Round Table vs Owning ‘Equals’

This essay was inspired by my love of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Main lessons of Arthurian Legends = Round Table: Good, Violence over Jealousy: Bad.

One of the stories within the legends focused on the Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot love triangle as being ‘doomed’ by its very nature; a tragic assumption which I hope to show is just the wrong way to learn from the past. It is easy for a testosterone bully or romance junky to say “the main lesson is to be faithful to the laws of marriage and the Bible, and never ‘cheat’ or ‘take’ another man’s wife”. Monogamy terms of possession are worth entire essays alone, but should envy itself truly always lead to misfortune? Celtic sensibility and wisdom of the Goddess argues against such immature interpretations. In our youth, we may be forgiven such hormonal and primal envy, but as adults we should be more considerate about the meaning of Love.

Christian culture has viewed women as possessions, and loyalty in marriage to be based entirely on spouses ‘owning’ each-other’s bodies and hearts. Owning hearts, minds, and bodies until death has often been a form of self-imposed but culturally encouraged and enforced slavery (certainly there have been blissfully happy mutual slaves that lead fairy-tale romance lives without much fighting or if there was tons it was worth it). Fidelity of monogamy often infamously leads to immoral behavior such as fits of rage and violence against people who are considered objects of jealousy. Property rights over people as cause for war was infamous in Homer’s ‘Iliad’ (Fall of Troy), and this illogical false justice has been perpetually mistaken as righteous wrath even by adults ever since.

Promises we make to each-other probably should be more attuned to who we are as people, and respect reasonable individual tendencies and realistic expectations based on natural desires and evolving social ethics. Possessing someone’s heart or even shared holding of bodily space, is not the same as ownership.

Friendship is the best basis for any relations. Can’t we all just get along? Some will always say “no”, and good luck to those making the best of things no matter the labels.

SCOD Mission Statement “Seek”

Seek

We seek others of like mind, spirit, and soul.

We seek kinship of the heart, and loyalty in friendship.

We seek Truth, in all its forms.

We seek Land, to build upon.

We seek to unite other communities, in common communication.

We seek to untie ourselves from unwanted mundane bonds.

We seek a Medieval Tavern to gather locals and visitors alike.

We seek dwellings to be individuals, personally designed.

We seek fields to grow our own food, and have open space.

We seek groves of trees, to selectively use for harvest of food, shelter, and fire. Under their giant branches we gain wisdom from their shade.

So Mote it Be.

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SCOD is like Paganism in its mission. In Paganism there is no single leader, scripture or religious philosophy. Most Pagans, however, believe in the divine character of the natural world and Paganism is often described as an “Earth religion”.