confuse hippies with pagans (or should I?)
But the point of the post is that we have a church representative using this phrase in emails. DRIVES ME CRAZY.
The proper way to use the "Blessed be..." is in the Divine Praises.
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Praises
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