Taboos and good and evil

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

Could you as part of your Left Hand practice ever commit what you see as really taboo? Even if finding no or little joy in it?

For me this is the rub of it. I am sure the aghori get no pleasure from eating rotten human flesh, or building a seat of skulls, or of rubbing the ash of the dead on their skin, or the ritual of the 5 Ms.

If you want to get dem stains out, the really deep ones, sometimes you need bleach, dig? Pawing at the LHP with anything less simply doesn't have the horsepower to dispel the dualities that run to the marrow.

 

[AnnaCzereda]

It is your constitutionally protected right to burn the flag. Go find a crowd Monday to do it in front of, and it won't be well tolerated. It's legal to change your sex, but some people have been killed over it.

Oh come on, let's not exaggerate. Our nationalists regularly burn the EU flag during their demonstrations and nobody got killed here over changing sex. Hell, we even got some transgender parliament deputies. Even being a Satanist is no longer a taboo. Look at the activities of the Satanic Temple or the multiple interviews Gilmore is invited to. Our society is becoming increasingly permissive. I haven't heard of anyone having troubles for burning flags, being transgender or a Satanist but I've heard of multiple cases of people having serious legal troubles for refusing to pay their taxes.

Probably in Poland too, no? I bet it's taboo to drink vodka until you pass out by 12pm every single day, but legal.

Lol then you have little knowledge of Poland. It's a taboo not to drink vodka. Sober people are weirdos, I tell you. There are very few of us where I live.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Oh come on, let's not exaggerate. Our nationalists regularly burn the EU flag during their demonstrations and nobody got killed here over changing sex.

I already stated I didn't realize you are from Poland when I posted that. It does make a helluva difference, because here flag burning is strongly looked down on and transsexuals have been beaten and killed. EU nations tend to have more civil protections that what America offers, they tend to be more tolerant and accepting, and here we take "freedom of religion" too far at times and many do truly believe that "freedom of religion" includes religious-based discrimination and bullying. In most places it would be an outrage to teach Creationism as a science, but there are numerous places in America were it's an outrage to not teach it. Just by saying you accept evolution it's a reasonable expectation that someone is going to say some really dumb things about you for accepting it.
On most days, if I had just half a chance to get out of America I would. You're "freedoms" are to say whatever hateful thing you want and be behave in a very inappropriate manner as long as you're doing it because of your religion. You aren't free to assume your legal and civil rights are protected or in existence if you're a minority, you're free to rack up a ton of college debt if you want to get ahead, and food companies are free to poison people. But you get caught with a joint, and you face penalties that not even thieves, rapists, and murderers face.

 

[Kapalika]

Transgender people get beat up all the time and killed in America, particularly MtF women of color. If no one believes this they can easily look up the numbers.

As far as Satanism, being a Satanist is still really taboo. Perhaps not a taboo as a few decades ago due to the popularity of certain music and the plethora of groups out there now, but you still can't say you are a Satanist and not have legitimate concerns for how it will affect your work and social life. It might be better in some parts but it's a generally bad idea as many people still think of Satanists as these virgin sacrificing monsters or something to that affect. Some might by their own admission be selfish or jerks but I can't think of many if any that were ever violent. Several years ago I remember someone I was talking to in person told me that Satanists sacrificed puppies and were responsible for 40,000 child sacrifices a year in the United States. They said this with a straight face and told me that the Church of Satan practices human sacrifice. Some Satanists might by their own admission be selfish or jerks but I can't think of many if any that were ever violent.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Transgender people get beat up all the time and killed in America, particularly MtF women of color. If no one believes this they can easily look up the numbers.

As far as Satanism, being a Satanist is still really taboo. Perhaps not a taboo as a few decades ago due to the popularity of certain music and the plethora of groups out there now, but you still can't say you are a Satanist and not have legitimate concerns for how it will affect your work and social life. It might be better in some parts but it's a generally bad idea as many people still think of Satanists as these virgin sacrificing monsters or something to that affect. Some might by their own admission be selfish or jerks but I can't think of many if any that were ever violent. Several years ago I remember someone I was talking to in person told me that Satanists sacrificed puppies and were responsible for 40,000 child sacrifices a year in the United States. They said this with a straight face and told me that the Church of Satan practices human sacrifice. Some Satanists might by their own admission be selfish or jerks but I can't think of many if any that were ever violent.

That reminds me of that Chick tract that says druid abduct people and sacrifice them to Satan. And I'm sure there is some non-sense about atheists featured in a Chick tract, another taboo group in America (though probably more so in the Bible Belt states).

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No one really cares about what you believe or disbelieve in America unless you live in a backwater in the Deep South, really. I live in a Midwestern city and no one really cares. No one cares about me being trans, either, aside from some stupid comments once in a blue moon.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

No one really cares about what you believe or disbelieve in America unless you live in a backwater in the Deep South

I've been told, as that as I am Agnostic, that "at least I'm not an atheist." I've known people who think atheists are inherently immoral, and that it's a major character flaw. As for Satanism, it's so bad here that there is no shortage of people here who believe Harry Potter is Satanic and teaches kids real witchcraft.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I've been told, as that as I am Agnostic, that "at least I'm not an atheist." I've known people who think atheists are inherently immoral, and that it's a major character flaw. As for Satanism, it's so bad here that there is no shortage of people here who believe Harry Potter is Satanic and teaches kids real witchcraft.

Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Mind you, the Columbus area does have a lot of religious conservative groups here, some of which are big names, but no one outside of that cares about what they say.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Mind you, the Columbus area does have a lot of religious conservative groups here, some of which are big names, but no one outside of that cares about what they say.

Where I live is rural, and even the cities are small.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Where I live is rural, and even the cities are small.

My sympathies.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

My sympathies.

Yeah, it sucks here so much. Though I am flabbergasted and stunned that one of the cities actually passed a bill letting transsexuals use the restroom they identify/present as. I'm actually not at all comfortable with transitioning here, but since I'm stuck here for longer than I anticipated I'm just going to have to do. I'm just glad there are enough places with single-occupancy restrooms that I can use without issue, a Target, and most of my in-town time being spent at school, because "holding it" isn't really a good thing to do with IBS (or even without, really).
And really pretty much the only thing to do here is go to bars, visit strip clubs, go to church, or pop pills, smoke weed, or smoke meth, and lately munch on pain pills and shoot up. We don't even have a good supply of things like shrooms, acid, or DMT. We have no theatres to visit, only a tiny art gallery at school, and even "local" band concerts often have more bands from out of state than they do local because there is barely a music scene.
Many people, especially younger people, tend to hate living here.

 

[Adramelek]

I live smack dab in the buckle of the bible belt and have been fired from jobs twice for being too openly Satanic and Setian. But it isn't so bad here in Tulsa, we have I think the only occult book store in Oklahoma, its where I found my original hardcover copy of the "Satanic Rituals". The music scene here isn't so great as far as heavy metal goes, all we seem to have are cover bands, nothing original.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

The music scene here isn't so great as far as heavy metal goes, all we seem to have are cover bands, nothing original.

That's pretty much how it is here. There are some pretty good cover bands, but I have a hard time respecting a band that puts out nothing original.

 

[Onyx]

In this world, simply doing things for yourself can be a huge taboo to overcome. Some religions associate self-indulgence with guilt, and family problems can cause people to lose sight of their own needs and desires. Workplaces can be difficult.

For a long time, I had a great relationship with a bigger woman, but it did require me getting over my taboos. (She had some also, in terms of her own self-image.) We were seen together in public, and nobody cared. Our real obstacle was self-conciousness.

Asking for help can be another taboo. Some people would rather die than obtain superior expertise. Many fundamental Christians refuse to get psychological (or even medical) help because they are convinced "God" will take care of their problems at the altar. Uh-huh.

The Pentecostal "Snake-Handlers" attempt to break the taboo of disbelief by actually risking their lives in submission to a literal read of "God's Word". Many have been bitten, some have died.

I'm all for breaking taboos, but let's be smart about it.

 

[Kapalika]

No one really cares about what you believe or disbelieve in America unless you live in a backwater in the Deep South, really. I live in a Midwestern city and no one really cares. No one cares about me being trans, either, aside from some stupid comments once in a blue moon.

I think that more has to do with you living in a city than not being in the South. In cities people are forced to interact with and be around a lot of diverse people. You can just kind of blend in with everyone else.

Where I live being a Satanist may or may not land you in a lot of trouble depending on what social groups you are part of. As far as being trans, I've gotten some very weird reactions as well as people just not caring.

One time I was in Ohio not too far from where you live and I had just walked out of a UU church presenting female and some guy driving by honked at me and made accusatory gestures at me from his vehicle.

I've been told, as that as I am Agnostic, that "at least I'm not an atheist." I've known people who think atheists are inherently immoral, and that it's a major character flaw. As for Satanism, it's so bad here that there is no shortage of people here who believe Harry Potter is Satanic and teaches kids real witchcraft.

There are some people around here who think that about some forms of fiction, but they are a very small minority of the churched population as far as I can tell. And most people don't really care about religion, but at least have some personal concept of it that they barely practice if at all. But this area is largely conservative, just not particularly churched. I can't imagine what it's like to live in a place where the attitudes you described are common place and said openly with no reservation.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Workplaces can be difficult.

They can be. It's why I'm so glad I took the route of saying "**** work." Work is very highly rated and regarded here, but **** it. I've always struggled with it, I've never been able to get ahead at it, so now I do not work, I just do my own thing, no boss, no mandatory hours, no stupid uniforms, and the worst thing that can happen to me is getting burnt by my soldering iron, which is something I've yet to do (it's actually pretty hard to do unless you're being careless).

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I did occur to me that transitioning involves me breaking two of my own personal "codes." One is my stance against chronic-long term drug use (I'll be on estrogen treatments pretty much the rest of my life), and the other is not letting such things define me. Such as with my Asperger's, I definitely have it, and plenty of people suspect it, but it doesn't mean I "have" to be that and can't learn to rise above it. So I'm going on a very long-term drug binge and allowing myself to be redefined in a way that I normally wouldn't, and of course it comes with a price, but what is a price when you can come to stand looking at yourself in the mirror and silence a great deal of inner turmoil?
Oddly, my decision to come out to my family soon (I actually plan on doing in Monday) has pushed me even further with working with art. I haven't done much with drawing, but I've been writing some and I've been putting in several hours a day on my guitar and bass. It seems to be about the only thing I've been motivated to do lately.

 

[EtuMalku]

If one can't box me into one or the other I'm doing it right, I figure.

Considering which LHP (East or West) you are trying to embrace, you are are either 'doing it' right or wrong. Heterodox practices (East) are not the same as Antinomian practices (West) and each have different goals in mind.

 

[Satans_Serrated_Edge]

I hate to break it to you bub, but those two words are synonyms...

 

[1137]

I'd say I have reasons for my taboos, and I try to avoid doing explicitly unreasonable things. I would avoid animal sacrifice not because it's taboo, but because I value individual life. This is an important difference. A big one for me personally would be homosexual sex as I am heterosexual. I won't go out of my way to do something I have no desire to do, and it still has nothing to do with whether it is moral or immoral.