Comments on: The Caretaker of Critter Bits

By: Riverwolf

Riverwolf — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:49:47 +0000

Very interesting, and thanks for sharing your struggle and questions.

By: therioshamanism

therioshamanism — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:05:03 +0000

Paleo–We all have our personal boundaries with this sort of thing, and I truly don’t believe there’s any single right answer. My thought is that as long as one lives as close to one’s conscience as possible, then they’re far ahead of most folks.

Denise–*nods* That’s one way of looking at it. I always find it fascinating to see the different ways people hash out their boundaries; while I don’t always agree with everyone, I still learn a great deal.

By: Denise

Denise — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:42:21 +0000

I too have been called to work with certain critter bits. Being a vegetarian for the past 15 years seems to be in conflict with this, but the critter bits I work with are the Spirit of the animal, not the spirit of an individual, and the work I do is with things I have been “gifted” with (which happens in a variety of ways). And I have learned that not every critter bit is meant for me; sometimes I am just the one who finds them and prepares them for their final destination.

I think that westerners have become cut off from the gifts of the four-leggeds, and honoring their spirits helps to recreate the connections and restore some balance.

By: Paleo

Paleo — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:27:10 +0000

I just felt like adding that when it comes to judging the morality of the actions of others, especially among environmentalists, learning to give others a fair amount of wiggle room is an important exercise. Let two different environmentalists analyse the lives of the other and I promise they’ll each come up with ten things the other does that they disapprove of. Vegans aren’t going to be happy with me. I’m not going to be happy with people who have kids. And so on. Ultimately, I judge folks on how much they truely give a damn about the living community not by if each and every action they do matches mine.

By: Paleo

Paleo — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:29:02 +0000

I do believe that what you are doing is largely possitive and totally genuine, but I still feel that the vast majority of pagans who seek and use animal parts are largely doing it for the look and the ego-boost that that brings though they’ll hide the fact (even from themselves, it seems) with talk of totemic connection and whatnot.
There’s always been a part of me that insists that I “need” a bear skull and a wolf pelt but I would sicken myself if I gave one shred of power to genocidal murderers of said species. Buying a wolf pelt with an unbroken chain to its murderer would feel like buying Nazi gold…sure it’s pretty and I had nothing to do with the attrocities that put it in my hands but it is ultimately tainted. The pact Wolf pressed me into pretty much states that I am not allowed to benifit in any way from government sactioned killing of Her children. That doesn’t mean Wolf isn’t capable of making different pacts with different folks though. Not judging, just stating my views.