Thursday, January 13, 2011

Take four!

Well... if you haven't read the accusations against me then you wont be able to here. The rebuttal post that I just posted was suspended for violation of copyrights in that I reposted the public posts that the user Elorie posted in accusing me of various absurdities. So... you will all just have to read my response without the benefit of reading her ranting posts unless you want to go to her journal directly and read them yourself. They are still public at the time of this writing.

So here is my rebuttal, stripped of quotes and obvious snark (while funny and good-feeling in the moment had lost it's charm and I just want to be done with it). Let's see how long this post can stay up.



I don't recall *ever* having a conversation with you about the Wands, save for my thoughts on mine when I received the Black Wand from Cora.

As I originally heard the tale it was supposedly Erica whom I had this mythical wand conversation with... and then later I heard it was Eldri and now, years later, I hear it was you. Actually it was my friend Kel and you weren't there. Is there something else that I am forgetting? (And I'm not sure how I could have stolen any ideas from you if I don't even remember talking to you about them... it would have been nice if you had pointed it out to me privately first and offered whatever proof you claim to have... but so far all you have done is to make cryptic public statements.  

It's duly noted that you didn't like my article. It's also noted that in one breath you accuse me of stealing your notes in order to write my piece and then in the next you claim that I couldn't possibly have used them because if I did it would have been a better article. 

As for the sex scandal cover up allegation, you are referring to a recent debacle in which a Feri initiate accused a student of sexual impropriety, but however well-intentioned the initiate was he presented me with no actual proof. My advice (to both parties) was to seek legal counsel as it seemed that potentially slanderous statements had been made and I had no first-hand knowledge of any of it. It was all "he said/he said" by the time it came to me and it had progressed to such a state that I felt that the legal system was the best way to handle it and NOT "bringing it to Silvercord" (one of the initiate-only email lists that I had once been a part of) which is what the initiate wanted to do. I advised him against involving Silvercord, not as a means to "cover something up" but because when *I* brought up similar issues there in the past (in a different situation to which I *did* have first-hand knowledge) it was quickly pointed out to me that Silvercord was not the place to air such grievances. It actually caused a lot of hurt feelings on all sides at that time. I was led to the conclusion that both parties might be potentially slandering the other, since the information that I was given by the accusing initiate indicated that nothing physical had actually happened. But I dunno... I'm not a lawyer... which is why I advised both of them to get one for themselves.

I have no idea why you would think that I would want to cover this up. This really begs further questions. What would I gain from a cover-up? I certainly don't care about how Feri is perceived in the public eye... that should be painfully obvious to anyone who ever read My Story back in 2003. I was the most prominent voice outing a sexual predator in Feri and the culture of initiates that sought to keep it all quiet. Pretty much the cat was out of the bag then.  I even allowed it to be reprinted on the Reclaiming International e-mail list that had over 10,000 members at the time. So keeping this recent issue quiet makes no sense. What would be the motivation? It certainly wasn't to protect said initiate (as you seem to think I "threw him under a bus") nor was it to protect the student whom I know even less. For the record I HAVE NO IDEA who did what and to whom. I wasn't there, which is why I have stressed from the beginning that legal counsel needed to be sought. I did get the impression that both sides were not being completely honest and ultimately it was NONE OF MY BUSINESS which is why I tried my best to stay out of it.

As for my work with the Guardians. What?? Really? Really??? You're actually arguing that the way I was trained and practice Feri is "wrong" and yours is better? How is this not fundamentalism?

7 comments:

technocowboy said...

So, um, someone got all ass-chapped at you and called you out on some things that her revisionist mind thought were true.
You called her out on her bullshit.
Her sand-filled vagina started pumping out a zillion glass swans left and right, and she reported you to LJ because you told "lies" and used her real name.
You had to repost FOUR TIMES because it wasn't fixed enough to satisfy her revisionist mind.
Did I grok that correctly?

veedub said...

Well, I went home with the waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know
She was with the Russians, too
I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this
I'm the innocent bystander
Somehow I got stuck
Between the rock and the hard place
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
And I'm down on my luck
Now I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The shit has hit the fan
Send lawyers, guns and money...
--Warren Zevon

devin_hunter said...

Seems as though there are people that need to get out of other peoples business. These people are shambles of what a priest should be, and would be fortunate to be half the priest you are. Stay strong man.

devin_hunter said...

one more note...
I posted this on the Modern Feri LJ community last night.
To all those who will read this.
I suppose I am quite lucky as I am merely a student and have yet to take on the burden of the Feri priesthood as I am seeing so many of the Feri Priesthood going to war over things that I cant help but find to be petty. I am however a priest, and a priest who found his way to the love of the Star Goddess all on my own, in fact it is quite my belief that she led me to Feri so that I could discover her as you all have. I may not have had that big initiation, but I know God Herself. I dedicated myself to her years ago, studied my ass off and became an initiated priest to a well respected tradition, and later became a High Priest in this tradition. I have dedicated my life to the service of Goddess.
I feel that to really know ourselves is to really know God Herself. I also believe that to understand that we are all on this rock together is to understand the human condition. How can we be priests of any faith without first understanding that?
I have made my opinion known but again not being an initiate of the tradition very few people hold my opinion to be valid, as this tradition has a long history of treating its students like shit. This is not a reaction I have gotten from those who I have allowed to become part of MY feri community, however the proof is in the history. I have found myself questioning what Victor and Cora would be saying to all of this. I found my answer today while in quiet meditation and I wanted to share it with you all before I head to bed.
I pray for this tradition, for its priests, teachers, masters, grand-masters, wand holders, public, private, students, initiated, and non initiated. I pray for the all those children-of and those married-to the Great Star Goddess that they may find their peace, and know that to fight and wage war is to disrespect the crown upon their head. I pray that among peace they also find understanding, mutual respect, and are able to see that the ground on which they stand is made of something common to all parties. I pray that they can rise above this and find healing within words of wisdom not find pain from words of poison. I pray for change. I pray for healing. I pray for us all.
Blessed Be.

roy_batty said...

Hi Storm,
I've not seen the original to which you are responding, but did read a few of her still public LJ posts, and have become aware of the current dram/schism/boughaha. There is much I could say on the matter, and will be happy to say privately. For the record though, I feel obliged to state publicly and for the record.
* I am an initiate in another Craft tradition, and though I do not at this time currently seek a path leading toward Feri initiation (by any spelling) I have found focused work with the tools of Feri invaluable in and of themselves. The help me in my work as a Magical Artist, and help me in the work of being more fully human and divine. The viewpoint which expresses that the *only* purpose of these tools is to properly prepare a potential Feri initiate can be seen in my own experience as inaccurately limited.
* Wherever one stands on the issues involved in paying for instruction, professional clergy, &c. I wish to state that though I am a paying student in a "for pay" class, my ability to pay or not has never been an issue in my continued enrollment in the class. My teacher has consistently shown that he is more concerned with my development in the work, than my ability to pay, and I have forgone payment for instruction for significant periods of time during my tenure with him.
Storm, please feel free to either delete/screen this post as you will, or re-post it in whole or in part as you desire. (While I want people to know you have been more concerned with me as your student than the money involved, I would *not* want my experience to lead to anyone abusing that concern. I admit to not having an easy answer to the reconciliation of those two desires when it comes to relating my own experience).

bellamagic said...

Re: one more note...
Thank you for the prayers, and may the blessings be returned in kind. *hug*

loveandpower said...

Re: one more note...
Thank you.