Difficult subject...

In direct response to Arania's post my answer is yes. I was raised in a very strong Christian belief household, My father is a CofE Vicar, however, as a result I suffered a lot of misgivings about the Tarot, "Devils picturebook" etc. But on my mother's side I have the Romany Culture! I have learnt to embrace all cultures and I hope I have taken best bits of each , according to Christian orthodoxy I am damned because I worship idols (I have Lord Ganesha on my Prosperity Altar!) However I feel the Universe does not limit us in our beliefs, as long as our intent is good, we have nothing to fear.

Sx

may be way off topic...

Wow...

not sure if I can help answer your question, since I'm so full of them myself.

the only thing I know to say is the there are some of us out here, that do have Native American blood running thru our veins as well.

Some are lucky enough to know where it came from. (Cherokee here, all maternal side. 1/8.)
May not mean much to anyone else, but I feel it inside as well as any other full blood, it's there, and I cherish it, and feel pride in just the knowing.

But the biggest thing about being, out here, alone, is the not knowing of things that seem to speak to my soul, and not know what to do with it, or where to look for answer's, since there's no one here that knows.
Of course, that's not gonna stop me from trying to find out...

I do have enough sense to know that there are things that are sacred, and would never even consider taking upon myself the mantle of doing them, unless properly trained.

but something tells me, that's gonna be a long time coming, as things are now...

Let your people know that there are those of us out here, that do feel and hear the call, but we're basically stranded, and waiting respectfully.
and they do not stand alone in the feeling of being cheated somehow, some way by our forefather's decisions, and actions. What took place, in the past, was terribly uncalled for, and eventually the desert will come into full bloom!

and if there was a line drawn... well, Flora would step into the desert, if it would have her.

"Stealing" traditions

What really annoys me about this is; "What about your own traditions?
I often see this 'strange' adoptive process as detrimental to the local environmet / tradition.

eg. here in Australia we have a wonderful, ancient, diverse, amazing, spiritual native tradition. And its slowly dying and being killed off. yet all these people are practicing 'alien' traditions and not their own, or not the tradition of their environment.

Even in agriculture, the 'stealing' of that tradition and applying it to Australia has led to extreme environmental devistation.

Maybe these things are just fun for some people (they like to dress up) but maybe they are a lot more about, blood, environment, survival, etc than we previously supposed?

My only suggestion--be gentle with yourself.

If you feel called to learn from a spiritual traditional because you feel the call of your ancestors or other ancestral disciplines, I believe it is okay to be respectful of regional differences within that culture. For instance, there is a wonderful woman whose workshop I've attended twice and her island heritage and concern in presentations would be sometimes not to mix Southern Phillipino island instruments with Northern in certain presentations. I believe her example of being concerned about 'purity' is when she presents and consults with scholars who are going to present academic findings and teach others.

But then again, in presenting to conferences that appreciate Asian and American fusions or want an intro to indiginous crafts and music of her heritage, her modern approach to performance and participation will allow for fusion. Yes, she's researched and studied and taught and performed for years... so she knows for certain audiences, when it's fine to fuse and when to separate the presentations by regions.

I think if people are just learning and feel the call to be careful, respectful, kind and also want to separate these aspects, that's fine. If someone is learning and doesn't care whether it's a fusion or not, because what they love is so full of wonder and beauty--there's a reason for such love in oneself. I believe people should allow themselves to gestate their thoughts, eventually do research if they feel called to, and then make up their own mind.

At some point, sincere researchers or dedicated students will hear what they will need to hear and either pass on to another transitional stage or they might go deeper into their passion...

If we are using mixing tarot as an example....oh, I'm an old fuddy duddy about some of my tarot interests. But I'm also a fusion mish-masher and finding a delight in a Chinese Tarot with English subtitles, Rider-Waitish images and dancing with delight at four cards that have dragons intermingled with them... in a way that recalls some East Asian myths of dragons with divine women of myth. Being an Asian of mixed ancestry, I allow myself fusion in modern tarot delights. I guess I do keep both historical and modern fusion interests separate, but I allow myself creativity as well.

And about mixing cultures...I've very recently heard of a Japanese shinto priest with interfaith bridges to other communities..and while I hope to learn more, it seems to me there's mutual respect from the cultures involved. Certainly what we all do now, even if its from oral traditions, evolves with each generation. And if we are wise and good enough in our practises, perhaps we will also be blessed enough to have others and young ones interested in such things...even if they carry it on in a form of fusion that we never knew...bless the beauty of personal creation....

I maybe talking to much and sorry, if I sound confusing. I probably still need to sort out the various topics better being asked and discussed. There's an ideal world or forum that we envision that should allow for both understanding of historical dialogue.. and also for respecting personal creativity.

Cerulean

Cerulean

What you said was so right on. If not for who we are and where we come from, who are we? I luved it!

Shoot, look at Christmas! Look at all Americans! Isn't being an American a mish-mash of everything we have come from and learn from?

We become unique creations when we allow ourselves to be reborn in our knowledge and not from brow beaten teachings. Why battle with what some consider to be pure blood, when in reality isn't really pure at all, and its all the same color! LMAO! (Who is different now? tee hee!)

I have to laugh. Andrew Jackson wanted the indians to meld with the whites, to become pure white blood. Wouldn't he roll over in horror if he knew generations down, the children of mixed races were trying to find their connection with their indian blood?
LOL.

Sorry Cerulean, you got me all excited! I just loved your post!
Barbara

Difficult subject

I think I can relate to what you are feeling. I am a Christian (not only that but I attend a Baptist church), who reads Tarot. Now in the traditional sense and what I have been taught all my life, these two things do not mix at all. But this is where I fear ignorance steps in. They do mix and mix rather nicely if you just open your mind to what you are doing. And there we have the crux of the problem. Traditionalists who refuse to open their minds and hearts to what can be possible. I like to say I am exercising the use of "Free Will" to choose what I use for self discovery, whether for myself or for others. Do my fellow Christians know what I do? Not bloody likely. Would they approve. Probably not. Do they care when I object to their incessant chatter about the latest preacher on the radio or who was on TV? Nope. But part of being spiritual, no matter what you follow, whether it is Buddha or Wiccan or whatever, is tolerance. Aye, there's the rub, tolerance and love.

OK, done with the soapbox.

Baroli52

Barbaras Ahajusts said:

Andrew Jackson wanted the indians to meld with the whites, to become pure white blood. Wouldn't he roll over in horror if he knew generations down, the children of mixed races were trying to find their connection with their indian blood?

Click to expand...

Hmmm...
If he'd have taken the time to ask, and the time to listen, our Native American forefather's may have been able to explain this to him...

Is there really such a thing as a full blood white?

Nah, noone is pure white, green, orange or pink. We are all descendants of some other country and culture. We are Technocolor people and technoculture.

Baroli52

That's certainly true here in the UK.

What an interesting thread. I agree with so much that has been said here.

I believe that each of us is on a spiritual journey - and that journey is an individual process, unlike any other. So we need to seek out the appropriate teaching. And as long as we accept it with reverence and practise it sincerely in the manner in which it has been taught, it will help us along the path. The trouble begins when teachings are hijacked and "adapted". Usually this is for commercial reasons - for example, one well known Kabbalah organisation about which there was a programme on TV recently and whose main aim appears to be making money. There's also a Buddhist sect which was formed some years back whose teachings to a large extent are contrary to the teachings of the Buddha. And, sadly, there are some so-called religious sects that encourage hatred. But they are all perversions.

I was brought up in the Jewish religion to which I still have links. In my early twenties, however, I became a Buddhist. And I have a long-term interest in and affection for Christianity. But in the past three or four years I have been fortunate to be able to start developing my spirituality without recourse to one particular religion but encompassing and using all that I have learned. This is my path.

And as far as tarot is concerned, yes I agree that it is a tool. And using it with the motive of helping others, I do so with a clear conscience.